GAME RECAP: Nationals Shutout Phillies 4-0
How can one describe the game that Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg had Tuesday night at Citizens Bank
Park in a 4-0 win over the Phillies? Dominant. He looked like the Strasburg who
was nearly unhittable in his first big league game against the Pirates in 2010.
Strasburg pitched eight scoreless innings, didn't allow a baserunner to reach
scoring position and struck out a career-high-tying 14 batters. It marked the
third time this season Strasburg struck 10 or more batters. He allowed one hit,
and that came in the fifth inning, when Cody Asche led off and singled to right field. "He
was really good tonight," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "The
biggest thing was he established his low fastball. He didn't use his changeup
until about the fourth inning. When he establishes his low fastball, there are
a lot of swings-and-misses [30 in all] on the changeup. Innings four through
eight, he used the changeup a lot. He got a lot of guys to swing and miss at
it." Strasburg would not have won his ninth game of the season if not for Bryce Harper, who continues to show that he is the
front-runner to be the National League MVP. He drove in all four runs, homered
twice and went 3-for-3 with a walk. By winning Tuesday's game, the Nationals
gained ground on the first-place Mets, who lost to the Marlins, 9-3. Washington
is now 8 1/2 games behind New York in the National League East. "That's
probably one of the best, if not the best-pitched, games I've seen all
year," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said about Strasburg.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- It has been a rough season for David Buchanan,
who carried a 9.11 ERA into his start against the Nationals. But Buchanan,
who had a 22.00 ERA in his last three starts, allowed five hits, two runs,
two walks and struck out five in six innings for one of his better starts
of the season. He needs to pitch like this in his two remaining starts to
re-enter the conversation as a serious candidate to make the 2016 rotation
coming out of Spring Training. "You want to make sure you finish on a
strong note," Buchanan said. "Had a lot of talking to do, and
thinking to do, over this past week, so today I wanted to go out there
with confidence and poise and go out there and compete."
- As much as the Phillies' rotation has
struggled this season, the bullpen has not fared much better, entering the
night 11th in the National League in ERA. Phillies left-hander Adam Loewen
allowed a two-run homer to Harper in the eighth to effectively put the
game out of reach for Philadelphia.
- "It's the best I've seen in a
couple of years. I think most guys would agree with me. I don't know,
Nolan Ryan? A lot of fastballs, combined with changeup and curveball.
Pretty good." -- Phillies second baseman Andres Blanco, on
Strasburg.
- Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco
has been on the DL since last month because of a broken left wrist. But he
is scheduled to take batting practice before
Wednesday's game. If it goes well, he could begin rehabbing this week in
Clearwater, Fla., and rejoin the Phillies next week in Miami.
- Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf is
expected to play regularly at first base while Ryan Howard is sidelined
with a bruised left knee.
- Bryce Harper hit a home run Monday
night against Phillies rookie Aaron Nola. It was Harper's 92nd career
homer, but the first he had hit against a pitcher younger than him. Harper
was 22 years, 333 days old. Nola was 22 years, 103 days old. Harper's streak
was the third-longest in the expansion era: Mike Trout (116) and Bob
Horner (95).
NEXT
GAME:
The Nationals hope to
keep their postseason chances alive with a victory in Wednesday night's series
finale against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Nationals will lean on
left-hander Gio Gonzalez (10-7, 3.88 ERA) to help them keep pace with the Mets,
who have a 8 1/2-game lead over the Nationals in the National League East with
17 games to play. Gonzalez is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA in two starts this season
against the Phillies. He is 7-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 14 career starts against
them. Phillies right-hander Alec Asher (0-3, 10.67 ERA) hopes to spoil the
Nats' night. He has struggled in his first three big league starts.
PHILS PHACTS:
Injury Updates – Ryan Howard hobbled out
of Citizens Bank Park on crutches Monday night. He left with a bruised left
knee, but the knee got worse, and he checked into the emergency room a few
hours later to have it drained. "That doesn't look good," Phillies
interim manager Pete Mackanin said before Tuesday night's game against the
Nationals. Mackanin said Howard is day to day, but he acknowledged that day to
day "could be eight days from now." Darin Ruf is expected to play regularly at first base
while Howard is sidelined. Third baseman Maikel Franco could take live batting practice
Wednesday. If that goes well, he could head to Clearwater, Fla., Wednesday
night or Thursday morning to face live pitching. If Franco, who has been
sidelined since Aug. 12 with a broken left wrist, has no setbacks, he could
rejoin the team next week in Miami. "If he's 100 percent, he'll be
back," Mackanin said. Outfielder Aaron Altherr has a bruised right elbow. He is
available to pinch-run. Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon hit Altherr with a pitch Monday. "There's
a little bit of a mobility issue," Mackanin said about Altherr's elbow.
"There's no structural damage. He's stiff and sore."
