Harang Continues To Show Value Despite Worthless Offense

GAME RECAP: Rockies Stifle Phillies 5-2

Eddie Butler may not have expected to start Saturday, but his performance proved he was ready. Thanks in large part to the efficient work of Butler, who was a last-minute substitution for scheduled starter Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies continued their winning ways Saturday, defeating the Phillies 5-2. Butler settled down after allowing a run in the first inning and hurled five shutout innings to finish what was statistically his most effective start of the season. He needed just 78 pitches to dispatch the Phillies in a six-inning, four-hit, one-run performance that brought the rookie to 3-5 and dropped his ERA from 4.60 to 4.22. "I attacked the zone, got early contact and let the guys make some plays," said Butler, who accumulated 11 outs on grounders, including one double play. The Rockies homered three times for the second straight game, scoring their first three runs via home runs from Nolan Arenado, Michael McKenry and Ben Paulsen. The team has won six of its last seven and seven of 10. Colorado also clinched its first regular-season series win at Citizens Bank since Aug. 9-12, 2004. "When you hit the ball out of the park and get good starting pitching, usually you're in good shape," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. For the Phillies, the loss extended their losing streak to six games for the second time this season. The team is now a season-high 13 games below .500. Starting pitcher Aaron Harang threw six quality innings, only allowing two runs on four hits and striking out seven, but his offense was unable to back him up after the first inning. "That was a quality start for Harang," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Threw 109 pitches and gave up two runs. He pitched well with men on base. We struggled out of the bullpen with command and leaving pitches up in the zone and gave some runs up. On the offensive side of things we had men left on base and couldn't get the big hit."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• After scoring all of their runs on homers in a 4-1 victory Friday night, the Rockies went deep twice in the second against the usually homer-stingy Harang. Arenado parked his 11th homer of the year and McKenry hit his third. McKenry is hitting .367 with three homers and eight RBIs in 30 career at-bats at Citizens Bank Park. Harang had given up just two homers in his 10 previous games. "When things aren't going right, it's just tough," Harang said. "It's tough because I thought I made two good pitches there. I went back and looked at them. They were down. They were able to stay through it and get a pretty good bat on it."
• The last time he faced Butler, Ryan Howard hit a mislocated curve for a prodigious homer, and he doubled in a first-inning run Saturday. But with two on and two out in the third, Butler challenged Howard with three fastballs in the strike zone. The last was a hard grounder to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, already shifted behind second base.
• Just one day after the Phillies stranded runners on first and third down two runs in the eighth inning, the team found itself in nearly the same scenario and came up with same result. Saturday the Phillies trailed the Rockies by three runs with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth but came out of the situation empty thanks to a Howard strikeout and a Maikel Franco groundout. "For a stretch there a couple of weeks ago, we were getting the big hit and the timely hit and we had a winning streak, and we blanked out in this cold streak with men on base," Sandberg said. "It's keep knocking at the door, keep having runners out there and somebody needs to come up with the big hit."
• In the top of the seventh inning, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis made a no-look flip behind his back to Chase Utley on a sliding stop to force Rafael Ynoa out at second base. Utley collected the ball cleanly and threw to Howard, who was unable to make the catch to execute the double play. Galvis' play was met with cheers across the stadium and multiple replays on the Phillies video board.
• With two out in the eighth, the Phillies' Jeff Francoeur launched a fly ball to deep left against Rockies reliever Scott Oberg. A fan reached over the wall with his glove but failed to make the catch. Francoeur was awarded a double, and an umpire crew chief check of the replay confirmed the call.

NEXT GAME:

Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles (2-5, 5.10 ERA) left his last start with a sprained left big toe, but is in line to start Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET against the Phillies and righty Jerome Williams (3-4, 5.33). Williams will make the start for the Phillies Sunday. Williams is tied with Arizona pitcher Josh Collmenter for the National League lead in hits allowed with 70 this season. This will be the right-hander's last start of a rough May where he has allowed 22 runs in 30 1/3 innings for an ERA of 6.53.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rewarded With Losses – Control in baseball has two meanings. When it comes to putting a pitch where he wants to, Aaron Harang has control. Of the 109 pitches he threw Saturday in the Phillies' 5-2 loss, 74 were for strikes and for the first time this season, Harang didn't issue a walk. And he controlled his pitches in the zone, allowing just four hits and two runs in six innings while striking out seven. But when it comes to the defense behind him and run support, Harang has zero control. This is something the veteran has come to accept over his 14 seasons in the Majors. "You can't really go out and try to change too much," he said. "You've got to go out and keep doing what you can do. You've got to do what you can do to contribute to the team. Things will eventually change and the numbers will show the overall outcome of your season." The numbers to which Harang were referring are his season marks, which are far better than anyone would expect a pitcher with a losing record to have at the end of May. Despite his 4-5 record, Harang has an ERA of 2.02 and is striking out more than 6.5 batters per nine innings. In six May starts, Harang never allowed more than two earned runs in a game but the Phillies won just two of those outings. Though Harang admitted that this can be frustrating, he is accustomed to this. When Harang was younger and just coming into his own as a starter in Cincinnati, his team was rebuilding just as the Phillies are now. One thing he learned over that period was that having "ups and downs" is a natural part of baseball. Thus, Harang said he doesn't think about his win-loss record or things that are out of his control. Harang's attitude on getting through tough situations can be summed up by how he reacted to his early adversity Saturday. Harang entered play Saturday as the best in the National League in home run prevention among starting pitchers, having allowed just two home runs all season. But he gave up two home runs in the second inning alone against the Rockies. He thought he made good pitches on both of the home runs, and when he went back and watched the tape, it confirmed his suspicion. But even though the pitches were where he wanted them, Harang said he understood why the balls were hit as well as they were. "Once I let go of the ball, it's kind of out of my control," Harang said.

