GAME RECAP: Nats Beat Phils 5-2
For the third consecutive start, Max Scherzer flirted with a no-hitter, but after 16
straight full hitless innings, Scherzer proved to be human on Friday as the
Nationals defeated the Phillies, 5-2, at Citizens Bank Park. Six days after
pitching a no-hitter against the Pirates, Scherzer retired the first 16
Phillies he faced. Once he was able get through the order the first time,
Scherzer was thinking something special was happening. He had a chance to join
Johnny Vander Meer as the only pitchers to throw consecutive no-hitters.
"It's so hard. It takes luck. You have to be on point. You make mistakes,
they have to mishit it," Scherzer said. "I made a few mistakes early.
They hit some balls hard. Fortunately, they were right at people." Freddy Galvis then broke
up the no-hit bid with a double down the right-field line. Scherzer allowed
five hits in the game, including an RBI double to Domonic Brown and a solo homer to Ben Revere. The first run ended the scoreless streak
by Nationals starters at 47 1/3 innings. "It's awesome. Any time the
starters are going out there and doing their job, it does so much for the
ballclub, does so much for the pen," Scherzer said about the scoreless
streak. "It allows the offense to relax and continue to score runs. It
keeps the pressure on their guys and the back end of their bullpen." The
Phillies played their first game under interim manager Pete Mackanin, who
replaced Ryan Sandberg after the latter resigned Friday. Phillies right-hander Aaron Harang went to the mound, lasting six innings
and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits. "It was pretty
uneventful, strategically," Mackanin said of his Phillies managerial
debut. "I didn't have to make any huge moves or anything like that. There
was just not a whole lot going on for most of the game."
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Galvis might have been the least
likely candidate to break up Scherzer's perfect game bid. The shortstop
entered the game 13-for-72 in June, a batting average of .181, and he had
only recorded eight extra-base hits all season. Magnifying things, Galvis
was just 1-for-11 lifetime vs. Scherzer. But in the sixth inning, Galvis
beat the averages and ripped a double into right to give the Phillies
their first baserunner and break up Scherzer's chance at a second
consecutive no-hitter.
- In the top of the fifth inning,
Domonic Brown made a costly error on a two-out line drive off Ramos' bat.
The ball popped out of Brown's glove, giving the Nationals their third run
of the game. Two innings later, Brown connected on a 95-mph Scherzer
pitch, the eighth of the at-bat, over Michael Taylor's
head off the wall for an RBI double, giving the Phillies their first run
of the game. However, Brown's carousel of a day ended on another negative
note, as a baserunning blunder he made rounding third in the ninth inning
ended the game and the Phillies' chances for a comeback. "I guess
I've got to pick it up faster," Brown said of missing the signal to
stop at third in the ninth inning. "I was running hard. I know the
tying run was coming up and like I said, I was running hard from
second."
- Mackanin seized his first opportunity
to use a managerial challenge early in Friday's contest. In the top of the
third inning with one out, Nationals left fielder Clint Robinson
bounced a grounder to Cesar Hernandez,
who went to tag Dan Uggla running
from first to second before throwing to first. On the field, second-base
umpire Jerry Meals ruled that Hernandez's glove did not make contact with
Uggla, but the replay proved otherwise, giving the Phillies an
inning-ending double play. The review lasted one minute and eight seconds.
- "I thought it was a pop fly at
first, so I'm just going to run the ball out. Then I heard the crowd start
cheering. I thought it was off the fence and I was like, 'I don't see it.'
Then I saw the umpire waving his hand around." -- Ben Revere, on
what was going through his mind as he rounded the bases during his
eighth-inning home run, just the third of his career.
NEXT
GAME:
