GAME
RECAP: D-Backs Sweep Phils 3-1
The D-backs hate to leave Citizens Bank Park, but they'll
have the opportunity to play the Phillies again next week at Chase Field. Arizona
swept the four-game series with Monday afternoon's 3-1 victory. D-backs
right-hander Shelby Miller cruised in his return to the rotation,
as he allowed five hits and one run in 6 2/3 innings. D-backs third baseman Jake Lamb hit a two-run home run against
Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in the first inning to give the
D-backs a three-run lead. Arizona slugged 10 homers during the series. "Anytime
you sweep a team -- especially in four games -- it's huge," Lamb said.
"The pitching was great and the hitting was obviously unreal with all the
home runs." The Phillies continue to struggle since a surprising 24-17
start. They are 6-24 since, which is the worst record in baseball since May 18.
They also suffered their first winless homestand of six or more games since
going 0-7 at Connie Mack Stadium in September 1964. "It's disappointing to
lose at home or the road," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "An
0-6 homestand is never fun. But we just have to move on."
PHILS PHACTS:
- It looked ugly
early for Hellickson, who had a 7.41 ERA in his previous three starts. He
allowed three runs in the first inning to hand Arizona a 3-0 lead, but he
settled after that. He allowed just two hits in his final six innings. The
Phillies hope Hellickson gets on track with the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade
Deadline approaching. He could be an intriguing trade piece to a
contending team looking for backend rotation help. "Without question
he could be a big trade chip for us," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin
said, "but he's had enough good outings where I like him pitching for
us." Hellickson
declined to comment on any trade talks postgame.
- "Yeah, it's hard to stay patient, but the alternative is to
give up and I'm not going to give up. We're all competitors. I hate
losing, nobody likes it. I don't expect the players to be happy. I expect
when you're losing the players not to be in a good mood. The alternative
is to just give up and keep taking it or fight and come out of it."
-- Mackanin, on the team's continued
struggles.
- The Phillies have scored two or fewer runs in each of their last
seven home games, which is their longest stretch at home since an
eight-game streak from Sept. 14-23, 1938.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phillies open a nine-game road trip Tuesday
night at 8:10 ET in Minnesota. Right-hander Aaron Nola (5-6, 3.61 ERA) pitches the series opener against the Twins. Nola has
really struggled in his last two starts, allowing 10 earned runs in just 6 2/3
innings. Right-hander Aaron Nola (5-6, 3.51 ERA) pitches the series opener
against the Twins.
PHILS PHACTS:
Another Quality Start, Another Loss – With
the Draft in the rearview mirror, the Phillies are beginning to prepare to
field calls for players as the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches. Jeremy Hellickson,
whose contract expires and the end of the season, figures to be one of a
handful of players teams inquire about. If Hellickson's last three starts
scared anyone off, his seven innings of three-run ball against the D-backs in
Monday's 3-1 loss should at least temper those fears. "Without
question he could be a big trade chip for us," Phillies manager Pete
Mackanin said, "but he's had enough good outings where I like him pitching
for us." When Hellickson was asked about possibly playing in a different
jersey a month from now, he responded, "I'm not gonna talk about that
right now." Prior to Monday's outing, Hellickson had a 7.41 ERA over his
last three starts. Although the numbers are ugly, Hellickson takes pride in the
fact he was still able to eat innings in those starts. "The last two at
least I went six innings," Hellickson said. "Really, that's the only
positive taken from those two was to get through six and save the bullpen a
little bit." The Phillies need a guy who can ease the load on the other
young arms in the rotation. Hellickson provides that, going at least six
innings in nine of his starts. The 29-year-old Hellickson stands alone in the
Phillies' rotation as the only pitcher over 25 years old. No other Philadelphia
starter has a full big league season under their belt. Hellickson has five. On
paper, Hellickson may act best as a trade chip, but as long as he is with the
Phillies, he plays a crucial role in the clubhouse and on the field. "You
need somebody to set an example," Mackanin said, pointing out how
Hellickson bounced back from a rough start to the game, retiring 22 of the
final 24 D-backs he faced. Hellickson allowed four straight D-backs hits to
start the game, resulting in three runs, but he limited them to just two
baserunners over his last six innings. The Phillies' offense again could not
back up a strong outing from a starting pitcher. That's why many pegged the
Phils, now losers of 24 of their last 30, to be sellers at the Deadline before
the season and why they sit at 30-41 after getting off to a surprising 24-17
start. Hellickson is no stranger to the wheelings and dealings of MLB front
offices. He has twice been dealt, first in 2014 from Tampa Bay to Arizona and again
the following offseason to Philadelphia. Should he continue to pitch as he did
Monday and in many of his first 11 starts, Hellickson will be on a crash course
with his first in-season trade.
Will Anything Work? – Is
there anything Pete Mackanin has not tried to help the Phillies' offense this
season? Mackanin ordered his hitters not to pick up a bat before Monday's 3-1 loss to the D-backs at Citizens Bank Park.
No hitting on the field. No hitting in the cage, which is a short walk from the
Phillies' clubhouse. Nothing. "Just show and go," said Mackanin, who
also gave the team an unusually late 11:45 a.m. report time for the 1:05 p.m.
game. "Change the vibe. Whether it's good or not, I don't know, but it's
something different. Try something." "We did that a couple times in
St. Louis," Phillies right fielder Peter Bourjos said. "You showed up late to the
field and the cages were closed. Just try to get your head away from the
mechanics side of it, just take it into the game -- see ball, hit ball." The
Phillies managed just six hits in the loss, which continued a troubling trend.