Where’s The Offense? – Twice in 10 days, Eddie Butler has started against the Phillies. But based on the disparity of results, Philadelphia might as well have faced off against two pitchers. On May 20, the Phillies feasted on Butler. The Rockies right-hander struggled to survive three innings, requiring 77 pitches to find nine outs against 18 batters. The Phillies jumped on the rookie, scoring four runs, two earned, on six hits, two walks and a home run. Fast forward to Saturday, and Butler manged to avoid Phillies' bats this time. He stifled the Phillies' offense in the Rockies' 5-2 win, allowing just four hits and one run in six innings with an economical 78 pitches. If you were to watch Butler's two starts back-to-back, you would think he was starting against two different Phillies teams. And given the way manager Ryne Sandberg assessed his team's play over its current six-game losing streak, he kind of did. "For a stretch there a couple of weeks ago, we were getting the big hit and the timely hit and we had a winning streak, and we blanked out in this cold streak with men on base," Sandberg said. Saturday was no exception to this "blanking out." The Phillies were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. In the eighth and ninth innings alone, the Phillies stranded four runners, two of whom were in scoring position. This continued a trend from Friday when they stranded runners in the last two innings of a 4-1 loss. Power has been lacking for the Phillies. Before Cesar Hernandez's eighth-inning solo home run, the team hadn't put a ball in the stands over the losing streak. To Sandberg, this is one area where the offense needs to turn things around immediately. "It's pretty good hitting weather out there," Sandberg said. "The flags are blowing. We have guys capable of that. We like to see more contact first and then the ball going out of the park will definitely give us a jumpstart with the offense." The Phillies are now a season-worst 13 games below .500. Two weeks removed from a six-game winning streak, the team is now on its longest losing streak of the year. With the offense stagnating, the bullpen struggling and the starting pitching doing everything it can to keep this team in games, Philadelphia looks to have lost its way. To Saturday's starter Aaron Harang, this is a by-product of being on a young baseball team and can easily be remedied. "It's just a matter of kind of getting everybody synced together," he said. "You have some games where your pitching isn't doing well and your offense has got to pick that up, and other games where your offense isn't doing well and your pitching has got to pick that up. It's just you've got to find the right lane on the road and make sure you get on it and go from there."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-32. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 40-61-0 on this day.

Rockies Rookie Shuts Down Floundering Phillies

GAME RECAP: Rockies Beat Phillies 4-1

Rockies right-handed pitcher Chad Bettis took a perfect game into the seventh and no-hitter into the eighth as the Rockies defeated the Phillies, 4-1, at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Bettis (2-0), who took a shutout into the ninth inning Sunday, but gave up two runs in a win over the Giants was even more special Friday -- allowing two hits in eight scoreless innings, with seven strikeouts. For a while, he was bidding to join ex-Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez as the only Rockies members of the no-hit club. Jimenez threw his on the road against the Braves on April 17, 2010. Bettis finished with 66 strikes in 104 pitches. But with one out in the eighth, Phillies left fielder Cody Asche rolled a single through the shortstop hole, which was vacated in an infield shifted to the right. Carlos Ruiz singled with two down. Rockies manager Walt Weiss, who had relievers Boone Logan and Rafael Betancourt warm, visited the mound, but let Bettis finish as he fanned pinch-hitter Darin Ruf on a check-swing. Bettis had a perfect game until shortstop Troy Tulowitzki ranged to the middle for a grounder from speedy Ben Revere but had the ball kick off the heel of his glove. The play was close, but it was ruled an error. But Tulowitzki had a four-hit night and was responsible for Bettis' lead, thanks to his solo homers in the first and third innings off Phillies starter Cole Hamels (5-4), whom the Rockies barely touched otherwise in eight innings. The Rockies opened the lead on Ben Paulsen's two-run homer off Luis Garcia in the eighth. Hamels fanned nine and held the Rockies to five hits. The Phillies nearly suffered their second straight shutout, but left fielder Brandon Barnes dropped a Chase Utley fly ball against the wall and Revere scored from second. Revere had reached on a strikeout-wild pitch with John Axford on the Rockies' mound.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Early in the season, Hamels was a frequent victim of the long ball. The lefty gave up seven home runs in his first 18 innings this season, but coming into Friday's start, he had only allowed one since and none in his last 34 1/3 innings pitched. That changed in the first inning with Tulowitzki's first homer. Hamels had previously dominated Tulowitzki over his career, as before Friday's contest the shortstop was just 2-for-16 versus Hamels.
• Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg was ejected in the top of the ninth inning by home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez. Sandberg was arguing a called ball on a pitch thrown by Garcia that he believed to be strike three to Nolan Arenado. The questionable nature of Arenado's check swing, or lack thereof, came because Ruf, pinch-hitting for Hamels, was rung up on a questionable check-swing to end the previous inning. Sandberg could be seen asking Hernandez, "What was the difference?," before leaving the field.
• Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz will likely both be excited to see De La Rosa on the mound as both have seen success in their careers versus the lefty. Utley has a career cycle against De La Rosa and is a .353 hitter while Ruiz is a 6-for-11 (.545) with two doubles, one RBI, two walks and an OPS of 1.370. The only players with at least 14 plate appearances against De La Rosa who have a higher OPS than Ruiz are Ryan Braun of the Brewers and former Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino.

