GAME
RECAP: Twins Top Phillies 6-5
Max Kepler was in danger of being the goat after
his two-run fielding error keyed a three-run rally that gave the Phillies a
lead in the fifth, but he was instead the hero of a 6-5 Twins victory on
Wednesday night after driving in the tying run, the go-ahead run and making a
highlight-reel diving catch in the eighth to help preserve the late lead at
Target Field. Trevor Plouffe led the way with three hits for the
Twins, who did the brunt of their damage against Phillies starter Adam Morgan in the fifth on a two-run triple by Eduardo Escobar and Kepler's game-tying single.
Escobar and Robbie Grossman each
had two hits and a run scored, as every Minnesota starter hit safely in a
13-hit outburst. "We came back tonight, and I thought we swung the bats
well," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "We didn't capitalize too
much. We left some people out there, but we got some hits with runners in
scoring position. "It was one of those games where we had to fight. They
put together a big inning. ... But overall, we'll take the win. We had to grind
to get it, but we found a way to get it done." After hitting four home
runs in Tuesday's series opener, the Phillies continued to do damage with the
long ball on Wednesday, tagging Twins starter Kyle Gibson for two homers in his six innings of work. Cameron Rupp went yard for the second straight game
with an opposite-field solo shot in the second, and Andres Blanco homered in the third as part of a
three-hit evening. "We're going to come back from the dead, but now we're
at the bottom," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about the team's
nine-game losing streak. "We're going to climb out, that I'm pretty sure
of. But right now is the time I've got to figure out a way to keep them
motivated without being too harsh."
PHILS PHACTS:
- Mackanin said
Morgan needed a good start to prove he should stay in the rotation, with Vince
Velasquez's return from the 15-day disabled list
looming, but the lefty struggled. Morgan allowed 11 hits, five runs (four
earned runs), one walk and struck out three in five innings. "Yeah,
there's not much I have to say," Morgan said. "The only thing I
know to do is to keep going. You go through these times and the only way
to get out of them is to keep going."
- The Phillies'
bullpen is very thin, following a 14-10 loss Tuesday and Morgan pitching
only five innings Wednesday. Compounding its problems, right-hander Andrew
Bailey left
the game after just one inning because of a strained left hamstring. He
will be reevaluated Thursday and is day to day. "I didn't feel
anything pop or pull or anything like that," Bailey said. "I
just kind of felt fatigued after that. I don't think it's anything
serious. I think it should be fine."
- Velasquez pitched five innings in a rehab start Wednesday with
Double-A Reading. He allowed two hits, one run, one walk and struck out
three. Velasquez is hopeful it will be his only rehab start and that he
will rejoin the Phillies' rotation next week.
- The Phillies have lost nine consecutive games, matching their
longest losing streak since 1999, when they had an 11-game losing streak
in September. The Phillies also have lost 26 of their last 32 games. It is
their worst 32-game stretch since a 6-26 run in '99.
- Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp's average exit velocity
on batted balls is an MLB-high 96 mph, according to Statcast.
- Twins first baseman Joe Mauer has hit safely in 13 of
14 career games against the Phillies.
- Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki had six RBIs Tuesday to give
him 495 in his career. He has the most RBIs among Hawaiian-born players,
moving past former Phillies favorite Shane Victorino (489).
NEXT
GAME:
Phillies right-hander
Jared Eickhoff has been on a roll, and he hopes to keep it going in Wednesday
afternoon's series finale against Ricky Nolasco and the Twins at Target Field. Eickhoff
is 2-2 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts in June. He has allowed 22 hits, eight
walks and has struck out 23 in 25 1/3 innings. The Twins counter with Nolasco,
who has a long history against the Phillies. He is 8-6 with a 3.75 ERA in 22
appearances (19 starts) against Philadelphia, although he won't recognize too
many folks in this Phillies lineup. Other than Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, who
are in reserve roles these days, he has not faced a Phillies batter more than
six times.
