No Deadline Deals To Be Found

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday!

The Phillies return home from their road trip with the same roster in place and no moves on the horizon… it really was an off day off.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Phillies went 4-6 on their road trip through Pittsburgh, Miami and Atlanta. They hit just .151 (13-for-86) with runners in scoring position.
• Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp is quietly putting up some of the better numbers among catchers in baseball. He entered Sunday with a .797 OPS, which ranked fourth among 21 qualified catchers. Giants catcher Buster Posey ranked third (.803 OPS).
• The Giants are happy to leave July behind. They entered Sunday with a 10-13 mark in July, making it their worst month of the season.
• Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez went 2-for-5 with two runs and a stolen base Saturday in his first start with his new team. Since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920, the only other Giants to drive in two runs and steal a base in their first start for the Giants are Johnny Vergez (1931 at Philadelphia) and Fran Healy (1971 vs. Cubs). 

NEXT GAME:

The last time Giants ace Madison Bumgarner faced the Phillies, he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in a loss at AT&T Park in June. Bumgarner (10-6, 2.09 ERA) hopes for better results Tuesday night against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, where the teams open a three-game series. Bumgarner is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies. He faces Phillies rookie Zach Eflin (3-4, 4.23 ERA). Eflin allowed seven runs in five innings last week in a loss to the Marlins in Miami, but he had a 2.08 ERA in his previous seven starts, including a shutout on July 22 against the Pirates.

PHILS PHACTS:

Holding Assets – Matt Klentak had talent to trade, but the Phillies stood pat as Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline passed. Sources indicated that the Phillies had a high asking price for Jeremy Hellickson. It is unclear if the club came close to a deal, but some teams balked at the Phillies' demands because Hellickson can become a free agent following the season. Phillies relievers Jeanmar Gomez and David Hernandez received little interest. The Phillies and Rangers seriously discussed a Vince Velasquez trade, but such a deal was never close to completion. "We were pretty focused on making sure we appropriately balanced both the present and the future," Klentak said on Monday evening. "If there was a trade to be made that made sense on both fronts, then we would have done it. We had a lot of dialogue with quite a few teams about a number of players on our club. Never once did I feel that the appropriate balance would be struck with the return in a trade." The Phillies, one of just three teams not to make a trade before the Deadline, had plenty of interest in Hellickson. The Marlins had engaged in serious talks. The Tigers, Blue Jays, Giants, Rangers and Orioles had scouted the right-hander's starts. But while 13 big league starting pitchers got moved before the Deadline, Hellickson remains with the Phillies. "Whether we have overvalued him in the trade market, I don't know," Klentak said. "But certainly, we do value what he brings to our team. The last two months of the year are as important as the prior four. We have some younger pitchers that are going to be approaching innings totals for the season that they have never approached. To me, having a veteran starter that is able and capable of giving us six or seven innings a night to continue to allow our young starters to develop the way that we want them to -- there's a huge value in that to us." Klentak also felt comfortable sticking to his demands because the Phillies are expected to make a qualifying offer to Hellickson following the season. Teams that make a qualifying offer receive a compensatory Draft pick if a player signs with another team. If history is any indication, Hellickson will reject the Phillies' qualifying offer. Only three of 20 players accepted a qualifying offer last year, and none accepted over the previous three years. Hellickson's agent is Scott Boras, who is likely to tout his client as a top pitcher in a relatively thin free-agent market for starting pitching. Expecting that Hellickson will decline the offer, the Phillies wanted a prospect commensurate in talent to a top Draft pick. If Hellickson surprises the Phillies and he accepts a qualifying offer, they can afford the one-year contract, which would be worth roughly $16.5 million, because they have almost no financial commitments beyond this season. And while Aaron Nola, Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Triple-A right-hander Jake Thompson certainly look to be the makings of a talented rotation, pitchers get injured and struggle. Hellickson could be a steadying presence in the rotation for another season. "I will say that we have very supportive ownership and very few future commitments," Klentak said about possibly retaining Hellickson next season. Of course, there is risk involved. First, prospects are coveted because they have a track record in professional baseball and are projectable, whereas top Draft picks are valuable but untested in pro ball. Second, teams that sign a free agent with a qualifying offer forfeit their highest unprotected Draft pick. The teams with the top 10 selections have their first-round picks protected. Attaching a qualifying offer to Hellickson could make him less attractive to teams and potentially push him toward accepting the one-year deal. Hellickson's stock might never be higher than it is now. He is 8-7 with a 3.70 ERA in 22 starts, having posted a 2.49 ERA in his last eight starts. He had a 4.86 ERA in 71 starts over the previous three seasons with the Rays and D-backs. Next season, if Hellickson regresses to his performance from 2013-15, the Phillies will have lost an opportunity to acquire talent for a pitcher who is not expected to be part of their long-term plans. "We have to factor in the risk, the reward, what harm it does to our Major League club if a player is not here anymore and assess that in totality," Klentak said. "Once a player is in professional baseball and has a track record of facing professional competition, we have a better sense of how that player is going to develop than we do at the collegiate and high school level. I'm happy to acknowledge that. I don't think that will come as a shock to anybody. But those Draft picks have value as well." So Klentak's first non-waiver Trade Deadline was a quiet one. Of course, trades can still be made before the Aug. 31 waiver Trade Deadline, although they become more difficult. Perhaps Hellickson, Gomez, Hernandez, Peter Bourjos, Carlos Ruiz or others will be traded before then. "We're not under economic pressure to send money out the door, and we're not looking to just dump veterans for the sake of dumping veterans," Klentak said. "That's not the business we are in. We want to make sure that the kids on our team are being mentored by the right veterans and the product on the field is as good as it can be. Our position in August will be the same as it was this week. If there's a good baseball trade that provides us with the right value, then we will pursue it. If not, we will let it pass."

