GAME
RECAP: Phillies Beat Indians 4-3
The Phillies have not had a view like this in five years.
They beat the Indians on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, 4-3, to improve
to 14-10. It is the first time they have been four games over .500 since the
end of the 2011 season, when they finished 102-60. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis led the way with three RBIs. "If
you said that before Spring Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said when
asked if the Phillies expected to play this well in April. "But I think we
had a good team in Spring Training. We played pretty good." Indians second
baseman Jason Kipnis went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. But his
biggest at-bat came up just short as he ripped a line drive to right field with
runners on second and third and two outs in the ninth. Phillies right fielder Peter Bourjos ran back and made a leaping catch to
end the game. "Thank God for Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies
closer Jeanmar Gomez said.
PHILS PHACTS:
- Galvis hit a
two-run home run in the first inning, then he came through again in the
seventh inning. He hit a bloop single on the right-field line to score David
Lough from
second base to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Galvis had been 1-for-16 with
runners in scoring position this season before that game-winning hit. "I think that's part of the
game," Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men
in scoring position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not
to lose your confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to
come and go. I'm really happy it happened today."
- Bourjos broke
hard to the right-field wall to make a spectacular game-winning catch in
the ninth inning. Bourjos has been struggling offensively, but he proved
his worth again defensively. Meanwhile, Gomez is 8-for-8 in save
opportunities. "I expect to go out there and play good defense,"
Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I take a
lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the
bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I
think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing
the defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon."
- Phillies
center fielder Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in a career-high 21 consecutive
games. He singled to center field in the first inning to extend the
streak. He finished April with a .462 on-base percentage, which is the
highest OBP for a Phillies player in April since Aaron Rowand posted a
.462 OBP in April 2007.
- Herrera tried
to score from third on a ball that bounced a few feet from home plate in
the fifth inning. Indians catcher Roberto
Perez picked
up the ball and tagged out Herrera to end the frame. The Phillies
challenged, but replay confirmed the call. It was the second time a
Phillies baserunner made an out in the inning, with both runners being
called out between third and home. Bourjos broke for home on a ground ball
to third base. He got tagged out trying to get back to third. Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said he had no problem with Herrera breaking home on
the play.
NEXT
GAME:
Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (3-1, 1.78 ERA) pitches Sunday's series finale at Citizens Bank Park.
Velasquez has struck out 33 and walked just six batters in 25 1/3 innings this
season.
PHILS PHACTS:
Defense Seals It – Peter Bourjos froze
momentarily before he broke toward the right-field wall in the top of the ninth
inning Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis had just hit a rocket to right with
runners on second and third and two outs. If the ball had fallen both runners
would have scored and the Indians would have taken a one-run lead. But Bourjos,
whom the Phillies acquired in December because they loved his defense, got a
good read on the ball. At the last possible moment he turned, leapt and
outstretched his glove to make a spectacular game-ending catch in the Phillies' 4-3 win. "Thank God for
Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez said. The almost miraculous catch
helped the Phillies finish April at 14-10, making it the first time they have
been four games over .500 since they finished the 2011 season at 102-60. "I
broke on it and I froze just to make sure it wasn't a topspin," Bourjos
said. "A couple steps into it I realized I had a pretty good bead on it,
and as long as I had enough room to catch it I would." Bourjos is hitting
.164 (11-for-67) with five doubles, one triple, three RBIs, two walks, 22
strikeouts and a .457 OPS in 22 games. Clearly, he needs to be much better
offensively. But the Phillies' front office thinks Bourjos' defense has been
beneficial to a young pitching staff that has been surprisingly successful the
first month of the season. "I expect to go out there and play good
defense," Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I
take a lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the
bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I
think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing the
defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon." Gomez praised Bourjos afterward,
although he deserves plenty of credit for his own performance. He has been one
of the team's biggest surprises this month, opening April as a middle reliever
and finishing it as the closer. Gomez is 8-for-8 in save opportunities,
establishing himself to the point that he picked out his entrance music for the
ninth inning. He certainly flipped the script from Jonathan Papelbon's
selection of Meek Mill's "Bout That Life" and Ken Giles'
selection of Avenged Sevenfold's "Hail to the King." Gomez for the
first time entered to Julissa's "El Gran Yo Soy," which is a
religious ballad. "It's Christian music, talking about God," Gomez
said. After the catch Bourjos made Saturday, there is no reason to change it.
