GAME RECAP: Mets Sweep Phillies 9-5
In protecting an NL East lead that has stretched to 6 1/2 games,
their largest cushion in eight years, the new-look Mets are setting offensive
records on a near-nightly basis. But it's one of the longest-tenured Mets, Daniel Murphy, who is playing a significant role in
the transformation. Murphy hit a go-ahead two-run double Thursday and made a
circus play on defense, leading the Mets to a 9-5, 13-inning win over the
Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets swept the four-game series in
Philadelphia, set a franchise record with 73 runs in a seven-game span and have
won seven in a row overall, grabbing their third winning streak of at least
seven games this season. "It's not just getting the wins," third
baseman David Wright said.
"Obviously, that's the most important thing. But the way that we're
winning, we're never out of a game." The two teams traded offensive bursts
early, with the Phillies jumping out to a 5-0 lead off Jon Niese in the third inning and the Mets roaring
back to tie things in the fifth. Both Niese and Phillies starter Aaron Harang lasted six innings, allowing five runs. No
one scored again until the 13th, when Murphy doubled home Carlos Torres -- a relief pitcher who beat out an
infield single to open the inning off Hector Neris -- and Curtis Granderson. That rally came three innings
after Murphy closed the 10th with a highlight-reel play on a comebacker that
deflected off Torres, who contributed 2 1/3 scoreless innings out of the
bullpen for the win. "The entire time, we've been battling no matter
what," Torres said of the Mets' 8-1 road trip. "Today, these guys
showed they're true pros. They just kept battling every at-bat. They played
their positions hard. And the outcome is we won more games on this road trip
than we lost."
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Harang allowed five runs in six
innings, giving him a 7.71 ERA (58 earned runs in 67 2/3 innings) in 12
starts since the end of May. He was just the latest Phillies starter to
get hit hard by the Mets. Phillies starters posted a 7.29 ERA (17 earned
runs in 21 innings) in the four-game series. They also allowed 27 hits and
eight home runs. The Phillies have lost 12 of 13 games to the Mets this
season, including the last nine in a row. "That tells the story," Phillies
interim manager Pete Mackanin said of Phillies pitchers posting a 7.88 ERA
in the series. "We know what our issues are and we have to
improve."
- The Phillies scored five runs and had
five hits through the game's first four innings, but managed just three
hits the rest of the way.
- "It stinks because of all the
Mets fans coming in here and stuff. It stinks to get swept. It hurts a
little bit. And the length of the games. Tonight going 4 [hours] ...
whatever. Long enough, put it that way." – Francoeur.
- Keep an eye on Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr. Interim
manager Pete Mackanin said he plans to play the prospect more the final
few weeks of the season. Altherr has started against left-handers since
his recent promotion, but the Padres are throwing three righties this
weekend. Expect Altherr to start at least one of those games, maybe more.
- According to Baseball-Reference.com, Phillies rookie Odubel
Herrera entered Thursday night's game against the Mets leading the team
with a 2.4 WAR. The last Phillies rookie to lead the team in WAR was Scott
Rolen (4.5 WAR) in 1997.
- Padres right fielder Matt Kemp wasn't in the starting lineup
on Thursday in Washington because of a sore left shoulder after he landed
awkwardly during a diving attempt on Wednesday. The Padres wanted to get
him a day off anyway. Chances are he's back in the lineup on Friday
against the Phillies. Kemp entered Thursday second in the National League
in RBIs (31) since the All-Star break.
NEXT
GAME:
Two hot pitchers will
try to finish August on a high note when the Padres and Phillies open a
three-game series on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Aaron Nola, coming off eight
shutout innings in a victory over the Marlins, gets the start for the Phils in
the opener. He was tremendous against Miami, allowing three hits with two walks
and six strikeouts. The Padres' Ian Kennedy has been plenty hot himself. He has
a 2.19 ERA in August and a 2.27 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break.
PHILS PHACTS:
Araujo Goes Down – The Phillies are desperate for left-handed relievers, so
they could not afford to lose Elvis Araujo to a strained left groin Thursday night.
But the big left-hander tumbled to the mound following a pitch he threw to Yoenis Cespedes during the 11th inning in a 9-5
loss to the Mets in 13 frames at Citizens Bank
Park. It was the fifth pitch of the night for Araujo, who has been a bright
spot in the Phillies' bullpen this season. "I don't know how bad it
is," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "It didn't look
real good." Araujo is 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 40 appearances this season.
