GAME 1 RECAP: Marlins Stymie Phillies 7-6
The Marlins scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat
the Phillies in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at Citizens Bank Park, 7-6. Phillies
closer Ken Giles blew just his
second save in 17 opportunities since replacing Jonathan Papelbon in that role in late July. Giles
allowed a one-out single to Christian Yelich, who scored on a triple from Martin Prado to tie the game. Prado scored the
go-ahead run on Marcell Ozuna's
single to left field. "We're just playing hard until the end," Yelich
said after his team improved to 70-90. The Phillies dropped to 62-98. They are
trying to avoid 100 losses for the first time since 1961, but they would also
like to secure the No. 1 selection in the 2016 MLB Draft. They entered the game
with a half-game lead over the Reds for that coveted pick. "We had them
where we wanted them," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We
couldn't put it away."
GAME 2 RECAP: Marlins Beat Phillies 5-2
Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich stole
the show Saturday night in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Phillies at
Citizens Bank Park. He played a part in three of the Marlins' runs in a 5-2
victory. He singled and scored in the first, doubled to score Dee Gordon in the second and singled and scored in
the fifth. He had eight hits in the doubleheader sweep. "We're fighting
'til the end, battling 'til the end," Yelich said. "I'm glad to see
we're playing so well at the end of the year. Hopefully, we can come in here
tomorrow and end it on a good note." The Marlins will end the year having
won eight of their final 10 series. The news wasn't completely bad for the
Phillies, who must win Sunday to avoid their first 100-loss season since 1961.
They locked up the first pick in the 2016 Draft by clinching the worst record
in baseball. The Phillies will have the first overall pick for the second time
in franchise history and the first time since 1998, when they selected Pat
Burrell. "We're trying to win every game," Phillies manager Pete
Mackanin said. "Nobody wants to lose 100 games. Nobody wants to lose 90
games -- 99 or 100 is just as bad. We've heard about [the top pick in the
Draft] for a couple weeks now. We're very aware of it. That's one positive that
comes out of it. We're guaranteed getting the guy and apparently he's a pretty
good pitcher. It's been on our minds." Mackanin did not say who that
pitcher might be, but he might be Florida pitcher A.J. Puk, who scouts think
could move quickly through the Minor Leagues and help a team as early as 2017.
IMG Academy (Lakeland, Fla.) left-hander Jason Groome and St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland
Park, Kan.) right-hander Riley Pint could be the top two high school arms in
next year's Draft. Puk and Oklahoma right-hander Alec Hansen could be the top
two college arms.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Chase d'Arnaud
tripled and scored the Phils' go-ahead run in the sixth inning when Freddy Galvis hit
a sacrifice fly to left field.
- Right-hander Aaron
Harang made his final start of the season and
quite possibly for the Phillies, allowing eight hits, four runs, one walk
and striking out two in 5 2/3 innings. Harang (6-15, 4.86 ERA in 29
starts) will become a free agent after the season. He is not expected to
return, although the Phillies are expected to replace him with another
veteran starter in the offseason. "I'm not sure yet," Harang said
about pitching again next season. "I've got to go home and think
about it with my wife and kids and really decide what I want to do from
here."
- Harang earned a no-decision, which
means the Phillies stand the chance of becoming the first in baseball since
1915 not to have a single pitcher finish the season with seven or more
wins. Harang, Cole Hamels, Aaron Nola and Giles each have six wins this
season. Giles has a chance to earn a win in the season's final two games.
- Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco
started his first game since Aug. 11, when he was hit by a pitch and broke
his left wrist. He ripped a solo home run to center field in the fourth
inning and singled to score a run in the sixth inning. Franco's homer was
his 14th of the season. "I felt
good," Franco said. "Just coming into today, be ready for
everything. My wrist is really good, 100 percent."
- Phillies rookie Alec Asher will hope for better next season. He
allowed six hits and three runs in two innings in his seventh and final
start of 2015. He finished 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA, becoming the first pitcher
to go winless in his first seven starts with the Phillies since Paul
Abbott in 2004. "We ran Asher out there and he struggled again,"
Mackanin said. "He's got work to do."
- "He looked at me and he said, 'One more, Papi.'" -- Phillies right fielder Jeff Francoeur, who promised Franco he would buy him a suit if he hit 15 home runs this season. Franco enters Sunday's season finale with 14.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phillies finish their season Sunday against the Marlins.
Right-hander David Buchanan (2-9,
7.54 ERA) gets the final start. He hopes to carry some positive momentum into
the offseason. He has allowed four earned runs in 15 2/3 innings in his last
three starts. In the season finale on Sunday, the Marlins are handing the ball
to rookie left-hander Adam Conley (4-1, 3.84)
in the 3:05 p.m. ET affair. In five September starts, Conley was 2-0 (2.54 ERA)
with 30 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings.
PHILS PHACTS:
Impactful Return – Maikel Franco badly
wanted to play again this season, and he proved Saturday he was more than
ready. He pinch-hit in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins at
Citizens Bank Park, a 7-6
loss. He started Game 2, hitting a home run in
the fourth inning and singling to score a run in the sixth inning in a 5-2
loss. They were Franco's first games since Aug.
