Franco Goes Deep And Morton Goes Down

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blast Brewers 10-6

Maikel Franco hit his third home run in two games and finished with four RBIs as the Phillies outlasted the Brewers, 10-6, on a long Saturday night at Miller Park. The teams combined to throw 387 pitches in a game that surpassed the four-hour mark and was closer than the final score indicated. Franco's three-run homer in the fourth gave the Phillies a 6-4 lead that grew to 7-4 by the eighth, when the Brewers scored twice to make it a one-run game. But the Phillies added insurance during a three-run ninth, highlighted by Odubel Herrera's two-run shot off Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress, who hadn't allowed a run in his first seven appearances this season. Franco, who homered twice in Friday's series opener, went deep Saturday off Brewers starter Chase Anderson, who was hit hard for six earned runs on eight hits while throwing 99 pitches in four innings. Phillies reliever Brett Oberholtzer earned the win in relief after Phillies starter Charlie Morton exited with a hamstring injury. "We're not giving our team a chance to win," Anderson said. "We have to do better."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Franco followed Friday's two-homer effort with a three-run blast to left field in the fourth to give the Phillies a 6-4 lead. But Franco's best moment came in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Braun hit a smash to Franco's left, and the third baseman caught the ball as he fell to the ground. Franco spun around and, while still sitting on the dirt, fired a strike to first baseman Ryan Howard for the out. Meanwhile, Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, two walks, four runs scored and two stolen bases. "It means a lot when those guys get going and they look like they're lighting up a little bit," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
• Morton threw 29 pitches in the first inning, then strained his left hamstring running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt in the second. He had to be helped off the field. Morton had been on a roll, allowing just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings in his previous two starts. It is unclear if he will make his next start. "There are varying degrees of severity with any injury," Morton said. "So you really just don't know. It doesn't do anybody any good to speculate really. Something happened. It's not good."
• "He told me you throw better like that." -- Franco, on what Freddy Galvis said to him that made him laugh after he threw out Braun while sitting on his rump in the fifth.
• Through four innings, the Phillies were on pace to throw 231 pitches, and the Brewers 222. Baseball-Reference.com has only six nine-inning games in its database in which both teams topped 200 pitches, and no nine-inning games in which both teams topped 220. In the end, the Brewers finished with 200 total pitches, and the Phillies 187.
• Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored and two walks. He is the first Phillies batter since at least 1900 with four runs, one home run and two stolen bases in a game.

NEXT GAME:

Herrera enters the 2:10 p.m. ET Sunday series finale against the Brewers at Miller Park having reached base in 15 consecutive games. He is three games shy of tying his career high, which he reached during his rookie season in 2015. Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff gets the start.

PHILS PHACTS:

Morton Goes Down, Morgan Called Up – The Phillies placed Charlie Morton on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained left hamstring. The Phillies recalled right-hander Luis Garcia from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Morton's spot on the 25-man roster. Garcia is expected to help the bullpen through this week's three-game series against the Nationals at Nationals Park, but Triple-A left-hander Adam Morgan is expected to take Morton's spot in the rotation Friday night against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Garcia allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Brewers. "He was certainly going to miss at least the next start, if not the next two," general manager Matt Klentak said about Morton. Morgan is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts with Lehigh Valley. He lost the Spring Training battle to be the team's No. 5 starter to Vince Velasquez. Top prospects like Mark Appel (3-0, 1.62 ERA in three starts) have pitched well, but the Phillies want to give their younger prospects more time to develop in the Minor Leagues. "The whole Triple-A staff has been doing a really nice job," Klentak said. "We're fortunate that we do have -- whether Charlie is out for a couple of starts or longer -- we do have options within the organization. We're comfortable with that." Morton, who was injured running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt, will receive an MRI on his hamstring Monday. Morton, who has been on the disabled list in seven of the previous eight seasons, entered Saturday 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts, although he had allowed just one run in 12 2/3 innings in his last two outings. He allowed seven hits, six walks and struck out 13 batters in that two-start stretch against the Padres and Nationals. "Frustrated," Morton said about the injury.