Adam Morgan will make
his second career Major League start Saturday. His first start fared better
than anyone predicted, as he allowed just one run in 5 2/3 innings against the
Cardinals, recording not just his first MLB win, but his first win of 2015 at
any level. Morgan had allowed 15 runs in his previous 25 1/3 innings in
Triple-A. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez takes the
mound and hopes to win his second consecutive game. In his last start, Gonzalez
pitched seven scoreless innings in a 9-0 victory over the Pirates. Gonzalez
will face the the Phillies for the 15th time in his career. He is 7-5 with a
3.02 ERA against them.
PHILS PHACTS:
Phils Prevent No No – Max Scherzer's résumé
is well known. After the Phillies' 5-2 loss
Friday night, outfielder Ben Revere said he
believes the numbers Scherzer had been posting coming into the game were on his
teammates' minds. And how could they not be? The right-hander had tossed
back-to-back shutouts and allowed just one hit and three total baserunners in
those games while he struck out 26. As Phillies starter Aaron Harang put it, Scherzer "is the best
pitcher in baseball right now." So as a player who came into the game off
the bench, Revere said he observed his teammates' approach and thought they
were trying to do a little too much at the beginning of the game. "A bunch
of young guys today, I think they just went after him, trying to get him early
as much as possible," Revere said. "That was the main thing. I guess
everybody was thinking about him trying to throw another no-hitter." In
trying to prevent a no-no, the Phillies almost walked into one. Scherzer was
perfect through 5 1/3 innings Friday night, not allowing a baserunner until Freddy Galvis doubled down the right-field line in
the sixth. After that hit though, the Phillies exposed some of Scherzer's
mistakes, recording four more hits and two runs, one of which came via an
unlikely source. Pinch-hitting for pitcher Jeanmar Gomez in the eighth inning, Revere pulled a
93-mph fastball over the right-field wall for a solo home run, just his third
homer in 2,194 career at-bats. Not used to exercising his power stroke, Revere
was taken aback by the sheer fact that he hit a home run. "I was just
trying to put the ball in play," Revere said. "I thought it was a pop
fly at first, so I'm just going to run the ball out. Then I heard the crowd
start cheering. I thought it was off the fence and I was like, 'I don't see
it.' Then I saw the umpire waving his hand around." Revere's home run was
the Phillies' second run off Scherzer. The first came off a Domonic Brown double in the seventh inning that
plated Cesar Hernandez. But
despite the fact that Brown was the one who broke up Scherzer's streak of 24
2/3 scoreless innings, he couldn't focus on the positives after the game, as
that hit was far from his only contribution of the night. Brown made a fielding
error in the fifth inning that allowed a run to score with two outs, and he got
himself caught in a pickle between third base and home and was tagged out by
Nats closer Drew Storen to end the
game. Interim manager Pete Mackanin bluntly said that Brown did not make the
right decision. "Dom's got to realize that his run doesn't mean anything,
and almost anticipate that he's not going to be sent," Mackanin said.
"He was very aggressive trying to make something happen, and it was the
wrong move."
Sandberg Shocks Everyone! – Ryne Sandberg has resigned as Phillies manager. Pete
Mackanin, the third-base coach, has been named interim manager. The Phillies'
record under Sandberg, who debuted as a Major League manager in August 2013,
was 119-159. They are 26-48 this season and in last place, 14 1/2 games out in
the National League East. "It's a difficult day, a challenging day and a
tough day for myself," Sandberg said at a news conference at Citizens Bank
Park in Philadelphia. "It was not an easy decision. In a lot of ways I'm
old-school and I'm very, very much dissatisfied with the record and am not
pleased at all by that." Mackanin, 63, has 106 games of experience as a
Major League manager, both times as an interim skipper, first for the 2005
Pirates and then for the 2007 Reds. His career record is 53-53. Assistant
hitting coach John Mizerock will coach third base. "Ryne shouldn't feel
like he should shoulder all the blame," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
said. "We do things as a team. It is disappointing. Ryne, he was here as
our manager for a reason. He showed us he was prepared to take on this task but
I completely understand and respect the decision he's made."
