GAME RECAP: Reds Route Phillies 6-2
Zack Cozart went 3-for-3 and delivered the tying
run in the eighth before Joey Votto's
two-run single in the five-run inning lifted the Reds to a 6-2 Opening Day
victory over the Phillies at Great American Ball Park. Philadelphia carried a
2-1 lead into the eighth when reliever David Hernandez loaded the bases with no outs on two
walks and Scott Schebler's
pinch-hit double. Lefty James Russell took over, and Cozart skied a
sacrifice fly to short right field. Pinch-runner Tyler Holt scored on a
headfirst slide just ahead of Peter Bourjos'
throw. Russell walked Eugenio Suarez to load the bases for Votto. Taking a 0-for-3, three-strikeout day into the at-bat, Votto made that a
fleeting memory by lining Russell's 1-1 pitch into center field for the
game-winner. Jay Bruce blew it open with a bases-loaded
single that added two more runs, as nine men batted in the bottom of the
eighth. "Everybody makes this big deal about Opening Day. In the
standings, it could be the least important day of the year," Bruce said.
"But it's awesome to get that win and get the momentum going the right
way. Especially coming back, the way we won was great. I think it shows
everyone we're capable of coming back and stealing a game from guys." Cozart
had all three of his hits vs. Jeremy Hellickson,
while the rest of the Reds' lineup went hitless vs. the Phillies' starter. But
the Philadelphia bullpen could not maintain that success in the
late innings, while the Reds' three scoreless innings of relief made it
possible for Cincinnati to battle back and win. "It was
embarrassing," Hernandez said after loading the bases to start the eighth.
"I wasn't able to throw anything over the plate, quality pitches. It's
unfortunate."
PHILS PHACTS:
- The Phillies acquired Hellickson from the D-backs in
November because they thought he could stabilize the rotation and return
to form in a free agent year. He looked like that guy, allowing three
hits, one unearned run and striking out six in six innings in his Phils
debut. "Hellickson pitched really, really well, then the wheels fell
off in that eighth inning," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
- The
pressure is on Galvis, who has top Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford breathing
down his neck. Galvis will need to play well this season to keep a job. He
got started the right way. He hit a two-run home run to right field in the
second inning to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. He also turned an
inning-ending double play in the third inning.
- Votto struck
out three times in his first three at-bats. It was the first time he
struck out in each of his first three plate appearances since May 15,
2014, against the Padres' Tyson Ross.
Hellickson became just the ninth pitcher to strike out Votto three times
in one game, according to Stats Inc.
- "I hope
that the right guys are here right now. I'm not going to condemn Hernandez
because he didn't pitch that well tonight. He's going to get more
opportunities. We'll continue through the season and we'll see who rises
to the occasion." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies'
bullpen woes
- The Phillies
have five rookies on the 25-man roster: outfielder Tyler Goeddel,
right-hander Dalier Hinojosa, outfielder Cedric Hunter, left-hander Daniel
Stumpf and right-hander Vince Velasquez. The five rookies are tied with
the Brewers, Dodgers, Padres and Rockies for the most on any roster in the
National League. Only the Orioles have more with six.
- Expect Reds
center fielder Billy Hamilton to bat ninth behind the pitcher until he
earns his way back to the top of order with a better on-base percentage.
Reds manager Bryan Price likes Hamilton batting ninth rather than eighth,
because if he is caught stealing with two outs, the pitcher will not lead
off the following inning.
- Expect Cameron
Rupp to catch for the Phillies on Wednesday. He will receive the bulk of
playing time this season, but Carlos Ruiz started Opening Day because he
is a veteran, and this is expected to be his final season with the team.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phillies considered Aaron Nola as a potential Opening Day
starter, but they opted to pitch him Wednesday night against the Reds at Great
American Ball Park. Having arguably their best starter pitch the second game of
the season allows the Phillies to pitch him in next Monday's home opener
against the Padres. But make no mistake: the Phillies are high on Nola, who was
their first-round pick in the 2014 Draft. Nola went 6-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 13 starts
last season as a rookie, giving the rebuilding Phillies some hope for the
future. Wednesday's start will be Nola's first against the Reds. Cincinnati
will start left-hander Brandon Finnegan, who started four games late last
season after being acquired in the trade that sent Johnny Cueto to Kansas City.