NEXT GAME:

Two pitchers will be facing off against relatively familiar foes Saturday, when Aaron Harang and Jorge De La Rosa start against the Rockies and Phillies respectively for the second time in less than two weeks. Harang started for the Phillies at Coors Field on May 19 and De La Rosa made a start two days later for the Rockies in the same series. Neither pitcher received a decision in those outings, but their teams won both of the games. De La Rosa has not started since his last outing versus the Phillies. He had to miss a start because of a cut on his left middle finger and it was rescheduled for Saturday. The 34-year-old is 1-2 with an ERA of 6.51, though that mark has decreased every start since it was at 31.50 after his first start this season. A pitcher who has outperformed his record this year, Harang enters Saturday with a 4-4 record, but an ERA of 1.92. That mark is sixth in the National League and eighth in MLB. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in a start this month.

PHILS PHACTS:

Asche Breaks Up No Hitter – Cody Asche had plenty of things to be nervous about in the Phillies' 4-1 loss. Yesterday, Asche was a Minor Leaguer. Last month, he was a third baseman. And a few hours ago, he and his teammates were in danger of combining to tally zero hits over nine innings. But none of this troubled Asche. He came up to the plate in the eighth inning with a zero burning a hole in the Phillies' hit column. He stood in the batter's box and slapped a ball to the opposite field into the shift-vacated shortstop slot, breaking up Rockies pitcher Chad Bettis' no-hitter after 7 1/3 innings. When asked after the game whether or not he felt jitters batting with all the pressure on him and his teammates to break up the no-hitter, Asche answered quite succinctly. "No," Asche said. "Not one bit." This sentiment stayed consistent with what he had said before the game. Despite all the talk that centered around the difficulty of the transition from third base to left field, Asche said he wasn't nervous to play his first Major League game as an outfielder. And though he sort of reneged on that after the game by saying he did feel a little anxious during his first few at-bats, he said he collected himself and felt comfortable. "I was a little jittery maybe the first hitter or so," he said. "But once I got some sweat going, I got some balls hit in the air that I could see. It's baseball." Only one ball was hit in play in Asche's direction -- a sinking line drive off the bat of DJ LeMahieu -- and he played it cleanly to execute the out. As for his hit, Asche said it was able to happen because he was actively trying to punish the Rockies for shifting on him, saying this was easily the most drastic shift he had personally encountered all season. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said this wasn't just true of Asche, but of his team as a whole. "That's the most shift I've seen on our whole lineup," Sandberg said. "I think even [on] Freddy Galvis [the Rockies] had a modified shift. They were playing some odds there and some drastic defense." However, that shift played straight into the plans of Asche. "I was trying to [hit the ball the other way] all night," he said. "I just did it the last time. A shift like that can't go unnoticed."

Welcome Back – Two weeks after sending him down to Triple-A, the Phillies have recalled Cody Asche in advance of Friday's game against the Rockies. A third baseman before being sent to Lehigh Valley, Asche went down to the Minors to learn how to play left field. The position change came in anticipation of the callup of Maikel Franco, who has been manning third base since Asche's demotion. A corresponding move to Asche's callup has yet to be made, but a move will be made prior to tonight's 7:05 first pitch. Prior to his demotion, Asche batted .245 with an OPS of .632 in 30 games in the Majors this year. In Triple-A, he batted .295 with an OPS of .752 in 15 games.

Crawford Advances – As of Friday night, J.P. Crawford is one step closer to his future. After blazing through Class A Advanced ball, the 20-year-old shortstop prospect has been promoted to Double-A Reading, effective immediately. Crawford, who was the Phillies' first-round pick back in the 2013 MLB Draft, batted .303 in 83 games at Class A Advanced Clearwater over the past two seasons. In 20 games this season, he kicked his play into an even higher gear, batting .392 and reaching base nearly every other at-bat with an on-base percentage of .494. On the Reading roster, he will join the Phillies' first-round pick from the 2014 MLB Draft, Aaron Nola, and 2010 first-round pick, Jesse Biddle, both of whom are starting pitchers. Crawford attended Lakewood High School in Lakewood, Calif., an hour-and-a-half up the Pacific Coast from where Phillies ace Cole Hamels went to high school nearly a decade ago.

Furry Game – On May 30, 2015, the Phillies Wives are doing what they can to help save the lives of pets in need at the 3:05 p.m. game against the Colorado Rockies. Jen Utley, along with the Phillies Wives and Pennsylvania SPCA volunteers, will be at the First Base Gate Plaza to host the Save a Pet at the Park event, benefitting the PSPCA from 1:05 p.m. - 4:35 p.m., before and during the 3:05 p.m. game vs. the Colorado Rockies. Dogs and cats will be on-site available to adopt. Click here to view some of the animals available for adoption at the First Base Gate. Fans can participate in a silent auction with game-used and autographed memorabilia, purchase signed "Mystery Balls", or donate pet toys or treats and new or gently used blankets. Phillies Charities 50/50 Drawing: Tickets will be available, benefiting the PSPCA. The Phillies Wives and adoptable dogs will be on the field pre-game to help promote awareness to the cause. Since the event has been hosted, more than $230,000 has been raised for the PSCPA. For more information on the Phillies Wives in the community, visit the Phillies Wives Page. ALSO, DOGS ON THE BUDWEISER ROOFTOP! For the first time this season, dogs - along with their human owners and friends - will be watching the game from the Budweiser Rooftop as part of the Phillies' sold-out Bark in the Park Theme Night. Proceeds will also benefit the PSPCA.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-31. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 75-83-0 on this day.

