GAME
RECAP: No Game Yesterday
The Phillies are
off until Friday.
PHILS PHACTS:
- Left-hander
Daniel Stumpf returned to the Phillies July 10 after serving an 80-game
suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Philadelphia acquired Stumpf
from Kansas City last December in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched in three
games before being suspended.
- Active members
of the Mets have hit a combined .307 against Hellickson, with Jose Reyes
having recorded a .381 batting average to go along with one homer and four
RBIs.
- Mets manager Terry Collins has expressed hope that Yoenis Cespedes would be ready to play by the end of the All-Star break. Cespedes, who sustained a right quad strain July 8, leads the Mets with 21 homers and 52 RBIs. In 26 at-bats against the Phillies in the first half of the year, Cespedes hit .269 with three homers and six RBIs.
NEXT
GAME:
After limping into the All-Star break with a slew of injuries to
key players, the Mets turn to Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.61 ERA) to set the tone for
the second half of the season July 15 against the Phillies, who counter with
Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 3.92 ERA). deGrom and Bartolo Colon have been the only
regular members of the Mets' starting rotation to avoid injury issues in recent
weeks. Matt Harvey opted for season-ending surgery to repair his thoracic
outlet syndrome, while Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard have both been pitching
through bone spurs; Syndergaard left his start July 8 with a "dead
arm." Hellickson has provided a veteran presence in a young Phillies
pitching staff, but his name has floated around in trade rumors. The Mets could
be in the market for a starter given all their issues, but there's been no
indication Hellickson could be an option for them.
PHILS PHACTS:
1st
Half Recap – Things were always going to be different for the Philadelphia
Phillies in 2016. They entered Spring Training with a different president,
general manager and manager than the spring before. The Phillies' clubhouse in
Clearwater, Fla., had a different feel, too. Of course, that happens when
veterans like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Cliff
Lee and Jonathan Papelbon are replaced with youngsters like Maikel Franco, Vince Velasquez, Odubel Herrera, Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff. Out
with the old, in with the new. And a few more victories, too. The Phils had the
worst record in baseball last season, but they entered the All-Star break at
42-48, which is 11th from the bottom. While that is not good enough to make a
run at the postseason, it is sign of progress. And that is what this season is
about: making progress in the rebuild. Here is a look back at the Phillies'
first half: WHAT WENT RIGHT: Anybody who followed the Phillies
closely should have figured they would be better because their starting
pitching would be better. Ten pitchers not named Hamels, Nola, Eickhoff and Adam Morgan posted
a combined 6.19 ERA in 106 starts in 2015. But this season's rotation of Jeremy Hellickson,
Nola, Eickhoff and Velasquez has generally pitched well. The rotation's 4.32
ERA is in the top half in baseball. Pitching can overcome deficiencies
elsewhere. Pitching wins. WHAT WENT WRONG: Until
late June, Philadelphia's offense had been on pace to be the lowest-scoring
team in a non-strike season since 1972. The lack of offense did not hurt the
Phillies during their 24-17 start, but when the rotation started to struggle, the
club had no chance to win. WHAT WE LEARNED: The
Phils have the makings of a pretty solid rotation. They also have some
intriguing arms in the bullpen. But they still need hitters. Herrera and Franco
are safe bets to be part of the club's future. Cameron Rupp has been a surprise, putting him into
play as well. But is there any other position where somebody would say,
"That guy is probably going to be here in a couple of years"? Not
really, which means the players currently in those positions still have plenty
to prove. FIRST-HALF TOP POSITION PLAYER: Herrera
was the Phillies' only All-Star representative, and it was because he had been
consistently good since Opening Day. The guy can flat out hit. He has also
dramatically improved his walk rate from his rookie season. If the Phils can
find some consistent hitting behind Herrera, he will be a dangerous leadoff
hitter. FIRST-HALF TOP PITCHER: Nola had the nod through May,
but then he struggled in his final five starts before the break. Velasquez has
dazzled at times, but Eickhoff has been the rotation's most consistent pitcher.
He posted a 3.80 ERA in 18 starts and proved to be the Phillies' stopper during
their grueling stretch from mid-May to late June. FIRST-HALF TOP ROOKIE: Believe it or not, but a
young team like the Phils doesn't have a bunch of rookies on the roster. Tommy Joseph is the most notable. He got promoted
from Triple-A in mid-May and played so well that manager Pete Mackanin formally
moved Ryan Howard to the bench. Joseph struggled for a
bit, but he finished the first half on a high note. It will be a big second
half for him as he tries to prove he should be the team's first baseman going
forward.