The New Dynamic Duo – Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera can make things fun again. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has been hoping his two best hitters would start hitting together, and both had huge games Saturday night in a 10-6 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. Franco hit a three-run homer to left field in the fourth inning and threw out Ryan Braun from his rump in the fifth. Meanwhile, Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored and two walks. He is the first Phillies batter since at least 1900 with four runs, one homer and two stolen bases in a game. "It means a lot when those guys get going and they look like they're lighting up a little bit," Mackanin said. It also means the Phillies scored 10 runs in a game for the first time since Sept. 27, 2015, when they put 12 up against the Nationals. The Phillies are 9-9, the latest they have been .500 in a season since they were 15-15 on May 15, 2014. Franco knocked a pair of homers in Friday's 5-2 victory to give him three in two games. He is batting .299 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and an .890 OPS, which ranks fourth among National League third basemen and 18th overall among NL players. Herrera is hitting .283 with two homers, eight RBIs and an .875 OPS, which is ninth among NL outfielders and 20th overall. Herrera leads the big leagues with 17 walks. "I feel great," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I'm seeing a lot of pitches. That's what I want to do. The more pitches that I see, the more pitches my teammates see. It's a collective effort. I feel very comfortable right now." Franco turned heads with an incredible defensive play in the fifth, when Braun smashed a ground ball to his left. Franco fielded the ball and spun as he hit the dirt. Sitting on the ground with his legs stretched in front of him, the third baseman fired a rocket to Ryan Howard at first for the out. "That was the first time I did that play," Franco said. Everybody was impressed. Well, not everybody. "I didn't see it," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis joked. Of course, Galvis did. In fact, he had Franco laughing hard immediately after the play. "He told me you throw better like that," Franco said. "That's what you look for when you go out there. Try to have fun and enjoy the game and win the game. The last two games, we've played good. That's what we're looking for every single day."

Road Work Ahead – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin stressed the importance of baserunning in Spring Training because he knew an extra base here and there could mean everything to a team expected to work for its runs. Perhaps they took a step forward in Saturday's 10-6 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. Odubel Herrera stole a pair of bases and took a couple extra bases that led to two runs. The Phillies entered Saturday night's game against the Brewers at Miller Park having stolen just seven bases in 14 attempts. Their stolen base percentage (50 percent) tied four other teams for the lowest mark in the Majors. The Phillies have made six more outs on the bases, which includes failing to advance on a fly ball, failing to take an extra base on a hit, being doubled up on a line drive or failing to advance on a wild pitch or passed ball. The Phillies' combined 13 outs on the bases are behind only the Rangers (17), Pirates (17) and Rockies (14). "With the type of offense we have, I'm taking more chances than I normally would," Mackanin said. "We have to try to ignite the offense somehow and get things going." But it has not all been bad. The Phillies had been tied for seventh in the big leagues in extra bases taken percentage (45 percent), according to Baseball Reference. The statistic measures the percentage of times a runner advances more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double, when possible. "A couple mistakes are outweighing some of the good we're doing," first-base coach Mickey Morandini said. "We've made a few mistakes, but I think we're coming out of the box good. I think we're hustling. We did have a couple of guys get to second base on dropped popups, which I liked. We're making plays close at first on some ground balls. We've gone first to third pretty good. Just a couple of those mistakes are outweighing some of the good we're doing." Morandini handles the team's baserunning. He is not happy with the team's basestealing. For example, Cesar Hernandez is just 1-for-5 in stolen base attempts. "There's no way Cesar should be 1-for-5 with his speed," Morandini said. Morandini and Mackanin believe the Phillies are running on the right pitchers. Specifically, they are running on pitchers with slower times to the plate. But they think their base stealers have been getting poor jumps. Hernandez got thrown out Friday because he started his move toward second base only when the ball nearly was out of the pitcher's hand. "That's just way too late," Morandini said. "It's a confidence thing. If you're going to be a base stealer, you've got to have the confidence to go and not care. You've got to have that attitude that he's not going to throw me out. Cesar, especially, he's sometimes afraid to make mistakes. We'll keep working on it. We'll get better at it."