Saving Them The Trouble – The fact Ryne Sandberg will not manage the Phillies in 2016
should not shock anybody. The fact he pulled the plug on himself with more than
half the '15 season to play should. The Phillies announced Friday afternoon
that Sandberg had resigned as manager. Pete Mackanin will be the interim
manager at least through the weekend, but what happens after that is very much
up in the air. "It was better now than later," Sandberg said in a
news conference at Citizens Bank Park with Phillies president Pat Gillick and
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "It is not an easy decision. In a lot of
ways, I'm old-school. When you wear the shoes I was in and felt what I was
feeling on a daily basis and felt how dissatisfied I was with what was going on
the field and the record, that weighed a lot on me. "I have thought about
it for some time, and we've come to this day. I think it was important for me
... with the way things have gone this year. It allows the organization to go
forward and really get this thing going." The Phillies have the worst
record in baseball and are on pace to lose 105 games. Sandberg promised a
return to fundamental baseball, but the results never materialized on the
field. Of course, the talent on the roster played the biggest role in that. But
Sandberg never seemed to connect with his players, with players questioning the
manager and coaching staff since the beginning of last season. He also ruffled
feathers with the way he benched former shortstop Jimmy Rollins in Spring Training 2014 and how he
announced a plan to bench first baseman Ryan Howard that July. But Sandberg, who said he had
been thinking about resigning for at least a week, also repeatedly mentioned
the imminent changes to the front office as a factor in his decision. Sources
told MLB.com that Andy MacPhail will join the organization in a significant
leadership position before the end of next week. If MacPhail replaces Gillick
in the president's role, he is expected to reshape the front office. A new
manager and coaching staff also are expected. "I didn't know if I would be
in the plans or not," Sandberg said. "But being dissatisfied with the
record and not being pleased with that, I didn't feel like I had a leg to stand
on with any changes." In other words, Sandberg saw the writing on the
wall. "I guess he knew or had a feeling they would make some changes and
he didn't want to be part of that, so he said, 'You know what, I'm going to go
ahead and step down now,'" Phillies outfielder Ben Revere said. "You know sometimes, honestly,
sometimes some managers ain't made to be a manager sometimes. I mean sometimes
you got a guy out there, you kind of struggle and all that pressure may have
gotten to him, and he knew maybe it was time to go. Only thing about it was I
guess he didn't want see himself be let go, so he stepped down." Sandberg
arrived at the ballpark at around 10 in the morning and informed Gillick and
Amaro about his decision. "Frankly, this is a pretty sudden decision that
Ryne had made," Amaro said. "It's surprising. I don't know that Ryne
should feel like he should be shouldering all the blame. We do things as a
team, as an organization. We win as an organization and we lose as an
organization. It's really a team effort. I take my level of responsibility for
the things that are happening on the field as well. "We're in the process
of getting our feet on the ground. Pete has graciously accepted [to be interim
manager]. He's had experience in this area. He's a good baseball man. We'll see
where it goes. Frankly, it's a little open ended right now," Sandberg said
he does not believe this will affect his legacy as a Hall of Fame second
baseman with the Cubs. He said he does not know if he plans to try to pursue
another managerial job. "Managing a team is very challenging,"
Sandberg said. "I enjoyed the challenge and I enjoyed coming to the
ballpark every day. I enjoyed thinking about the players as individuals and
what we needed to do every day. I enjoyed my coaching staff and our desire to
get the most out of our players. I know I gave 100 percent every day when I
came here with the attitude of winning the game every day. That was the
mindset, and I enjoyed that part."
Losing Takes A Toll – For six seasons, nearly 1,000 games, Ryne Sandberg knocked
around the Minor Leagues. He rode the buses and paid his dues. When he had a
setback, he brushed himself off and continued to chase his big league dream.
What distinguished Sandberg from all the prospects and suspects trying to climb
that most difficult ladder is that he was already an unqualified success. In
his playing career, he won a National League Most Valuable Player Award. He was
inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Still, he was driven to become a Major
League manager. So Sandberg's decision to step down as Phillies manager on
Friday, less than two years after taking over the team late in the 2013 season,
was stunning. That he resigned after pouring so much of himself into the quest
says more than words ever could about how the drip-drip-drip of losing must
have gnawed at him inwardly even as he outwardly displayed little emotion.
Sandberg alone made the decision. There's no doubt about that. Sitting to his
left on the podium in the conference room at Citizens Bank Park were club
president Pat Gillick, who looked stricken, and general manager Ruben Amaro
Jr., who appeared grim and sad at the same time. It's hard to believe that
Sandberg and the organization arrived at this point so quickly. When he
replaced Charlie Manuel on Aug. 16, 2013, his managerial resume was impeccable.
Named Minor League Manager of the Year by Baseball America in 2011 after
leading the team to its first winning record in Triple-A Lehigh Valley history.
