Worley dusted Pedroia with a high-and-tight fastball inside in the first inning and left an impression with his solid performance.
“He had great mound presence, and we were all very impressed,’’ Pedroia said. “It’s really good for a kid that young to have a presence like that on the mound. He’s going to be a good one.’’
In a series billed as a World Series preview, the major league-leading Phillies (51-30) have taken two straight and go for a sweep Thursday.
Michael Stutes pitched a perfect eighth and Antonio Bastardo finished for his third save and first filling in for Ryan Madson. The Phillies are down to their fourth closer with Madson, Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge on the disabled list.
But their young relievers are doing well.
“We talk about our starting pitching a lot and we should, but I’m real proud of the back end of our bullpen,’’ manager Charlie Manuel said. “We have young kids who like to pitch and they gut it out. They’re not afraid.’’
Ibanez was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, falling a triple short of the cycle. He came in 5 for 44.
John Lackey (5-7) gave up two runs and eight hits in 7 2-3 innings in one of his best starts this season. He lowered his ERA from 7.36 to 6.81.
The Red Sox have lost six of seven since going 14-2.
Desperate to wake up a slumping offense, Boston manager Terry Francona gave Adrian Gonzalez his second career start in right field so David Ortiz could play first base. Ortiz hadn’t started the previous four games because there is no designated hitter in NL parks.
It didn’t work. Big Papi was 0 for 4.
“Did that guy just come up or something? Man, because he looked pretty good to me,’’ Ortiz said of Worley. “He had decent stuff, and it really looks like he’s been around for a long time.
“They’ve got four big starters here, right? Well, he looked like one of them out there tonight. He really looked comfortable. It’s obvious that he’s listening to those big starters over there. It’s rubbing off on him.’’
