Tonight, J.A. Happ didn't just make his case for staying in the rotation. He hired a skywriter, took out a full-page ad in the Inquirer, and hired Atticus Finch to represent him. J.A. Happ lost a well-deserved rotation spot in the spring, and he wasn't about to lose it again.
Happ twirled a gem, a complete game four-hit shutout against the very hot, great hitting Colorado Rockies, and the Phillies bats came through finally, slamming three home runs, as the Phillies defeated the Rockies 7-0 in South Philadelphia.
Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, and Jayson Werth all went deep for the Phillies in support of Happ, who struck out 10 Rockies and walked only two.
Can you put this guy in the bullpen now? Really? Really really?
Now, your Debbie Downer Report:
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Happ's final pitch count of 127. He sat at 110 after eight innings with a seven run lead. It was completely unnecessary to send him out there for the ninth inning. Hopefully there won't be any lingering effects of tonight's heavy pitch load. I'd hate to see another one of these.