Williams Getting Some Attention – Here's a look at top prospects to watch in Tuesday's Minor League action: Hitter to watch: Nick Williams (Phillies' No. 3), Lehigh Valley vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Williams went 2-for-4 and hit a two-run home run on Monday to help power Triple-A Lehigh Valley past Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 22-year-old outfielder, ranked No. 60 on the Top 100, has gone deep 11 times in 97 games for the IronPigs, while the multi-hit performance improved his season average and OPS to .286 and .784, respectively.

Today In Phils History – Don Hurst hit his 6^th homerun in as many games as the Phillies shut out the Pirates in 1929. 3B Dolph Camilli made 3 errors in the 1^st inning of a game against the Dodgers in 1935. Tony Taylor hit a walk off grand slam against the Giants on this day in 1970. In 1986, the Phillies recorded a franchise record 5 triples (Gary Redus had 2) against the Cubs at the Vet. Jimmy Rollins hit his 4^th leadoff homerun of the season (he added another long ball later in the game) to tie the franchise record for the 3^rd year in a row in 2006. 3 years ago, the Phillies inducted Curt Schilling into the Wall of Fame.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 48-59 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 46-58-1 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.

Phillies Continue Talks As Trade Deadline Approaches

GAME RECAP: Braves Edge Phillies 2-1

While Vince Velasquez auditioned for the crowd of scouts that came to see him at Turner Field on Friday night, Tyrell Jenkins provided a more encouraging glimpse of his potential as a starting pitcher and helped the Braves claim a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Gordon Beckham and Nick Markakis recorded RBI singles during a two-run second inning that doomed Velasquez and proved sufficient for Jenkins, who allowed just one unearned run over six innings en route to claiming his first career win. The Phillies had won each of the past five games played against the Braves. "[Velasquez] was tough, and our guys hung in there pretty good against him," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "You're not going to get a whole lot, and thank God we didn't give up a whole lot. It was a good ballgame." Velasquez escaped multiple threats as he surrendered two earned runs and seven hits over six innings. The Dodgers and Rangers were among the teams that had scouts in the stands to watch the Phillies right-hander, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 18 starts. Philadelphia's only run was tallied in the third inning, when Cesar Hernandez scored from first base after Jace Peterson bobbled Odubel Herrera's single in left field. "Their guy was effectively wild, let's put it that way," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We had him on the ropes early."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Phillies acquired Velasquez from Houston in December as part of the Ken Giles trade, so would they really trade him less than eight months later? It is unlikely, but the presence of scouts, particularly three from the Rangers, is noteworthy and the rebuilding Phillies certainly will listen to what teams have to say. After all, what if they get an offer they can't refuse? "Am I aware of it? Yeah," Velasquez said about the trade speculation. "I can't control anything. If they trade me, they trade me. I can't do anything about it. What am I going to do? The only thing I can do is pitch. That's my job." 
• Ryan Howard hit a pinch-hit double to center field with two outs in the ninth inning to put the tying runner on base, and Hernandez worked a walk to put the go-ahead run at first. But Herrera grounded out to shortstop Aybar, who threw to third to end the game. "The play to end the game was a good play," Mackanin said. "It just worked out perfect, going to his backhand. There's nothing [pinch-runner Tyler] Goeddel could have done. Just a [heck] of a play."
• "Our whole goal was to get young pitchers, because they're the most expensive commodity. If you can develop young pitchers like him and have four or five of those guys, then you're ahead of the game, but at the same time I'll listen to any offers if you get three guys for him that are really good looking prospects. You've got to consider it." -- Mackanin, on trade talks between the Rangers and Phillies for Velasquez.
• The Phillies challenged a call in the seventh inning that Chase d'Arnaud successfully stole second base. The replay official in New York ruled that d'Arnaud failed to maintain contact with the base as Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis applied the tag. He overturned the call and d'Arnaud was out.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to start the third of a four-game series on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET against the Braves at Turner Field. Hellickson (7-7, 3.65) is the mostly likely Phillies player to be traded before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline and talks could pick up with Andrew Cashner traded Friday to the Marlins, which removed one more starter from the board.