He has allowed 29 hits, 17 runs, 13 earned runs, 19 walks and has struck out 34
in 34 2/3 innings. Araujo's injury leaves Adam Loewen as the only left-hander in the Phillies'
bullpen. But Mackanin said the bullpen might have needed reinforcements anyway.
He said they would talk about their options before they left the ballpark. "Our
guys are overworked," Mackanin said. "They've been used so much. I
don't know if we'll make any moves tonight, but possibly tomorrow." Phillies
relievers entered the night third in baseball in innings pitched. Only the
D-backs and Rockies have more innings from their bullpen.
Unable To Finish Them Off – Asked about the Phillies' week against the Mets, Jeff Francoeur just shook his head. The Mets beat
the Phillies in 13 innings Thursday night at
Citizens Bank Park, 9-5, to complete the four-game sweep. It was the first time
the Mets had swept the Phillies in a four-game series in Philadelphia since
Sept. 6-9, 2002. The Phillies have lost nine consecutive games to New York,
which is their longest skid against the Mets since a 10-game losing streak from
Sept. 19, 1971, to June 28, 1972. The Phillies also have lost 13 of their last
14 games to the Mets, and 23 of their last 28. "We were legitimately in
some games," Francoeur said. "We just had a tough time keeping them
off the scoreboard. Our pitching has done a great job in the second half. But
the Mets are swinging the heck out of the bats. They're feeling confident and
good, you know?" The Mets scored 40 runs and hit 13 home runs in the
series. The Phillies scored 21 and hit six. "That tells the story,"
Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "We know what our issues are
and we have to improve." They must improve their pitching. Phillies
starters had a 7.29 ERA in the series. They allowed 27 hits, 19 runs, 17 earned
runs, six walks, eight home runs and struck out 14 in 21 innings. Phillies
relievers posted an 8.53 ERA, allowing 28 hits, 21 runs, 18 earned runs, 11
walks, five home runs and striking out 16 in 19 innings. "We're a young
team," Mackanin said. "Sure, we've got a lot of issues. We've got to
improve. But we've got a good start. There are some good-looking players that
are developing and showing signs of becoming pretty good players." So the
Phillies will try to put this series behind them. Besides the home runs the
Mets hit and the runs they scored, each game lasted at least 3 hours, 16
minutes. Thursday night's lasted 4 hours, 32 minutes. That made it a little
more painful for Philadelphia. "It stinks because of all the Mets fans
coming in here and stuff," Francoeur said. "It stinks to get swept.
It hurts a little bit. And the length of the games. Tonight going 4 [hours] ...
whatever. Long enough, put it that way."
Altherr To Get More Playing Time – Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin finds himself in a
bit of a conundrum. How can he play everybody the Phillies want him to play
before the end of the season? The Phillies have used most of the season to play
outfielders Domonic Brown, Odubel Herrera and Cody Asche. But Mackanin said before Thursday night's
series finale against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park that he plans to play
outfielder Aaron Altherr more
often the rest of the way. That creates a logjam in the outfield, which also includes
Jeff Francoeur. It certainly seems to reduce future
plate appearances for Asche and Brown. "I'm not eliminating them, but we
want to see [Altherr]," Mackanin said of the Phillies' No.
24 prospect. "He had a heck of a good year
in the Minor Leagues and we like what we see. Brown and Asche have had quite a
few at-bats at this level. They've been given good opportunities and will continue
to get opportunities, but we think Altherr deserves an opportunity as
well." Asche opened the season as a third baseman before moving to left
field to make room for Maikel Franco. But the
Phillies have no plans to play Asche at third unless absolutely necessary,
despite Franco being on the disabled list. "We don't want to screw him
up," Mackanin said of Asche. "He's been showing some improvement in
left field." There is a logjam in the infield, too. The Phillies still
want to see Cesar Hernandez as much
as possible. He can play third base, but his natural position is second. The
Phillies prefer Hernandez at second because he is more comfortable there. But
that reduces the playing time of the recently acquired Darnell Sweeney, whom they got from the Dodgers for Chase Utley.