Today In Phils History – Today is quite the day for offensive accomplishments from catcher Lave Cross hitting for the cycle during a 22-5 thrashing of Brooklyn in 1894 and Dick Bartell becoming the first player to hit four doubles in four consecutive at bats in 1933 to Chase Utley hitting a grand slam in his first Major League game in 2003 and Pat Burrell setting the April RBI record with 24 in 2008. Of course there is also the peak of the Ben Chapman controversy in 1947 as he missed the final game of the series against Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the players on that team was Schoolboy Rowe who made his Phillies debut four years prior (along with Babe Dahlgren) in 1943.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 9-9 this season putting them on pace to meet most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 49-50-1 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. Let the rebuild begin!

The Intricacies Of The Off Season

PHILS PHACTS:

Protected Trio – The Phillies protected three players from the Rule 5 Draft before Friday's 8 p.m. ET deadline. They added outfielder Roman Quinn and right-handers Jimmy Cordero and Edubray Ramos to the 40-man roster. If they had not been placed on the roster, they could have been selected in next month's Rule 5 Draft in Nashville, Tenn. International and high school players signed at age 18 must be added to the 40-man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at 19 or older must be added within four seasons. Notable Phillies players not added to the 40-man include outfielder Carlos Tocci and right-hander Alberto Tirado, who rank among the Phillies' Top 30 Prospects, according to MLBPipeline.com. But those two are expected to be placed on the Phillies' Triple-A roster, which means if they are selected, they would have to remain on a team's 25-man roster the entire 2016 season for the Phillies to lose them. That seems unlikely to happen. Quinn, 22, hit .306 with six doubles, six triples, four home runs, 15 RBIs, 29 stolen bases and a .791 OPS in 257 plate appearances last season with Double-A Reading. A torn hip flexor sidelined him for much of the season. The Phillies' No. 6 prospect, Quinn is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic. Cordero, 24, is a hard-thrower acquired from Toronto in July in the Ben Revere trade. He posted a 2.12 ERA in 13 appearances with Reading, striking out 18 in 17 innings. He has thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings in winter ball in the Dominican. Ramos, 22, posted a combined 2.07 ERA in 47 appearances with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Reading. The Phillies have 37 players on their 40-man roster. They have 40 Minor League players eligible to be selected in the Rule 5, including Tocci, Tirado, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, Tommy Joseph, Gabriel Lino, Cameron Perkins and Brock Stassi.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Should Be An Interesting Mix Next Season!

PHILS PHACTS:

Young Core Commitment – General manager Matt Klentak has spent his first 10 days with the Phillies meeting as many people as possible and learning as much as he can about the organization he hopes to return to World Series contention. Klentak said he feels pretty good about things heading into next week's GM Meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. "It has been a very busy 10 days, but it has been a super, super valuable 10 days," Klentak said Thursday. So what's the plan? "We really want to raise the floor and add some depth," Klentak said. "Kind of at every turn, that's what we're going to be focused on. And in the pitching department, I think we really need to work on just -- again, I say raise the floor -- but kind of establish sort of a firm foundation of pitching. That's not going to end when we break camp at the end of Spring Training. That's something we're going to be committed to for a long time." How it happens remains to be seen, but do not expect the Phillies to be the "mystery team" that swoops in to sign an ace to a $100 million contract at the last minute. Phillies president Andy MacPhail said in September that the club does not plan to pursue the biggest names in free agency this offseason. "There is some talent that we think is viable talent, but it needs to come percolate and demonstrate that it's real," MacPhail said of the young players in the organization. "And after that period, you might go forward. But do you really want to commit after you've just been in that pool and suffered from it? Do you really want to commit at this stage?" Phillies part-owner John Middleton reiterated that point during Klentak's introductory news conference Oct. 26. "I don't think you can buy a winner," Middleton said. "I think this will not come as any great shock, I don't view free agency as the way to build your club," Klentak added Thursday. "Good clubs, we just saw it in the playoffs this year, in the World Series this year. The core of the best clubs are built internally through the Draft, through savvy international signings, through signing key players to contract extensions and extending the club control. "Free agency is very useful to augment or supplement that core, but you know that is not where you're going to get the best bang for your buck from a value perspective. Sometimes circumstances dictate that's where you're going to go to get your players. Sometimes that will dictate where you want to shy away from. But if you want to fish in the deep end of the pond in free agency, you know that there's going to be more risk there. The burn factor is going to be higher. So you have to enter into free agency knowing that. It doesn't mean you shouldn't play in free agency or you should shy away from it at all times. You just have to go in knowing the realities." Klentak prefers not to trade any of the Phillies' young core to take a larger step forward in a couple years -- closer Ken Giles could fetch some talent, for example -- but he also will not completely dismiss the idea, either. "I try not to operate in absolutes if at all possible, because you never know," Klentak said. But first, Klentak has to know what he has. That is why he is asking a lot of questions and listening. That is why he is reading through player reports on his weekend cross-country flights from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where his family lives at the moment. "We all have to know about our players," Klentak said. "It's really an important thing as we embark on trade discussions and free-agent discussions. We have to know what we have first, before we know what we need."