Phillies Making Moves While Taking The Day Off

GAME RECAP: No Loss To Report

Phillies enjoyed the rest after being obliterated by the Mets.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Hamels went 7 1/3 innings and gave up one run on six hits in his May 18 start vs. Colorado. Hamels also recorded seven strikeouts in the outing.
• Hamels has been his best during night games this season, posting a 4-1 record and 2.09 ERA in seven starts.
• Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has a .321 batting average in 56 career at-bats at Citizens Bank Park. That includes four home runs and eight RBIs.
• When Bettis has started for Colorado, the Rockies are 3-0 on the season. That includes a 6-5 victory over Philadelphia on May 19.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will host the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday to kick off a three-game weekend series between the two National League foes. The opener will mark the fifth meeting between Colorado and Philadelphia this season, with the two splitting a four-game series last week. Cole Hamels is scheduled to get the start for the Phillies, and he has been impressive, posting a 5-1 record and 2.23 ERA in his last seven starts. Colorado will send out right-hander Chad Bettis after pushing back Jordan Lyles' scheduled start. In his previous start against the Giants on Sunday, Bettis went 8 1/3 innings and surrendered only two runs on six hits for his first win of the season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Now Is Not The Time – Ruben Amaro Jr. made the type of comments no general manager should make, embattled or otherwise. He criticized the customers. Amaro apologized this week for his harsh comments about Phillies fans in a CSNPhilly.com story, but of everything he said in a nearly 20-minute interview with beat reporters on Tuesday at Citi Field, he got this much right: Amaro's comments detracted from the fact that what he said about the organization's prospects is 100 percent correct. It makes no sense to rush them to the big leagues. "Listen, I'm as excited about seeing these guys -- the [Aaron] Nolas, the [Zach] Eflins, the [Roman] Quinns, and some of the other players who are having a lot of success right now -- as any of [the fans]," Amaro said. "But there's a process they have to go through. There's a process and a plan in place." Of course, it has been difficult to trust the Phillies' plan after the past few years. The Phils won a franchise-record 102 games in 2011, but despite one of the highest payrolls in baseball, they have trended downward since. They finished 81-81 in 2012 and 73-89 in each of the previous two seasons. This year's Phillies are on pace to finish 63-99. The Phils' plan in recent seasons was to add complementary pieces here and there and hope that Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz could turn back the clock. But the sentimentality for 2008 died last August, when Pat Gillick became team president. Gillick, who is in the Hall of Fame partially because he built the Blue Jays from the ground up as an expansion team, said the Phillies would rebuild. Gillick also said it would take time. The Phils, he said, would not compete again until 2017 at the earliest. What is happening this season is what rebuilding is. It is a lot of frustration. It is giving players extended opportunities to prove themselves because the organization has nothing to lose by letting them play. It is watching players on one-year contracts like Jerome Williams, Sean O'Sullivan and Chad Billingsley pitch in the rotation while Nola, Eflin and others learn their craft in the Minor Leagues. Amaro got heated this week probably because he has been asked incessantly about Nola, whom the team selected in the first round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. When is Nola coming up? Why don't the Phillies ever promote their prospects when they are young? Nola has made 20 starts in the Minor Leagues. Compare that to the number of Minor League starts made by other former first-round picks out of college before they became established big leaguers: 2006: Tim Lincecum (10th pick, 13 starts); Max Scherzer (11th pick, 30 starts); Ian Kennedy (21st pick, 43 starts); 2007: David Price (first pick, 27 starts); Tommy Hunter (54th pick, 36 starts); 2008: Brian Matusz (fourth pick, 19 starts); Andrew Cashner (19th pick, 39 starts); Wade Miley (43rd pick, 73 starts); 2009: Stephen Strasburg (first pick, 11 starts); Mike Minor (seventh pick, 41 starts); Mike Leake (eighth pick, zero starts); 2010: Matt Harvey (seventh pick, 46 starts); 2011: Gerrit Cole (first pick, 38 starts); Sonny Gray (18th pick, 53 starts); 2012: Michael Wacha (19th pick, 26 appearances, 17 starts). The average of that group is 32.4 Minor League starts. If you remove Leake from the equation because he is an anomaly, the average is 34.7. Sure, Strasburg made just 11 starts in the Minors before his promotion, but no scout has compared Nola to Strasburg (or other aces like Lincecum, Price or Harvey). Many scouts see Nola as a solid No. 3 starter someday. And in regard to the Phillies being slow to promote other young prospects, quite frankly, there has not been a single player in the Phils' system over the past 10-plus seasons that can compare to Mike Trout, Giancarlo Stanton or Bryce Harper. Besides, the Phillies do not need Nola or Quinn or J.P. Crawford right now. They are not a pitcher or player away from competing for a National League Wild Card spot. If they were, one of those prospects might have been called up already. This season is about the long term. This is about a sustained run of success. Calling up Nola, Eflin, Quinn, Crawford and others before they are ready would not help the Phils achieve that. "Aaron Nola used to pitch at LSU once a week, and he never pitched in the summertime," Amaro said. "When we first drafted him, he wasn't on a five-day rotation; we had to gradually work him in from seven days to six days to five days so he could get used to that routine. "It takes its toll. It's a process, just like anything else. There's a rhyme to the reason. That might not jibe with everybody the way that we're doing it, but I think we're doing it in the best interest of the club and the player." Amaro was right, even if nobody heard it.

