No, the Phillies don’t have a good lineup right now. But you know what great pitchers do when they face a crappy lineup? They dominate. And that’s what Matt Garza did today.
The Cubs’ offense was in full-on “manufacture” mode, save for a solo home run by Super Joe Mather (the first home run by a Cubs outfielder this year – for realsies). Tony Campana paced the team by terrorizing on the base paths, which he always does, assuming he’s able to get on base. Bryan LaHair stroked the ball, and most everyone did the “small ball” “little things” you need to do to push across a run here and there. It was a fun game to watch (if we’re not counting the 9th inning, when Carlos Marmol did his best Carlos Marmol impression, and tried desperately to blow a 5-0 lead).
And, man, Garza was on. The only hit he gave up was to the very first man he faced.