Finnegan, who struggled his last few starts in Spring Training, went 2-2 with a
4.71 ERA in those four starts -- all on the road. This will be the first home
start at Great American Ball Park for Finnegan, who made two relief appearances
there last year. He has never faced the Phillies.
PHILS PHACTS:
Good First Impression – Jeremy Hellickson pitched so well Monday that many
wondered why he did not pitch a little longer. They wondered even more after
the Phillies' bullpen allowed five runs in the eighth inning in a 6-2 loss to the Reds on Opening Day at Great
American Ball Park. Of course, the reality is even if Hellickson had pitched an
extra inning, the Phillies said they planned to have David Hernandez open the eighth. Hernandez started the
Reds' five-run rally by loading the bases with a pair of walks and a double. "I
absolutely would have loved to be out there again, but the bullpen is going to
be better than they were today, that's for sure," Hellickson said
afterward. But the Phillies left the ballpark encouraged with the way
Hellickson threw in his debut. He allowed just three hits and one unearned run
in six innings. He struck out six, including Reds slugger Joey Votto three times. Votto is one of the best
hitters on the planet, but he looked lost against Hellickson. He awkwardly
waved his bat at third strikes in the first, fourth and sixth innings like a
man trying to swat mosquitoes in the dark. It was the first time Votto struck
out three times in his first three plate appearances since May 15, 2014, against
the Padres' Tyson Ross. Hellickson
became just the ninth pitcher to strike out Votto three times in one game,
according to Stats Inc. "I was just mixing it up as much as I can,"
Hellickson said about Votto's at-bats against him. "He's one of the best
hitters we've got in the game, so you just don't want to give him the same
pitch twice. You try to mix it up as best as you can." Hellickson threw
just 79 pitches. He had thrown more in a Spring Training start, so he could
have pitched at least another inning, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin had
seen enough. "It's his first outing and he pitched very well,"
Mackanin said. "We thought about letting him back out there. But you bring
in [Jeanmar] Gomez [in the seventh], and he does his job. We figured we have
got to try to find the formula for winning games when the pitcher can't go into
the seventh or eighth. Gomez was the seventh, we went to Hernandez for the
eighth and it didn't work." Hellickson gets another opportunity Sunday
afternoon against the Mets at Citi Field. He hopes to carry a strong spring and
a solid Opening Day start through the rest of the season. It would be good for
both himself and the Phillies. Hellickson is a free agent following the season,
while Philadelphia could trade him to a contender in July, if he is pitching
well. "It definitely helped that I felt really good this spring, and then
to get a good one in the first start, and now I'll try to keep it going
throughout April," Hellickson said.
Question Marks On The Mound – Nobody
in the Phillies' clubhouse tried to sugarcoat what happened in the eighth inning
Monday at Great American Ball Park. "The wheels fell off," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said after a 6-2 loss to the Reds. "It was
embarrassing," right-hander David Hernandez said. "For us to just kind of
[throw] it away a little bit stings," left-hander James Russell said. The Phillies entered the
season concerned about their bullpen, and those concerns came to a head when
three relievers allowed five runs in the eighth inning in the loss on Opening
Day. Last season, the Phils seldom had one-run leads in the eighth, but when
they did, Ken Giles and Jake Diekman pitched the eighth while Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth. But those three are
gone, and the Phillies still do not know who will replace them. "We're
still searching," Mackanin said. After Jeremy Hellickson pitched six solid innings and Jeanmar Gomez pitched a perfect seventh, the
Phillies had Hernandez start the eighth. The Phils signed Hernandez to a
one-year, $3.9 million contract in December, making him the only free agent
they signed to a Major League contract. Hernandez walked Adam Duvall,
allowed a double to Devin Mesoraco and walked Billy Hamilton to load the bases with no outs. "I
wasn't able to throw anything over the plate, quality pitches," Hernandez
said. "It's unfortunate. It [stinks], but it's a long season." Hernandez
missed some time in Spring Training because of a sore right elbow. He said he
is healthy. Russell replaced Hernandez and allowed a sacrifice fly to Zack Cozart to tie the game before he walked Eugenio Suarez to reload the bases. Russell then
allowed a two-run single to Joey Votto to make it 4-2. Right-hander Hector Neris entered. He hit Brandon Phillips with a pitch before allowing a single
to Jay Bruce to allow two more runs to score. Mackanin
and Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure met with relievers on Sunday to discuss
their roles. The message seemed to be that everybody should be ready to pitch
in any type of situation. That said, Mackanin chose Dalier Hinojosa to pitch the ninth if the Phillies had
the lead. "We just have to keep mixing and see what we've got and go from
there," Mackanin said. Could Gomez pitch the eighth? The Phillies don't
think so. Not right now, anyway. "Last year we tried Gomez in the eighth
inning," Mackanin said. "That lasted three or four outings and it
didn't work out. It's a different animal in the eighth and ninth inning. That
doesn't mean we won't do it. "It's a touchy situation. ... I hope that the
right guys are here right now. I'm not going to condemn Hernandez because he
didn't pitch that well tonight. He's going to get more opportunities. We'll
continue through the season and we'll see who rises to the occasion."
