GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Mets 5-2
The Phillies put a dent in the Mets' plans to beat up on their
National League East counterparts this season, beating Matt
Harvey in a
5-2 win Sunday to take two of three this weekend at Citi Field. Odubel Herrera's
two-run homer in the sixth inning highlighted a steady stream of offense for
the Phillies against Harvey, who plated their first run on a Freddy
Galvis sacrifice
fly. All told, the Phillies rapped out six hits and drew two walks against
Harvey, who needed 95 pitches to complete six innings. "Obviously, the
outcome is not ideal," Harvey said. "I made a bad pitch there and it
cost us some runs, unfortunately. Today, we needed zeros and I wasn't able to
do that." For Phillies starter Jeremy
Hellickson, the crooked numbers were enough. Retiring the
first 11 Mets he faced, Hellickson did not allow a run until Yoenis
Cespedes chased
him with a two-run homer to put the Mets on the board in the sixth. But the
Mets wound up scoring three or fewer runs for the fourth time in five games
this season. The series win gave the Phillies more wins at Citi Field already
this season than they amassed all of last year. "When the other team
outplays you for two straight days, this is going to be the outcome," Mets
third baseman David
Wright said.
"These past couple days, they pitched better than us. They hit better than
us. They did everything better than us, and it shows in the win-loss
column."
PHILS PHACTS:
- The center
fielder hit a two-run shot off Harvey with one out in the sixth on a liner
to right-center, giving the Phils a 3-0 lead. It was his first homer of
the season. "He got a good pitch to hit and he hit it," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said about Herrera's at-bat. "He's been
swinging and fouling off a lot of what looks like good pitches to hit. We
were kind of wondering how come. We knew he was going to hit, so it was
good to see him break out that way."
- The right-hander had retired the first 11 batters when Cespedes
dumped a single to right field with two out in the fourth. It was the
Mets' only hit in the first five innings.
- A sacrifice fly by Ryan Howard nearly went for naught when Herrera wandered too far off second
base in the eighth, allowing Curtis Granderson to sneak a throw in behind him. As Herrera scampered back to the
bag, Galvis scored to extend the Phillies' lead to 4-2, though the exact
timing of those two plays didn't wind up mattering; a two-minute,
25-second review confirmed the call that Herrera was safe.
- The Phils
lost their first four games and avoided opening 0-5 for the first time in
82 years with a 1-0 win over the Mets at Citi Field on Saturday night. The
Phillies took two of three from the Mets with Sunday's 5-2 victory.
- The Padres
were shut out three times in a row at home by the Dodgers to open the
season, then came back to score 29 runs and win the first two games of a
three-game series against the Rockies in Denver. They were denied a sweep
Sunday with a 6-3 loss at Coors Field.
- The Padres
placed infielder Yangervis Solarte on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with
a strained right hamstring. They recalled Alexi Amarista from Triple-A El
Paso to take Solarte's place.
NEXT
GAME:
Aaron Nola receives his first Opening Day assignment of any
kind, starting the Phillies' home opener against fellow right-hander Andrew
Cashner and the Padres on Monday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Nola made his
first start of the season Wednesday in a 6-2 loss to the Reds in Cincinnati,
although he pitched well, allowing just a run on four hits with no walks and
eight strikeouts in seven innings. He didn't take the loss. Cashner was the
losing pitcher Wednesday in a 7-0 home loss to the Dodgers, having allowed five
runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in four innings.
PHILS PHACTS:
Great Way To Start The Season – After
struggling last season with the D-backs, right-hander Jeremy
Hellickson has
to be pleased with his first two starts for the Phillies. Inclusive of Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Mets at Citi Field,
Hellickson has worked 11 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits.
That translates to a 1-0 record and a highly stingy 1.54 ERA. Hellickson
admitted that he could never generate any consistency in 2015 for Arizona,
where he even spent Aug. 19-Sept. 10 on the disabled list with a left hamstring
strain. He finished with a 9-12 record and a 4.62 ERA. "You're
right," he said after pitching 5 2/3 innings against the National League
East-rival Mets, the performance ending when Yoenis
Cespedes hit
a two-run homer. "You know, it seemed like I'd throw two or three good
ones and then a bad one. I just think there's a little bit more life to my
fastball right now." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was asked what key he
and pitching coach Bob McClure had turned on Hellickson when the three worked
together in Clearwater, Fla., this spring. "He was a left-handed pitcher
before this year," Mackanin said without cracking a grin. "We turned
him into a righty. We just saw something." But seriously now, folks. "Not
really," Mackanin said. "We just let him pitch. We hadn't really seen
him except facing him. He's healthy and I like the way he changes speeds. He
just keeps hitters off balance and he locates. He has movement and did a great
job today." Hellickson kept the Mets off balance, retiring the first 11
batters until Cespedes, a right-handed hitter, punched a single the opposite
way to break up the no-hit bid. Hellickson had walked one and struck out five
when David
Wright doubled
to right with one out in the sixth. Cespedes worked the count full and fouled
off a number of pitches during the 11-pitch at-bat when he hit a changeup on a
towering drive into the left-field seats. It was Hellickson's 91st pitch, one
too many, and Mackanin pulled him. "Yeah, it was a changeup, probably one
of the better ones I threw all day," Hellickson said. "It was just a
good hitter hitting a good pitch, but I felt pretty good the rest of the
day." The Phillies obtained Hellickson from the D-backs for Minor League
hurler Sam Williams last Nov. 14. The D-backs had decided to restructure their
rotation, eventually signing free agent Zack Greinke and obtaining Shelby
Miller from
the Braves in a trade. With the way the young Phillies rotation is structured,
Hellickson is a veteran and gives the staff some ballast. At 29, he has six
years of Major League experience, the first five for the Rays. "It just
feels good to throw well this early," Hellickson said. "I haven't had
that much success in the last few Aprils. To get off to a pretty good start
means a lot. I'm just keeping the ball down and feeling a lot better. That has
a lot to do with it."
