Phillies Drop 3rd Straight in St. Louis

David Buchanan continued his abysmal start to the 2015 season Thursday night and the Phillies fell for a third straight time in St. Louis when the offense could not rally enough times to bail out the starting pitching. The Cardinals staked a 3-0 lead in the first that the Phillies erased by the third inning – aided in part by Darin Ruf’s second homer of the season – but as quickly as Buchanan got support he lost control again. St. Louis regained the lead with two runs in its half of the third and tacked on two more in innings five and eight while its bullpen bailed out starter Tim Cooney, who was pulled before getting out of the third after allowing three earned runs on seven hits, by holding the Phillies scoreless to claim a 9-3 win. Buchanan fell to 0-5. With two hits on the day, Ruf was the only Phillie to get more than one. For more on this game, click here.