GAME RECAP: Toronto Trounces Philadelphia
8-2
Troy Tulowitzki made
the most of his Blue Jays debut Wednesday, cracking a homer while collecting a
pair of doubles in an 8-2 win over the Phillies at Rogers Centre. The Blue
Jays' newest star collected three hits with three RBIs and three runs scored as
Toronto split the two-game set. Making his first career start in a leadoff
role, Tulowitzki, acquired in a trade with the Rockies on Tuesday, made his
presence felt in the third, when he went deep with a two-run shot off Philly
starter Jerome Williams to spot
the Blue Jays an early 2-0 lead. He was at it again in the fifth, when he laced
a leadoff double to left field before Jose Bautista cashed him in with a one-out single.
Tulowitzki hit an RBI double off the wall in his next at-bat as part of a
three-run sixth, and he finished 3-for-5. While the Blue Jays piled up runs,
veteran knuckleballer R.A. Dickey took care
of business on the mound, earning the win. Dickey tossed eight innings while
allowing seven hits and two runs. None of them were earned.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Williams helped Tulowitzki get acclimated to his new team. He
threw him an 0-2 fastball over the heart of the plate for the two-run
homer in the third before allowing two more runs in the fifth, which
included a double to Tulowitzki. Williams lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing
10 hits and four runs and striking out one as he dropped to 3-8 with a
6.36 ERA. "My job is to get the guy out. In the first at-bat, I got
him out [with a strikeout]. In the second at-bat, he got me,"
Williams said.
- Gibbons successfully had an out call
at second base overturned in the third inning. As Josh Donaldson
slid into second to break up a double play, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis
dropped the transfer but initially still got the call. That prompted
Gibbons to ask the for the review, which after 35 seconds went the Blue
Jays' way.
- The Phillies challenged a play at
first base in the seventh inning, when it looked like Domonic Brown
grounded into a double play. The Phillies thought Brown beat the throw,
and the call was indeed overturned. Brown went on to score on an error
later in the inning.
- "It was a strange week, but you
can't really think about the highs with Cole [Hamels] throwing the
no-hitter and [Aaron] Nola pitching well Sunday. You had the lows with Pap
[Jonathan Papelbon]
and everything being traded. You can't really worry about that. All you
can do is play baseball." -- Williams, reflecting on the team's
4-1 road trip.
- The last-place Phillies have won nine of 11 games since the
All-Star break. The Braves enter Philadelphia having lost six of their
past seven games.
- Hamels was tentatively slated to pitch Friday night's game,
but he was traded to the Rangers on Wednesday night.
NEXT
GAME:
The Braves will face an old friend as Aaron Harang will take the
mound on Thursday to make his first start since he was sidelined in early July
with plantar fasciitis. Harang was one of the most consistent pitchers in the
Braves rotation last year. He has allowed one run in 14 innings against Atlanta
this year. While the Phillies are
now preparing to play the rest of this season without their ace (Cole Hamels),
the Braves are simply hoping to soon prove to their ace (Shelby Miller) that
they are capable of providing him some offensive support. Miller will enter
Thursday night's series opener in Philadelphia looking for his first win since
he nearly no-hit the Marlins on May 17. The All-Star hurler has produced a 2.96
ERA in the 12 starts that have followed, but the Braves have totaled just 10 runs
while he has still been in line for a potential win during this span.
PHILS PHACTS:
Off To Arlington – Cole Hamels engineered
some of the greatest moments in Phillies history, including Saturday's
no-hitter against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. It will be his final moment in a
Phillies uniform. Sources told MLB.com on Wednesday night that Hamels will be
traded to the Texas Rangers in a massive eight-player deal, which is expected
to be announced Thursday. The Phillies will send Hamels, left-hander Jake Diekman and cash to the Rangers for five
prospects -- outfielder Nick Williams, catcher Jorge Alfaro and right-handers
Jake Thompson, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher -- along with Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison, who has made nine starts over the past
three seasons because of a back injury. Hamels, 31, declined comment following
Wednesday night's 8-2
loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Diekman
indicated that he had not heard much as he left for the team bus for the flight
back to Philadelphia. "They were talking about this right after the season
last year," said Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, who along with Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are the only remaining members of the