They are averaging a mere 3.11 runs per game this season, which ranks last in
baseball. No team has averaged fewer runs per game in a non-strike-shortened
season since 1972, when the Angels (2.93), Rangers (2.99) and Indians (3.03)
each endured offensive struggles. The Phillies are 6-24 since their surprising
24-17 start. They just went 0-6 on a homestand against Toronto and Arizona.
Incredibly, it is their first winless homestand of six or more games since
September 1964, when the Phillies went 0-7 at Connie Mack Stadium. Perhaps a
nine-game road trip will help, even if just a little bit? The Phillies are
hitting .214 with a .612 OPS at home, compared to .237 with a .668 OPS on the
road. "It's very frustrating," Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera said through an interpreter.
"Where there is frustration, there is some anger there, I guess. It's very
hard, because we are giving 100 percent and it's not working out for us. But we
need to keep mentally strong and keep fighting, because we know it's going to
get better." But the personnel is the personnel, and there is only so much
a team or manager can do. Still, the Phillies push on. "It's been a grind
all year," Bourjos said. "You come to the field every day, trying to
win and trying to put together good at-bats. You feel for the pitching staff,
because they've pitched well and I think it's starting to catch up a little
bit."
Injury Updates – Phillies
right-hander Vince Velasquez,
on the 15-day disabled list since June 9 because of a strained right biceps, is
scheduled to make a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Reading. Velasquez is
confident he will need only one rehab start before rejoining the Phillies'
rotation. "It was something very minor," Velasquez said. "It's
something that was tugging. I had a solid week of treatment. I don't think it's
going to be two starts. I don't think two starts is going to make it even
better. I think one and done and let's go." Dalier Hinojosa began a rehab assignment Monday with
Class A Clearwater. Hinojosa has been on the 15-day disabled list since April
29 because of a bruised right hand. He was 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in 10
appearances before the injury.
(Draft) Deal Done – Phillies
prospect Mickey Moniak is signed and ready to begin his professional baseball
career. The Phillies announced Monday afternoon they had signed the No. 1
overall pick in the 2016 Draft. Two sources told MLB.com that Moniak agreed to
a $6.1 million signing bonus, which is well under the $9,015,000 allotted for
the pick. The Phillies will use the savings there to sign second-round pick
Kevin Gowdy, a right-hander who has committed to UCLA. The 42nd overall pick is
allotted $1,536,200. Gowdy, who could agree as early as Tuesday, could receive
in the neighborhood of $3 million. Moniak's $6.1 million bonus is less than
what No. 2 overall pick Nick Senzel received from the Reds, who gave the
University of Tennessee third baseman a $6.2 million bonus. Moniak took his
physical Monday in Philadelphia. The team tweeted photos of Moniak signing his
contract with his family and Phillies general manager Matt Klentak in the
evening. A news conference was held Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Moniak is
expected to begin his career with the Gulf Coast League Phillies. Moniak is a
6-foot-2, 185-pound left-handed hitter from La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High
School. His stock started to rise last summer and continued to rise through the
spring. He hit .476 with 12 triples, seven home runs, 46 RBIs and a .921
slugging percentage in his senior year. The Phillies scouted him extensively,
with everybody from Pat Gillick to Charlie Manuel, two of the club's senior
advisors, meeting with Moniak on more than one occasion. "The No.1 pick
has always been a dream," Moniak said June 9. "Up until the point
where the Commissioner said my name, it was all a mystery. When it happened, it
was unbelievable." Moniak is most often compared to Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich.
He is a talented hitter who possesses gap power and is an above-average runner
who has the potential to be a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder. Moniak is not
a big guy, so scouts wonder if he will hit for power in the big leagues.
Phillies amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz said he thinks Moniak will
hit 15-22 homers in the big leagues. "I think you'll have a Gold Glove
center fielder who will hit in the middle of the lineup and be a leader on the
team," Almaraz said. Moniak is the sixth outfielder to be selected first
overall since 1986. The previous five are Bryce Harper (2010), Delmon Young ('03), Josh Hamilton (1999), Darin Erstad ('95) and Ken
Griffey Jr. ('87). The Phillies selected Pat Burrell with the first overall
pick in '98, although he was officially listed as a third baseman.
Today
In Phils History – In
a rare occurrence, on this day in 1955 Richie Ashburn hit 2 homeruns in a game
(1 of 3 in his career) which is surprising for a player who only had 29 career
homers. Another oddity occurred on this day in 1963 when the only players to
collect multiple hits in the game were the starting pitchers, Al Jackson for
the Mets and the Cal McLish for the Phillies. The following year, Jim Bunning
became a legend when, during the first game of a Father’s Day double header, he
threw the first perfect game (his 2nd no hitter) in the NL in nearly
84 years. Rookie Rick Wise collected his first MLB win in game 2. In 2000, Pat
Burrell became the first Phillies rookie to have a multi homerun game when he
hit 2 against the Mets (he would repeat the feat later in the season. 3 years
later, Jim Thome had a 2 homerun game as well with both long balls tying the
game first in the 8th and later in the 12th becoming 1 of
only 6 players to have done so after the 7th inning. The following
year, Jimmy Rollins hit the first inside the park homerun as Citizens Bank
Park. 4 years later, the magic of the season took an inning off as, for the 2nd
time in team histoy, the Phillies struck out 4 times in an inning. 4 years
later, and 100 years after Eppa Rixey’s MLB debut with the Phillies, Jimmy
Rollins joined VP Biden at the White House to introduce a PSA against violence
toward women. And, finally, happy birthday to Ed Watkins who was born on this
day in 1877.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 30-41 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 44-51-0 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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