GAME RECAP: Mets Edge Phillies 6-5
If the Phillie Phanatic crushing
a Mets helmet to smithereens during a
between-innings gag was not evidence enough, then Larry Bowa's ejection sealed
it. Make no mistake: the Mets may be in first place and the Phillies in last,
but there's still a rivalry coursing down Interstate 95. That was apparent
throughout the Mets' fifth straight win on Monday, a 6-5 victory at Citizens
Bank Park that improved them to 10-1 against the Phillies this season. Noah Syndergaard earned his first road victory of the
year, Travis d'Arnaud tied
things on a bases-loaded
walk and Michael Cuddyer gave the Mets the lead
for good with a pinch-hit, two-run single off Jeanmar Gomez in the sixth. Warnings were issued an
inning later, when Hansel Robles attempted
a quick pitch before Darin Ruf was ready at
the plate. The Mets had raised eyebrows in Monday's series opener for bat flips
after more than one of their franchise-record eight home runs. "Tensions
are high and it escalated from there," Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy said Tuesday. "We swung the bats
well yesterday. We got a good win today. I know what we're concerned about in
this clubhouse, and that's playing good baseball." The Phillies struck out
nine times in five innings against Syndergaard, but took an early lead on two-run
homers from Freddy Galvis and Ryan Howard. Gomez gave up one run of his own and two
that he inherited from starter Jerome Williams, who also allowed a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes and an RBI double to Syndergaard.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Gomez had been one of the team's better relievers this
season, posting a 2.08 ERA in 56 1/3 innings over his first 48
appearances. But Gomez has struggled lately. He replaced Williams with two
on and one out in the sixth. He walked the bases loaded before he walked
in a run to cut the Phillies' lead to one. He then allowed a two-out
single to Cuddyer to score two runs to give the Mets a 6-4 lead. Gomez has
allowed nine hits and seven runs in four innings in his last four
appearances. "Lately his sinker, he hasn't been able to keep his
sinker down," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's
elevating the sinker. He had both of those guys with two strikes on them
and he just couldn't put them away. The base hit to Cuddyer was a sinker
but he elevated it. It was too on it."
- Galvis and Howard each hit two-run home runs in the third
inning to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. But for the second consecutive
night against the Mets, the Phillies' could not hold the lead. "It's
nice to see that we fought them," Mackanin said. "Knocked out
their two starters last night and tonight. It's good to see that. We
scored five runs. Had a chance to win. Just couldn't capitalize."
- Bowa was ejected in the seventh inning after Robles attempted
to pitch before Ruf was ready. Bowa began yelling from the dugout,
prompting umpire Dan Bellino to eject him and warn Robles and both
benches. The Mets also began spilling out of their dugout, though order
was quickly restored and Robles struck out Ruf to end the inning. "I
was surprised because I was trying to do my job, trying to do exactly what
I've been doing before with the quick pitch," Robles said through an
interpreter. "The batter got into the box and the umpire pointed to
me, so I was ready to execute my pitches."
- Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera leads Major League
rookies with 25 doubles. He could become the first Phillie to lead big
league rookies in doubles since Juan Samuel had 36 in 1984.
- The Phillies need to win five of their final eight games
against the Mets to avoid their worst season series ever against New York.
They dropped to 1-10 against New York after Tuesday's loss.
NEXT
GAME:
Mets right-hander
Bartolo Colon hopes to get on track for the stretch run beginning Wednesday
night against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He is 10-11 with a 4.90 ERA
this season, but has posted a 6.08 ERA in his last seven starts. He has allowed
53 hits and 27 runs in 40 innings. Colon is 2-0 with a 5.25 ERA in two starts
this season against the Phillies. The Phillies counter with rookie right-hander
Jerad Eickhoff, whom they acquired last month from Texas in the Cole Hamels
trade. Eickhoff pitched six scoreless innings in his big league debut last week
against the Marlins at Marlins Park.
PHILS PHACTS:
Where Have You Been Larry? – Give the man a chance to hit. Tempers flared and benches
emptied in the seventh inning Tuesday night in the Mets' 6-5
victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank
Park. The Phillies felt Mets right-hander Hansel Robles quick-pitched a pair of their hitters
on consecutive nights before they had a chance to get set in the batter's box.