Freddy Comes Through – Maybe Freddy Galvis deserved one. After he hit a two-run
home run in the first inning Saturday night in a 4-3 victory over the Indians at Citizens Bank
Park, he dropped a bloop single down the right-field line in the seventh inning
to score the game-winning run to help the Phillies improve to 14-10. The
Phillies are four games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011
season, when they finished 102-60. "If you said that before Spring
Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said after being asked if the Phillies
expected to play this well in April. "But I think we had a good team in
Spring Training. We played pretty good." Galvis' two-run homer to right
field in the first handed the Phillies a 2-0 lead, but he needed that hit in
the seventh just as much as the Phillies needed it. He had been just 1-for-16
with runners in scoring position. "I think that's part of the game,"
Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men in scoring
position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not to lose your
confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to come and go. I'm
really happy it happened today." Galvis has hit .264 (14-for-53) with four
doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and a .794 OPS in the past 13
games. He has had some big hits in that stretch, including his only previous
hit with a runner in scoring position on April 17, when he handed Nationals
closer Jonathan Papelbon his first loss and blown save of the
season in a walk-off victory. That one was memorable because it happened against
Papelbon and the Nationals. But Saturday night's hit was big for an entirely
different reason: it capped off a solid month for a team that entered the
season with low expectations. "Big night for Freddy," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said.
Bullpen Swap – Phillies
right-hander Dalier Hinojosa never expected to be placed on the
15-day disabled list. But he still cannot grip a baseball because of a bruised
right hand, so the Phillies put him there before Saturday night's game against
the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Hinojosa said he hopes to rejoin the team
when he is eligible to be activated May 14. In the meantime, the Phillies
recalled right-hander Colton Murray from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "I
thought it was going to be something simple," Hinojosa said through the
Phillies' interpreter. "The X-ray was negative. I don't have a fracture,
so I thought it'd be a matter of two or three days to be back. But that's not
the case." A batted ball struck Hinojosa's pitching hand Thursday against
the Nationals at Nationals Park. "It hit me so hard that it still bothers
me," Hinojosa said. "I cannot throw my changeup, my splitter." His
injury is a blow to the bullpen. Hinojosa is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and eight
strikeouts in 10 appearances this season. After allowing four hits and two runs
in just one-third of an inning in his season debut on April 6 in Cincinnati, he
has allowed just six hits, two runs and three walks in 10 2/3 innings. In his
past nine appearances, Hinojosa has a 1.69 ERA and opponents have hit just .171
against him. "It came to the point where it was going to take a few days
longer than we expected," manager Pete Mackanin said about Hinojosa's
recovery time. "We didn't want to go short for four or five more days. It
just made sense to do it now." Murray, who made his Major League debut for
the Phillies in September, is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 1/3
innings for the IronPigs. He posted a 5.87 ERA in eight appearances last season
with the Phillies.
Preparing For A Big First Pitch – It
was Cameron Rupp's
first Major League Opening Day on April 6, 2015. It was also Kathi Rupp's -- at
least as a mother of a big leaguer. As Kathi and the rest of the Rupp clan took
their seats at Citizens Bank Park, they got a group text from Cameron. It read,
"Here we go." "It was just a very emotional moment because you
know your child's dream came true," Kathi said a little over a year later.
"The tears couldn't stop." Now, a week before Mother's Day, the
Phillies chose Kathi as the mom they will honor in an annual pregame ceremony. Each
year, the Phillies choose a mother of a player to honor on the Sunday home game
closest to Mother's Day. Last year, it was Darin Ruf's mom,
Mary. Before that, Domonic Brown's mother, Rosemary Joseph Woods, was the
honoree. On Sunday, Kathi will throw out the first pitch to Cameron -- just
like she always imagined. "When Cameron made it to the big leagues, I had
it in the back of my mind, 'Wouldn't it be cool for me to throw a first pitch
to Cameron?'" she said. "Never ever did I think this day would
come." "It's pretty special," Cameron added. "How many
people get to say their mom has thrown a first pitch to them?" A mother
throwing a first pitch to the son she helped raise into a Major League
ballplayer may seem like a story coming full circle with a perfect ending. But
the journey is hardly over. It's a goal of Cameron's parents to see him play in
all 30 Major League stadiums. They've already checked a few off the list,
including Citizens Bank Park, Chase Field and Citi Field. Kathi said they
travel from their Texas home about once a month to see their son play. In May,
they're headed to Chicago to see him and the Phillies at Wrigley Field. Once
they've checked off all 30, they plan on framing the ticket stubs together. "They
both support me more than I can ever ask for," Cameron said. "I can't
thank them enough… Them willing to be everywhere I am is pretty cool."
Today
In Phils History – It all started on this day in 1883 at Recreation
Park and that first game was celebrated 100 years later with a carnival at JFK
stadium, Steve Carlton appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Al
Holland making his wheez kids debut for the Phillies. Also on this day, 20-year-old Johnny
Lush pitched a no-hitter in Brooklyn while striking out 11 in 1906. 40 years later,
the Phillies cut ties with Vince DiMaggio. In 1968, Gene Mauch was ejected from
a game (not surprising) after pitcher John Boozer was said to have violated the
new spitball rule by going to his mouth while on the mound between innings. Four
years later, in the beginning of a dismal season, Dick Selma pitched the fifth
straight complete game by a Phillies pitcher.
THE BEGINNING:
The Phillies
are currently 14-10 this season putting them on pace to beat 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
45-43-0 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!
No comments:
Post a Comment