Manager of the Year in the Pacific Coast League with the Iowa Cubs in 2010. A
Double-A Southern League championship with Tennessee in 2009. Still, managing
in the big leagues is a whole new ballgame and Sandberg may have provided a
clue to what went wrong with the fourth sentence of his announcement. "In
a lot of ways, I'm old school," he said. Look, everybody understood that
this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for a team that won 102 games as
recently as 2011. There are a lot of young players with potential who haven't
reached their peak and several veterans who are past their prime. The Phillies
have the worst record in baseball and probably would no matter who was putting
on the hit-and-run. Sandberg admitted the losing got to him. Ya gotta believe
the criticism that accompanied it wasn't pleasant, either. Nobody likes to be
ripped and it's not something that he's had to deal with that much in his
professional life. Sandberg also conceded that the uncertainty in the front
office left him feeling vulnerable, even though he has a year-and-a-half
remaining on his contract. "I do not like to lose. I hate to lose. That
was the biggest thing that weighed on me. And with some changes at the top
looming, I did not want to be in the way of the progress going forward,"
he said, a reference to rampant speculation that former Twins, Orioles and Cubs
general manager Andy McPhail will soon be named president of the team and that
sweeping changes could follow. That's all there was to it, Sandberg said again
and again. But he also took the position with firm ideas about how the game
should be played. And while he wouldn't confirm it, he certainly left the
impression that he was frustrated by his inability to get the team performing
up to those standards. As a Minor League manager, if Sandberg was displeased
with what he had seen during a game, he was known to wait for the stands to
clear, order the grounds crew to leave the lights on and then bring the team
back out onto the field for more work. After a particularly sloppy Grapefruit
League loss this spring, he called for extended fundamentals instead of hitting
the following morning. A few of the veteran big leaguers did little to hide
their displeasure. Sandberg openly talked last year about how he planned to
examine various options at first base after the break. That lasted three games.
It was widely reported at the time that he was overruled and told to continue
to play Ryan Howard nearly
every day. There were a spate of incidents involving pitchers late last season.
Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick showed their displeasure at being taken
out of games by stalking off the mound almost before the manager arrived. David
Buchanan complained to the media after he thought he had come out of a game too
early. A.J. Burnett mouthed an
obscenity that was captured by the television cameras after a mound visit by
pitching coach Bob McClure. During Spring Training in 2014, Jimmy Rollins, the longest-tenured Phillies player at
the time, said Sandberg never gave him an explanation before benching him for
three straight days. Earlier this year, second baseman Chase Utley could clearly be seen questioning McClure
when he visited the mound for leaving right fielder Jeff Francoeur in to pitch a second inning even
though he was clearly tiring. It turned out that nobody was warming up because
the bullpen phone was off the hook. Sandberg and McClure jumped all over
reliever Ken Giles for showing
his unhappiness at being told to issue an intentional walk. Each of these
incidents was captured on video for posterity. Not all of that is Sandberg's
fault. But for a self-admitted old school manager who is such a stickler for
doing things the right way, being helpless to make meaningful changes finally
became too much to take.
The Reaction – The
Phillies aren't pretending the news doesn't hurt. "I'm still numb,"
interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "I think the whole team is. Everybody
is kind of surprised that it happened. He just woke up this morning and came to
the conclusion that that was what he was going to do. It's not fun. It's kind
of a somber day." Former manager Ryne Sandberg surprised the entire
organization Friday by announcing his resignation. Sandberg, who was 119-159
over his three seasons at the helm, said he hadn't made the decision to resign
until the morning of, and he didn't address his players and coaches about it
until after he had formally made his announcement to the media. After Sandberg
addressed the team, some of the Phillies' veterans held a closed-door meeting
in the clubhouse to address the news. Afterwards, most players were discreet
about what Sandberg said to them, with first baseman Ryan Howard saying he believes that discussion should
be left "in the clubhouse." Outfielder Jeff Francoeur, on the other hand, said Sandberg left
the team with the parting wisdom that this was his decision, and he felt it was
his time to move on. "Talk about some changes coming, and mostly just told
us it was time for him to get out of the way and let something else
happen," Francoeur said. "I know, for me, thoroughly, I enjoyed
playing for him." Though Sandberg said he thought it was time to resign,
Mackanin, some of the players and even general manager Ruben Amaro said they
believe accountability should belong to more than the manager. In their minds,
the manager has some bearing on a team losing, but the players and the front
office have just as much control over this. Cole Hamels agreed with this idea, swinging the
pendulum of accountability further toward the players. "I think we have to
be responsible for everything we do," Hamels said. "The losses are
all on us too. If we go 0-for-5 or if I lose a ballgame, we're not able to
close out a game properly, that's all on us." With that accountability in
mind, the players were aware there is a game to be played Friday and that their
minds needed to shift back onto baseball. Howard was particularly vocal about
this, saying that he understands this news is "tough to soak in," but
that baseball has to be the first priority right now. And though that assertion
might sound idyllic, Mackanin said he would be surprised if any player is
thinking about their former manager when they step onto the diamond. "I've
gone through things like this before myself. I've been released, fired,
traded," Mackanin said. "And it's funny, but the minute the game
starts, the guys will be into the game and they'll be concentrating on that;
for the game at least, they won't be thinking about it. Afterwards and maybe
for a day or two it stays with you, but after that you move on. That's the way
the business is."
