GAME
RECAP: Giants Edge Phillies 5-4
The Giants are riding their best 40-game stretch in 62
years. The Phillies have lost 10 of their last 11. Though the clubs appear to
be heading in opposite directions, they crossed paths in extremely entertaining
fashion Friday night at AT&T Park. San Francisco seemed to seal another
victory with a four-run outburst in the seventh inning, which featured Brandon Belt's
three-run double. But the Phillies scored twice in the eighth and loaded the
bases in the ninth with two outs before the Giants finally emerged with a 5-4
triumph. The game ended with a replay review confirming that Giants third
baseman Ramiro Pena threw out Tyler Goeddel at first base on an exceedingly close
play. "Exciting game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That
game had just about everything. You look at Belt's hit and go, 'That won the
game for us.' But those guys came back. Pena made a great play there to save
us." Ultimately, the National League West-leading Giants recorded their
12th victory in their last 13 games and improved to 31-9 in their past 40 games
-- their best 40-game span since going 33-7 in 1954 as the New York Giants. Phillies
right-hander Zach Eflin, making
his third Major League start, muted the Giants for six innings and bequeathed a
2-1 lead to Philadelphia's bullpen. The Giants quickly roused themselves in the
seventh, as Trevor Brown and pinch-hitter Buster Posey singled.
Following Denard Span's
sacrifice bunt, Joe Panik walked to load the bases. Belt bashed
an 0-1 pitch to right-center field, scoring all three baserunners. Angel Pagan's
second RBI single of the game delivered Belt, putting the Giants on top, 5-2. Philadelphia
made it a 5-4 game with two runs in the eighth inning, as Freddy Galvis rapped an RBI single and Peter Bourjos drew a bases-loaded walk, but San
Francisco's bullpen held the lead to secure a win for Jake Peavy (4-6), who surrendered two runs and
seven hits in seven innings. "We battled back. We had good at-bats the
last couple innings," Goeddel said. "We were one hit away from
winning the game."
PHILS PHACTS:
- Eflin, who is
the Phillies' No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, took a
step forward in a no-decision, allowing one unearned run in six innings.
That run scored in the first on an infield hit by Pagan, and Eflin allowed
just three hits the rest of the way. After allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings
in his big league debut June 14 in Toronto, Eflin has a 1.54 ERA (two
earned runs in 11 2/3 innings) in two starts since. "I'm learning
from every outing," Eflin said, "making sure I fine-tune
everything to make sure I'm able to put the best outing on the
table."
- The Phillies' bullpen had been pretty solid through the end of May,
but the unit has struggled since. Severino Gonzalez and Elvis Araujo combined to allow four runs in the seventh inning on
Friday as the Giants took a 5-2 lead. Philadelphia relievers have a 6.16
ERA since May 29.
- "I didn't think he'd use Posey in the seventh. I didn't think
he'd use two guys for one move in the seventh." -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, expressing surprise that
Bochy called on Posey to face Phillies lefty Araujo after just calling Jarrett
Parker to
the plate as a pinch-hitter.
NEXT
GAME:
Jeremy Hellickson (4-6, 4.41 ERA) faces the Giants in the second game of this three-game
series on Saturday night at AT&T Park. The right-hander has struggled
lately, although after allowing three runs in the first inning last week
against the D-backs, he pitched six scoreless innings.
PHILS PHACTS:
Showing Promise – It
sounds like Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin locked up at least a few more starts
in the big leagues. The Phillies' No. 13 prospect allowed one unearned run in six
innings Friday night in a 5-4 loss to the Giants at AT&T Park. After he allowed a
run in the first inning, he gave up just three hits the rest of the way. And
after allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his big league debut June 14 in
Toronto, Eflin has a 1.54 ERA (two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings) in two starts
since. "I'm learning from every outing," Eflin said, "making
sure I fine-tune everything to make sure I'm able to put the best outing on the
table." But does he deserve a longer look? "For me he does,"
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, "especially after that fiasco against
Toronto. You've got to like that. He's 22 years old. A full house in San
Francisco against a team that's won 30 out of their last 39 games, he did a
[heck] of a job." Eflin seemed destined to remain in the Phillies'
rotation anyway, even with right-hander Vince Velasquez expected to return next week. Mackanin
has indicated left-hander Adam Morgan could be bumped from Monday's start
against the D-backs, possibly moving to the bullpen. But Eflin's performance
against the Giants, who have the best record in the Majors since May 10,
probably clinched his spot. "I'm going out on the mound, and it's not
really nerve-wracking," Eflin said. "I feel comfortable." The
Phillies' bullpen coughed up the lead in the seventh inning as the Giants took
a 5-2 lead. Severino Gonzalez started the seventh, which is usually David Hernandez's
spot, but Hernandez has posted an 18.69 ERA in his last four appearances. Gonzalez
allowed a leadoff single to Trevor Brown.
The Giants sent pinch-hitter Jarrett Parker to
the plate, but the Phillies call on left-hander Elvis Araujo. The
Giants then countered with pinch-hitter Buster Posey. "Parker
hits .326 against lefties, and I didn't think he'd use Posey in the
seventh," Mackanin said about Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "I didn't
think he'd use two guys for one move in the seventh." Posey hit a line
drive to center field, which deflected off Odubel Herrera's
glove. The ball probably should have been caught, and the inning went south
from there as Araujo was charged with three of the four runs that scored. He
has a 5.87 ERA in 27 appearances. The Phillies' bullpen has a 6.16 ERA since
May 29.
