Monday, August 29, 2016

Phillies Salvage Win Thanks To Ellis

GAME RECAP: Phillies Mock Mets 5-1


In his debut with the Phillies, catcher A.J. Ellis broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run double, highlighting a four-run frame in a 5-1 victory over the Mets on Sunday at Citi Field. Through six innings, Mets right-hander Robert Gsellman's first Major League start had gone swimmingly, allowing only one run on four hits while striking out five. Then came the seventh. The rookie allowed three straight singles to open the frame before exiting. With the game knotted up at 1, Ellis welcomed Hansel Robles out of the bullpen by drilling a two-run double over the head of left fielder Curtis Granderson, and the Phillies went on to score two more runs in the inning. "[Gsellman] was cruising along," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "He made some pitches and got some ground balls. He had a pretty low pitch count ... and I thought he was pitching pretty good. Unfortunately, he gave up the three hits." Despite the loss, the Mets remained 2 1/2 games back of the second National League Wild Card spot as the Cardinals lost to the A's. Phillies starter Vince Velasquez wasn't efficient, needing 103 pitches to get through five innings, but he was effective. The right-hander surrendered only one run -- a Granderson sacrifice fly in the first -- on five hits while striking out seven. "We've had periods like that, where we got beat pretty bad and that's one of the things these guys have done -- they put it behind them," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, referring to the Phils losing the first two games of the series by a combined 21-5 margin. "They've been resilient. They came back and played baseball. That's a testament to the guys. They play hard." The Mets lost shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who left the game with a sore left knee in the first inning following a first-base collision with the Phillies' Tommy Joseph.

PHILS PHACTS: 
  • The Phillies acquired Ellis in the Carlos Ruiz trade with the Dodgers on Thursday, he joined the team Saturday and he appeared in his first game Sunday. He went hitless in his first two plate appearances before he ripped a double to left field with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh. Ellis' double scored two runs to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. He later scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. "It felt good regardless of what's happened in the last four days," Ellis said. "It feels good to drive in runs, feels good to help put your team ahead and help contribute to a team win."
  • Up until the seventh, the Phillies were having a difficult time getting a good swing off Gsellman. In those six innings, Philadelphia hit just three batted balls that had exit velocities greater than 100 mph, according to Statcast™. The right-hander tossed a perfect fifth and sixth and entered the seventh with only 84 pitches, but the Phillies apparently figured him out. The singles off the bats of Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Jimmy Paredes in that frame clocked in at 109 mph, 109 mph and 100 mph, respectively.
  • It has been a rough few weeks for Velasquez, who posted a 10.47 ERA in his past three starts and a 7.29 ERA in his past six. But after he worked out of jams in both the first and second innings against the Mets he retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced to give him his best start in more than a month. "I guess it's just a step in the right direction," Velasquez said. "I had another high pitch count, another long first inning, but I battled my way through it and made my pitches."
  • "I told these guys when I came in, the one thing you know about the Phillies is if they get a lead late, the game is over. [Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. The game's over. Those guys are lights-out. We saw it firsthand in L.A., and I got to see it behind the plate today." – Ellis.
  • Phillies setup man Neris struck out one in a scoreless eighth. He is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his past 31 appearances.
  • Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis stood on third with one out in the third, when Cesar Hernandez dropped a bunt up the third-base line. Mets third baseman Jose Reyes threw to first and first baseman James Loney threw to the plate to get Galvis for an inning-ending double play. Why was Hernandez bunting there? "When you're swinging the bat well and getting hits, I'd prefer for him to swing the bat," Mackanin said. "He's swinging the bat as well as anybody we have. But I'm not going to fault him for it. If he gets the bunt down the third-base line, then he gets the run in. I'd prefer him to swing, but what he did I can't criticize him for."
NEXT GAME:
Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson (1-3, 9.78 ERA) has struggled in each of his first four big league starts, unable to pitch more than five innings in any of them. He faces the Nationals in Monday's 7:05 p.m. ET series opener at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:


