GAME RECAP: Orioles Shutout Phillies 4-0
Matt Wieters kept the red-hot O's on a roll Monday night in a 4-0
victory over the Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The catcher crushed a
two-out, three-run home run to right field in the sixth inning as Orioles
left-hander Wei-Yin Chen threw
eight scoreless innings. The O's (32-31) have won nine of their last 11 games
to move over the .500 mark. They can improve to two games over .500 for the
first time since April 19 with a victory Tuesday. "I chased a pitch on
1-1, so I wanted to get something that was going to stay in the zone, and he
threw a breaking ball that was probably a lot more of the zone than he wanted
to throw," Wieters said. The Phillies, meanwhile, couldn't support starter
Aaron Harang, falling to 0-7 on their eight-game road
trip and losing their 17th in their last 20 games. "I think everybody is
grinding through it," said Harang, who watched teammate Maikel Franco get ejected in the seventh inning.
"We've all had our bad days. Sometimes you just have to snap and let the
frustration out. Sometimes it's good, because if you leave it pent up too long,
you can start pressing even more. It's good to let that out. It shows that you
really care."
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Franco has been the team's best hitter since he joined the
team on May 15, but he earned his first big league ejection in the seventh
after arguing a called third strike in a heated exchange with home-plate
umpire Eric Cooper. The rest of the offense continued to struggle. Since
the Phillies scored in the fourth inning Wednesday in Cincinnati, they
have scored just three runs in 47 innings. That includes three shutouts in
their last four games. "There is nothing you can do about it; it's
already over," Franco said about the ejection. "So tomorrow we
can try to come in positive with a lot of energy, stay with it, stay
strong and try to do something to win the game."
- Harang appeared to have straightened
out things until Wieters' home run. He had allowed just one run in his
first five innings -- he had allowed 13 runs in 11 2/3 innings in his last
two starts -- and that run scored after Cody Asche could
not make a play near the left-field wall on Travis Snider's
double in the fifth. "One pitch," Harang said. "A flat,
cement-mixer slider up there to Wieters."
- "I don't know. You never know
when things are going to happen." -- Harang, on the possibility of
being traded to a contender in the coming weeks.
- The Phillies need to win Tuesday
night to avoid their first winless road trip of eight or more games in
franchise history. They have had five 0-7 road trips in franchise history,
and nine road trips of eight or more games with just one victory.
- Williams is coming off a loss to
Cincinnati in his last start, in which he threw six innings, allowing four
runs on nine hits while striking out three. He did beat the Orioles in his
last start against the team on June 12, 2013.
- Tillman will make his first start
against the Phillies. In fact, the righty has only made 12 career starts
in Interleague Play, boasting a 1-1 record with a 5.80 ERA in 63 2/3
innings.
NEXT
GAME:
The Orioles and Phillies will play one more at Oriole Park at
Camden Yards on Tuesday before beginning a new two-game series in Philadelphia.
Chris Tillman (4-7, 5.68 ERA) and Jerome Williams (3-6, 5.71) will match up in
Game 2. Tillman is riding a two-game winning streak after dropping six in a row
from April 23-May 31. In his last start, the right-hander lasted 5 2/3 innings,
giving up five hits and four runs against the Red Sox. Williams will go for his
first win since May 16 against Arizona. He is 4-2 with a 4.71 ERA over 36 1/3
innings in seven career appearances (five starts) against Baltimore. Williams
made two appearances against the Orioles last season and came away with an 0-1
record and a 5.40 ERA over five innings, and he will look to halt the Phillies'
seven-game skid.
PHILS PHACTS:
Passion Still Alive In Franco – Maikel Franco
certainly cares. Franco struck out looking in the seventh inning in Monday's 4-0 loss to the Orioles
at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He did not like the call, which appeared to be
low. He barked at home-plate umpire Eric Cooper and kept talking until Cooper
finally ejected him. "My emotions just got high in that moment,"
Franco said. "It's just baseball. That happens sometimes and you have to
understand that. I have to understand that." It was the first ejection of
Franco's career. It was the first time a Phillies player had been ejected this
season. "Good to see emotion out there," said Phillies manager Ryne
Sandberg, who separated Franco from Cooper. "Absolutely." It hurt to
lose Franco, whose frustration had been building following a called third
strike in the first inning that he believed was high. Franco has been the
team's best hitter since his arrival from Triple-A on May 15. He entered the
night leading the team in OPS (.852), slugging percentage (.527), home runs
(six), RBIs (16) and extra-base hits (14). The rest of the offense has not
followed his lead. Since the Phillies scored in the fourth inning Wednesday in
Cincinnati, they have scored just three runs in 47 innings. They have been shut
out three times in the past four games, including a 13-inning shutout Friday
and an 11-inning shutout Sunday against the Pirates. "I know the guys are
playing hard and hustling and trying hard," Sandberg said, when asked if
he sees enough emotion from players throughout the clubhouse. "And maybe
trying hard to an extreme. Who knows?" Of course, it is difficult to show
energy when the offense is not scoring. The Phillies are the only team in
baseball to score fewer than 200 runs this season. They have tallied just 197.