Haunted By 2008 – The Phillies admittedly turned the page too slowly on 2008, but the turnover is nearly complete. The only players remaining from their World Series championship team are Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz. Howard will make $25 million next season, which does not include a $10 million buyout on a 2017 club option. Ruiz will make $8.5 million, which does not include a $500,000 buyout on a 2017 club option. But will Howard and Ruiz be back, just because they are under contract? The Phillies have tried to trade Howard, but found no takers despite agreeing to pay almost the entirety of his contract. "They definitely fit into our plans for '16," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Thursday. "That's not a concern for me. But I never say never. I'm open to anything. I have so much respect for what Ryan and Chooch have done, and what they have meant to this city and franchise. At some point, frankly it could be next week, I'm going to sit down with their agents and talk to them. I don't know them as people. I want to understand sort of what their motivations are. But the question about, 'Can they exist on our roster next year?' Absolutely." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin turned Howard into a platoon player this past season, splitting his time at first base with Darin Ruf. Howard hit .229 with 29 doubles, one triple, 23 home runs, 77 RBIs and a .720 OPS in 129 games. He posted an .802 OPS against right-handed pitchers, which ranked 55th out of 140 qualified hitters in baseball. Howard posted a .418 OPS against left-handers, which is the ninth-lowest mark in baseball in the past 20 seasons (minimum 100 plate appearances against lefties). Ruf's 1.107 OPS against left-handers tied Nelson Cruz for the best in baseball (minimum 100 plate appearances against lefties). "I spent quite a bit of time with Pete last week [at the organizational meetings], and we talked about that among many other things," Klentak said about a Howard-Ruf platoon. "We will seek the best combination of players to find results. The strengths and the skill sets of the players will dictate how we utilize them." Klentak said he believes Howard can still hit effectively in the middle of the Phillies' lineup. He said Howard has earned the benefit of the doubt. "I'm a big believer in providing opportunities for players," Klentak said. "The players will let us know. We're not going to draw a conclusion over a couple of games or an at-bat, but if the circumstances of the performance dictate we make an adjustment, we will. I go into this with some degree of optimism ... and let's give players opportunities and if they fail to achieve, we'll adjust. But let's not adjust before we have to." But Klentak also has to prepare for the possibility that those players don't perform, or that they are unhappy in their future roles. Ruiz said late in the season he still views himself as the No. 1 catcher, although he acknowledged Cameron Rupp outplayed him. "If we're doing our jobs and communicating with players throughout the process, I think that goes a long way towards minimizing issues," Klentak said. "If everybody understands where each party is coming from -- that doesn't mean everybody has to agree with it -- but as long as people understand and are open and honest about it, I think that is probably the biggest thing I've learned over time. "You can't fool the players -- they know. You can't fool the media -- they know. You can't fool the fans. So being open and honest with the plans and what the intentions are, I think, is often the best medicine."