Remembering Perfection – A Roy Halladay gem was unlike any other. Most of the dominant pitchers of the mid-2000s -- the Lincecums, Verlanders and Sabathias -- worked like an avalanche, but Halladay was death by 1,000 impossibly precise cuts: eight innings of called third strikes and weak dribblers and exasperated hitters. The phrase "Maddux 2.0" should not be thrown around lightly, but when he was on, Halladay came closer than anyone. And in Miami on May 29, 2010, Doc wasn't just on -- he was perfect. 2010 was Halladay's first season with the Phillies, and he wasted no time terrorizing the National League: In his first two months, he put together four complete games, including two shutouts, while pitching to a 2.22 ERA. A date with the struggling Marlins already seemed like a mismatch on paper ... and then, well, Halladay just decided to make it unfair. To demonstrate, let's play a quick game of "How often will Carlos Ruiz have to move his glove?" (Note: It is not a lot). Doc sat down 11 Marlins in all, and six of those were backwards K's. It was the Platonic ideal of a Halladay start: so ruthlessly efficient that he needed more than 12 pitches in an inning just twice, reaching only seven three-ball counts all night. "I felt like [Ruiz] was calling a great game up until the fourth or fifth, and at that point, I just felt like I'd let him take over," Halladay told MLB.com after the game. "I'd just go out, see the glove and hit it." The old saying goes that every bid for a perfect game at some point needs that one Great Defensive Play, but in Halladay's case, he was so good that his defense was the only thing that threatened to derail him. In the bottom of the third, both center fielder Shane Victorino and right fielder Jayson Werth started tracking a lazy fly ball in the gap ... and kept tracking it, kept tracking it, and LOOK OUT, GUYS. From there, Doc just put it on cruise control, missing barrel after barrel. Pinch-hitter Mike Lamb gave everybody a scare in the bottom of the ninth, driving one to deep center -- but Sun Life Stadium was a pitcher's dream, cavernous between the gaps, and Victorino tracked it down with relative ease. And at that point, it was all over but for the celebrating. Halladay tossed his perfecto just twenty days after Dallas Braden threw his in Oakland, the shortest such span since the first two in 1880 (!). Amazingly enough, though, baseball would come awfully close to another one just four days later: on June 2, when Armando Galarraga came one missed call short. For Doc, though, it was the cherry on top of a remarkable multi-year run. His time in Philly (and, ultimately, his career) came to an end far too quickly thanks to shoulder problems, but at the height of his powers, he was the very best in the game -- and one of the most uniquely gifted artists the game has seen. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-30. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 40-56-0 on this day.

Remembering Roy’s perfection and letting young players develop in the minors… 

Mets Rookie Dominates Phillies In Shutout

GAME RECAP: Mets Embarrass Phillies 7-0

The Mets' bats may be starting to warm up. New York blasted four home runs Wednesday, including two from Lucas Duda and one from rookie starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to complete a three-game sweep of the Phillies with a 7-0 win at Citi Field. Syndergaard showed all of the potential that made him the Mets' No.1 prospect. On the mound, Syndergaard tossed 7 1/3 shutout innings and struck out six. At the plate, he tied a franchise record for pitchers with three hits, including the first homer by a Mets pitcher in almost three years. The Mets banged 11 hits and seven runs off Phillies starter Sean O'Sullivan, who fell to 1-4. Syndergaard improved to 2-2, lowering his ERA to 2.55 through four starts. "When you go and have the stuff he's got and throw the ball around the plate, you're going to get a lot of outs," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "His two-seamer today -- he just learned it last week, and he got ground ball after ground ball with it." The Phillies limp back to Philadelphia, closing out a 10-game road trip with seven losses in their last nine games. "Yeah, it was really bad," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis said. "We were playing really good. We had some tough games, like the [5-4 loss in 10 innings Tuesday]. But we're getting better, man. I think we're getting better. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll have a nice day off and come back."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• O'Sullivan had been on a little roll entering Wednesday's start. He had allowed two or fewer runs in six or more innings in consecutive starts for the first time since April 2011, when he pitched for the Royals. But the seven runs Wednesday were the most he had allowed since he allowed seven in 2 2/3 innings on June 2, 2011. "Everything felt real flat from the get-go," O'Sullivan said. "I knew it was going to be one of those days when I'd have to grind out at-bats. Our bullpen has been pretty taxed lately, so I kind of had to bite the bullet."
• Sandberg said he chose rookie left-hander Elvis Araujo to pitch in a high-leverage situation over left-hander Jake Diekman on Tuesday because Diekman was the Phillies' long man. Sandberg used Diekman in a mop-up situation Wednesday, when he pitched 1 1/3 innings. Diekman (7.00 ERA in 21 appearances) allowed one hit and struck out two. It was the third time in his last seven appearances he had not allowed a run.
• The Phillies had just three extra-base hits in the series: two doubles and one triple. The Mets had nine, including seven home runs.
• With one out in the fourth, Syndergaard launched a solo homer to deep center field off O'Sullivan for his first career big fly. Syndergaard also singled twice, making him the first pitcher with three hits and a homer in the same game since Randy Wolf in 2009. No Mets pitcher had homered in a game since Jeremy Hefner on May 29, 2012. "He's 6-foot-7, 245 [pounds]," Collins said. "We expect him to be able to hit it that far."
• "They have the possibility of seven starters over there with [Zack] Wheeler and [Dillon] Gee. They throw arms at you from the start. No doubt about it." -- Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, on the daunting task of facing the Mets' rotation.
• Hamels went 7 1/3 innings and gave up one run on six hits in his May 18 start vs. Colorado. Hamels also recorded seven strikeouts in the outing.
• Hamels has been his best during night games this season, posting a 4-1 record and 2.09 ERA in seven starts.
• Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has a .321 batting average in 56 career at-bats at Citizens Bank Park. That includes four home runs and eight RBIs.
• When Bettis has started for Colorado, the Rockies are 3-0 on the season. That includes a 6-5 victory over Philadelphia on May 19.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will host the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday to kick off a three-game weekend series between the two National League foes. The opener will mark the fifth meeting between Colorado and Philadelphia this season, with the two splitting a four-game series last week. Cole Hamels is scheduled to get the start for the Phillies, and he has been impressive, posting a 5-1 record and 2.23 ERA in his last seven starts. Colorado will send out right-hander Chad Bettis after pushing back Jordan Lyles' scheduled start. In his previous start against the Giants on Sunday, Bettis went 8 1/3 innings and surrendered only two runs on six hits for his first win of the season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rotation Shuffle – The Phillies tweaked their rotation for this weekend's series against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang will pitch Friday and Saturday, respectively, as scheduled, but because the Phillies do not play Thursday, they will skip Severino Gonzalez's turn in the rotation Sunday. Right-hander Jerome Williams will pitch Sunday's series finale instead. The Phillies also do not play Monday, so it is unclear if and when Gonzalez will slide back into the rotation.