11, when he got hit by a pitch and broke his left wrist in Arizona. "Oh,
yeah," Franco said, when asked if his wrist feels fine. Some Phillies fans
have wondered if there could be a risk to playing Franco, but the Phillies
believe there is none. They said Franco's wrist has healed and he played five
rehab games in the past week in Clearwater, Fla. He would have been playing
this weekend anyway, either in Philadelphia or Clearwater. "My view on it
is, why not play him?" Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I think
he's going to be an outstanding middle-of-the-lineup third baseman for us, but
he's not yet a star and he's getting paid and I'm going to play him because
he's healthy. "Just like winter ball, people have made the comment, why
would he want to play winter ball? He's still learning. He's not an established
Major Leaguer. He's on his way to becoming one, but he's not yet. Every chance
you get to play you can learn something and improve, and he needs to do that.
What is he, 22? It's good for them to play." Franco's homer was his 14th
of the season, which makes things interesting going into Sunday's season
finale. Not only are the Phillies trying to avoid their first 100-loss season
since 1961, but Franco needs one more homer to win a new suit from Phillies
right fielder Jeff Francoeur. Frenchy
told Franco he would buy him a suit if he hits 15 homers. "One more,
Papi," Franco told Francoeur after he hit his homer to center field, a
projected 411 feet, according to Statcast™.
"Yes, one more," Franco told reporters. "I will try the best I
can. I will try hard tomorrow."
Uncertain Future – The Phillies signed Aaron Harang to a one-year, $5 million contract in
January because they needed a veteran pitcher to stabilize the rotation. Harang
finished his season on Saturday evening in a 7-6
loss to the Marlins in Game 1 of a doubleheader
at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed eight hits, four runs, one walk and one home
run in 5 2/3 innings to finish his season 6-15 with a 4.86 ERA. Harang, 37,
will become a free agent after the season. He does not know if he will try to
pitch next year. "I'm not sure yet," he said. "I've got to go
home and think about it with my wife and kids and really decide what I want to
do from here. I feel like I can go out there and pitch and be competitive and
give my team a chance to win, but I've got to figure some things out." Harang
seemed unlikely to rejoin the Phillies anyway, even if he planned to continue
his career. Regardless, the Phillies are expected to sign at least one, perhaps
two, free-agent veteran starters in the offseason. Pitchers like Doug Fister, J.A. Happ and Bartolo Colon seem to make the most sense for the
Phillies, who are not expected to get involved with the top-tier free agents
this offseason as they continue the rebuilding process. Rookies Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff are expected to be heavy favorites to
make the 2016 rotation coming out of Spring Training. Adam Morgan, David Buchanan, Alec Asher and others are expected to fight for a job
or two, too. Harang said he likes the young talent he sees in Philadelphia. "I'm
excited for the future of the Phillies," Harang said. "Definitely in
Nola and Eickhoff you have two young guys that could potentially be
front-of-the-rotation-type guys. They have the demeanor and the drive to be
like that. Everybody talks about front-line guys got to have the best stuff.
Not necessarily. It's about the determination and the commitment when they're
out there. You can tell by their attitude, they're bulldogs when they're out
there. "They've got a good idea of what they're doing out there. It's fun
to watch. They've had their ups and downs, but they're very willing to listen.
They ask a lot of questions. I talk to them a lot when we're on the bench or in
the outfield. I'll go out and watch their bullpens and watch video of them. If
I see something I'll talk to Mac [pitching coach Bob McClure] about it." Harang
didn't have the season he wanted with the Phillies, but perhaps he left them
with something better -- solid advice that could help the Phillies' young
starters take the next step forward in 2016.
Done For The Season – For weeks, the Phillies have said Ryan Howard could play again before the end of the
season. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin finally said Saturday that is not going
to happen. "I don't think I'll play him the rest of the year,"
Mackanin said before Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Marlins at Citizens
Bank Park. "I don't see the point of that." Howard has not played
since Sept. 14 because of a bruised left knee. He has been slow to recover and
has not seen live pitching since he suffered the injury, unlike teammate Maikel Franco, who is scheduled to play Game 2
following a lengthy absence with a broken left wrist. Franco had played five
games recently in Clearwater, Fla. If Howard's season is finished, one has to
wonder if it could be the end of his Phillies career. Howard hit .229 with 29
doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 77 RBIs and a .720 OPS in 129 games. He posted
an .802 OPS against right-handed pitchers, which ranked 54th out of 144
qualified hitters in baseball. But he posted a .418 OPS against left-handers,
which is the ninth-lowest mark in baseball in the past 20 seasons (minimum 100
plate appearances against lefties). Howard is set to make $25 million in salary
next season, plus a $10 million buyout on a 2017 club option. The Phillies have
tried hard to trade Howard since last offseason, telling teams they would pay
almost the entirety of his contract. But Howard's struggles against lefties,
plus his defensive and baserunning issues, have made American League teams
reluctant to acquire him. If Howard and Darin Ruf return next season, it seems very likely
Mackanin uses a straight platoon at first with Howard starting only against
right-handers and Ruf starting mostly against left-handers, although he has
shown recently he can hit right-handed pitching when provided the opportunity. Ruf's
1.122 OPS against left-handers is the best in baseball (minimum 100 plate
appearances against lefties).
Staff Changes? – Mackanin could
announce any possible coaching staff changes following Sunday's game. Hitting
coach Steve Henderson and pitching coach Bob McClure are expected to return.
Bench coach Larry Bowa could return, if he chooses to continue his coaching
career. He said recently he has not decided what he wants to do. Phillies
first-base coach Juan Samuel said recently he is open to returning, although he
also said he does not want to finish his career as a first-base coach. He also
is interested in pursuing a managerial career.
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 62-99. Given the departures, aging stars,
injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this has ended up being one
of the worst seasons in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 12-12-1
on this day.
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