GAME
RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 6-3
Tyler Anderson wasn't long for this one. In the
Phillies' 6-3 win Saturday night, the Rockies' rookie left-hander hit Maikel Franco the at-bat after the third baseman
gave Philadelphia an early lead with a three-run homer and subsequent exuberant
trot. Tempers flared. Benches cleared. Bullpens emptied. No punches were
thrown, but Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected. After Franco
came around to score, the Rockies had more fireworks to contribute by way of
the long ball. Franco didn't believe Anderson plunked him on purpose. But given
the situation, he wasn't surprised to see the benches clear and his team come
to his defense, either. "I know the team had to protect me," Franco
said. "They had to respond, too. … I didn't expect the ball to be coming
because I didn't do anything wrong, just run my bases. This moment, you just
have to get mad a little bit." Anderson and Weiss each said they thought
home-plate umpire Eric Cooper's decision was quick, but they also saw Cooper's
side. "Obviously, I put that guy [Cooper] in a tough situation, because he
hit a home run the at-bat before, but I was not going to intentionally hit the
guy in the shin," Anderson said. "A little quick, but I put him in a
bad spot, too." Down four runs in the sixth, Colorado knocked Phillies
starter Jerad Eickhoff out after 5 2/3 innings with a pair of
dingers. Daniel Descalso mashed a two-run blast, while Tony Wolters added a solo shot -- the third
straight plate appearance he reached safely in to start the game. The win gives
the Phillies three straight victories for the first time since early July -- a
streak the Rockies snapped during the teams' series in Colorado. A sweep Sunday
would be their first since taking three from the Braves during that streak. The
Rockies are trending in an opposite direction, dropping their eighth game of
their last 10 to fall five below .500 for the first time since July 23. "It's
really good to win a series against this lineup," Phillies manager Pete
Mackanin said. "This whole lineup is a good lineup. All you have to do is
look at their batting averages. We're doing a heck of a job beating these guys
the first two games."
PHILS PHACTS:
- Franco took his time rounding the bases after putting a three-spot
on the scoreboard in the first inning with his 21st blast of the season.
The next pitch Franco saw from Anderson in the fourth was a fastball to
the knee. Franco stared down Anderson, who had words for him and
home-plate umpire Eric Cooper, and took first after the benches and
bullpens cleared. A Carlos Ruiz walk pushed
Franco to second, where he hustled home on Freddy Galvis' single to give the Phillies their fourth six run of the evening.
The Phillies' third baseman had a hand (and knee) in all four.
- The sixth inning has not treated Eickhoff well. The
three runs Colorado plated off him in the inning upped his sixth-inning
ERA this season to an astronomical 12.71. Eickhoff's struggles the third
time through the order have plagued him all season, often turning a potential
gem into a mess heading into the seventh. Thanks to some uncharacteristic
run support, Eickhoff's scheduled sixth-inning implosion cost him only ERA
points, not a win. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know
what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that
sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and
see what the problem is." Eickhoff isn't so sure either. Despite the
gaudy numbers, he doesn't believe it's any sort of a trend. He attributed
his struggles in the sixth his last start to an inability to locate, while
Saturday, he believed he lost the touch on his curveball. "It just
comes down to getting that curveball over," Eickhoff said. "I
got it over the first inning maybe, but if the hitters can eliminate that,
especially being lefties, you know, it's a big weapon for me. If I'm not
throwing that with consistency, they can just put that in the back of
their mind, or eliminate it, really."
- Andres Blanco is still more than a week away
from removing the pin from his fractured left index finger. Mackanin said
the tentative date for that is Aug. 22, but once it is out, it shouldn't
take Blanco much more than a week to be ready for action again. Mackanin
anticipates Blanco's return around the first week of September.
- The Phillies
moved Jeremy
Hellickson's next start back to let him rest his
sore back and also get a better look at it. Originally scheduled for
Wednesday, Mackanin said Hellickson's next start will tentatively come
Saturday against the Cardinals. They'll know for certain after Hellickson
goes through more tests Saturday. "He seems to be improved and ready
to go," Mackanin said. "But we're going to double-check
tomorrow." Hellickson said Friday that although he still had some
soreness, he expected to make his next start.
- Mackanin also
officially named Adam
Morgan as
Sunday's starting pitcher, filling in for Eflin. Morgan was scratched from
his start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and will be recalled prior
to Sunday's game. The Phillies will send down a reliever after Saturday's
game to clear a roster spot for the left-hander.
NEXT
GAME:
Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65 ERA) gets the nod to fill the
injured Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation in the series finale at
1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. The last time Morgan was on a
Major League mound, it was July 7 in Colorado, allowing six runs over five
innings to the Rockies.