PHILS PHACTS:
On The Bubble – Hours
before Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan threw a pitch on Wednesday night at
Target Field, an inquiring mind asked Phillies manager Pete Mackanin about Vince Velasquez's
seemingly imminent return from the 15-day disabled list. Did Morgan need a big
start against the Twins with Velasquez's return looming? "Yes,"
Mackanin said bluntly. But Morgan struggled in a 6-5 loss. He allowed 11
hits, five runs (four earned), one walk and struck out three in five innings
against a Twins team that entered night 25th in baseball with an average of
4.03 runs per game. Morgan is 1-6 with a 6.55 ERA in 11 starts. "It wasn't
a good start," Mackanin said. "Eleven hits in five innings. … I don't
know what to say. I'm not happy with his performance and we'll talk about
everything with Matt [Klentak, GM] tonight, and hopefully have something for
you tomorrow." Morgan joined the Phillies' rotation in April when Charlie Morton suffered a season-ending hamstring
injury. He got the nod because he pitched well in Spring Training - narrowly
losing the No. 5 job in a tight competition with Velasquez -- and because he
pitched competently last season, posting a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts. But with
Morgan's continued struggles this season, the Phillies might decide to give
rookie right-hander Zach Eflin a longer look. Eflin, who is the
organization's No. 13 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, joined
the rotation when the Phillies placed Velasquez on the DL earlier this month
with a strained right biceps. "That's something you have to deal
with," Morgan said. "You can't really think about it. I know that I
haven't been doing my job, and I need to get better at it." Velasquez
might still need another rehab start, although he has insisted in the past week
he only needed the one he made Wednesday night with Double-A Reading. Either
way, Mackanin is a bit surprised Morgan has looked so wildly different than the
pitcher he watched last season and this spring. "Up in the zone, pitch
selection is not good," Mackanin said. "I don't know what the plan is
right now, but I'm sure I'll talk to Matt. I know Velasquez pitched pretty well
today, so we'll just have to see tomorrow. I don't have an answer for you on
that."
Locking Up Selections – The
Phillies are locking up their Draft picks. They announced Wednesday afternoon
they either had agreed to terms or signed right-hander Kevin Gowdy (second
round), shortstop Cole Stobbe (third round), left-hander JoJo Romero (fourth
round) and outfielder Josh Stephen (11th round). The Phillies on Monday signed No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak to a $6.1 signing bonus. The slot
value for the No. 1 pick was set at $9.015 million. The Phillies used the
savings to pay Gowdy $3.5 million, nearly twice the allotment for the 42nd
overall pick, as well as pay other Draft picks over their slot value. Gowdy,
18, had committed to UCLA, but the Phillies paid a high price to lure him away
from college because they consider him first-round talent. Stobbe signed for
$1.1 million, nearly $300,000 over slot value. Romero signed for $800,000,
nearly $250,000 over slot value. Fifth-round pick Cole Irvin, a left-hander
from Oregon, is the only Draft pick in the first 10 rounds who has not agreed
to terms.
Who Will Represent The Phillies? – Considering
pitcher Aaron Nola's recent
struggles, Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera might be the Phillies player with the
best shot to make the National League All-Star team. But he is not among the
top 15 NL outfielders in votes in the latest Esurance All-Star ballor update,
which means he will have to find another way on the team. Herrera entered
Wednesday hitting .305 with six doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 24
RBIs. He is eighth in the NL in on-base percentage (.401) and eighth in walks
(40). Herrera is 16th among NL outfielders with an .823 OPS. Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez is fifth in the league with 19 saves,
so he could be a candidate to make the team. Nola had been pitching well this
season before posting a 15.83 ERA in his last three starts. Fans can cast their
votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers,
tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m.
ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times. Fans
may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada).
Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to
five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info.
Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com
and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player
on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star
Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to
submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by
Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 87th All-Star Game, in
San Diego, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet
and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB
International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will
provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and
SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more
information, please visit allstargame.com.
Today
In Phils History – The
grand start for the day begins in 1929 when Phillies pitcher Phil Collins (not
the guy from Genesis) hit a grand slam in a loss to Boston. In 1961, the
Phillies score 10 runs in the final 2 innings to complete the come from behind
win against the Pirates. 2 years later, the Mets Jimmy Piersall celebrated his
100th career homerun (off of Dallas Green) but circling the bases
backwards… this would lead to his release 2 days later. Rick Wise fared better
against the Reds in 1971 when he became the first pitcher in MLB history to
throw a no hitter and hit 2 homeruns in the same game (future Phillie Pete Rose
made the last out). Two years later another pitcher was going deep as Ken Brett
hit a homerun in his 4th consecutive game. In 1986, the Phillies obliterated
the Cubs by a score of 19-1 and hit a team record 11 doubles in the process. And,
finally, it was on this day 4 years ago when Jim Thome hit his MLB record 13th
walk off homerun of his career against the Rays which secured Charlie Manuel
his 900th career managerial win.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 30-43 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 49-56-1 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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