WS Holdover Focusing On Present – From
the Phillies' most recent heyday, Ryan
Howard is
one of the only players left standing. That's probably more a function of the
tail end of Howard's five-year, $125 million contract than anything else. There
have been diminishing returns from the proud left-handed-hitting first baseman
lately, and the Phillies haven't been able to move him. Howard is now a
part-time player, facing only right-handed pitching. In his 13th season, all
with the Phils, he's a .219 lifetime hitter against lefties. Last year it was
.130 with three of Howard's 23 homers and 10 of his 77 RBIs. Manager Pete
Mackanin saw enough. "He's not going to face lefties, occasionally here
and there," Mackanin said before Sunday's5-2 win over the Mets at Citi Field. "I
think that's going to help all the way around. Last year, he really wasn't very
good against lefties. The fact he won't have to worry about them is going to
make him even more productive against right-handers. At least that's what the
hope is." Mackanin's hope for Howard played itself out well Saturday
against seemingly ageless right-hander Bartolo
Colon. He led off the fifth with an opposite-field homer
into the left-field seats, providing the only scoring in a 1-0 Phillies
victory, their first of the season after four losses. It was Howard's second of
the young season and the 359th of his career, pushing him past Yogi Berra and
Carlos Lee into a tie for 83rd on the all-time list with Johnny Mize. The homer
was Howard's 45th along with 130 RBIs against the Mets. "[Colon] gave me a
good pitch to hit and I drove it out of the ballpark," Howard said Sunday.
"Luckily for us, it was enough." True to form, Howard was back in the
lineup Sunday against star Mets right-hander Matt
Harvey. Howard rolled his eyes when asked about the
restrictions now being imposed on him against left-handed pitching. "Oh my
gosh, there's nothing I can do about it," he said. "I mean, it is
what it is with the situation. I'll just roll with it, I guess. I'm just going
to leave it at that." Howard was a fifth-round pick by the Phillies in the
2001 Draft, and he emerged as as powerhouse player. In '06, he hit 58 homers,
knocked in 149 runs and had a 1.084 OPS, all career highs. In '08, when the
Phils defeated the Rays in a five-game, rain-delayed World Series, Howard hit
48 homers and collected 146 RBIs. From 2006-09, Howard's four-season power
numbers looked like this: 198 homers and 572 RBIs. Outstanding. Because of
injuries and wear and tear, he hasn't come close again to replicating that kind
of production. Back then, it didn't matter which hand a pitcher threw with.
Howard simply hit it. Be that as it may, Howard and catcher Carlos
Ruiz are
the only players remaining from the team that defeated the Rays and then lost
to the Yankees in a six-game 2009 World Series. "That's crazy,"
Howard said. "But that's what happens." Staples of that 2008 team are
elsewhere: Shortstop Jimmy
Rollins with
the White Sox; second baseman Chase
Utley and
right-hander Joe
Blanton are
with the Dodgers; outfielders Jayson Werth and Shane
Victorino are
with the Nationals and Cubs, respectively, and left-hander Cole
Hamels, the MVP of both the 2008 National League
Championship Series and the World Series, is pitching for the Rangers. Brett
Myers, Jamie Moyer and Brad Lidge are all out of the game. Howard, 36, could
soon follow that path. The Phillies are in a rebuilding mode and he is in the
final guaranteed year of his contract. The Phils can exercise a $23 million
option to retain Howard for '17 or buy him out for $10 million. It's hard to
believe they are going to exercise that option. "Fortunately, we have all
summer," Phillies president Andy MacPhail said Sunday. "I can't worry
about any of that now," Howard said. "We'll see how it plays itself
out." Mackanin, who had two previous stints on the Phils' coaching staff
before replacing Ryne Sandberg as interim manager last June 26, has to balance
out all these issues. He's charged with developing the young players and
utilizing the remaining veterans. As far as Howard's approach this season,
Mackanin said: "He's trying to stay on top of the ball instead of working
underneath the ball. He's looks pretty confident. He's going to be a big part
of our offense, at least I hope he will be." Whether Howard will be a big
part of the Phillies moving forward, Mackanin said that that's well beyond his
pay grade. "It is what it is," he said, using the same catch phrase
as Howard. "I don't really know what their plans are." If Howard
continues to hit home runs, sooner rather than later, it all will be revealed.
Phils History - In 1907, snowballs gave the Phils the forfeit victory despite being 1 hit at the time by New York's Frank Corridon which is almost as shocking as Pittsburgh pitcher Doc Medich jumping into the stands in 1976 to perform CPR. And while we want to forget Robin Roberts losing his 12th straight opening
day start in 1961, Dallas Green unceremoniously ending his first tenure with the franchise in 1965, and Garry Templeton turning a triple play against the Phillies in 1981, we can also celebrate John Kruk's return from cancer surgery in 1994 and Roy Halladay notching his 150th career win with his 50th career shutout in 2010. Also, Happy Birthday to Andres Blanco who turns 32 today, the same day that Pinkey Whitney debuted in 1928.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 2-4 this season putting them on pace to meet most
preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most
expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the
exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the
Phillies are 24-17-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom
half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a
77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!
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