GAME RECAP: Phillies
Beat Rockies 4-2
Ryan Howard
crunched a 454-foot home run among his three hits as the Phillies won for the
seventh time in eight games, 4-2, over the Rockies at Coors Field on a chilly
Wednesday night. Howard's third-inning blast accounted for one of the four runs
(two earned) and six hits against Rockies starter Eddie Butler (2-5), who
was gone after three innings. Butler was chased in 2 2/3 innings of his
previous start, against the Dodgers. "He's having good swings," Phillies
manager Ryne Sandberg said of Howard. "He crushed that ball to center
tonight. There was no help at all on that." Phillies starter Severino
Gonzalez (2-1) held the Rockies to one run on five hits in five innings.
OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:
·
Howard hit a home run to center field in the third inning to make
it 3-0. He is averaging a home run every 3.375 games since he hit his first
home run of the season April 21. If Howard can maintain that pace through the
season's remaining 120 games, he would finish with 35 home runs. "It would be great to get back to that kind
of flow," Howard said.
·
Gonzalez rejoined the Phillies' rotation following an injury to Chad Billingsley. He
was pulled after throwing 65 pitches.
·
Phillies second baseman Chase Utley returned to
the No. 3 spot in the lineup after hitting sixth his previous four games. He
went 2-for-4 with one walk. He is hitting .438 (7-for-16) with four doubles and
three RBIs in his last five games to raise his batting average to .159. He was
hitting .118 last Thursday.
·
Phillies first-base coach Juan Samuel will miss Thursday's and
Friday's games because he is attending his daughter's graduation from law
school at Barry University in Orlando. Assistant hitting coach John Mizerock
will be the first-base coach in his absence.
·
"That was a little strange. We were joking he almost overran
it and then he almost overthrew the first baseman." -- Sandberg, on
Herrera's leaping catch in right-center field in the fifth, which turned into a
rally-killing double play.
·
Williams will make just
his second career start at Coors Field and the first since 2004 -- his second
Major League season. Williams made that start as a member of the Giants and
received a no-decision, giving up three earned runs in five innings.
·
The Phillies have not been kind to De La Rosa over his career. In
seven starts, he is 2-4 with a 5.67 ERA and has surrendered more hits (40) than
innings pitched (39 2/3).
·
De La Rosa hasn't found much success when facing Carlos Ruiz. In
15 career plate appearances, Ruiz is hitting .545 with six hits and two doubles.
NEXT GAME:
A Thursday afternoon
tilt at Coors Field showcases a pair of veteran starting pitchers --
Philadelphia right-hander Jerome Williams (3-3, 5.02) vs. Colorado left-hander
Jorge De La Rosa (1-2, 6.56). Both hurlers have been in the Majors Leagues for
more than a decade, and each enters Thursday's contest with effective
performances in their rear-view mirrors. Williams tossed five innings and
yielded just two earned runs in Saturday's victory over Arizona, signaling his
first win since April 26. De La Rosa, meanwhile, was nearly flawless against
the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless frames with just a
pair of hits surrendered. The only issues he had that evening were
health-related -- De La Rosa limped to the clubhouse after aggravating his left
groin -- but he reported Wednesday afternoon that his groin "feels
good."
PHILS PHACTS:
Crushing It! – Ryan Howard obliterated
a baseball in the third inning Wednesday night at Coors Field. He sent a 1-1
slider 454 feet to center field for a solo home run in a 4-2 victory over the Rockies,
giving the Phillies seven wins in their last eight games. Statcast™ data said the ball
left his bat at 108 mph, making it one of his hardest hit balls of the season. "I'm
trying to get into [Giancarlo] Stanton range," Howard said. It was
Howard's longest home run since he hit one 465 feet in August 2011, according
to ESPN. In October of that year, Howard ruptured his left Achilles in Game 5
of the National League Division Series. "I felt like I hit it pretty
good," he said. "I got the sweet part of the bat on the ball. It had
some good backspin on it." Howard also singled and scored in the first
inning and doubled in the seventh inning to finish the night 3-for-5. He is
hitting .292 (28-for-96) with five doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 18
RBIs and a .961 OPS in 27 games since April 19. From April 21 through
Wednesday, the only hitters with more home runs than Howard are Bryce Harper (11),
Stanton (10), Ryan Braun
(10), Mike Trout
(nine) and Todd Frazier
(nine). Howard is averaging a home run every 3.375 games since he hit his first
home run of the season. If he can maintain that pace through the season's
remaining 120 games, he would finish with 35 home runs. Howard has not hit 30
or more home runs in a season since he hit 33 in 2011. "It would be great
to get back to that kind of flow," the slugger said. Teams needing a first
baseman or designated hitter might take notice. The Phillies have tried to
trade Howard in the past, but found scant interest. First, Howard had $60
million remaining on his contract, which expires following the 2016 season.
