GAME
RECAP: Mets Beat Phillies 5-3
The Mets opened the second half of their season Friday
night tied for the second National League Wild Card. Of course, they want
better than that, and New York hopes a 5-3 victory over the Phillies at
Citizens Bank Park is the beginning of a run at the first-place Nationals in
the National League East. Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon carried a perfect game into the fifth
inning as Neil Walker hit a three-run home run in the sixth
to give New York a 4-0 lead. The Mets trail the Nationals by six games. Juan Lagares reached
base three times, including a solo homer in the third, and also stole a bag and
scored two runs. He started in center field in place of Yoenis Cespedes,
who is recovering from a strained right quad. "Two
years ago we thought Juan was going to be an outstanding offensive
player," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He's done a nice job when
he's been in there. Right now with Ces's leg, we've certainly got to take a
look at seeing if Juan should see some more playing time." The rebuilding
Phillies entered the second half hoping to make a long-shot run at a postseason
berth. But despite cutting the lead to 4-3 in the sixth -- highlighted by Peter Bourjos' RBI triple -- they could not get
any closer. "This is one of the better teams in the league and we compete
with them every time we play them, so I feel like we can definitely do
it," Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said. "We've just got to string
some wins together like we did in the first half. Obviously it wasn't a good
start today, but I absolutely think we can make a run at it."
PHILS PHACTS:
- Hellickson enters what could be his final couple of
weeks with the Phillies. He is a free agent after the season, and the
Phillies could trade him to a contender before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade
Deadline. Hellickson allowed just one run through five innings before
Walker hit a three-run home run to left in the sixth. "I felt
great," Hellickson said. "I just got a little gassed at the end.
Leadoff man on the last two innings, I was working way too hard."
- Two of the
reasons the Phillies' offense has picked up the past few weeks has been
the hitting of outfielders Bourjos and Cody
Asche. After Bourjos' triple in the sixth, Asche's
bloop single to left later in the inning scored the Phillies' third run of
the night. "We bounced back, that was nice to see," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said.
- "He's not the guy I wanted to see coming out of the break
because he's such a good pitcher. He knows what he's doing. He just kind
of stifled us for a while there." --Mackanin, on Colon.
- Mets closer Jeurys Familia passed Brad Lidge for sole possession of fifth place on the
all-time consecutive saves list, converting his 48th straight and 32nd
this season. Next up is John Axford, who converted 49 straight.
- Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco had his 10-game hitting streak snapped.
NEXT
GAME:
Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff pitches the second game of the three-game series against the Mets on
Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. Eickhoff went 6-10 with a 3.80 ERA in the first
half, but don't let the win-loss record fool anybody. He might have been the
Phillies' best and most consistent pitcher before the All-Star break.
PHILS PHACTS:
Ignoring
Trade Talks – Trade speculation is impossible to ignore these days, but the
Phillies are trying their best. Two of the Phillies' more interesting trade
candidates played roles in Friday night's 5-3 loss to the Mets at
Citizens Bank Park. Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson allowed one run through the first five
innings before Neil Walker's
three-run homer in the sixth. Phillies right fielder Peter Bourjos had an RBI triple in a three-run sixth
inning. Both are free agents after the season. Both could be had at the right
price before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. "On most teams,
everybody plays GM," Bourjos said. "Everyone is like, 'Oh, I'd do
this, this and this.' Here we haven't been doing it. We've really been focusing
on just playing and not worrying about it, which has been nice. But I know on
some teams I've been on it seems like everybody is a GM and everybody sits
around at dinner and tries to make trades. We should get this guy and whatnot,
but here we've been focused and I think that's probably for the best." Hellickson
and Bourjos could help contending teams, although returns for them might be
relatively modest. Hellickson is 6-7 with a 4.03 ERA. But his experience,
particularly his years pitching in the American League East, could interest a
team looking to improve its rotation. "Yeah, it's on my mind,"
Hellickson said, "just when I see it on Twitter or talk to [the media]
about it. But other than that, I'm focused every day doing what I have to do to
get ready for my next start. Like I've said all along, I love it here. I'd love
to be here the rest of the year, but obviously I've been through it before and
know that side of the game." Bourjos has been one of the hottest hitters
since the middle of June, hitting .404 (36-for-89) with seven doubles, four
triples, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.122 OPS in his last 26 games. Combine
his hot bat with his Gold Glove-caliber defense and he could be attractive to a
contender. "I don't know what's going to happen," Bourjos said.