PHILS PHACTS:
Bad
Inning(s) – Numbers don't lie. And they don't tell a pretty story for Jerad Eickhoff after the fifth inning. Albeit in a 6-3 Phillies win, the Rockies again signed
their name to the list of teams to torch Eickhoff the third time around the
order. They had done so once already, scoring six of their eight runs off
Eickhoff in the sixth inning of his start at Coors Field in July. The first
five innings Saturday were hardly easy for Eickhoff. He allowed six hits and
nine baserunners but stranded them all. David Dahl doubled with one out the sixth, and he
was not stranded. Daniel Descalso homered the next at-bat and Tony Wolters followed two batters later with a solo
shot of his own. After a triple by pitcher Chris Rusin,
Eickhoff's night was over, in the sixth, again. With the two outs recorded in
the inning Saturday, Eickhoff has now pitched 17 total sixth innings this
season. In those, he has allowed 24 runs. Over 119 1/3 total innings pitched in
the first through fifth frame, Eickhoff has allowed a combined 34 runs. His
sixth-inning ERA climbed to 12.71. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I
don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in
that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and
see what the problem is." Eickhoff knows what the numbers say, but he
doesn't see any trend. To him, it's a different malfunction each time. On
Saturday, he said he lost his touch on the curveball. The start prior, in which
he completed the sixth, but not before allowing three Padres runs, he pointed
to a single mistake pitch on a two-run Ryan Schimpf home
run. Even dating back to his Minor League days, Eickhoff said it was the early
innings, not the late ones, that gave him trouble. "It's just kind of how
trends happen," Eickhoff said, emphasizing their randomness. "It's
not anything concerning for me." While Eickhoff may not have an
explanation for the consistent sixth-inning struggles, there was an easy one
for Saturday's. With temperatures north of 90 degrees and a heat index of 105
at first pitch, Eickhoff (and everyone else) was dripping with sweat. He had
command of his curve in the first, but it evaporated as the game continued. A
curveball may be the pitch most affected by a slick hand: having to grip the
seams, flick the wrist to get the ball spinning, all while commanding it with
precision -- ideally. It had been "a while" since Eickhoff pitched in
hot and humid conditions comparable to Saturday, and he didn't shy away from
admitting its effects. "I felt like I had it early on," Eickhoff
said. "But as the game went on and the more I sweat, the moisture kept
building. I couldn't throw it like I wanted to. It's just a part of the game.
I've got to adjust to it and I wasn't able to do that.”
Season
Over? – Zach Eflin's first
Major League season could be over. In addition to the patellar tendinopathy in
both his knees that put him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, an MRI on
Friday revealed Eflin also has a stress fracture in his right foot. "I
would say it's unlikely he'll be back this year," Phillies manager Pete
Mackanin said. "I can't commit to that 100 percent, but it doesn't seem
likely that he'll be back." Eflin has dealt with knee issues for years,
but the pain in his foot was a more recent occurrence. Eflin said the foot
began to bother him a couple weeks ago and asked for it to be examined when he
was getting an MRI on his knees. In both cases, Eflin and the Phillies are
waiting for more detailed results and will likely seek a second opinion. With
no knowledge of his current situation, it would be difficult to diagnose Eflin
with any sort of injury. He strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on his
face and a skip in his step. His foot is no game of Russian nesting dolls.
There is no walking boot, medical tape or other treatment beneath the leather
cowboy boot on his right foot. "When I walk on the outside of it, I feel
it, but I'm fine," Eflin said. "Obviously I could pitch through it.
But it's just not really ideal." If this is the end of Eflin's rookie
season, he'll finish with a 3-5 record and 5.54 ERA. It did have its bright
spots, though, including a complete-game shutout of the Pirates and a seven-start
run without allowing more than three earned runs.
Today
In Phils History – While staying in Ventnor, NJ recovering from a
series of illnesses in 1913, club President William Locke died of a heart
attack. The Phillies finally put an end to their 30 inning scoreless streak on
this day in 1942. 10 year later, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones ended
his NL record for 3B streak of 62 games without committing an error. The
Phillies lost their 17th straight game on this day in 1961 which was
also the 11th straight game during which the opposing pitcher
recorded a complete game. 20 year later, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #300
off of New York’s Mike Scott. The following season, Pete Rose moved passed Hank
Aaron on the all-time at bat list with 12,365. 2 year later, Juan Samuel stole
his 56th base of the year breaking Sherry Magee’s franchise record. 6
years ago, R. A. Dickey held the Phillies to only 1 hit which was recorded by
opposing pitcher Cole Hamels in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Mets. Finally,
happy birthday to Juan Pierre who was born on this day in 1977.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 55-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 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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