A Bit Of Redemption – David Buchanan had one
heck of a task Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. He had to outpitch
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg with a Phillies lineup that lacked
a single hitter with 10 home runs or 42 RBIs. Buchanan put together one of his
better performances of a rough season, but it was not nearly enough as
Strasburg dominated the Phillies in a 4-0
victory. Buchanan entered the night with a 9.11 ERA in 11 starts and a 22.00
ERA in his past three. He allowed five hits, two runs, two walks and struck out
five in six innings against the Nationals, but his effort looked ordinary
against Strasburg. The Nationals' starter allowed one hit and struck out 14 in
eight scoreless innings. He was the first pitcher to allow just one hit with 14
or more strikeouts against the Phillies since the Mets' Tom Seaver on May 15,
1970 (one hit, 15 strikeouts). "It's the best I've seen in a couple of
years," Phillies second baseman Andres Blanco said about Strasburg. "I think
most guys would agree with me. I don't know, Nolan Ryan? A lot of fastballs,
combined with changeup and curveball? Pretty good." But Buchanan couldn't
worry about Strasburg. He had to worry about himself. There had been some
discussion about pulling Buchanan from the rotation after he allowed 10 hits
and four runs in 3 1/3 innings last week against the Braves, but the Phillies'
front office instructed interim manager Pete Mackanin to keep him there. Buchanan
posted a 3.75 ERA in 20 starts last season. The front office wanted to see if
it could find that guy before the offseason. "You want to make sure you
finish on a strong note," Buchanan said. "Had a lot of talking to do,
and thinking to do, over this past week, so today I wanted to go out there with
confidence and poise and go out there and compete." Buchanan allowed a
solo homer to Bryce Harper in the
first inning. Harper singled to score another run in the third to make it 2-0. Otherwise,
Buchanan mostly stayed out of trouble. "That's what we wanted to
see," Mackanin said. "That's why we brought him back to pitch again,
because he pitched a lot like he did last year." The Phillies dropped to
56-90, becoming the first team in baseball to lose 90 games. They have 16 games
to play, meaning they would need to finish 7-9 or better to avoid 100 losses. "Sure,
I'd like to avoid 100," Mackanin said. "We got hurt again with the
injuries with [Ryan] Howard being
out and [Aaron] Altherr being unavailable, so
that didn't help. With a full contingent, I think we'd be winning a few more
games, but we certainly don't want to lose 100. If it happens, it happens, but
I just want the guys to keep battling and keep competing. Not to avoid 100
losses, but to win every game they play."
Smooth Front Office Transition (So Far) – When the decision not to renew the contract of Phillies
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was announced on Sept. 10, David Montgomery
stood in the back of the crowded conference room as an observer. At the front
were incoming club president Andy MacPhail and John Middleton, who has emerged
as the voice of the ownership group. The two explained the decision, and they
handled all the questions about what it meant to the future of the
organization. For 17 years, it would have been Montgomery in the spotlight. In
his role as team president, he was ultimately responsible for every significant
move the organization made. That was before he was diagnosed with jaw cancer
last year. Montgomery underwent successful surgery last year, and he
eventually became chairman of the team. Then, Pat Gillick filled in, and, at
midseason this year, MacPhail was hired to replace Gillick at the end of the
season. Montgomery, who received The Jamie Moyer Legends Award, as well as the
Moyer Foundation's Community All-Star Award on Tuesday at the Crystal Tea Room,
said the transition has gone smoothly. "A year ago, I would have said very
difficult. But the reality is I feel very, very good about Andy MacPhail,"
Montgomery said. "I think he's the ideal person. He clearly has the
confidence of our ownership group. He has more left in his tank than I would at
this stage. I turn 70 [next year]. I can't ignore that. I'm a healthy guy, but
I have a different physique. I can't... be out on what I call the circuit as
much. "What I'm pleased about is [that MacPhail] feels very refreshed.
He's had the three years off. Now he feels, 'Hey, time to get going.' He sees
this as a challenge he's very capable of doing, because a) he's done it before,
and b) it's easier to do in Philadelphia than it is other places because we
have some resources that aren't available in every market. He's a planner. He's
very thoughtful and I think he'll do an excellent job for us." The
decision to replace Amaro was especially difficult because Montgomery selected
him to replace the retiring Gillick as general manager after the Phillies won
the 2008 World Series. But it also underscored the point that his position has
changed. "All the emotions you can imagine," Montgomery said.
"[But] it ran its course. And in order to give Andy the opportunity that
we're talking about, we knew he needed a fresh canvas to work with. Sadly, that
included Ruben. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't be respectful and appreciative
of the work Ruben did because it was what we were trying to do." Montgomery
was instrumental in the decision to bring Ryne Sandberg back to the
organization that originally signed him, which eventually led to Sandberg
replacing Charlie Manuel as the Phillies manager in 2013. Sandberg stepped down
earlier this season. "That one surprised me," Montgomery said.