PHILS PHACTS:

Calm Among The Rumors – Matt Klentak made Vince Velasquez the centerpiece to his first major trade as Phillies general manager in December. Could Velasquez really be traded again, fewer than eight months later? The Phillies and Rangers are having serious talks about the possibility, although sources told MLB.com on Friday they do not believe anything is close. But three Rangers' scouts, including one of their top talent evaluators, watched Velasquez pitch in Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. Texas would not be wasting the manpower if talks were not legitimate, although they are expected to watch Jeremy Hellickson pitch Saturday night, too. MLB Network's Jon Paul Morosi first reported earlier this week that Texas wants Velasquez. "Am I aware of it? Yeah," Velasquez said about the trade speculation. "I can't control anything. If they trade me, they trade me. I can't do anything about it. What am I going to do? The only thing I can do is pitch. That's my job." It is safe to say the Phillies would have to be very impressed with a trade package to deal a young and talented pitcher under team control through 2021. Klentak and Phillies president Andy MacPhail have repeatedly stressed they believe they key to returning to the postseason is building a talented and deep rotation. That said, it would be foolish for the rebuilding Phillies to cover their ears and not listen to what teams had to say. Even Phillies manager Pete Mackanin acknowledged that. "Our whole goal was to get young pitchers, because they're the most expensive commodity," he said. "If you can develop young pitchers like him and have four or five of those guys, then you're ahead of the game, but at the same time I'll listen to any offers if you get three guys for him that are really good looking prospects. You've got to consider it." And the Phillies are listening. The trade with Houston almost fell apart in December when the Phillies had concerns about Velasquez's physical. The Phillies and Astros eventually reconfigured the trade, including right-hander Mark Appel as insurance. Velasquez missed some time in June because of a strained right biceps, but it was not serious. He has pitched six or more innings in each of his past five starts, including on Friday against the Braves. He allowed seven hits, two runs, two walks and struck out five in six innings. "He did a good job," Mackanin said. "But Vince is a power pitcher, and he didn't look like a power pitcher today. I bet he used more two-seam fastballs, changeups and breaking balls than he did his four-seam fastball. He pitched well, obviously, but he's pitching differently than you would expect him to pitch." Of course, the next time Velasquez pitches, it could be for somebody else. Asked after the game if it would disappoint him to be traded again, Velasquez said, "No, no. At first, when I got traded from the Astros, it was kind of tough for me. But you have to move on, you have to make the best of what you've got. If things happen, just let it happen. If I go to another team, then I've got to make the best of what I've got there. "There's a lot of things that are in the future. I don't know what to expect is what I'm saying. Again, all I can do is live in the present and live another day tomorrow. If something happens, something happens. I've got to make the best of what you've got today."

