GAME RECAP: Yanks Spank Phils 10-2
In his first big league start of 2015, Ivan Nova led the Yankees to a win in the series
finale with a standout performance Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. He
helped the Yankees beat the Phillies, 10-2, to avoid being swept by the team
with the worst record in baseball. Nova made his season debut following more
than a year of rehab after Tommy John surgery in April 2014. It looked like he
never left. He allowed three hits, two walks and struck out one in 6 2/3 scoreless
innings. Phillies ace Cole Hamels did not
fare nearly as well. He allowed eight hits, five runs, three walks and hit a
batter in just five innings. He has been a focus of trade speculation for more
than a year, but Hamels said he isn't thinking about it. "I could think of
something really funny to say to that, but I'd rather just be truthful with
you," Hamels said. "No, I really don't [think about it]. I've got to
pitch every five days. I'm just trying to stay healthy and just try to put up
good results for this team. Trying to be accountable. Ultimately when I've been
here from the moment I came up here in '06 and throughout my career, just
trying to do everything I possibly can and know if I had a good game or bad
game I know I could do more and try to figure out the best way to get better. I
think that's all I really focus on." After sitting the first two games of
the series due to a stiff neck, Mark Teixeira went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the
Yanks.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Hamels has had better days. He was
not sharp in five innings, but he got no help from the defense or offense
as he dropped to 5-6 with a 3.26 ERA. It was the seventh time in 15 starts
this season the Phillies had not scored a run for him while he was in the
game. Hamels' performance should not deter contending teams from trying to
acquire him before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline.
- The Phillies could not field a bunt
in front of the plate and catcher Carlos Ruiz could
not handle a one-hopper from third baseman Andres Blanco,
which led to the Yankees scoring two runs in the second inning. Shortstop Freddy Galvis then
lost a ball in the sun and a ball tipped third base and over Blanco's
glove in the fourth, with the Yanks scoring three runs in the frame. "There
was some miscommunication there as soon as the ball hit the ground,"
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said about the bunt in the second. "It
looked like one of them could've caught that in the air. I thought Blanco
made a good play on trying to go home on the throw, just a heads-up play,
threw it wild. Just things didn't go [Hamels'] way."
- Right-hander Phillippe Aumont
had been the only remaining player from the Cliff Lee trade
with the Mariners in December 2009, but he elected free agency Wednesday.
The Phillies designated him for assignment following Friday's start
against the Cardinals. Aumont, 26, is 1-6 with a 6.80 ERA in 46
appearances over four seasons with the Phillies. The Phillies previously
let right-hander J.C. Ramirez and outfielder Tyson Gillies walk away.
- Phillies starting pitchers have
thrown fewer than six innings 35 times in 74 games (47.3 percent) this
season. That ties Colorado for the most in the National League. Only the
Rays have had more starts like that with 37.
- June has not been Harang's month. In just four starts, he's
seen his ERA rise from 2.02 to 3.41 after allowing 20 earned runs in 23
2/3 innings. He has yet to make a quality start this month after doing so
in 10 of his first 11 starts this season.
- In 22 at-bats, Bryce Harper has hit .455 against Harang,
including a home run on April 18.
- Scherzer has been dominant against the Phillies in his
career, holding a 2.25 ERA in five starts against the club. Of the
Phillies with at least 10 career at-bats against Scherzer, only Ben Revere
has an average over .300 against him.
NEXT
GAME:
On the heels of
consecutive shutouts, including a no-hitter in his last outing, Max Scherzer
will hope for more of the same as the Nationals start a three-game series with
the Phillies on Friday. Aaron Harang will take the mound for Philadelphia. Scherzer
threw a one-hit shutout against Milwaukee on June 14, and he followed that with
a no-hitter against the Pirates on Saturday, when the only baserunner he
allowed came on a hit-by-pitch with two outs in the ninth inning. He struck out
26 batters and walked just one in those starts. On the season, Scherzer is 8-5
with a 1.76 ERA. No Major League pitcher has thrown back-to-back no-hitters
besides Cincinnati's Johnny Vander Meer, who accomplished the feat in 1938. Harang
holds a 4-9 record with a 3.41 ERA this season. He's tied for the Major League
lead in losses, a tally that hasn't been helped by the Phillies' struggling
offense. He'll hope to get some run support to avoid ending a seventh
consecutive start with a loss.
