GAME
RECAP: Phillies Sweep Rockies 7-6
In a game that wasn't the prettiest contest, featuring
fielding and mental errors for both sides, the Phillies prevailed, 7-6, to
sweep the series from the Rockies -- their first sweep since taking three from
the Braves in the first week of July. Cesar Hernandez missed an easy tag of Charlie Blackmon at second that led to a Rockies run in
the third. Odubel Herrera dropped a routine popup on the first
play of the game and later broke his bat in frustration over a called strike
three. Severino Gonzalez balked runners into scoring position. But
those were overshadowed by a rare multi-error game from the Rockies' Gold Glove
third baseman, Nolan Arenado, Ryan Raburn struggling to field a ground ball then
still trying to get the lead runner and a dubious throwing error-wild pitch
combo from Tyler Chatwood, who
surrendered six runs (four earned) over four-plus innings. Chatwood had allowed
eight earned runs in his previous nine road starts, entering Sunday with a 1.30
ERA on the road but exiting with it up to 1.82. "I think because it was
one of the hottest days we played on this year, I think that had a lot to do
with it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You've got to give
credit to the guys that kept hustling throughout. I'm sure there's a lot of
weight loss by both teams." Upper-back tightness, the repeat of an injury
that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season, limited Chatwood to
throwing to one side of the plate, inside to right-handed hitters, outside to
lefties. Chatwood had allowed eight earned runs in nine previous starts on the
road this season, entering with a 1.30 road ERA but exiting with it up to 1.82.
"It spasmed in the first and it stayed tight," said Chatwood, who
added that the pain has generally been manageable. "I tried to pitch
through it. I know we were short in the bullpen. But obviously, that wasn't the
smartest thing to do." The Rockies lost for the ninth time in 11 games,
and sloppy play negated a two-homer day from Blackmon, who set a club record
with five home runs in a three-game series. "Objectively, you're looking
at the game saying, 'We didn't do this well.' … Then we battle back and at
the end of the game you lose by a run," said Blackmon, who improved his
career-high home run total to 20. "That really hurts, because looking back
there are a lot of missed opportunities over the last three and a half hours
that could've helped us win."
PHILS PHACTS:
- Typically
relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Jimmy
Paredes got
the start in left field and made the most of it. By the fifth inning, he
was a triple away from the cycle. He followed an RBI single in the second
with a solo homer in the fourth, before doubling home Herrera in the
fifth. It was Paredes' first three-hit game since June 26 of last year,
with the Orioles, and only his third multi-hit game since joining the
Phillies. "It's good," Paredes said. "You try to help your
team to win and do the best you can. That's all. I was ready for my
chances. They gave me my chance and I did the best I can."
- Morgan's day
was cut short by a Nick
Hundley line
drive that hit him on the left forearm. Hundley's liner left the bat at 86
mph and forced Morgan out after three innings. Gonzalez replaced Morgan
and immediately balked the two inherited runners into scoring position,
though only David
Dahl scored,
leaving Morgan with two runs allowed over three-plus innings. Morgan
exited with what the Phillies called a left forearm contusion, and X-rays
came back negative on his forearm. Morgan was lucky it hit him
where it did. "It kind of gets dangerous around the elbow area,"
he said "But it got me pretty much in the meat of the forearm." With
the off-day Monday, Mackanin will "mull it over and see where he's
at" before deciding if Morgan will make his next scheduled start.
- It didn't
take long for the first review on Sunday's sweltering series finale.
Herrera dropped a popup, allowing Blackmon to reach first to lead off the
game. With the next batter, DJ
LeMahieu, at the plate, Blackmon broke for second.
He appeared to have gotten in under Hernandez's tag and was ruled safe.
But the Phillies challenged, and the call was overturned. Mackanin is
20-for-34 (59 percent) on challenges this season. Blackmon earned a
measure of payback when he gave a foot and then took it away to slip into
second with a third-inning double. It took a 2-minute, 9-second replay
review to overturn the out call.
- Phillies infielder Cesar Hernandez enters Tuesday's
series opener with a 21-game on-base streak. He's the third Phillies
player this season to reach base in 20 more straight games.
- The series win over the Phillies was the Dodgers' fifth
in their last six. Combined with the Giants' recent struggles, Los Angeles
has rallied from 6 1/2 games back to within one of the division lead.
- The Dodgers took two of three from the Phillies when
they met in Los Angeles last week, winning the first two before losing to
Jeremy Hellickson in the series finale.
NEXT
GAME:
By now, the Phillies and Dodgers should be pretty familiar with
each other. At least they're about to be, with a three-game series starting in
Philadelphia on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Only one series separates their
three games in Los Angeles and the Dodgers' upcoming visit to Philadelphia. Vince
Velasquez doesn't get a break from his hometown team. The Pomona, Calif.,
native pitched in front of more than 100 friends and family at Dodger Stadium
in his start Tuesday. Velasquez didn't exactly put on a show, as he allowed
nine runs -- a career-high -- and exited with just one out in the fifth. Tuesday's
series opener is a rematch of Velasquez and Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda
exactly one week later. In their last matchup, Maeda walked a batter for the
first time in three starts. He walked two, giving him just three over his past
six. Over that stretch, Maeda is averaging less than a walk per nine innings
and has a 35:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The game will also be Chase Utley's
first at Citizens Bank Park since the Phillies traded him last August. He
recently admitted that his return "might be a bit emotional."
