GAME
RECAP: Phillies Defeat Dodgers 6-2
The Dodgers' visit to first place was brief, as Freddy Galvis slugged
a three-run homer and pinch-hitter Ryan Howard added a three-run double Wednesday in
the Phillies' 6-2 win that snapped the Dodgers' four-game win streak and
dropped them back into second place one day after catching the Giants. Rookie
Dodgers reliever Grant Dayton allowed Galvis' seventh-inning homer
to give the Phillies the lead, and Howard cleared the bases in the ninth off
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen for the insurance runs. Galvis also
homered Tuesday night. "Grant's been throwing the heck out of the
baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of using the left-handed
Dayton, who had not allowed a hit in his previous three appearances. "I'm
swinging well and just trying to stick with it," said Howard, who has been
playing in a reserve role most of the season. "It's a game of ups and
downs. You have downs, and some point you're going to have ups." Dodgers
starter Scott Kazmir (9-6), removed with a lead he
protected from the first inning, took the loss. Phillies
starter Jeremy Hellickson left the game after five innings with
back tightness. He retired the final 13 batters he faced and struck out seven. "There
were some at-bats we probably should have run the count and stress him a little
more," Roberts said of his offense's approach. "We had Hellickson on
the ropes, yeah. We let him catch his breath and get a rhythm, and next thing
you know, he's through the fifth inning." Hellickson, who allowed one run
on three hits, was relieved by Tuesday callup Elvis Araujo, who
hit Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager on the right wrist with a 91-mph
fastball in the sixth inning but was the winning pitcher. X-rays on Seager were
negative, and he said he expects to play Friday.
PHILS PHACTS:
- Galvis had not homered against a left-hander since Aug.
26, 2014, but he turned on a 2-2 fastball from Dodgers lefty Dayton for a
three-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead.
It snapped a streak of 305 consecutive plate appearances against a lefty
without a home run. Galvis then preserved the lead in the eighth when he
made a nice sliding catch and a strong throw to first with runners on
first and second and two outs to end the inning. "I just tried to get
a good at-bat," Galvis said. "I tried to put the ball in play.
He was throwing everything away. He gave me a good pitch to hit. I put a
good swing on it, and I hit a homer."
- It has been a
bad week for the Phillies' rotation. They placed Aaron Nola on the disabled list on Aug. 3
and Zach
Eflin on
the DL on Tuesday only to watch Hellickson leave the game after the fifth
inning because of tightness in his back. He had retired 14 of the final 15
batters he faced before leaving the game. Hellickson said he will be OK,
but if he cannot make his next start, the Phillies will need to find two
new starters to pitch next week. "It's definitely not something I
think will linger more than a couple days," Hellickson said.
- Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has reached
base safely in 18 consecutive games, dating to July 23.
NEXT
GAME:
The Phils do not play Thursday, but they open a
three-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Citizens Bank
Park. Rookie right-hander Jake Thompson makes the second start of his career
after getting hit hard in his big league debut over the weekend against the
Padres.
PHILS PHACTS:
Seeking Consistency – If Freddy Galvis could hit more consistently, his
future with the Phillies might be a no-brainer. He smacked a three-run home run
to left field in the seventh inning of Wednesday afternoon's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
The homer against Dodgers left-hander Grant Dayton put the Phillies in front by one, and
it also snapped Galvis' streak of 305 consecutive plate appearances without a
homer against a lefty, which dated to Aug. 26, 2014, when he homered against
Washington's Gio Gonzalez. "Wow,
I can't even remember," Galvis said of his last homer against a lefty.
"I think it was like three years ago. Two years ago?" Galvis later
preserved the Phillies' one-run lead with runners on first and second and two
outs in the eighth. Joc Pederson hit a hard ground ball to Galvis'
right. The shortstop made a foot-first slide and backhanded the ball before
standing up and making a strong throw to first get Pederson to end the inning. "We
try to help each other," he said. "I made the play for [Hector] Neris
and for the team. It was good." Galvis' solid defense has never been in
question. His instincts on the field and leadership qualities in the clubhouse
impress his manager and coaches, too. But Galvis' offense has been his
shortcoming. He is hitting .231 with 18 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs,
45 RBIs and a .627 OPS. Galvis' .618 OPS at shortstop entering Wednesday ranked
23rd out of 25 qualified shortstops, according to FanGraphs. Those numbers are
noteworthy, as Phillies' prospect J.P. Crawford continues to play in Triple-A
Lehigh Valley. Crawford might not join the Phillies this season, even as a
September callup, but the expectation is that Crawford will be the team's
everyday shortstop at some point next season. Galvis said he is not following
Crawford's progress. "I follow my daughter," he said. Galvis
eventually could move to second base, where he played brilliant defense in
place of Chase Utley in 2012 and '13. But Cesar Hernandez's
recent offensive performance might make things a little more interesting
heading into the offseason. Hernandez is hitting .285 with 11 doubles, eight
triples, 27 RBIs and a .714 OPS, but he makes too many mental mistakes on the
field for the coaching staff's liking. If Galvis can finish the season strong
-- he has hit .294 with a .735 OPS against lefties since July 3 -- he could
help his cause. "I don't want to conjecture too much," Phillies
manager Pete Mackanin said about Galvis' future with the Phillies, "but I
like Freddy a lot. You cannot deny his ability at short defensively, and the
guy's got 11 home runs and closing in on 50 RBIs. I'll take the sure-handed
shortstop with good range that can drive in 50-plus runs and hit more than 10
home runs."