Pitching Near The Deadline – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he expects Jeremy Hellickson to pitch Saturday night against the Braves. If not, he will figure out something else. Hellickson remains the Phillies' most likely candidate to be traded before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Contending teams need starting pitching, and Hellickson is 7-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 21 starts. He has allowed one earned run in 14 innings in his last two starts, and he has a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts. His past few starts have been heavily scouted. "Everybody is anxious to find out," Mackanin said Friday. "There's a little bit of drama there." Hellickson is a free agent after the season, so if the Phillies can acquire a legitimate prospect for him, it makes sense to move him. But ESPN.com reported earlier this week that the Phillies' asking price is very high -- they're reportedly looking for an organization's top-five prospect -- because the Phillies feel they could make a qualifying offer to Hellickson if he is not traded. The Phillies believe Hellickson would reject the one-year contract, which could be worth more than $16 million. If he does and signs elsewhere, the Phillies would receive a compensatory Draft pick. In other words, the Phillies want a player comparable in talent to the player they potentially could select in next year's Draft. And if Hellickson accepts the qualifying offer? Well, the Phillies could afford it. They have almost no financial commitments beyond this season. And while the Phillies theoretically have five young starting pitchers that could fill out the 2017 rotation --Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson -- the attrition rate for starting pitching is high, so the Phillies probably would pursue a veteran starter in the offseason, anyway. Of course, most of this could be posturing on the Phillies' part. It is worth mentioning that one option for contenders fell off the board Thursday when the Padres traded Andrew Cashner to the Marlins. The Cashner deal could heat up talks for the Phillies. "To be very honest, I don't know anything," Mackanin said. "I think it's better off that way. I might say the wrong thing without meaning to. I'd rather not know. I'm not in the decision-making process, as far as who they're going to trade for. The scouts are scouting. The people in the front office make their decision based on what information they have on these other players. "I would like to think, if we were playing for a pennant down the stretch, I would get a little bit of input on what we need. It's not what I need right now to help win. It's, 'What is the best deal?' So I don't want to know about it."  But whether or not a trade is made before Monday's Trade Deadline, Mackanin thinks something will happen afterward. "After the smoke clears, then we'll evaluate and maybe bring up a young guy and maybe make a change in-house, I'm guessing," he said.

Today In Phils History – Pinky Whitney led the Phillies to victory in 1929 when he hit for the cycle against the Pirates. In 1937, 1B Dolph Camilli played 9 innings without recording a putout. 20 years later, Ron Northey, who was signed earlier in the day, hit a pinch hit 2 run homerun (an MLB record tying 8^th of his career). 2 years later, Willie McCovey went 4 for 4 (2 triples) in his MLB debut for the Giants as they beat the Phillies 7-2. In 1995, Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn were inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. Ryan Howard drew a MLB record tying 5 walks on this day in 2006. As we near the trade deadline it is not surprising that there are a lot of transactions that occurred on this day including the departures of Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle (2006) and Ryan Franklin (2006). However, the acquisitions are more interesting as there are a number of players that we forget were once Phillies including Todd Jones (2004), Felix Rodriguez (2004), Kyle Lohse (2007), Hunter Pence (2011). During trade season there are a lot of debuts as well including the Phillies debuts of Larry Anderson (1983), Roy Oswalt (2010), and Hunter Pence (2011) as well as the MLB debuts of Chuck Klein (1928), Art Mahaffey (1960), Michael Bourn (2006), and Cody Asche (2013). Finally, happy birthday to Casey Stengel who was born on this day in 1890.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 47-58 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 67-47-0 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.