PHILS PHACTS:
Bats
Backing Pitching – After Nick Hundley shot a line drive back at Adam Morgan that hit the Phillies starter's left forearm in the fourth inning of the
Philadelphia's 7-6 win over the Rockies, manager Pete
Mackanin took a look at his chart of starts from the past couple weeks. "We've
been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our
starters," Mackanin said. "That really taxes the bullpen. … It's
concerning. We don't want that to happen. Every team has injuries but we don't
want that to happen now, especially starting pitching." Two pieces of good
news: First, Morgan's forearm doesn't appear to be serious. He left the
clubhouse with it wrapped but X-rays were negative and he only has a bruise.
The second: Despite the poor showing by their starting pitchers, the Phillies
are 8-4 in August. The dog days of summer are upon us and the temperature
outside is rising. So is that of the Phillies' lineup. Only three teams in
baseball are averaging more runs in August than the Phils. Through the first 12
games of the month, the Phillies are averaging more than six runs a game,
including showings of seven, six and 10 in their first sweep of the Rockies
since 2012. And they did so while also allowing 15 runs over the three games.
It's the most runs allowed over any stretch of three wins for the Phillies all
season. Colorado has scored the third-most runs in baseball this season. "It's
great to sweep a team like the Rockies, with their offense," Mackanin
said. "Everybody's contributing," he continued. "I feel like
everybody's getting opportunities. It's good to see. When you win a game, the
more players that are involved in that game, the happier I am. I think it
unites the team." Although the seven runs Sunday were a team effort, as
Mackanin said, Jimmy Paredes led the charge. By the fifth inning,
Paredes was a triple away from the cycle. Making a cameo in the starting
lineup, Paredes drove in three of the Phillies' run, including one on a solo
shot that just cleared the left-center-field wall in the fourth. "You
never know when they're going to give you a chance and when they're going to
call you to play," Paredes said. "I was ready for my chances. They
gave me my chance, and I did the best I can." The win was the Phillies'
fourth straight -- their longest streak since the first week of July. They
scored four runs in each of the four games, making for the longest such streak
by the team since June 2013.
Morgan
Recovering – With nobody out and a runner on first base in the fourth inning
of the Phillies' 7-6 win over Colorado on Sunday, Nick
Hundley lined
a ball right back at Adam
Morgan on
the mound. Morgan attempted to shield himself with his glove, but the 86-mph
line drive got him on his left forearm. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, head
athletic trainer Scott Sheridan and the Phillies' infield huddled on the mound
around Morgan, who was crouched over in pain. A few hours later in the
clubhouse, though, Morgan said he was feeling fine. And he was especially happy
to hear X-rays came back negative on the left forearm contusion that forced him
from the game. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess," Morgan said.
"It's just a bruise. [Once] that bruise goes away, I'm good." Mackanin
didn't commit to Morgan being able to make his next start. "We're going to
take the day off tomorrow, mull it over and see where he's at," Mackanin
said "We'll see." Morgan left the clubhouse with his left arm wrapped
in a compression sleeve. He threw three-plus innings, allowing five hits, two
earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Although it got cut
short, Morgan felt he saw the results of what he worked on his five starts back
with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "The two-seam, I've been working on and had a
good feel for it," Morgan said. "I was just up today; the two-seam,
and confidence in the slider and changeup. Really just a simple game plan: get
ahead, strike one. It wasn't apparent today, but it'll get better." The
southpaw was replaced by Severino
Gonzalez. Morgan threw three-plus innings, allowing five
hits, two earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Morgan's exit
could be yet another blow to an already depleted Phillies rotation. Morgan was
already filling in for Zach
Eflin, who is on the 15-day DL and could be done for the
year with injuries to his knees and right foot. Jeremy
Hellickson's start was pushed back to Saturday, as he
deals with a sore back, and Charlie
Morton hasn't pitched since April 23 and will miss the
remainder of the season. Mackanin was more concerned with the present state of
his bullpen, though, rather than the potential future issues on the starting
staff. "I looked back at my chart, and we've been five innings, four
innings, five innings, three innings with our starters," Mackanin said.
"That really taxes the bullpen. Today was kind of hairy for us, because we
didn't want to get in a situation late in the game where it was a tie game and
I didn't have any pitchers left. So I had to go the extra mile with some of
those guys. They did a real good job. ... We don't want that to happen. Every
team has injuries, but we don't want that to happen now, especially starting
pitching."
Today
In Phils History – Don Demeter hit a pair of homeruns for the Phillies
on this day in 1962 both coming off of Bob Miller which was actually 2
completely different Mets pitchers. 3 years later, Masanoni Murakami became
the 1st pitcher born in Japan to start a MLB game when he took the
mound for the Giants against the Phillies (he debuted the previous season but
had only pitched in relief). Mike Schmidt hit his franchise record 7th
grand slam on this day in 1983 against the Cubs. However, the most memorable
moment on this day is the performance of Terry Mulholland on this day in 1990
when he completed a no hitter against the Giants (ironically, Charlie Hayes
made a great play to end the game but cost Mulholland the perfect game earlier
when he committed an error).
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 56-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 53-59-0 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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