2008 World Series championship team. "If they have to make a move ...
they're trying to rebuild the team. We just have to keep going. But definitely
it's sad when you're around one of your teammates for a long time and then they
have to go away." Hamels, whom the Phillies selected with the 17th overall
pick in the 2002 Draft, almost single-handedly carried the Phillies to their
second World Series championship in franchise history. He earned National League
Championship Series and World Series Most Valuable Player Awards that
postseason. He finishes his Phillies career 114-90 with a 3.30 ERA in 295
career games (294 starts). He is 7-4 with a 3.09 ERA in 13 postseason starts. But
the Phillies have looked to trade Hamels since the end of the 2014 season to
speed up their rebuilding process. USA Today reported that Hamels first
rejected a trade to the Astros before the Phillies agreed to the trade with
Texas. Hamels could reject a trade to 20 teams, but the Rangers were not on
that list. FOXSports.com reported the Phillies will send $9.5 million to the
Rangers, plus take the entirety of the roughly $32.3 million owed Harrison
through 2017. Hamels is owed about $81 million: $7.5 million for the remainder
of this season, plus $22.5 million each of the next three seasons. He also has
a $6 million buyout on a $19 million club option for 2019 that automatically
vests at $24 million based on innings pitched. In essence, the Phillies are
paying nearly $42 million to get the prospects they wanted from Texas. But this
trade for the Phillies is about the future. They received three of the Rangers'
top six prospects, according to MLBPipeline.com:
Thompson (fourth), Williams (fifth) and Alfaro (sixth). Eickhoff ranked 17th
and Asher ranked 29th. Thompson, Williams and Alfaro are ranked 60th, 64th and
69th, respectively, among all prospects
in Minor League Baseball. The Phillies wanted big hitters in any trade for
Hamels, and they believe they got two with Williams, 21, and Alfaro, 22.
Williams, who was a second-round pick in the 2012 Draft, was hitting .300 with
21 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and an .837 OPS with Double-A
Frisco. Alfaro, who signed a $1.3 million bonus in 2010, will miss the rest of
this season following left ankle surgery in June, but before that,
MLBPipeline.com said he "has the best combination of raw power and pure
arm strength among Minor League catchers." Thompson, 21, was traded from
Detroit to Texas last year for Joakim Soria and became Texas' top starting pitching
prospect. He was 6-6 with a 4.72 ERA in 17 starts with Frisco. Eickhoff, 25,
was 8-4 with a 4.47 ERA in 17 games with Triple-A Round Rock. Asher, 23, was
3-6 with a 4.73 ERA in 12 starts with Round Rock. In time, the Phillies hope a
few of those players catapult the Phillies to their next postseason run,
similar to how Hamels, Utley, Howard, Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins led the Phillies to five consecutive
National League East titles from 2007-11. But the Phillies had to sacrifice one
of their greatest postseason performers to get them. "Just a surreal
moment," Hamels said following Saturday's no-hitter. It turned into a
surreal week.
Here Is The Haul – The Phillies have waited and waited and waited to get the
best deal possible for Cole Hamels, one that
could help restock an organization thin on talent in the Majors and Minors.
They finally did so Wednesday, consummating an eight-player deal with the
Rangers. Though neither club confirmed the trade, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and
Todd Zolecki have reported that Philadelphia will send Hamels, Jake Diekman and $9.5
million in cash to Texas for Matt Harrison and five prospects: right-handers Jake
Thompson, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher, outfielder Nick Williams and catcher
Jorge Alfaro. Thompson (No. 60), Williams (No. 64) and Alfaro (No. 69) all rank
among MLBPipeline.com's
Top 100 Prospects. The Phillies'
system, which had fallen on hard times before
the team began trading veterans for prospects last offseason, now has six Top
100 farmhands. Shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 6) and Philadelphia's last two
first-round picks, right-hander Aaron Nola (No.
22) and outfielder Cornelius Randolph (No. 99), already were on the list. Thompson,
21, has been traded twice in the last year after the Tigers shipped him and Corey Knebel to the Rangers for Joakim Soria last July. A second-round pick from a
Texas high school in 2012, Thompson has one of the best sliders in the Minors
and pairs it with a hard sinker that ranges from 90-95 mph. Thompson has gone
6-6 with a 4.72 ERA in 17 starts at Double-A Frisco this year with a 78-30 K/BB
ratio in 87 2/3 innings. Williams, 21, also was a second-rounder out of a Texas
high school in 2012. He has one of the quickest bats in the Minors and has made
huge strides with his plate discipline this year, giving him a chance to become
a .280 hitter with 20 homers per season along with solid speed and defense.
