R-Phils drop home finale

Brad Harman dives to snare a grounder by Paul Oseguera in the 8th inning.  Harman threw him out at first.

By Tony Zonca

Reading, PA --  The Phillies closed out the home portion of their schedule Thursday night with an 11-3 loss to the Connecticut Defenders.

The Phillies (52-86) set a franchise record for losses in a season, exceeding the 85 absorbed by the 1998 club.

The Defenders (67-70), the worst hitting club in the Eastern League, got to Tyson Brummett (2-9) for nine earned runs and 12 hits in six-plus innings to even the four-game series.  The Phillies won the season matchup 6-5.

For the Defenders, who pounded 15 hits, Mike Mooney slammed a three-run homer and was 3-for-4, and relief pitcher Paul Oseguera (3-2) ripped a three-run double.  Simon Klink, Eliezer Alfonzo and Carlos Sosa also had three hits apiece.

The Phillies tied things with a two-run third inning, featuring an RBI single by Greg Golson and a throwing error.  They added a run in the eighth on Brad Harman's RBI single.  Golson, Jason Donald and Neil Sellers each had two hits.

PHILLERS:  When Kevin Nelson reportedly injured a hamstring running out a double in the second inning, he was replaced by Jake Blalock, who was making his first career appearance as a catcher.  Regular catcher Lou Marson was unavailable after being struck in the head by the follow through of a bat in Wednesday night's game. . . . The Phillies finished 27-43 at home. . . . They are sitting with a .377 winning percentage with four games remaining at Altoona, and even if they win their remaining games, they will finish with an all-time low mark of  .394.  The previous all-time low mark was .397 (54-82), set in 1976. . . . With a third-inning double, Michael Spidale moved his hitting streak to seven games (14-for-29). . . . The Phillies closed the season with an attendance mark of 436,789, an average of 6,423 for 68 games.  The Phillies, leading the Eastern League in attendance at gametime, are on course to become the attendance leader a seventh straight year. 

PLAYER MOVES:  Right-hander Andrew Carpenter was optioned back to Reading from Philadelphia, where he pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park.  Right-hander Travis Minix (3-6, 3.86) moved up to Lehigh Valley.

This story was posted on August 28, 2008