The second occurrence got Jeff Francoeur out of the dugout, bench coach Larry
Bowa ejected and Daniel Murphy wondering
why Bowa wanted him drilled in the ribs with a pitch. "Let the guy step in
the box," Francoeur said. "That's all I ask. We saw [Jeurys] Familia
quick pitch, but the guy was ready. LaTroy [Hawkins] did it to me earlier this
year in Toronto. Ruffy [Darin Ruf]
had one foot in the box [in the seventh]. That's chicken … that's what it is. I
never met the guy and I have no problem with him. Let the guy get in the box.
And if they can't understand why we are upset with that … it had nothing to do
with anything else." Ruf had just raised his head in the batter's box when
Robles delivered his first pitch to him to the plate. Home-plate umpire Dan
Bellino immediately called off the pitch, but the Phillies felt Robles did the
same thing Monday night to Cameron Rupp, which
prompted them to start yelling. Francoeur quickly stepped out onto the field to
express his displeasure. "Jeff, sit down! Jeff, sit down!" Bellino
shouted to Francoeur. Bowa got ejected almost immediately after that. Bowa, who
had more than a few memorable ejections as Phillies manager from 2001-04, then
got in Bellino's face. "I stopped it," Bellino told Bowa about the
pitch. "Larry just got a little bit aggravated because it happened two days
in a row," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Same
pitcher. It's a legal play and there's nothing wrong with it. But the umpire's
got to make sure that the batter is ready in the box because you can get hurt.
Rupp just got his hand on the bat [Monday] and the pitch was on its way. So
you've just got to be careful with it. Larry reacted." Mets manager Terry
Collins disagreed with Bowa, whom Collins called one of his best friends. They
worked together in Anaheim, when Collins managed the Angels. "I saw a
quick pitch and Larry went like Larry is," Collins said. "He's pretty
intense. I just said until they make the pitch illegal, you can do it. I see it
all the time." It was a coincidence that Francoeur mentioned Hawkins, but
when Hawkins pitched for the Mets in 2013, he encouraged Mets relievers to
employ the quick pitch. Many obviously still keep up with the practice. Mets
catcher Travis d'Arnaud said he
told Robles to wait to throw because he noticed Ruf looking down. Robles said
through an interpreter that he saw Belllino point to him to throw. Murphy later
saw Bowa yelling at him from the dugout. Bowa apparently did not like the way
Murphy flipped his bat after he hit a home run Monday night. He told Murphy he
should get a pitch to the ribs. It is at that point both teams got warnings. "I
can't sit here and try to pretend to know what someone else was thinking,"
Murphy said. "If that's the reason, then he must have taken exception to
it. But I can't put what somebody else is thinking at a certain moment." "I
don't know what that was about," Mackanin said about Bowa. "I think
he just got mad at everybody." Bowa left the clubhouse after the game and
was unavailable to comment. "I had no problem with the way those guys
played," Francoeur said. "They played hard. They are a great baseball
team. I've got a lot of buddies on that team. My whole thing is to give the guy
time because that's bull …"
Rotation Decisions – The Phillies want to see more Aaron Nola, Adam Morgan and Jerad Eickhoff in their rotation before the end of
the season. They might want to see Triple-A right-hander Alec Asher, too. So
where does that leave veteran right-hander Jerome Williams, who allowed five runs in 5 1/3
innings in Tuesday night's 6-5
loss to the Mets at Citizens Bank Park? That
remains to be seen. He could be bumped if the Phillies decide they want to see
Asher or another prospect in September. Or he could remain, if the Phillies
decide to use a six-man rotation. "You're always auditioning,"
Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said before the game. "It's a big
start for everybody the rest of the year because we're looking forward to next
year and trying to decide who's going to stay and who's going to go. So every
start from here on out is important." "I have no control over
that," Williams said afterward. "All I want to try to do is go out
there and pitch, leave it all out there on the field." The Phillies
acquired Asher from Texas in the Cole Hamels trade. He is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four
starts with the IronPigs. "There's a lot of things that we've
discussed," Mackanin said. "Who do we want to call up, all those
kinds of questions are mulling around right now. I'm sure some things will
probably change. I don't know what, but we're going to have to wait until we get
closer to that time and make the decision and then I'll have a better answer
for you." Williams dropped to 4-10 with a 6.13 ERA. "I think he's got
to continue to earn the spot," Mackanin said about Williams. "I
haven't talked to Ruben [Amaro Jr.] about it. I don't know what his thinking
is. I know one thing, we have to limit innings for Nola and I guess Eickhoff
and Morgan because of his shoulder issues that he's had over the last few
years. That being the case, that's when the possible six-man rotation came up,
just throwing out ideas. If that's the case, maybe things won't change. There
might be an addition."