"You don't know what your trade value is. I've been swinging the bat well
over the last month-and-a-half. Who knows what other GMs are thinking and what
other teams need?" But while the Phillies are under no pressure to make
trades like last year, they might have incentive to move a player or two,
particularly in the outfield and on the mound. Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr could be activated from the disabled
list in the next few weeks. He opened Spring Training projected to be an
everyday player before he tore a tendon in his left wrist. Triple-A Lehigh
Valley outfielder Nick Williams could earn a promotion. He is the Phillies' No. 3 prospect and No. 56 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com.
If he is promoted before September, they certainly do not want him sitting on
the bench. Triple-A right-hander Jake Thompson is angling for a promotion, too. He
pitched seven scoreless innings Friday against Buffalo to make him 5-0 with a
0.64 ERA in his last eight starts. He is the Phillies' No. 2 prospect and the
No. 48 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. "I don't even
follow it anymore," Bourjos said of the trade speculation. "When I
was younger I used to read probably every article. Since 2010, my name has been
thrown in probably 100 different trade scenarios and I've only been traded one
time. It's not even worth it to read them. I'm happy here. Hopefully I stay here
and I continue to play well and if something does happen, obviously it's a good
thing."
High
Expectations – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin relaxed at the Jersey Shore over
the All-Star break, but when he returned to Citizens Bank Park on Friday he
took a look at the National League standings.
He found the Phillies, while six games under .500, only six games behind the
Mets and Marlins for the second Wild Card. "Why not?" Mackanin said
about chasing a Wild Card. "Let's set our sights high. Wild Card? I mean,
might as well." Of course, the Phillies are still a rebuilding team, which
means they remain focused on 2017 and beyond. And that means they could trade
players who could help them in their Wild Card pursuit. Possibilities include Jeremy Hellickson, Peter Bourjos, Jeanmar Gomez, David Hernandez, Cody Asche, Carlos Ruiz, Andrew Bailey and Andres Blanco. "I
don't know how much interest, if there is any, in any of our guys,"
Mackanin said. "I would assume there would be. Teams need pitchers. Teams
need players. I don't know what they would bring. If there is a deal to be
made, I have confidence that [general manager] Matt [Klentak] will do it
because it's a good deal, not just to make a deal. "There's no reason just
to make a deal, because we still have a bunch of guys in the Minor Leagues that
we're high on. It's different in that respect. You kind of knew that something
was going to happen last year. This year, I don't know." It will be
interesting to see how the Phillies handle the outfield moving forward. Odubel Herrera is going to play every day in center
field. Bourjos has earned regular playing time in right field. Asche is trying
to make his case in left. Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel needs to play, too. "We see an
upside [in Goeddel]," Mackanin said. "And he's going to play enough
to stay here the whole year and we'll have rights to him." Asked if the
same holds true for fellow Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf, who
just returned from an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a
performance-enhancing drug, Mackanin said he did not know. But outfielder Aaron Altherr could be back in the next few weeks.
He has been on the disabled list since March because of a torn tendon in his
left wrist. Triple-A Lehigh Valley outfielder Nick Williams could see a promotion soon, too. Something
will have to give to get Altherr and Williams on the field. "There already
is a logjam because Williams is having a good year and [Double-A Reading
outfielder Dylan] Cozens is on the radar, and a few other people and the guys
we have here," Mackanin said. "That's a nice situation to be in.
That's why it's important for all these guys, like an Asche, to have a big year
this year, so he stays in that mix. "We still have to let guys play and
find out about them. But we might as well play for something, have the target.
But I still have to play guys and see what they are going to do. We still have
to find out as much as we can so that next year we're closer."
Today
In Phils History – In 1948, following a notorious couple of seasons,
Ben Chapman was fired as Phillies manager and replaced by Dusty Cooke. Ramiro
Mendoza achieved a rare feat against the Phillies in 2001 when he retired the
side (Eric Valent, Doug Glanville, and Jimmy Rollins) on 3 pitches.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 42-49 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 58-47-0 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.
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