Future
Power – You couldn't even see his face. At 6-foot-6, his 235-pound,
built-like-a-lineman frame towered over you from the top step of the first-base
dugout at FirstEnergy Stadium, his head cut out of sight by the dugout roof. Dylan
Cozens was a day away from going in San Diego for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures
Game, during which he'd put the most balls over the wall of anyone in batting
practice despite being surrounded by baseball's highest ranked prospects,
despite the fact that he doesn't even crack the top 10 in MLBPipeline.com's
ranking of the Phillies' system. But before
he made the cross-country voyage, the Minors' most prolific power hitter had
one more three-hit night in him. Single. Triple. Home run. Reading, the best
team in professional baseball -- with as many wins at the All-Star break as the
116-win 2001 Mariners -- hit blackjack in the runs column last Friday. The
victim? David Hess and the Bowie Baysox -- just another in a line of teams
unable to quiet the bats of Cozens or his Fightin' Phils teammates, who have
scored in double digits 14 times this season and average nearly six runs a
game. Cozens' 24 home runs are second only in the Minors to the 25 put up by
the man who hits behind him, first baseman Rhys Hoskins. At the Major League
level, only three teams have hit fewer home runs than the Phillies the past two
seasons. "I've always been able to hit the ball a long way," Cozens
says. He's also always been the tall one. And the athletic one. But only more
recently has he been the big one. His defensive tackle of a father, Randy, had
him doing daily pushups since before he can remember -- he could do 100 at a
time as a 10-year-old, though he hasn't tried recently. But only toward the
middle of his high school career did Cozens start to fill out. During his
senior season at Chaparral High in Scottsdale, Ariz., he broke the school's
single-season home run record, set by Paul Konerko. At 22, Randy was in his
final season of a four-year career as a defensive lineman at the University of
Pittsburgh. A year away from being drafted by (but never playing for) the
Denver Broncos, he checked in at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. Dylan, now 22, was
gifted with his father's size and athleticism, but he is thankful for more than
just his fortunate genealogy. "[My father] was always tough on me,"
Cozens said. "You try to take that same 'football tough' mentality to every
sport you play, just hustle and be aggressive." About that football
mentality. Cozens, rated a three-star defensive end, passed on football
scholarship offers from Arizona, Washington and Boise State to sign with the
Phillies out of high school. Between baseball and football seasons, Cozens
played basketball, too. The trifecta onot only helped Cozens build athleticism,
it is the definition of it, Cozens says: "Being able to be versatile, have
different forms of hand-eye coordination, speed, power; stuff like that I feel
is what athleticism is all about." Ninety games into the Double-A season,
Cozens' 24 home runs are paired with 16 stolen bases. Only three times in Major
League history has a player his size swiped that many bags throughout a
162-game schedule. Cozens doesn't like being asked if he has outgrown Double-A.
It's not up to him, so why focus on it? Anyway, there is more to work on,
despite what an initial glance at his numbers may indicate. Only four of his
home runs have come against left-handers, against whom he is hitting .186. His
slugging percentage at FirstEnergy Stadium, historically a hitter's park, is
double what it is away from home. He also doesn't remember much of his
post-Draft BP session at Citizens Bank Park, during which he reportedly parked
a couple of balls in the upper deck. It prompted then-general manager Ruben
Amaro to describe Cozens as having "extraordinary power." Since then
he's hit 62 regular-season homers. Tommy Joseph,
a fellow Arizonan, is excited for the day Cozens returns to Citizens Bank Park,
this time as a big leaguer rather than a draftee. "He'll hit balls further
to left than I will," the right-handed-hitting Joseph says. "He's not
a very fun guy to take BP with, just a fun guy to watch."
Today
In Phils History – In 1979, Mike Schmidt notched his 31st
homerun of the year becoming the first Phillie to collect more than 30 before
the All Star break. The following season, Steve Carlton appeared on the cover
of Sports Illustrated. Mike Schmidt passed Mickey Mantle on the All Time
homerun list on this day in 1988 with his 537th long ball. 2006 saw
two events of note when Giants fielded the 1st outfield in MLB
history with all 3 players being 40 or older: Barry Bonds (41), Steve Finley
(41), and Moises Alou (40). At AAA, Phillies prospect Brennan King was having a
historic night as well hitting for the cycle and driving in 8 runs.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 42-48 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 47-45-2 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.
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