Frenchy To Stay With Phillies – Every time Jeff Francoeur hits a home run, somebody wonders why
a contender would not want him for the stretch run. But Francoeur will not be
traded before the Aug. 31 waiver Trade Deadline. A source confirmed an ESPN.com
report that Francoeur did not clear revocable waivers. A team claimed him, but
the Phillies could not strike a deal with that team. That team could be the
Pirates, who expressed interest in Francoeur before the July 31 non-waiver
Trade Deadline. Francoeur said before Tuesday's 6-5
loss to the Mets that he is more than happy to
finish the season with the Phillies. "I've enjoyed my time here," he
said. "I think they know that." Francoeur is hitting .269
(68-for-253) with 13 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .766 OPS.
His OPS ranks second on the team only to Maikel Franco (.830), among Phillies with a 150 or
more at-bats. Francoeur will be a free agent after the season. The Phillies
seem interested in bringing him back, but nobody knows what will happen. First,
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s contract expires after the season and
incoming president Andy MacPhail has not announced any decision about the GM
spot. The Phillies also need to decide who their manager is going to be, if it
is not going to be interim manager Pete Mackanin. Of course, then the Phillies
have to figure out how they want to configure their 2016 outfield. "I
would come back for the right situation," Francoeur said. "Once they
figure all that out, yeah, I'd definitely be interested." Could he handle another
season on a rebuilding team? "I could. I really could," Francoeur
said. "I like where we're going right now. Hell, we have the [fourth]-best
record in the National League in the second half. At the same time, I'm not
saying I've got to play every day, but I would want an opportunity to play if
I'm playing well. I'm not saying every day, though. But for the right
opportunity, yeah, I'd definitely come back."
First Hand Look – Somehow, someway, the Phillies have the third-best record
in the National League and the fourth-best record in baseball since the
All-Star break. They have mostly young players to thank for that. Phillies fans
will get a look at two of them for the first time this week at Citizens Bank
Park, where the Phillies host the Mets in a four-game series. Rookie
right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, whom
they acquired from Texas in the Cole Hamels trade, starts Wednesday night against the
first-place Mets. Rookie infielder/outfielder Darnell Sweeney, whom they acquired from the Dodgers
in the Chase Utley deal, made
his debut at Citizens Bank Park in Monday's 16-7
loss to the Mets when he flew out in the 7th
inning as a pinch-hitter. Eickhoff allowed five hits, one walk and struck out
five in six scoreless innings in his big league debut Friday against the
Marlins in Miami. Sweeney crushed a homer for his first big league hit Saturday
against the Marlins. He started Sunday and walked three times in four plate
appearances. "I like him," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin
said about Sweeney. "He looked like a sure-handed outfielder. He moves
well. He went to the ball well. I was just talking to [bench coach] Larry Bowa
and [hitting coach Steve] Henderson about the first time [Sweeney] took batting
practice. The ball wasn't coming off his bat in batting practice very well. He wasn't
really popping the ball. Then he hits that home run to left-center [at Marlins
Park.]" The ball traveled a projected 445 feet, according to Statcast™.
"He crushed it. That got rid of any doubts we might have had about his
pop," Mackanin said with a smile. The Phillies' farm system had been
ranked near the bottom in baseball for years, but the prospects Phillies
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and his staff acquired in the past month, along
with strong Drafts the past two or three years, have jumped them to No. 7 in
baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Eickhoff and Sweeney are two of the
reasons why.