Williams batted .299/.357/.479 with 13 homers and 10 steals in 97 games at
Frisco. Alfaro, 22, signed for a Colombian-record $1.3 million in 2010. No
Minor League catcher can beat his combination of raw power and arm strength,
though his hitting and receiving skills still need a lot of polish. Alfaro hit
.253/.314/.432 with five homers in 49 games at Frisco before season-ending
ankle surgery in June. Eickhoff, 25, went from a 15th-round pick from Olney
Central (Ill.) JC in 2011 to leading the Double-A Texas League with 144
strikeouts in 2014. His best pitch is a 91-97 mph fastball and he'll also flash
a plus curveball and solid slider. Eickhoff has spent most of this season at
Triple-A Round Rock, going 9-4 with a 4.25 ERA in 18 games (17 starts) with a
107/36 K/BB ratio in 111 2/3 innings. Asher, 23, was a fourth-round choice out
of Polk (Fla.) CC in 2012. He can hit 96 mph with his fastball but usually
operates at 89-93 mph, backing it up with an average slider and changeup. He
has split this year between Frisco and Round Rock, compiling a 4-10 record with
a 4.43 ERA in 20 starts and a 97/37 K/BB ratio in 107 2/3 innings. All five
prospects could arrive in the big leagues before the end of 2016. If they all
reach their ceilings, the Phillies could have a No. 2 starter (Thompson), a
pair of All-Star position players (Williams, Alfaro) and a pair of workhorse
starters for the back half of their rotation (Eickhoff, Asher). Of course, not
all prospects will fulfill their potential, but Philadelphia has a lot more
building blocks than it did before the trade and also saves roughly $35 million
in the difference between the commitments to Hamels and Harrison. From the
Rangers' perspective, Hamels gives them a frontline starter who's locked up
through 2019 and can headline what could be a formidable long-term rotation
should Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Martin Perez return to full health. Texas was able to
acquire the three-time All-Star and 2008 National League Championship Series
and World Series MVP without sacrificing either of its cornerstone prospects,
third baseman Joey Gallo or
outfielder Nomar Mazara. The Rangers' impressive prospect depth allowed them to
retain Gallo and Mazara while still satisfying the Phillies.
Mural Celebrates Phillies History – Once again, Tug McGraw is jumping into the sky, celebrating
the first World Series championship in Phillies history. Only this time, McGraw
is doing it eight stories high. And he's joined by dozens of iconic faces and
moments and even the ballparks from franchise history on a spectacular
3,750-square-foot mural located at 24th and Walnut Street, and visible from the
Schuylkill River Trail and I-76. The Phillies Mural was created by
award-winning artist David McShane, a lifetime Phils fan who also created a
mural honoring Jackie Robinson in North Philadelphia, and another honoring the
Philadelphia Stars of the Negro Leagues in West Philadelphia. The Phillies
Mural was executed in conjunction with the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. The
official dedication will take place Saturday, with festivities beginning at 11
a.m. ET, including entertainment from the Whiz Kids and refreshments. The
ceremony starts at 11:30 a.m. Fans are invited to help celebrate along with
more than a dozen legends, such as Mike Schmidt, Brad Lidge, Charlie Manuel, Darren Daulton, Dallas
Green, Mitch Williams, Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, Dick Allen, Greg Luzinski,
Curt Simmons, Jim Bunning, Tony Taylor and the Phillies Phanatic. The free
event is part of the Toyota Phillies Alumni Weekend. It's fitting that Harry
Kalas and Rich Ashburn, two of the most beloved figures in team history, are in
the center of the painting. Opposite McGraw, Brad Lidge drops to his knees
after recording the final out that gave the Phils their 2008 championship.
Players from as long ago as Chuck Klein and Grover Cleveland Alexander are
represented, as are several current stars. McShane's preliminary drawing left
room for two more players who were determined by a fan vote. That's how
Luzinski and Carlos Ruiz were added.
In each corner, groups of fans look on. The artist said that deciding who and
what to leave off was far more difficult than figuring out who to include. "That
was a challenge," McShane said. "Rather than start with individuals,
I started with teams -- so the championship teams and the teams that were
pennant winners, and I thought of key players from there. Then, I filled in the
void with the other Hall of Famers and retired numbers. For instance, someone
like Chuck Klein who was one of the greatest sluggers they ever had, but played
in the 1920s when the Phillies weren't very good. He deserves to be in the
mural. So that's sort of how I went about it. "I was also trying not to
overwhelm the mural. If you put a hundred figures in, it kind of loses its
impact. So I was kind of thinking of trying to target around 25, 30 players
max. When I was a kid, I really loved Garry Maddox, so I would have loved to
have put him in there. There are certain singular moments like Shane Victorino hitting that grand slam [off CC Sabathia in the playoffs], Matt Stairs' home run
[in the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers]. But when you
take a look at the grand history, you really have to narrow it down." While
the mural understandably focuses on franchise highlights, it doesn't whitewash
the lowlights. Williams is depicted throwing the pitch that Joe Carter hit to
win the 1993 World Series for the Blue Jays. Players from the 1964 team wake
echoes of the club that squandered a 6 1/2-game lead in the final two weeks of
the regular season. "It's certainly a rich history with a lot of successes
and failures," McShane said. "But for most of us as a collective
community we have both celebrated the triumphs and suffered through the
disappointments. My hope is that people look at the mural and remember how
we're connected as a community. Because we all shared these moments
together." The 50-year-old has painted more than 70 murals. This is one of
his all-time favorites, and it should be around for a while. "This mural
has a special UV coating applied, so it'll take a lot longer for the paints to
fade," McShane said. "We would anticipate at least a good 25-year
life span. And hopefully we'll have at least another World Series or two by
then."
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 38-64. 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 67-47-0 on
this day.
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