Sweeney is essentially a second baseman and center fielder, but Hernandez and
Herrera occupy those two spots, respectively. "I'd like to see Sweeney
more, but at this point, he's not one of the top priorities," Mackanin
said. "I like the way he swings the bat. In order to get a proper look at
the guy I'd have to play him another 15 games or so. I don't think I can do it.
"This is a tough job, man."
The Future Behind The Plate – The Phillies think they have a bright future behind the
plate. They acquired catcher Jorge Alfaro from the Rangers in July as part of
the Cole Hamels trade. He
is the No.
64 prospect in baseball and the club's No. 5
prospect, but the Phillies also have catcher
Andrew Knapp, who is tearing up the Double-A Eastern League. The Phils' No. 18
prospect is hitting .378 with 19 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 51 RBIs
and a 1.094 OPS in 205 plate appearances. Alfaro made his debut for the
organization Thursday, when he played three innings for the GCL Phillies on a
rehab assignment. He went 1-for-1 and was hit by a pitch twice. He also threw
out a runner at second base. Alfaro had been on the disabled list since June 11
with a left ankle injury. But Alfaro and Knapp aren't expected to be on the
2016 Opening Day roster. Carlos Ruiz's contract
runs through next season, when he will make $8.5 million. Cameron Rupp remains under team control. Ruiz and
Rupp figure to be back behind the plate next year, although Triple-A catcher
Gabriel Lino is highly regarded because of his defensive capabilities. He could
be a September callup. But if it is Ruiz and Rupp at the beginning of next
season, how could it play out? Ruiz has started 73 games this year, while Rupp
has started 55. That number could be reversed in 2016. Ruiz, 36, entered
Thursday night hitting .219 with 12 doubles, two homers, 20 RBIs and a .598 OPS
in 284 plate appearances. It is 22 points lower than his career-low .620 OPS in
2008. Rupp has hit .333 with three doubles, five home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.040
OPS in his past 16 games. He has a .715 OPS in 208 plate appearances overall.
If he had enough plate appearances to qualify, his OPS would rank 11th out of
25 catchers in baseball. "He has made great strides in his hitting
approach and he's a solid catcher," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin
said about Rupp. "It looks like he's gained a lot of confidence, and I
like seeing him in the lineup. "There's no reluctance from my side [to
have Ruiz back up Rupp]. If that's what it's going to boil down to, that's what
it's going to be. You know, times change. I'm not saying Chooch is at that
stage of his career, but if we have somebody we think is a No. 1 and should
catch more than he does, that's what we're going to do."
Bubble Wrap Is Also Being Considered – Commissioner Rob Manfred said discussions regarding
extended safety netting at Major League ballparks are ongoing and that he hopes
to make a recommendation to owners during quarterly meetings in Dallas in
November. Manfred made his remarks before Thursday night's game at Citizens
Bank Park, a 9-5 Mets win over the Phillies in 13 innings, as he completed his
goal of visiting all 30 clubs after succeeding Bud Selig in January. "This
is a topic that is of serious concern, not only to me but more importantly to
all 30 owners," Manfred said. "We discussed it in August [at the
Owners Meetings in Chicago]. We have a process ongoing where we are examining
all of the relevant information. "So I think our goal to is to put the
Commissioner's Office in a position where we can make a complete recommendation
to ownership in November and give people an opportunity to be ready to make
changes for next year if in fact we decide that changes are necessary. Our goal
is to get the process complete in a way that would allow us, if we decide to
make a change, that it would be deployed in April." MLB has studied where
balls and bats most frequently go into the stands, solicited fan input and
examined various sorts of netting. Because every park has a unique design,
one-size-fits-all regulations aren't practical. "I suspect we would adopt
industry guidelines," Manfred said. "But there is going to be some
individual decision-making here because of the design of ballparks. They are so
different. Frankly, when we started to look at it, you lose track of how different
they really are. It's more of a challenge to devise meaningful guidelines for
the industry because the ballparks are so different. So it's going to be a
combination of the two." In the second inning on Thursday at Citizens Bank
Park, a woman was hit by a foul ball off the bat of Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis. She was sitting just to the side of
the net behind home plate. She got up and walked away on her own. The team told
The Associated Press she was evaluated at the ballpark and did not need to go
to the hospital. Before Manfred's news conference, he met with members of the
Phillies' front office. Afterward Manfred, who had headed up labor negotiations
as part of his duties before becoming Commissioner, met with the Phillies