Minor Update – Player - OF Aaron Brown,
Clearwater…Brown, a 23-year old in his second professional season, earned
Player of the Week Honors after batting .455 (10-22) with a home run, six runs
scored, two doubles, two RBI and a walk in six games. He began the week with
four straight multi-hit games, including his fourth three-hit game of the
season on August 18. He has scored or driven in at least one run in six of his
last seven contests. Brown was selected by the Phillies in the third round of
the 2014 draft out of Pepperdine University and was signed by Shane Bowers. Pitcher -
RHP Ricardo Pinto, Clearwater…The 21-year-old Pinto made one start for the
Threshers, tossing 6.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and just three
hits allowed as he was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week. He has
allowed just one run in his last 19.2 innings (0.92 ERA), and over that span
has surrendered just 11 hits and three walks (0.71 WHIP) while striking out 16
batters. This is the right-hander's second Pitcher of the Week award this
season, with the first coming for the week of June 22-28. Pinto was signed by
the Phillies and Jesus Mendez as an amateur free agent in December of 2011. Lehigh
Valley IronPigs - International League North Division…57-71, 5th place…
The IronPigs ended the week on a strong note with back-to-back wins over
Pawtucket as they went 3-2 in a week shortened by an off-day and a
postponement. Lehigh Valley's pitching led the way as they allowed two runs or
fewer in four of their five games, including a 2-0 shutout of the Red Sox on
August 22. Top hitting performers - OF Brian Bogusevic
recorded three multi-hit games, batting .333 for the week with a home run,
three RBI and three runs scored…INF Chase d'Arnaud hit his fifth home
run of the season, scored three runs and drove in two…OF Kelly Dugan hit
his second home run of the year as a member of the IronPigs. Top pitching
performers - RHP Sean O'Sullivan pitched a career-high 8.1
innings and allowed just one unearned run on three hits while striking out nine
batters in his start against the RailRiders…RHP Alec Asher made one
start, holding Pawtucket scoreless over 7.0 innings while surrendering only
five hits…RHP Dustin McGowan converted all three of his save
opportunities, combining to throw 2.2 scoreless innings. Reading Fightin
Phils - Eastern League Eastern Division …72-54, 1st
place…The start and finish to the week were complete opposites for Reading,
who entered the week on a roll and now find themselves with a three-game losing
streak. They took three straight from New Hampshire, scoring six runs or more
in all of them, but then were swept by New Britain, scoring just seven runs in
three games. Despite the mini skid, Reading still holds a 3.5-game lead in the
division. Top hitting performers - 1B Brock Stassi hit
safely in all six games, going 7-17 (.412) with a home run, eight runs scored,
six RBI, six walks, a .520 on-base percentage and a 1.285 OPS. He now has 83
RBI this season…OF Destin Hood drove in 10 runs in five games thanks to
a career-high 6-RBI game on August 19, during which he homered twice and
doubled…SS J.P. Crawford hit .308 with a double, triple, four runs
scored and three stolen bases. Top pitching performers - RHP
Jake Thompson tossed 6.0 innings, striking out seven while allowing just
two runs. He has pitched 6.0 innings or more and allowed two runs or fewer in
all four of his starts with Reading…RHP Ethan Martin did not allow a run
in his 5.2 frames on August 22 and now has allowed only two runs in his last
17.2 innings (1.02 ERA)…RHP Reinier Roibal made two appearances out of
the bullpen, combining to surrender one unearned run on one hit in 4.1 innings.
Clearwater Threshers - Florida State League North Division…35-22,
2nd place, 72-55 overall… The Threshers' offense exploded
last week as they combined for 48 runs in seven games on the way to a 5-2
record. They won three straight over Dunedin on the road, took the opener of a
three-game set from Brevard County and rebounded from two losses to win game
one of an important series with the first -place Daytona Tortugas. Top
hitting performers - OF Aaron Brown was named Phillies Minor
League Player of the Week after batting .455 in six games with a home run, two
doubles and a couple of RBI…OF Dylan Cozens recorded four multi-hit
games, scored seven runs, doubled, tripled and drove in three runs…1B Rhys
Hoskins displayed his power, homering twice and driving in 10 runs in seven
games. He also recorded four doubles, helping him to a .750 slugging percentage
as he was named Florida State League Player of the Week…3B Mitch Walding
batted .409 (9-22) with four RBI, three runs scored, two doubles and a stolen
base…OF Andrew Pullin leads the Florida State League with 14 home runs
after adding two more to his total last week. They both came in the same game-a
4-4, 4 RBI effort on August 23. He batted .348 with seven RBI for the week…C
Willians Astudillo had hits in all four of his games, batting an even .400
with three runs scored and two RBI. His .331 average leads the league. Top
pitching performers - RHP Ricardo Pinto was named Phillies
Minor League Pitcher of the Week after holding Dunedin scoreless over 6.2
strong innings on the hill. He struck out six batters and allowed only three
hits…RHP Yacksel Rios also had a strong outing during which he
surrendered just three hits over 6.0 shutout innings…RHP Alexis Rivero
struck out eight batters in 5.0 innings, nailing down two saves in as many