"We went out to dinner afterwards and had a nice conversation. I couldn't
believe some of the weight that he felt going into this year. I think, in a
way, his opportunity [managing Triple-A Lehigh Valley], which made him
attractive to us, and the way he handled people there and his clubhouse, I
think he thought he could more easily transfer to a big league clubhouse. "And
he came at a very awkward time, if you think about it. We had this aging core
of veterans who were anxious to continue to play. On the other hand, we had
young people who wanted to play. And that doesn't always make for the easiest
situation." With Montgomery as president, the Phillies enjoyed the
greatest run of sustained excellence in franchise history: five straight
divisional titles, two pennants and a World Series championship. Now, others
will supervise the current rebuilding process. But he has no regrets. "We
pushed it hard. We were all involved in trying to get one more after we got
'08. We were all in. We knew the risk," Montgomery said. "When you
trade your near-ready Minor Leaguers, there's going to be a dip. Now, to be
honest with you, did we expect it to hit us quite as hard? No. "But nobody
could have expected at 2012 Spring Training that [Ryan] Howard, who was
supposed to be ready by May 1, came back when [July 6]? That [Chase] Utley, all
of a sudden, his knees wouldn't let him play. Roy Halladay went from being superhuman to be human,
just like that. And we went from 102 wins to 81 wins," Montgomery
continued. "With the benefit of a rearview mirror, 'What were you
thinking? You should have figured it out sooner.' We knew what we were doing.
It was a conscious decision. It didn't work." Montgomery remains deeply
committed to seeing the Phillies succeed. The only thing that has changed is
his role in the process. And he's comfortable with that.
Montgomery Honored By Moyer Foundation – When Ed Rendell became mayor in 1992, Philadelphia was
broke. Still, he says, he was determined to do something to give the citizens
hope that better days were ahead. The previous summer, only 10 of the 38 public
swimming pools had been opened. And even then, the pools were available for
only six weeks instead of the normal 10. Rendell decided to open all the pools
for the entire summer. But there was no money. The first call he placed was to
the Phillies. Shortly, starting pitcher Terry Mulholland announced that he
would donate $1,000 for each win. The Phillies announced they would match that,
and they invited others to join in. Soon enough, money had been raised to not
only meet the goal, but also to open four more pools that had been closed for
years. Multiply that scenario over and over, and it explains why Phillies
chairman David Montgomery received The Jamie Moyer Legends Award, as well as
the Moyer Foundation's Community All-Star Award on Tuesday at the Crystal Tea
Room. Guests included former Phillies stars such as Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt,
Larry Bowa and Greg Luzinski. Additionally, there was a video tribute that
featured testimonials from Commissioner Rob Manfred, Commissioner Emeritus Bud
Selig, former Phillies owner Ruly Carpenter and former Phillies players like
Jim Thome, Darren Daulton, Chase Utley,
Jimmy Rollins and Doug Glanville. Rendell, who went on to become
governor of Pennsylvania, noted that the organization's commitment to charity
began under Chairman Emeritus Bill Giles, and it continued and expanded during
Montgomery's 17 years as club president. "The Phillies are almost always
there," Rendell said. "There are some businesses in town that almost
always say no. The Phillies never say no. They pick out the charities that are
most in need of help, that can have the most impact on people's lives, and they
support them in so many different ways." Montgomery turned his praise to
Moyer and his wife, Karen, for their tireless efforts on behalf of their
signature causes, Camp Erin and Camp Mariposa, which help children who have
lost a loved one or who deal with parents who suffer from substance abuse. Moyer,
in turn, pointed out that the Phillies have long been one of baseball's most
proactive organizations in terms of giving back. "David has been a huge,
positive role model. Not only in the Phillies organization, but in the
community," the 269-game winner said. "I think he's set the bar high.
He sets the example for executives and for athletes. But the cool thing is, and
I don't know it's something I experienced anywhere else in my career, is the
environment in the Philadelphia Phillies organization is very family-like. It's
got to start somewhere." Montgomery added: "The award is a team
award. It always is. We both know what these wonderful non-profits do is try to
get some people here that will fill the room a little bit. So I guess I take
some pride that the organization was selected by Jamie and Karen to do that. "There
are things you can control and things you can't control. I've lived through all
those cycles as far as winning and losing is concerned. But you can be
consistent in one thing. You can be consistent in your commitment to the
community. That's what we believe in. Our players have supported us to no end,
and the Moyers are at the top of that list. "You've heard me say it a
hundred times. We're the Philadelphia Phillies, we're not just the Phillies. We
get all this attention and sometimes we wonder why. We really do have an
obligation to take that visibility and use it to shine a light on people who
are doing good work in the community."
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 56-90. 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 48-61-1 on this day.
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