Second, he posted a .720 OPS from 2012-14. Howard looks like a much different
hitter lately. "I mean it's not doing a whole lot different than the first
month, it's just finding real estate out there," said Howard, referring to
his .175 batting average and .464 OPS through April 19. Said Phillies manager
Ryne Sandberg: "He's having good swings. He crushed that ball to center
tonight. There was no help at all on that. If anything, it was fighting against
the rain at the time. Just looks like he's real comfortable at home plate and
getting real good contact on his pitches."
Second Chance – Phillies
right-hander Severino Gonzalez has a pretty nice opportunity ahead of him. He
allowed one run in five innings in Wednesday night's 4-2 victory over the Rockies
at Coors Field. Gonzalez rejoined the Phillies' rotation following an injury to
right-hander Chad
Billingsley, which will keep him on the 15-day disabled list four to six
weeks. The Phillies have few options behind Gonzalez, so he could get a few
more starts. Triple-A right-hander David Buchanan suffered a severely sprained
right ankle, which will sideline him six to eight weeks. Triple-A right-hander
Phillippe Aumont is pitching well in the IronPigs' rotation, but he is not on
the 40-man roster. Double-A Reading right-hander Aaron Nola pitched another gem
Wednesday, going seven scoreless innings, but Phillies general manager Ruben
Amaro Jr. said last week that Nola is nowhere close to being promoted to the
big leagues. Relax, Amaro said he could see Nola in the big leagues before the
end of the season. Just not right now. That leaves Gonzalez. "My first
outing wasn't that good," Gonzalez said through translator Juan Samuel,
referring to an April 28 start in St. Louis in which he allowed seven runs in 2
2/3 innings. "I was nervous. I kind of feel more settled down now with a
few more starts. I feel like the jitters are gone so I'm looking forward to
it." Gonzalez retired the first nine batters he faced Wednesday, which
included a fantastic play from Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis in the
third inning. He backhanded a ball hit into the hole by DJ LeMahieu. Galvis
jumped and threw to first base for the out. "It was unreal," Phillies
manager Ryne Sandberg said. Galvis also bailed out Gonzalez in the fourth
inning when he allowed his only run. Wilin Rosario tried to
stretch a single into a double play, but Galvis got the throw from left fielder
Ben Revere and fired
to second base to get him. Odubel Herrera then
crushed the Rockies' hopes of another rally in the fifth when he leapt in the
air to steal a hit from Nick
Hundley. Ben Paulsen
was running on the play, so Herrera threw to first for the double play. "That
was a little strange," Sandberg said with a laugh. "We were joking he
almost overran it and then he almost overthrew the first baseman." Sandberg
pulled Gonzalez after five innings and just 65 pitches. "They started to
get some wood on the ball and then it was the start of the third time through
the lineup, a third look at it," he said. Gonzalez's next start comes
Monday in New York.
Trade Talk – Cody
Asche is in Triple-A, preparing to become the Phillies' everyday left fielder.
Domonic Brown's bat is heating up, too. Both will rejoin the Phillies at some
point, possibly soon. Their inevitable arrivals seem to leave Ben Revere as the odd
man out in the Phillies' outfield, with Odubel Herrera in
center field, which is why, sources told MLB.com, the Phillies and Angels have
been talking about a trade in recent weeks. The Angels have been scouting
Revere for some time and like him, but the Phillies and Angels have not agreed
on compensation. It is safe to say the Phillies are seeking Minor Leaguers in
return. There is no timetable on Asche's return. He has played only eight games
so far in left field. The Phillies optioned Brown to Triple-A in April, despite
his $2.5 million salary. He is hitting .272 (34-for-125) with five doubles, one
triple and 16 RBIs in 30 games, although he is hitting .462 (12-for-26) in his
last six games. Revere is making $4.1 million this season, and he will not become
a free agent until after the 2017 season, which could make him more attractive
to teams.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 18-24. 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 47-48-1 on this day.
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