chances. His five strikeouts and 3.0 innings on August 19 were both season
highs…RHP Alberto Tirado struck out six batters and did not allow a hit
over 5.0 innings in relief (two games). Lakewood BlueClaws - South
Atlantic League Northern Division…30-26,T-2nd place, 63-61
overall…Lakewood fell 9.0 games out of first place after winning only two
of their seven games last week. Their wins came consecutively-the finale of a
series against Delmarva and opener of a series against West Virginia-and they
finished the week with three straight losses. Top hitting performers -OF
Jiandido Tromp recorded a team-high 10 hits as he batted .400 with a home
run and five RBI and a stolen base…1B/3B Damek Tomscha had hits in all
but one of his six games, driving in five runs and scoring four more while
hitting .350…2B Scott Kingery went 7-24 (.292) and led the team with six
runs scored and three stolen bases…C Deivi Grullon hit two home
runs-they came in consecutive games-and drove in five runs. Top pitching
performers - For the second time in three starts, RHP Tyler Viza
threw 8.0 innings and allowed one unearned run as he lowered his season ERA to
3.38…LHP Elniery Garcia yielded five hits over 6.0 frames, with just one
run crossing the plate…RHP Manny Martinez had two relief outings of 3.0
innings, allowing no hits with four strikeouts in the first and one hit with
two strikeouts in the second…RHP Will Morris tossed 5.0 scoreless
innings in his lone start and now has back-to-back scoreless outings. His ERA
is 1.59 through his first 12 games. Williamsport Crosscutters - New
York-Penn League Pinckney Division…39-22, 1st place…The
Crosscutters had an abbreviated week of action as the New York-Penn League
All-Star Break took place from August 17-18. They returned from the break as
hot as they were entering it, winning four of five including a three-game sweep
over Auburn. They held a 5.5-game lead in the division with 15 games to play as
of Monday. Top hitting performers - CF Carlos Duran had
multiple hits in three of his four games played, batting .500 (7-14) with an
RBI, run and stolen base…2B Josh Tobias batted .333, drove in four runs,
scored three and stole a couple of bases for Williamsport…OF Mark Laird
had six hits in 18 at-bats (.333) with three RBI and three runs scored. He had
three straight two-hit games to finish the week…C Austin Bossart hit
safely in three of his four games (.333, 5-15) and has now hit safely in 25 of
28 with the Crosscutters. Top pitching performers - RHP
Alejandro Arteaga has now allowed only one earned run in three straight
starts after tossing 6.0 innings of one-run ball on August 22 against Auburn…RHP
Franklyn Kilome tied a season-high 6.0 innings pitched on August 21,
allowing just one run…RHP Robert Tasin now has 13 saves in 14 chances
this season after securing two saves in two chances last week. GCL Phillies -
Gulf Coast League, Northwest Division…32-20,2nd place…The
Phillies Gulf Coast League affiliates sit 2.5 games out of first after a 3-3
showing last week. They had a chance to gain some ground on the Blue Jays with
a two-game sweep, but they split the home-home series, ending the week with a
3-1 loss on Saturday. Top hitting performers - C Edgar Cabral
is batting .294 this season after hitting .308 with three runs last week…OF
Juan Luis had four runs scored, three walks and a pair of triples in six
games played. Top pitching performers - RHP Felix Paulino
picked up the win on August 20 after allowing one run on five hits in 6.0
innings of work…RHP Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez made two starts, firing 2.0
scoreless innings with three strikeouts in the first and 3.0 shutout frames in
the second…RHP Adonis Medina started one game, shutting out the GCL Blue
Jays for 5.0 innings while surrendering only three hits…LHP Zach Morris
came out of the bullpen for two games, combining to throw 4.1 innings with no
runs allowed, one hit and seven strikeouts.
Moyer To Honor Montgomery – Jamie Moyer left
the Phillies' broadcast booth last fall to spend more time with his family. But
he returned to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday to promote The Moyer Foundation's
third annual Champions for Children luncheon on Sept. 15 at the Crystal Tea
Room in Philadelphia, where Phillies chairman David Montgomery will be
presented The Jamie Moyer Legends Award. Montgomery also will be honored with
the foundation's Community All-Star Award. "Honoring David was easy,"
Moyer said. "We know he's not real keen on those types of accolades. He's
involved with so many things. I just think it was the right thing to do." The
luncheon brings together hundreds of Philadelphia business leaders and
community members to support the foundation's mission to "provide comfort,
hope and healing to children affected by loss and family addiction." Chris
Wheeler will emcee the luncheon, which will be attended by former Pennsylvania
Governor Ed Rendell and Phillies greats like Mike Schmidt, Larry Bowa, Bob
Boone and Greg Luzinski. Proceeds will benefit The Moyer Foundation and its two
signature programs: Camp Erin and Camp Mariposa. Visit moyerfoundation.org for
more information.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last
place in the NL East with a record of 50-76. Given the departures, aging stars,
injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up
being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope
for this year! All time, the Phillies are 51-58-0 on this day.
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