Amaro Speaks – Pete
Mackanin is the guy for now. What happens in the future is a mystery. Ryne
Sandberg surprised the Phillies on Friday when he announced his resignation to
president Pat Gillick and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. Sandberg said the
team's poor record and imminent changes to the front office -- sources told
MLB.com that Andy MacPhail will join the organization
in a prominent leadership role before the end of next week -- played a factor
into his decision, which he had been mulling for more than a week. Amaro said
Mackanin will be the team's interim manager through this weekend's series
against the Nationals, which began with a 5-2 loss on
Friday, although his stint could be longer. "I'm still numb,"
Mackanin said. "I think the whole team is surprised that it happened. In
speaking to Ryno, he just woke up this morning and came to the conclusion that
that's what he was going to do. It's kind of a somber day." So what
happens after the weekend? Amaro offered little insight, but it could be that
the Phillies only wanted to commit to Mackanin through the weekend because
Sandberg caught them by surprise. They certainly could announce Mackanin will
finish the season as manager. Mackanin has experience with this. He replaced
Reds manager Jerry Narron on an interim basis on July 1, 2007, when the Reds
had the worst record in baseball. The Reds went 41-39 the rest of the way. He
replaced Lloyd McClendon as the Pirates' interim manager on Sept. 6, 2005. The
Pirates finished 12-14. "He's a good baseball man," Amaro said of
Mackanin. "We'll see where it goes. Frankly, it's a little open-ended right
now. ... Pat, myself and others, we're in the process of seeing how things move
forward. Right now, we'll have Pete move forward and we'll take over from
there." As luck would have it, Mackanin's Philadelphia managerial debut
happened to come on the day the hottest pitcher in baseball, Max Scherzer, rolled into town to make a start. The
Nationals' ace and former American League Cy Young Award winner started off
Mackanin's tenure with 5 1/3 perfect innings before the Phillies were able to
knock hits in each of the final four frames. "His first game, you face a
good pitcher," Revere said. "It's kind of tough when your first game
is against Scherzer. From here on out, I'm real excited to play for this
man." The rest of the first game of Mackanin's third stint as an interim
manager was relatively uneventful. Aside from a challenge he made in the top of
the third inning, there weren't many key managerial moves to make. He pulled
his starting pitcher for a pinch-hitter in the sixth, a wholly unsurprising
move, and the only other pinch-hitter he used was again in the pitcher's slot
in the eighth inning. "It was pretty uneventful, strategically,"
Mackanin said. "I didn't have to make any huge moves or anything like
that. There was just not a whole lot going on for most of the game." Prior
to the game, Mackanin said he felt bad for Sandberg, who had little chance of
success with a roster that may not have had enough talent to be competitive.
"Deep down, he's really sincere and he gives it his all," Mackanin
said. "We lost a good guy today, regardless of the reason or what
happened." But now that Mackanin is in charge, he needs to try to lead the
Phillies as long as he is asked. "This is my third time as an interim
manager, and it's not fun," Mackanin said. "It's not a pleasant thing
to do, because you have to make sure you keep the guys pointed in the right direction
and at the same time, everybody's feeling a little bit funny. You've got to try
to put it behind you as quick as possible, and that's not an easy thing to do.
A lot of guys really enjoyed playing for Ryno and we enjoyed working for him.
It's not a fun day."
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 26-49. 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 43-59-0 on
this day.
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