They also have lost 17 of their last 20 games. The Phils need to win Tuesday
night to avoid their first winless road trip of eight or more games in
franchise history. "I think everybody is grinding through it,"
Phillies right-hander Aaron Harang said.
"We've all had our bad days. Sometimes you just have to snap and let the
frustration out. Sometimes it's good, because if you leave it pent up too long,
you can start pressing even more. We're all good for a good snap once in a
while. I just don't let you guys see it when I do it. "It's good to let
that out. It shows that you really care. That's not just something where you're
doing it for your own displeasure. When things are going tough, that stuff just
happens. I think it happens to everybody." Harang maintains that attitude
in the Phillies' clubhouse remains positive, despite the losing. "I don't
think anyone is beaten down," Harang said. "Everyone in here is
caring. There's frustration, because everyone in general hasn't played fully to
our potential."
Nola Takes Next Step To AAA – How
long will Aaron Nola's next step last? The Phillies on Sunday promoted Nola,
who they selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 Draft, from
Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is expected to make his Triple-A
debut later this week. There has been plenty of focus on Nola's development
this season because the big league club is on pace to lose more than 100 games.
Fans want to see a light at the end of the tunnel, and Nola is one
representation of that. Nola went 7-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts with
Reading. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said earlier this season that
he would not be surprised to see Nola with the Phillies before the end of the
season. Nola's promotion Sunday certainly improves those chances. Those chances
would seem to be cemented if Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang are traded.
Has Gillick Had Enough? – The
future is uncertain for the Phillies, and that starts at the top. Phillies
president Pat Gillick has said he would remain in his current position as long
as ownership requested it, although many in the organization believe Gillick is
prepared to pass the reins to somebody else after the season. CSNPhilly.com
reported Monday that longtime baseball executive Andy MacPhail could be that
man. MacPhail, 63, served as general manager of the Twins when they won the
1987 and '91 World Series. He also served as Cubs president, and most recently
as Orioles president of baseball operations. Gillick's future with the Phillies
could have a domino effect on the club's front office and coaching staff at the
big league level. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s contract expires at the end
of the season, and Gillick already has said Amaro's future will not be decided
until then. A new president could completely reshape the leadership structure
on the baseball side of the organization.
Phillies Sign 28 Picks – Phillies
amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz sounded confident last week that the
Phillies would sign more than their share of 2015 Draft picks. The club already
has reached agreements with at least 28 of them, though it has not confirmed
the deals. Griffin (Ga.) High School shortstop Cornelius Randolph, who was
selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round, tweeted Monday evening
that he is headed to Philadelphia. He later deleted the tweet. Randolph is
expected to take his physical Tuesday. Second-round pick Scott Kingery, fourth-round
pick Kyle Martin, seventh-round pick Luke Leftwich and 12th-round pick Skylar
Hunter were some of the players in Philadelphia on Monday. They have agreed to
deals. The Phillies have reached agreements with 13th-round pick Zack Coppola
($85,000 signing bonus), 17th-round pick Kenny Koplove ($75,000), 22nd round
pick Sutter McLoughlin ($50,000) and 24th-round pick Zach Morris ($30,000).
Penn catcher Austin Bossart, who the Phillies selected in the 14th round, has
agreed to a $5,000 bonus. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s nephew,
Andrew, who was picked in the 35th round, agreed to a $1,000 bonus. Deals could
be announced as early as Tuesday, assuming those players pass their physicals.
Carpenter Cup Comes To Town – The
30th annual Carpenter Cup begins this week, but this year, games will be played
in the early rounds at the recently opened Phillies MLB Youth Academy in FDR
Park in Philadelphia. The 15-game tournament features 16 high school all-star
teams from the tri-state area. College coaches and Major League scouts are
regulars at the event, which features some of the area's top talent. The event
featured a skills day workout session Monday. The tournament runs Monday
through June 23, when the title game is played at Citizens Bank Park.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 22-43. 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 46-55-0 on this day.
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