Leaving A Little Early – The
Phillies hope Jeremy Hellickson's
back is a little sore and nothing more. He left Wednesday afternoon's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium
after the fifth inning because of tightness in his back, potentially leaving
the Phillies with just three healthy starters. The team placed Aaron Nola on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 3
because of inflammation in his right elbow, replacing him with rookie Jake Thompson. They
placed Zach Eflin on the DL on Tuesday because of sore
knees. They have not named his replacement for Sunday's start against the
Rockies. The Phillies will need a second starter Wednesday against the Dodgers
at Citizens Bank Park if Hellickson can't pitch, but he said he expects to be
OK. It helps that he is not scheduled to pitch again for a week because the
Phillies do not play games Thursday or Monday. "It's definitely not
something I think will linger more than a couple days," Hellickson said. Adam Morgan, David Buchanan and Phil Klein are candidates to take a spot or two
in the rotation. Hellickson struggled a bit in the first inning Wednesday but
cruised before he left the game, retiring 14 of the final 15 batters he faced.
He said he tweaked the right side of his back on the second pitch against
Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley in the fifth inning. "Then it
just kind of tightened up on me," Hellickson said. "I tried to talk
[manager Pete Mackanin] into letting me go back out, but it's probably a good
thing he didn't let me." An injury to Hellickson is one of the risks the
Phillies took when they did not trade him before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade
Deadline. He is a free agent after the season and has been pitching well, but
the Phillies wanted talent commensurate with a compensatory pick in the 2017
Draft to trade him. They are expected to make Hellickson a qualifying offer
after the season. If he rejects it and if he signs with another team, the
Phillies receive an extra Draft pick. The risk is if Hellickson gets injured or
struggles before the end of the season, surveys the landscape for free-agent
starting pitching and accepts a one-year contract expected to be worth about
$16.5 million. In that case, the Phillies get Hellickson on a very expensive
one-year contract and no Draft pick. But it sounds like Hellickson should be
OK. The Phillies certainly need him. "It's unfortunate," Hellickson
said about the Phillies' recent rotation woes. "Nola did all he could to
fight through that. Then Eflin, same thing. He'd been battling. Like I said,
mine's not going to be any more than a little soreness tomorrow. Hopefully just
a couple days of soreness. I can't see it being any longer than that."
Today
In Phils History – The Phillies were certain to win the game on this
day in 1910 up 9-0 heading into the 9th inning but then they sent 13
batters to the plate and obliterated the Pirates by a score of 18-0. The
scoreboard wasn’t as kind to the Phillies in 1931 as the Giants recorded 28
hits including 4 homeruns and 7 doubles as they defeated the Phillies 23-8. Phillies
manager Ben Chapman is remembered for a variety of unpleasant reasons but one
incident that is commonly overlooked happened on this day in 1947 when he
mistakenly handed the umpires a lineup card from the previous day forcing
Schoolboy Rowe to start for the second day in a row throwing two pitches and
surrendering a double without warming up before being replaced by Charley
Shanz. Despite Jim Command connecting for a grand slam for his first MLB hit in
1954, the Phillies lost to the Dodger in the 1st game of a double
header. Dick Allen’s homerun is the difference maker as the NL prevails at the
1967 All Star Game in Anaheim. 20 years later, Kent Tekulve made the 900th
appearance of his career setting a new MLB record by a pitcher who had never
started a game. Phillies closer Heathcliffe Slocumb gets the win as the NL
edges out the AL at the 1995 All Star Game in Arlington, Texas. A decade later,
Bobby Abreu hit a record 41 homeruns (including 24 in the 1st round)
to win the All Star Homerun Derby in Detroit.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are currently 53-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most
preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-36-0 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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