Proceed With Caution – Vince Velasquez rejoined the Phillies on Friday at
AT&T Park, and he is expected to start Monday in Arizona. But how will the
right-hander be handled the rest of the season? Velasquez offered some insight
before Friday night's series opener against the Giants, saying he and his agent,
Scott Boras, have discussed a possible innings limit. Velasquez has been on the
disabled list since June 9 because of a strained right biceps, but he made a
successful rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Reading. The Phillies planned to
be careful with Velasquez even before the injury. First, he has not pitched
more than 124 2/3 innings in a season, so they never had any intentions of
turning him loose. Second, the team had health concerns when they acquired him
from Houston in a December trade. "The agents and I discussed it a little
bit, but I don't know the definite answer, an exact amount of innings,"
Velasquez said. "I don't know, I'd want to say roughly like maybe 150 or
something, maybe 160 tops. If there was a possible chance of being in a playoff
run or something, I would love to help the guys out in relief because I've done
that in the past." Boras has a history of watching closely over his young
pitchers, most notably Matt Harvey, Stephen Strasburg and Jose Fernandez. "He
was really on my butt about this injury thing," Velasquez said. "I
mean, any injury you've got to take it very seriously. He was really strict on
it. … We're all on the same page. I filled in everybody about what was going
on. They're aware of my bullpens and how many throws I was doing." Velasquez
said Boras and the Phillies are on the same page, too. But it is unclear
whether Boras and the Phillies' front office have had an actual conversation
regarding an innings limit for Velasquez. "I know it's obviously on our
radar as well," Phillies president Andy MacPhail said. "I would say,
philosophically, we're probably in the same ballpark." "All I know is
I'm just going to keep pitching until they tell me to stop," Velasquez
said. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Saturday that left-hander Adam Morgan,
originally scheduled to start Monday in Arizona, would be available out of the
bullpen Sunday.
Bailey Goes Down – Phillies
right-hander Andrew Bailey thought he might need only a day or
two. It turns out he will get much more time than that to rest his strained
left hamstring. The Phillies on Friday placed him on the 15-day disabled list,
retroactive to Thursday. They recalled right-hander Edubray Ramos from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take
his place. "They said they didn't have a couple days," Bailey said.
"They couldn't wait around that long, I guess, so they wanted to make a
move, which stinks. I think I would have been all right for tomorrow, but
that's my opinion. It's not a move personally I like, but it's best for the
team I guess. That's most important." Bailey has a 4.39 ERA in 26 2/3
innings. "We can't continue scramble to get through a game," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said. "I don't want to use [Hector] Neris, [Jeanmar]
Gomez and [David] Hernandez when I don't have to. He [Bailey] might be ready in
three days, but we can't do that." Ramos, the Phillies' No. 28 prospect, went 2-1
with a 1.16 ERA in 38 2/3 innings split between Double-A Reading and Lehigh
Valley. His first appearance will be his big league debut. The Phillies also
announced that left-handed pitcher Daniel Stumpf is scheduled to begin his rehab
assignment Friday with Class A Advanced Clearwater. He was suspended 80 games
in April for violating the Minor League's performance-enhancing drug policy. Stumpf
is eligible to rejoin the team July 10. "We want to keep him,"
Mackanin said. "He showed enough. When he's ready, he'll most likely come
back."
Unlikely Journey – Edubray Ramos pitched
so poorly in his professional baseball debut in Venezuela in 2010, he spent the
next couple of years painting cars with his father and mopping up messes in
warehouses. He has come a long way. The Phillies promoted Ramos to the big
leagues Friday, when they placed right-hander Andrew Bailey on the 15-day disabled list with a
strained left hamstring. Ramos, 23, is one of the first names folks in the
organization mentioned as a potential closer after the Phillies traded Ken Giles to the Astros in December. Ramos, the
Phillies' No. 28 prospect, has lived
up to the hype this season, going a combined 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA and 10 saves
in 26 appearances with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He struck
out 41 and walked four in 38 2/3 innings. "I never imagined this,"
Ramos said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I was out of baseball. It
was impossible for me to imagine this. It's a beautiful moment for me. I just
want to take advantage of this opportunity." The Cardinals signed Ramos as
an amateur free agent in 2010, but his few appearances in Venezuela did not go
well. The Cardinals moved their academy to the Dominican Republic, but decided
to leave Ramos behind. Ramos spent the next couple of seasons out of baseball,
but after a successful tryout with the Phillies, he signed a contract in
November 2012. He said he got no signing bonus, which will make him an amazing
find if he pans out. "I didn't even think I would be able to come back and
sign a professional contract," Ramos said. His fastball sits in the
93-96-mph range, but he also throws a changeup, slider and curveball. He said
he worked to get stronger over the past few years, which helped him add
velocity to his fastball. "When you're out of baseball, you realize how
hard things can be," Ramos said. "So when I came back to baseball, I
made sure I took advantage of the opportunity to stay in the game." Triple-A
pitching coach Dave Lundquist told Ramos about his promotion. Teammate Edward Mujica translated
the news. "I called my parents first," Ramos said. "Then I
called my brothers. They know it's been tough for me sometimes. They've helped
me through bad moments. They've been with me through the ups and downs. It's
very special for them. I couldn't believe it. They couldn't believe it. But I'm
here and it's happening. I'm glad it's real."
Today
In Phils History – In
an unlikely move, Rookie shortstop Bob Allen took the helm in 1890 as the last of
three interim mangers to fill in for an ill Harry Wright. 60 years later, the
Cubs Hank Sauer had a heck of a game against the Phillies hitting 2 homeruns
and 2 doubles. Those who remember games at the Vet most likely remember the marker
in the 600 level where, on this day, Willie Stargell’s homerun landed (he was
the 1st player to hit a homerun into the 600 level). In an unlucky streak,
in 1989 the Mets tied a MLB record by recording no assists against the Phillies
but still pulling off the 5-1 win.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 31-44 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 55-61-0 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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