players. "It's been really interesting to have a chance to talk to the
players outside of the collective bargaining process," he said. "Over
the years, that's really where I've had the most exchange. It's been a really
positive dialogue with the players. I think the dialogue has been helpful to
the game, particularly on the issue of pace of game. I just think it's healthy
to have an exchange with all of the players outside of the more formal context
of trying to make an agreement." He gave an example: On the day he visited
the Mariners, MLB had just started to phase in warning letters for players who
may have taken a little too much time getting ready to hit or deliver a pitch. "One
of the players said to me, 'We played a 2:40 game yesterday and we came in
today and four guys had warning letters.' We went back after that and we
altered the system," Manfred said. "We don't issue warnings if we
have a game that's less than 2:40. And I think it's that kind of input that I
find to be the most important. They're asking you something to get you thinking
of whether you're in the right place." Manfred also fielded questions
about smokeless tobacco and pitchers using substances to get a better grip on
the ball. The former came about in response to the mayor of San Francisco
signing an ordinance in May that bans chewing tobacco from all its fields,
including AT&T Park. Manfred pointed out that smokeless tobacco has been
banned in the Minor Leagues for years and added that he expects the issue to be
part of the negotiations for the new Basic Agreement. The current Collective
Bargaining Agreement expires after next season. "There are twin concerns
here," he said. "There's the health of our players, but there's also
the example it sets for young people. This effort with local ordinances, I
think, has put a spotlight on the issue." Television cameras appeared to
show a substance on the glove of Astros pitcher Mike Fiers while he was no-hitting the Dodgers last
Friday. It's common for pitchers to use something to improve their
grip; it's technically illegal. But balls that are slippery could also be
a health hazard for hitters. Manfred said he wouldn't comment directly on the
Houston situation, but added: "We have enough issues with respect to
gripping the ball that we are looking at the issue of what does the ball feel
like? How tacky? Why are people interested in making it more tacky? That's just
part of our normal ongoing review of how the game is played and is an issue
we'll have some conversation about in the offseason."
Catching Up With Charlie Hayes – Charlie Hayes was 24 years old when he was traded from the
Giants to the Phillies. It was June 18, 1989. Future Hall of Fame third baseman
Mike Schmidt had retired three weeks earlier. All Hayes was being asked to do
was replace the best player in franchise history. Hayes had his moments in red
pinstripes. In the end, though, he didn't make the impact the Phillies front
office might have hoped when they acquired him, along with Terry Mulholland and
Dennis Cook, for closer Steve Bedrosian. Two-and-a-half years later, he was
sent to the Yankees and went on to have 14-year career that also included stops
with the Rockies, Pirates, Brewers and Astros. The Phillies, however, had a
profound impact on Hayes. In ways that make sense. And in mysterious ways that
never could have been foreseen. Most notably, without that simple baseball
trade, it's entirely possible his youngest son, infielder Ke'Bryan Hayes,
wouldn't have been selected by the Pirates with the 32nd overall pick in the
MLB Draft in June. Because, who knows? Without that transaction, Hayes wouldn't
have become close friends with Ron Jones, who was then one of the Phillies' top
hitting prospects. Jones seemed destined for a long and successful career. His
.371 batting average for Class A Clearwater in 1986 remains a franchise record.
He received the Paul Owens Award that year, given annually to the best player
in the farm system. Jones' future looked bright until he tore a ligament in his
right knee in '89, and then a ligament in his left knee a year later. He ended
up playing just 97 games in the big leagues. Had Jones' career not been
sabotaged by two serious knee injuries, he wouldn't have approached Hayes in
2005 about opening the Big League Baseball Academy in Tomball, Texas. Had Hayes
not cared so much about his friend, he would not have overcome his initial
reluctance to get involved. Hayes almost certainly would have shuttered the
enterprise when Jones tragically suffered a fatal heart attack a year later,
just days short of his 42nd birthday. And had all those invisible cosmic
tumblers not fallen into place, well, there's no telling how far the
18-year-old Ke'Bryan, who honed his skills at the academy, might have
progressed. "I guess the great thing about the whole thing is my kid was a
part of it," Hayes said. "Out of my three boys, he's probably the one
that was the least athletic. But what he did that the other ones didn't do was,
he was a worker. He always paid attention to detail. He really loves baseball.