Solid Debut – A.J. Ellis could not hide his disappointment Thursday, when the Dodgers blindsided him and traded him to the Phillies. He had been with the Dodgers since they drafted him 2003, and they have a legitimate chance to reach the World Series this year. The Phillies? They hope to contend, maybe in a year or two. But as Ellis joined the Phillies on Saturday, he said his feelings of disappointment had started to fade and he had refocused and found a new purpose with his new team. Ellis came up big in Sunday afternoon's 5-1 victory over the Mets at Citi Field. Making his first appearance in a Phillies uniform, he doubled to left field with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh inning. Two runs scored to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. He later scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. "It felt good regardless of what's happened in the last four days," Ellis said. "It feels good to drive in runs, feels good to help put your team ahead and help contribute to a team win. "It's just great to be playing baseball again. You kind of lose yourself in the competition and then playing again. It was a long morning for me prepping, but as soon as that first pitch came, I was back in the game and felt right where I was supposed to be." Ellis certainly felt at home behind the plate, where he has a stellar reputation. He caught a couple of bullpen sessions Saturday and then spent the second half of Saturday night's game in the bullpen, talking to the relievers, learning what they like to throw. He worked hard with Sunday starter Vince Velasquez before the game, too. "You just have to dive right in, no hesitation and communicate with the guys," Ellis said. "You can't say enough of what these guys on the mound did out there today, what Vince did, his pitch count got elevated the first two innings and he was able to grind through the last three to turn the ball over to David [Hernandez] in the sixth. That showed a lot to me, the way he was able to battle and bulldog his way through five tough innings. "And like I told these guys when I came in, the one thing you know about the Phillies is if they get a lead late, the game is over. [Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. The game's over. Those guys are lights-out. We saw it firsthand in L.A., and I got to see it behind the plate today."


Another Step Forward – Vince Velasquez did not pitch to perfection Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, but he pitched to positive results anyway. He needed them. He allowed five hits, one run, one walk and struck out seven in five innings in a 5-1 victory over the Mets. He threw 103 pitches, loading the bases with one out in the first and working with runners on first and second with no outs in the second. But he worked out of both jams and retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. "I guess it's just a step in the right direction," Velasquez said. "I had another high pitch count, another long first inning, but I battled my way through it and made my pitches." Velasquez (8-6, 4.21 ERA) had struggled recently, posting a 10.47 ERA in his previous three starts and a 7.29 ERA in his previous six. He also had given up eight home runs in his previous 15 1/3 innings after he allowed just 11 in his first 103 2/3. So, yes, Velasquez needed this, even if he found himself frustrated with his pitch count. "It just [stinks] to put yourself in situations like that every outing," he said. "To be in a predicament like that is very hard to get out of. On my part, I don't want to be in that situation. I'm going to have to battle through it, but that's just something to keep under my cap and work on in the offseason and to approach it the right way coming into Spring Training." Velasquez should get at least one or two more starts. He has pitched 124 innings, just two-thirds of an inning short of his season high in professional baseball. The Phillies had targeted 150 for Velasquez, but if he continues to pitch only five or six per start, he might not hit that number. "Yeah, I think that would be the right move," Velasquez said about 150 innings. "Discussing with the pitching coach [Bob McClure], they don't want to go too far and they don't want to go too low with my innings. I don't' know. It's their call, but I would like to get to 10 wins and call it a season. "Today was a struggle, but again, it was a step in the right direction." That is the goal for Velasquez: Enter the offseason feeling some good vibes. The Phillies remain high on him, despite his recent struggles. He is still learning on the job and everybody still sees his potential. "The stuff is electric," Phillies catcher A.J. Ellis said. "He has so many weapons, so many options. When he keeps growing and keeps polishing that gift up, it's going to be really, really special. So I'm excited to be able to continue to work with him, excited now to work with him and Bob McClure and [catcher] Cameron Rupp, kind of talk to them about things, things he sees, that we see, together we can build a plan for him going forward in his career."


Pulling Back – Any small chance that Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson had to be traded before the end of the season has become no chance. Sources confirmed Sunday afternoon that Hellickson recently had been claimed on waivers. But the Phillies could not complete a trade with the claiming team, so they pulled him off waivers, making him ineligible to be traded the rest of the year. CSNPhilly.com first reported the news. So what's next for Hellickson, who the Phillies also tried to trade before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline? He is set to become a free agent after the season. The Phillies are expected to make him a qualifying offer, which allows them to receive a compensation pick in the 2017 Draft, if he rejects the offer and signs elsewhere. It is likely that he rejects the offer, but Hellickson might be tempted by the one-year offer worth an estimated $17 million. Hellickson, 29, is 10-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 26 starts this season.

Today In Phils History – On this day in 1981, while playing for the Phillies’ farm club in Spartansburg, Jeff Stone set the professional baseball record for stolen bases with his 121st of the season (the record would only stand for a year). Phillies phans set a record of their own in 1993 when the Phillies home attendance topped 40,000 for the 20th game in a row setting a franchise record. Three years later, the Phillies parted ways with Pete Incaviglia and Todd Zeile when they sent them to Baltimore for 2 players to be named later. Lastly, Happy Birthday to Aaron Rowand and Roy Oswalt who were both born on this day in 1977.

THE BEGINNING:
The Phillies are currently 60-70 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 45-60-1 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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