Fall Star Game Preview – On any given day this fall, fans can head to an Arizona Fall League game and see some of the best talent Minor League Baseball has to offer. On Saturday, the AFL gives everyone the chance to do some one-stop shopping, courtesy of the 10th annual Fall Stars Game. The game, which starts at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed live on MLB.com, features the best of the best in the prospect world. With seven members of MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list and a total of 37 players on their team's Top 30 lists, it's the Fall League version of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. "It'll be a whole lot of fun," said Mets first baseman Dominic Smith, the Mets' No. 5 prospect (No. 92 overall) who was one of two first basemen named on Monday to the East Division squad. "This league is so good. Every day I step on the field, it's like an All-Star Game. You see the most elite Minor Leaguers every game. I feel like the Fall Stars Game will be a lot of fun. I'm excited to play in it." Mariners’ first baseman D.J. Peterson, who is on the West Division team, will be playing in his second straight Fall Stars Game. The M's No. 3 prospect is very much looking forward to another chance to show what he can do on a national stage. "I'm very excited to represent the Mariners," said Peterson, who went 0-for-2 in last year's contest. "Doing it two years in a row, I'm hoping I can get something more out of it. It's great to get to interact with all the guys from other teams." Cardinals right-hander Alex Reyes is the highest-ranked player in this year's game, and the No. 16 prospect has peformed well, striking out 14 batters over 15 innings, despite a shaky outing that pushed his ERA on the season to 3.60 over four starts. Pirates outfielder Austin Meadows is the highest-ranked hitter (No. 22) in the game, followed by fellow Georgia high school 2013 first-round pick Clint Frazier (No. 35) of the Indians. Smith, Daniel Robertson of the Rays (No. 79) and the Rockies' Raimel Tapia (No. 99) round out the Top 100 representatives. As part of the Arizona Fall League's Final Two Fan Vote, Cubs No. 20 prospect Jeimer Candelario and Brewers No. 18 prospect Yadiel Rivera were added to the rosters. For the first time, fans were able to select a 26th player for each Fall Stars team. This year's rosters are chock full of former first-round picks, with eight taken in the opening round of the Draft. The list, which doesn't include supplemental first-rounders or those taken under the new rules in the Competitive Balance Rounds, is led by six selections from the first round of the 2013 Draft. Last year's game not only featured top-level talent, but it served as a crystal ball into who some of the impact rookies in the big leagues this past season would be. The Dodgers' Corey Seager, the Indians' Francisco Lindor, the Braves' Jace Peterson, the Twins' Eddie Rosario, the Yankees' Greg Bird (the AFL MVP a year ago), the D-backs' Archie Bradley and the Cubs' C.J. Edwards all played in the 2014 edition of the Fall Stars and all made contributions -- some larger than others -- to their parent club during this past regular season. "I'm sure this year's roster will have guys who'll make that jump and play in the big leagues next year," Smith said. "It tells me what's possible. If you keep playing hard, anything is possible." Smith has been one of the better performers in the AFL this season, hitting .400/.542/.571 over his first 35 at-bats. While Smith won't be one of those guys who jumps from the Fall Stars Game right to the big leagues, this experience is clearly getting him ready for the jump out of Class A ball to the upper levels. "I'm just trying to keep it pretty simple," Smith said. "Work counts, swing at good pitches. When you swing at good pitches, good things happen. I'm trying to show I can perform at this level. "This experience is definitely preparing me for Double-A and beyond. A lot of guys in this league will be in the big leagues next year and beyond. I'll be facing these guys in the future for sure. Playing against the competition of the future, getting to compete with them now, it's making me a lot more comfortable going into next season." D.J. Peterson also feels more comfortable, especially compared to a year ago, when he struggled in the AFL. More energized this fall, Peterson has rediscovered his joy for the game. Like Smith, he's trying to keep things simple -- something he hopes will help him in the Fall Stars Game, when the natural inclination might be to try to do something special. "I feel like this year, the mindset is completely different," Peterson said. "I just want to go out and have fun. That's what I've been doing every day here. "I think you keep your same approach in the Fall Stars Game -- try to see something [over the] middle part of the plate and put a good swing on it and do some damage. The guys in this game are really good, so if you miss that pitch, they're going to get you."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.