What Position Will Sentimental Play? – Phillies manager Pete
Mackanin revealed plans for a few of his players hours before the team's
Opening Day game on Monday at Great American Ball Park. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz were in the starting lineup, and they
are expected to be in the lineup next Monday against the Padres in the home
opener at Citizens Bank Park. Howard and Ruiz are in the final season of their
contracts, and they are not expected to return next season. "I wanted to
make sure that Chooch started Opening Day, and the same thing with Ryan,"
Mackanin said. "We'll just go from there. I'd like them to start, if
possible, on Opening Day at home, and I'll try to do that for sentimental
reasons." Mackanin declined to name a closer. David Hernandez and Dalier Hinojosa are considered the top two candidates.
"I'm thinking about it as we speak," he said, asked who will pitch
Monday if the Phillies have a ninth-inning lead. Mackanin and pitching coach
Bob McClure had a meeting Sunday with the bullpen. They discussed the
possibilities for the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. "There's going to
be a mix of a lot of different guys," Mackanin said. "We'll just see
how it plays out. Eventually somebody will be that last pitcher. It's almost
like an audition. It might be any one of five guys that will end up as our
closer. And if not, we'll close by committee -- even though I don't want to do
that. If that's what we have to work with, that's what we're going to do."
Cameron Rupp will get the bulk of playing time
behind the plate, which is not a surprise. "Chooch is moving up in
age," Mackanin said. "He's still capable. I think if we keep him
healthy and he plays less, I think we're going to get more out of him." Cedric
Hunter started in left field Monday. He entered Spring Training as a non-roster
invitee, but he impressed the coaching staff with the quality of his plate
appearances. Mackanin said Hunter and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel will start the season as a platoon in
left field. "We'll give Goeddel a chance, even though he didn't have that
good of a spring," Mackanin said. "He showed a few things that I
think he's going to be OK. We'll work it in to start the season and we'll go
from there." The Phillies have two Rule 5 Draft picks on the roster in
Goeddel and left-hander Daniel Stumpf.
According to Baseball America, only three teams in the past decade have had two
Rule 5 Draft selections on their roster: the Braves in 2015, the Astros in '11
and the Reds in '06. Mackanin said he thinks Goeddel and Stumpf can stick the
entire season. "They've both shown enough ability where they can be part
of the future," Mackanin said. "Starting last year, we went into this
rebuilding phase. Might call it an experiment last year. This year, a year
further, we're going to find out what we have going into next year. While we're
doing that, we're hoping to win more games. We think Stumpf and Goeddel could
add to that. If not, they're both young enough where we have something down the
road, whether it's later this year or next year. It's hard to turn away young
talent, and that's what our goal is, to keep them."
Phils History: Today is one marked by Phillies debuts as wheez kids Joe Morgan and Tony Perez took the field in 1983, Jim Eisenreich and Pete Incaviglia began the improbable journey in 1993, Raul Ibanez stepped on the field to take the place of Pat Burrell in 2009, Roy Halladay started a magical season in 2010 following the first pitch by President Obama, and Ty Wigginton, Jonathan Papelbon, and Freddy Galvis all began the year with high hopes in 2012. It is also a day when we remember Sherry Magee being taken out by his own pitcher in 1912, the Twitch pitch coming to town in 1971, and John Vukovich becoming the longest serving coach in Phillies history in 2004. We still miss you Vuk!
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 0-1 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 9-12-0 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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