So I'm so excited for him, and to see what the next chapter of his life brings
to him." Charles Jr., 31, is an underwater welder. Tyree, 27, was a
right-handed pitcher drafted in the eighth round by the Rays in 2006 whose big
league dreams were short-circuited by a torn right labrum. The last day Hayes
and Jones were together was a Sunday. Ron worked with the high school group,
Charlie with the younger players. Normally, they'd get together at the end of
the day. This time, Jones declined. "He said, 'Man, I don't feel good. I'm
tired. I'm just going to go home,'" Hayes said. The next day, Ron didn't
come to the academy. But it wasn't uncommon for him to take Mondays off. On
Tuesday, he was missing again. This seemed especially unusual since Tyree was
drafted by the Rays that day. Charlie expected at least a congratulatory call.
Nothing. "That was very rare," he noted. On Wednesday, Ron was once
more a no-show. Concern was escalating. He had been collecting money for one of
the teams to go to a tournament in Atlanta. "He was living in a real tough
part of Houston. So we thought maybe something had happened that way,"
Charlie said. On Thursday, Charlie and his wife, Gelinda, drove to Jones'
apartment to see what was going on. "I talked to the lady who was the
manager of the complex where he lived. And I said, 'Hey, my name is Charlie.
I'm looking for Ron. I haven't seen him in four or five days.' And she said,
'Oh, you're Charlie. Ron always talks so nice about you. I'll go check his
apartment,'" Jones said. "Well, she went around the corner and came
back running. He had passed away. Looked like he was going to the shower. He
had a massive heat stroke, heart attack. It's just sad. Man, my best friend in
the world." Hayes couldn't bring himself to go back to the academy for
eight months. He didn't tell Ke'Bryan what had happened right away. "Because
him and Ron, they were just inseparable," said Hayes, who wanted to close
the facility down. "My wife convinced me I needed to keep it open on
[Jones'] behalf," the 50-year-old Hayes said. "When Ron came to me
and said we should start a baseball academy, I wasn't too keen on the idea --
because of the simple fact that I wanted to be around the house a lot more. But
once we got that thing rolling, Ron was so dedicated to that place. He did so
many hours there. "I think I would have been out of baseball a long time
ago if it wasn't for him. But just seeing the way he went about his job every
day at the academy made me want to be out there even more." Hayes
eventually returned. Now he spends up to 200 hours a month working with kids
from ages 9-18. Former Major Leaguers Mike Jackson and Jesse Barfield have
helped with the instruction. And nobody benefited more than Ke'Bryan, a payoff
nobody could have imagined a quarter century earlier, when baseball brought
Hayes and Jones together. Hayes had some memorable moments with the Phillies.
Notably, he snagged the line drive off the bat of pinch-hitter Gary Carter for
the final out of Mulholland's 1990 no-hitter. "I think about that a lot.
And a lot of people talk to me about that. But I was also the guy who messed up
the perfect game. I think about that, too," Hayes said, referring to a
throwing error that allowed Rick Parker to reach base leading off the seventh. That
was Hayes' first full season in the big leagues, and he led all third basemen
in assists and tied for first in total chances. In both 1989 and '90, he
homered in three straight games. In his first season he became just the 34th
player to hit a ball into the upper deck at Veterans Stadium. The following
year, Hayes hit the longest homer of the season at Veterans Stadium, an
estimated 426 feet off Ron Darling. Hayes even came back to Philadelphia in
1995. When it was all over, he had played more games (519) for the Phillies
than any other team, batting .256 with 41 homers, 238 RBI and a .672 OPS. "I
loved Philly," Hayes said. "It was a tough situation for me, being
the guy who was kind of the heir apparent to Mike Schmidt. But one thing that
Philadelphia taught me was about being tough, being determined -- basically a
blue-collar work ethic. I instill those things in all my kids. Always told them
there were never any excuses. You just pick yourself up and try to get better
every day. "I'm sure there were probably some things I could have done
better: dealing with the media, accepting failure. But there's no doubt that
Philadelphia made me the player I was."
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 50-78. 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 46-67-0 on this day.
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