PHILADELPHIA -- When Rich Hill was removed from his previous start after a rocky fourth inning, the normally docile pitcher made no attempt to hide his anger.
Despite giving up four runs in the fourth and a two-run Orioles lead to the Atlanta Braves, Hill wanted the chance to salvage his outing and took out his frustrations on several pieces of equipment when he wasn't given that opportunity.
In Friday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, Hill again appeared headed for an early exit, but this time, he heeded pitching coach Rick Kranitz's advice and did something about it. The left-hander allowed two first-inning runs and then nothing else while pitching into the seventh inning and he added an RBI single in the Orioles' 7-2 victory over the Phillies before an announced sellout of 45,135 at Citizens Bank Park.
The win was the Orioles' third straight victory and seventh in 10 interleague games this season. The defending champion Phillies, who went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners, have lost four in a row and six out of seven and fell to 13-20 at home this season.
"You let your pitching do the talking," Kranitz said. "Just go out and perform and the manager will leave you in the ballgame. If you don't perform, you'll be taken out. I let him know that in order to pitch, in order to be allowed to go out there every inning, you got to perform."
Hill did just that after surrendering a two-run, first-inning double to former Orioles farmhand Jayson Werth. He stranded two runners in the second inning and one more in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, while relying largely on his looping curveball that the struggling Phillies never quite figured out.
In improving to 3-1, Hill allowed five hits and walked four while striking out five in 6 2/3 innings. It was a much-needed boost after the left-hander had failed to get out of the first inning two outings earlier and then struggled against the Braves in his previous start.
"I wasn't afraid about that or anything," said Hill when asked whether he feared that his early struggles would result in another early exit. "I made a couple of stupid pitches in the first inning, trying to incorporate a cutter and slider back into the repertoire. I threw it a couple of times and those were the balls that got hit. Those aren't game-ready yet, and I got back to the game plan of curveball, changeup, fastball and using both sides of the plate."