Franco And Nola Wake Up Against Brewers

GAME RECAP: Phillies Hammer Brewers 5-2

Maikel Franco homered twice and Aaron Nola pitched a seven-inning gem in the Phillies' 5-2 win over the Brewers at Miller Park on Friday night. Nola became the second right-hander in as many days to all but shut down the Brewers' offense. He retired 11 consecutive batters from the second inning to the sixth, one shy of Ricky Nolasco's best stretch in a Twins win Thursday, and earned his first victory of the season by holding the Brewers to one run on four hits with seven strikeouts. With 30 strikeouts this season, Nola is tied with Clayton Kershaw for the National League lead, trailing only Boston's David Price (32) in the Majors. "I was a little concerned in the first inning," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Nola looked a little shaky at first, then he settled down. He started pitching inside a little more, which made a big difference for him." The Phillies erased a 1-0 deficit with Darin Ruf's shift-beating single in the fourth inning against Brewers starter Zach Davies, then took the lead with a three-run fifth. Freddy Galvis hit a go-ahead RBI triple before Franco connected against Davies for a two-run home run. Franco homered again in the seventh off Chris Capuano, a 426-footer that left his bat at 105 mph, according to Statcast™. "We've got some starters that are learning on the fly here, so we're working on it," Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy said. "We're trying to get better every day. Sometimes we're going to make some mistakes and are going to get beat. We have to minimize those mistakes and learn every day and not worry about any of the other stuff."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Franco stepped into the batter's box in the fifth inning in a 4-for-32 slump. But he hit a 1-0 curveball from Davies over the left-field wall for a two-run homer to make it 4-1, and he hit a solo homer to left-center against Capuano in the seventh to make it 5-1. They were Franco's third and fourth homers of the season, and the second multihomer game of his career. "I've been in a tough slump," Franco said. "I know it's going to happen. Every single day you're not going to feel good. When you're in a tough moment like that, you have to stay positive and continue to work hard."
• Nola allowed a career-high seven runs in his last start Saturday against the Nationals. But after he allowed a run in the first inning to the Brewers, he settled. Nola allowed four hits, one run, two walks and struck out seven in seven innings. After he allowed a two-out single to Domingo Santana in the second, he retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced. "After the last outing, I felt I really needed to command the baseball inside a lot more," Nola said. "After the first couple innings, I felt like I got more comfortable throwing inside to lefties and righties, especially to lefties tonight. So I think that kind of opened a little more stuff up tonight." 
• "I remember his last outing last year. I took him out early in the fifth or sixth inning. I told him, 'We're going to baby you this year. But next year, we're not going to baby you.'" -- Mackanin, on letting Nola throw a career-high 105 pitches and having him pitch seven innings for the third time in four starts.
• The three runs the Phillies scored in the fifth inning were a season high. They had not scored three or more runs in an inning since they scored four in the seventh inning Oct. 4, 2015, against the Marlins.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton makes his 15th career start against the Brewers on Saturday night at 8:10 p.m. ET at Miller Park. The former Pirates hurler is 4-7 with a 4.17 ERA against Milwaukee. He is 1-3 with a 5.06 ERA in six career starts at Miller Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Breaking Out – Maybe this is the jumpstart Maikel Franco and the Phillies needed. Franco hit a pair of home runs Friday night in a 5-2 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. He hit a two-run home run to left field in the fifth -- as the Phillies scored a season-high three runs in the inning -- and a solo home run to left-center field in the seventh inning. Both balls left Franco's bat at 105 mph, according to Statcast™. The homer in the seventh traveled a projected 426 feet, making it the longest Phillies home run this season. "This year, yeah," Franco said, asked if it was one of the longest homers he had hit in a while. Franco was right about that. He hit three homers farther last season. "It was a good pitch to hit," Franco said of a 1-1 slider from Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano. "When they make a mistake, I have to put good contact on it." It had been a while since Franco had crushed a baseball, much less two in the same night. He stepped into the batter's box in the fifth inning in a 4-for-32 slump. He had no extra-base hits, no RBIs, one walk and 10 strikeouts since a third-inning double against the Padres on April 13. "I've been in a tough slump," Franco said. "I know it's going to happen. Every single day you're not going to feel good. When you're in a tough moment like that, you have to stay positive and continue to work hard." Franco launched Zach Davies' 1-0 curveball over the left-field fence in the fifth inning to give the Phillies a 4-1 lead. The solo homer in the seventh gave the Phillies a 5-1 lead. It also gave Franco the second multihomer game of his career. The Phillies spoke to Franco before the game about trying to pull the ball more. Franco likes to work the ball to the opposite field in batting practice, but once the game begins, he sometimes expands the strike zone too much as he tries to send the ball to right field. "When you stay back and try to pull the ball, you don't swing at the bad breaking balls," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Franco listened, and it worked. Maybe this is beginning of something good. The Phillies' offense could use it. "When you try to hit the ball the other way and you miss your pitch, middle, middle in, sometimes you're thinking too much," he said. "Today I just went out there and tried to see a good pitch to hit and tried to put good contact on it."

Bouncing Back – This is more like it. Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola allowed a run and walked two of the first nine batters he faced Friday night in a 5-2 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. But after he allowed a two-out single to Domingo Santana in the second inning, Nola retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced to earn his first win of the season. Nola allowed four hits, one run, two walks and struck out seven, moving him into a tie with Clayton Kershaw for the National League lead with 30 strikeouts. Nola threw a career-high 105 pitches in the process. He has thrown 95 or more pitches in three of his first four starts this season. He has pitched seven innings three times, too. Compare that to last season. Nola threw 90 or more pitches five times in 13 starts. He pitched seven innings five times. "I remember his last outing last year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I took him out early in the fifth or sixth inning. I told him, 'We're going to baby you this year. But next year, we're not going to baby you.'" Nola loves the longer leash. "I definitely want to go as long as I can," he said. "I'm glad they're letting me do that. I'm glad I'm going out there and pitching deep into games. That's what I want to do. From here on out, I want to go as deep as I can every outing." Of course, it looked a little shaky early as the Brewers scored a run in the first to take a 1-0 lead. Nola then allowed two baserunners with two outs in the second. But then something happened. "After the last outing, I felt I really needed to command the baseball inside a lot more," he said. "After the first couple innings, I felt like I got more comfortable throwing inside to lefties and righties, especially to lefties tonight. So I think that kind of opened a little more stuff up tonight."