Off Road Trip – It is hard to remember, but a little more than a week ago the Phillies opened a 10-game road trip with a victory in Colorado. It extended their winning streak to six games, their longest since they won seven consecutive games from Sept. 5-12, 2012. The streak gave the players in the Phillies' clubhouse a reason to feel good about themselves following an 11-23 start, which was the worst record in baseball and the organization's worst start since 1971. But the Phillies have lost seven of their last nine following Wednesday afternoon's 7-0 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. "Yeah, it was really bad," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis said. "We were playing really good. We had some tough games, like the [5-4 loss in 10 innings Tuesday]. But we're getting better, man. I think we're getting better. Hopefully, tomorrow we'll have a nice day off and come back." But the good vibes certainly were harder to find as the Phillies cleared out the visitors' clubhouse. "Nope," Ryan Howard said, when asked for a comment about the series. Wednesday was the 19th time this season the Phillies have scored two or fewer runs. It was the fifth time they have been shut out. The Phillies are averaging 3.12 runs per game this season, which is the lowest average in baseball in a non-strike season since 1972, when the Angels (2.93), Rangers (2.99) and Indians (3.03) struggled more than these Phillies. The Phillies had trouble against the Mets' starters over the past two games. Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard allowed six hits and struck out six in 7 1/3 scoreless innings Wednesday. Jacob deGrom allowed two runs on six hits and struck out nine in 7 1/3 innings Tuesday. "They have the possibility of seven starters over there with [Zack] Wheeler and [Dillon] Gee," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "They throw arms at you from the start. No doubt about it." The Phillies have lost 20 of their last 25 games against the Mets. They open a three-game series Friday against the Rockies, whom they split a four-game series with last week in Denver. "We started off the road trip pretty well," Sandberg said. "To lose the last four is not the way I would like to end the road trip, especially today. We play good baseball at home. We've rebounded at home, too. So hopefully that's the case starting this series." "It's kind of a blessing we have an off-day tomorrow," said Sean O'Sullivan, who allowed seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. "Hopefully, we can regroup."

No Midnight Ride For Revere – For now it looks like Ben Revere is remaining with the Phillies. The Angels acquired outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis from the Mets on Wednesday. The Phillies and Angels had been talking about a Revere trade for some time, sources had told MLB.com. The Phillies wanted at least one Minor League player in return, but the sides could not reach an agreement. The Angels are expected to continue looking for ways to boost their offense, so perhaps the Phillies and Angels will keep talking. The Phillies have been trying to trade Revere because of an imminent logjam in the outfield. Cody Asche is learning to play left field at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right fielder Domonic Brown also is in Triple-A. Both are expected to rejoin the Phillies at some point, which means other players will have to move. The Phillies have committed to Odubel Herrera in center field, which has made Revere movable. Outfielder Grady Sizemore also could be an odd man out. He hits left-handed like Herrera, Asche, Brown and Revere. Sizemore entered Wednesday hitting .191 (25-for-131) with no home runs, six RBIs and a .472 OPS since Sept. 5, 2014. Nieuwenhuis had been designated for assignment on May 19. It only took the Angels cash to acquire him.