PHILS PHACTS:
Rupp Finally Goes Deep – OK, now that that is finished. Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp hit a home run to left-center field in
the fourth inning of Tuesday night's 11-6
victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Rupp savored the moment because it was the first homer of his big league
career. "It took a little longer than expected," Rupp said. It took
him 173 plate appearances, but he is hopeful for more in the future. Rupp had
started six of the last 10 games behind the plate, and 10 of the last 19. He is
hitting .261 (23-for-88) with four doubles, one triple, one home run, six RBIs
and a .690 OPS this season. Carlos Ruiz, who started Wednesday's series finale
against the Yankees, entered the game hitting .227 (37-for-163) with six
doubles, 11 RBIs and a .560 OPS. "I'm confident at the plate and behind
the plate," Rupp said. Rupp's home run ball landed in the visitors'
bullpen, but he still has not received the memento from his teammates. "They're
probably hiding it," Rupp said.
Putting In The Effort – Cole Hamels' time with
the Phillies might be short, but he still cares. He threw up his arms in
frustration and barked a few words in the direction of the Phillies' dugout in
the fifth inning Wednesday afternoon during a 10-2
loss to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Hamels
thought he had a groundout, but with Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez positioned almost directly behind
second base, the ball hit by John Ryan Murphy rolled through the infield for a
base hit. "I think there was just some miscommunication from what we
talked about before the game and kind of [what] my pitching style is,"
Hamels said. Could Hamels be pitching elsewhere in the near future? If the
Phillies get what they want, yes. They are reportedly trying to deal him before
the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, but so far have not found a team willing
to meet their price. Hamels is used to the incessant questions and speculation
by now. "It's just kind of normal, going on 12 months," Hamels said.
"It's kind of not even the focus right now. I think I'm trying to do everything
I can for this team, especially some of the young guys that we have, trying to
be somebody with a lot of information and a lot of experience. If they have
questions, and to show them the type of work ethic it takes to be successful up
here. I think that's kind of the only thought I've really had. That's what I
take day in and day out." Hamels returned to the mound Wednesday after
missing Friday night's start against the Cardinals because of tightness in his
right hamstring. He had a chance to help the Phillies sweep the Yankees after
the Phillies scored 11 runs each of the previous two nights, but he was not
sharp. He allowed eight hits, five runs, three walks and hit one batter in five
innings. He also got no help from the offense or defense. It was the seventh
time in 15 starts this season the Phillies did not score a run for Hamels while
he was in the game. The offense has been held scoreless in 32 of his last 33
innings on the mound. The defense also let him down multiple times. Carlos Ruiz could not field Didi Gregorius' bunt in front of the plate in the
second inning which loaded the bases. Jose Pirela then hit a chopper to Phillies third
baseman Andres Blanco, who
barehanded the ball and threw home. The ball bounced in front of Ruiz, but it
deflected off his glove to allow two runs to score. Freddy Galvis then lost a ball in the sun in the
fourth inning, which fell for a double by Gregorius, who scored on a single by Brett Gardner. Chase Headley followed with a run-scoring double, with
the ball grazing third base and getting past Blanco. "I felt pretty
good," Hamels said. "I think maybe things were a little too sharp
than what I was expecting, pitches were breaking too much. You kind of have to
find that middle ground."
Have The Phillies Found Gillick’s
Replacement? – The Phillies are expected to
announce in the next week that longtime baseball executive Andy MacPhail has
accepted a prominent role with the organization. CBSSports.com reported
Wednesday afternoon that MacPhail will be hired "to lead their operations
soon." Phillies president Pat Gillick declined comment twice this week
about MacPhail, including Wednesday, but multiple sources told MLB.com that MacPhail
will be joining the Phillies shortly. The club has not confirmed the move. Gillick,
77, replaced David Montgomery as team president in August 2014, but he had not
been expected to remain in the role for long. MacPhail's name emerged more than
a week ago in a CSNPhilly.com report. MacPhail, 62, has a long history as a
baseball executive. He served as Minnesota's general manager when the Twins won
the 1987 and '91 World Series. He helped the Cubs to two postseason appearances
from 1994-2006. He then served five seasons as Baltimore's president of
baseball operations, making some of the trades that helped the Orioles return
to the postseason. The timing of MacPhail's arrival is critical with the
Phillies rebuilding and reportedly trying to trade veterans Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Aaron Harang and others before the July 31 non-waiver
Trade Deadline. The Phillies also need to determine the fate of Phillies
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., whose contract expires at the end of the
season, and the rest of the front office. They also must decide if they want
Ryne Sandberg moving forward as their manager. Sandberg's contract expires
after the 2016 season. MacPhail likely will replace Gillick as president and
use the foreseeable future to evaluate the baseball-operations staff. It
remains to be seen if MacPhail will bring anybody with him, either immediately
or down the road. One source mentioned Angels assistant general manager Matt
Klentak, 34, as a possibility to join the organization in the future. MacPhail
hired Klentak as Orioles director of baseball operations in 2008, making him
one of the youngest executives in baseball.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 26-48. Given the departures, aging stars,
injuries, and performance so far this season, this could end up being the
worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 55-61-0 on
this day.
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