State Of The Minors – Players of the Week: Player - C Gabriel Lino, Reading...Lino, 22, led all Reading players with a .412 average last week, collecting seven hits and five RBI in seven games. On May 22, Lino tallied a season-high three hits, including his third home run of 2015, while driving in two runs in a win over Portland. The following day, he went 2-3 with an RBI, making him 5-for-7 with a home run, three RBI, two doubles and a run in the first two games of the series. Lino recorded at least one hit in all but one of his seven games, pulling his batting average up more than 30 points over that span. The Venezuela native was acquired by the Phillies in a June 2012 trade that sent Jim Thome to Baltimore, and he was originally signed by the Orioles and Calvin Maduro. Pitcher - LHP Brandon Leibrandt, Clearwater...The 22-year-old southpaw is no stranger to awards this season, as this marks his second Minor League Player of the Week Award to go along with a Minor League Player of the Month Award for April. Leibrandt started two games last week, earning the win in both after two strong performances. On May 18, he held Brevard County to one run on five hits, striking out five and walking none in a complete-game effort. He then tossed 6.0 one-run frames against Palm Beach on May 23, giving him a 1.20 ERA (2 ER in 15.0 IP), 0.75 WHIP, 10 K, 0 BB and a .208 opponents average in the two starts combined. This season, Leibrandt has allowed two earned runs or fewer and pitched at least 6.0 innings in eight of his nine starts, and he currently ranks first in the Florida State League in innings pitched (59.0) and WHIP (0.88), third in strikeouts (52), fifth in wins (5) and 10^th in ERA (2.29). Leibrandt was selected by the Phillies in the sixth round of the 2014 draft out of Florida State University, and was signed by Aaron Jersild. Lehigh Valley IronPigs - International League North Division… 18-27, 5^th place…The IronPigs clicked on all cylinders last week, winning a season-high six straight games before dropping a close 7-5 contest to Charlotte on Sunday. The six game win streak was one game shy of the franchise record, and since starting the season 6-20 Lehigh Valley has rebounded to go 12-7. Top hitting performers - SS Chase d'Arnaud played in five games, collecting seven hits in 18 at bats (.389) while driving in five runs. He had three hits on May 24, one of which was his first home run of the season…OF Brian Bogusevic clubbed two home runs including a grand slam, and drove in a team-high six runs during the week…INF Cord Phelps hit an even .300 with a .391 OBP and five runs scored. Top pitching performers - LHP Joely Rodriguez had his best start of the season on May 21, holding Charlotte to just four hits over 7.0 scoreless frames. Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in his last two starts…RHP Seth Rosin appeared in three games out of the bullpen, and made quick work out of the opposing hitters in all of them. He pitched at least 1.2 innings in all three appearances, allowing just one hit and no runs in each…LHP Cesar Jimenez converted all three of his save opportunities, tossing a scoreless inning in each of them…RHP Dustin McGowan also was 3-for-3 in saves, striking out four in 4.1 scoreless innings. Reading Fightin Phils - Eastern League Eastern Division … 23-19, 3^rd place… Reading did not have the best start of the week, dropping two straight to New Hampshire, but they rebounded to win four of the next five to pull four games over the .500 mark. As has been true most of the season, the Fightins' success lives and dies with its pitching. In their last five games of the week, they held opponents to only eight total runs (1.6 per game) as opposed to 10 runs allowed in their two losses to start the week. Top hitting performers - 1B Brock Stassi played in all seven games and led all Reading players with eight hits. Two of those hits were home runs, helping Stassi to a .615 slugging percentage and 16 total bases…2B Brodie Greene recorded hits in all but one game during the week, raising his average nearly 20 points in six games. He hit .389 with a double, two walks and two runs scored…C Gabriel Lino hit .412 (7-for-17) with a home run, five RBI and a 1.118 OPS, earning himself Phillies Minor League Player of the Week honors…OF Roman Quinn hit his third home run of the season and tallied 10 total bases. Top pitching performers - RHP Zach Eflin pitched a career-high 8.2 innings in his start against Portland on May 22, allowing only four hits and two unearned runs while striking out five batters…RHP Aaron Nola came within one of matching a season high eight strikeouts in his scoreless 7.0-inning, four-hit start on May 20. He is 6-3 with a 1.87 ERA this season …RHP Tyler Knigge pitched two games in relief, yielding only a hit and walk in 4.0 total innings…RHP Nefi Ogando also pitched 4.0 scoreless frames out of the bullpen, striking out three batters. Clearwater Threshers - Florida State League North Division… 22-22,T-2^nd place…Clearwater saw positive results last week, as they began and ended the week with a pair of wins. The .500 mark has been status quo for Clearwater for the better part of the season, but it may not take much more to remain high in the divisional rankings as the Threshers sit in a tie for second place just four games back of the Daytona Tortugas. Top hitting performers - SS J.P. Crawford tallied nine base hits in 24 at bats (.375) while reaching base at a .444 clip. He has multiple hits in 10 of his 17 games this season…C Willians Astudillo hit .350 with three runs scored and an RBI…CF Aaron Brown drove in a pair of runs, doubled and hit .318 with a .423 OBP in seven games. Top pitching performers - LHP Brandon Leibrandt started two games and was brilliant in both. He put forth a complete game, one-run effort in a win on May 18 over Brevard County, and followed that with 6.0 innings of one-run ball on May 23 against Palm Beach. Leibrandt was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, with the first coming for the week of April 20-26…RHP Colin Kleven went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA (two ER in 12.0 IP), 0.75 WHIP and 13 strikeouts against just one walk…RHP Mark Leiter scattered six hits over 8.0 shutout innings on May 21, striking out six Palm Beach batters…RHP David Whitehead posted his sixth quality start this season with a 6.0-inning, one-run effort against Palm Beach on May 22…RHP Ulises Joaquin did not allow a run in two games and converted his lone save opportunity. Lakewood BlueClaws - South Atlantic League North Division…21-21, 5^th place… Lakewood lost twice to start the week, but then won four of the next five to climb back even at 21-21 for the season. Ranfi Casimiro set the tone for a strong finish with a seven-inning shutout in game one of a doubleheader on May 22, and the rest of the staff followed suit. The BlueClaws allowed only two runs in each of the next three games, and the team now ranks fourth in the South Atlantic League with a 3.24 team ERA. Top hitting performers - INF Damek Tomscha led Lakewood with nine hits and three extra-base hits as he hit .409 with a .985 OPS. He drove in three runs and scored another six in just seven games…INF Grenny Cumana batted .350 with three RBI, two runs, a double and a walk…1B Rhys Hoskins recorded seven hits and walked five times, helping himself to a .350 average and .462 OBP for the week. He had a double, triple, five runs scored and two driven in. Top pitching performers - RHP Ranfi Casimiro was awarded a complete-game shutout after going the distance in a 7.0 inning affair against Greensboro on May 22. He has allowed one run or fewer in four of his last five starts…RHP Alexis Rivero saved two games in two chances, tossing 4.0 scoreless innings in relief.

All Star Ballot Not Looking Good – The Phillies are going to have at least one All-Star, and it is likely to come from the pitching staff, but their position players are lagging behind on the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot. Cole Hamels (5-3, 2.98 ERA), Aaron Harang (4-4, 1.93 ERA) and Jonathan Papelbon (1.42 ERA, 11 saves) each could make cases for themselves. The case is harder to make for Phillies position players, although Freddy Galvis is sixth among National League shortstops with a .709 OPS and Ryan Howard has played better recently, raising his OPS to .817. That is Howard's best production since 2011, his season that ended with a ruptured left Achillies tendon. No Phillies player is among the highest vote-getters in the first National League All-Star voting update. Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- using the 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, July 2, at 11:59 p.m. ET. For the first time, voting is exclusively online, where fans may submit up to 35 ballots. Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info. Following the announcement of the 2015 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2015 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player for each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 14, watch the 2015 All-Star Game live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2015 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage of All-Star Week festivities. The 86th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 200 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

MLB.com Upgrade – Today's schedule starts with a White Sox-Orioles doubleheader that makes up the games that were postponed last month in Baltimore, and then a Corey Kluber-vs.-Nelson Cruz matchup that headlines six more games to follow. Along the way, you are about to have another one of those MLB.TV moments that make you realize how far we have come since the first live video broadcast stream by a major sports league in 2002. Major League Baseball Advanced Media is introducing its new Web-based media player (version 5.0), for those who currently subscribe or those who sign up now for MLB.TV Premium ($114.99 a year or $24.99 a month) or regular MLB.TV ($94.99/$19.99). You'll notice the difference right away as the HD media player has an in-page layout, so it all happens in your browser with no need for an additional download. Corey Kluber, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, is back on track for the Indians after allowing only two runs in his past three outings. In his 10:10 p.m. ET start at Seattle, he'll face a lineup that is led by Cruz, who has 18 home runs, and now it'll be Cruz's move because the Nationals' Bryce Harper tied him atop the MLB leaderboard on Wednesday night. Want to watch Mike Trout and the Angels at the same time? In the new MLB.TV media player, there is a new game scoreboard that will make it easier to track scores of games happening around the Majors. Simplified user controls add to the fun of following those and other games, improving the user experience. A clickable linescore lets you jump between innings or to single-game highlights. The multi-view design provides an easy way to watch multiple games at once -- a key asset for Fantasy owners. You can watch highlights in a secondary picture-in-picture window. "It's a savior," said former All-Star right-hander Carl Pavano, now a busy father of three who uses his MLB.TV Premium subscription on multiple devices in South Florida to prepare in his role as a Marlins pregame and postgame analyst on Fox Sports South. "This really frees up more time. If you want to be active, go to a park in our neighborhood, T-ball games, you try not to take your attention from those, but in my line of work and with my history in baseball, it's important to me. It's nice having that connection wherever you go." From its now technologically archaic beginnings -- a 300K live stream to 30,000 viewers in August 2002 -- MLB.TV has charted a trail of "firsts" along the path to its place as the most widely distributed sports streaming service, covering nearly 30,000 games to millions of subscribers in that timespan. Among those subsequent mileposts were: First to stream its entire season (2003); first to wire its venues for TV-quality streaming (2005); first to use adaptive bit rate streaming (2008); first to stream live 720p HD video (2009); first to stream live games/subscription product to iPhone (2009); first live video on connected devices (2009); first to stream live games/subscription product to iPad (2010); first to stream live video to a gaming console (2010); first live games embedded on Facebook & Twitter (2011); first with live audio overlay technology (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,640,181 and 8,832,768), delivering the capability to switch the live audio feed on MLB.TV broadcasts from the TV to radio announcers without disrupting the live video stream (2012); and first to make a live video stream embeddable to any site on the Internet (2013). "MLB.TV is brilliant, especially for me here in the UK, where we have limited games on our TV," said Chris Bailey, a Giants fan and native Brit in Leicester, England, who is subscribing to MLB.TV for a third consecutive year. "I play Fantasy baseball and it is great for keeping up with your teams and how you are doing. I also love the in-game highlights that flash up, so if there are runs in another game, you can watch during innings of the game you are watching."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-30. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 52-46-0 on this day.