Today In Phils History – There have been several interesting games on this day in Phillies history beginning in 1891 when the Phillies turned a triple play to end the game and secure the 3-1 win over Brooklyn. Another impressive performance happened on this day 70 years later when Art Mahaffey set the franchise record for strikeouts in a single game setting down 17 Cubs in the second game of a double header. 30 years later, Jim Fregosi made his Phillies managerial debut in a 2-1 loss to the Mets. During the 1915 season, the Phillies won their eighth straight game on this day to start the season outscoring opponents during that stretch by 41-10. Most recently, Jayson Werth circled the bases on a 4-base error in a matchup against the Diamondbacks in 2010 which was only the 15^th such error of its kind in Major League history. Notable Phillies debuts on this day include Bill Hallman (1888), Dick Ellsworth (1967), Julio Franco (1982), and Chris James (1986). Notable birthdays include Harry Coveleski (1886) and Dolph Camilli (1907).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 8-9 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 46-45-1 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!

Phillies Continue To Be Haunted By De Jesus!

GAME RECAP: Reds Sweep Phils 5-2

Ivan De Jesus Jr. hit a three-run homer and Brayan Pena had a 4-for-4 day at the plate on Wednesday to lead the Reds over the Phillies, 5-2, for a sweep the three-game series at Great American Ball Park. Four of the Reds' five runs came in the first inning on an RBI single by Pena and De Jesus' homer. Pena would add another RBI single in the seventh. With the win, the Reds matched their season-high four-game winning streak. Reds rookie starter Jon Moscot picked up his first career win in his second start. Moscot gave up two earned runs off six hits and two walks over six innings. He also recorded his first career hit with a single in the sixth inning. "I was able to just settle in early," Moscot said. "My sinker was effective, I was getting ground balls and [we] played some great defense, made some good plays. I'm just getting ahead of hitters and mixing it up." Phillies starter Jerome Williams dropped to 3-6 with his third loss in his last five starts. Williams gave up four earned runs, nine hits, one walk and recorded three strikeouts in six innings on the mound. "Obviously, the first inning was a rough one." Williams said. "Those last five were where I wanted to be. Hopefully, I can take that into my next start."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Chase Utley represented the go-ahead run when he came to the plate in the seventh inning with two on, two outs, and Cincinnati leading, 4-2. The Reds countered with lefty reliever Tony Cingrani, who retired Utley on a fly ball to left. Philadelphia's No. 3 hitter was 0-for-3 and is in an 0-for-21 skid that has dropped his batting average to .185. "I feel fine," Utley said. "You just have to continue to battle and try to make improvements on a daily basis."
• Phillies backup catcher Cameron Rupp, batting in the No. 8 spot in the order, drove in both of Philadelphia's first two runs with two-out hits. His second-inning single to left followed a walk to Cesar Hernandez and scored Ryan Howard from second. Rupp's fourth-inning double to the left-field corner scored Hernandez, who singled with two outs and stole second. "I liked the way he played today, and I like the way he's played the last few games," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said of Rupp. "He's swinging the bat and he's got a good arm. He works hard behind the plate."
• Sandberg challenged Brennan Boesch's two-out infield single in the fourth inning, claiming the throw from second baseman Utley to first baseman Howard had arrived before Boesch's left foot touched the bag, but the call stood after review.
• The Phillies are 7-23 away from home this season, their worst road record after 30 games since 1941 (6-24).
• This weekend's games wrap up the season series between the Pirates and Phillies. The teams split four games in Philadelphia on May 11-14.
• The 10 active Phillies who have faced Locke are a combined 6-for-45 (.133) against him.
• Pittsburgh's Corey Hart is 8-for-24 (.333) against Correia, with a double, triple, and home run.

NEXT GAME:

Kevin Correia realizes that, if he pitches well, he could very well be spending the rest of the summer in Philadelphia. "This is a good opportunity, but it's also a great city to play in, a great sports city," Correia said. "Philadelphia was always a place I would enjoy going to." The 34-year-old right-hander will try to take advantage of his opportunity Friday night when he makes his first start in a Phillies uniform against Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Teams closer to postseason contention than the Phillies are likely to soon begin asking about the availability of starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang. If one or both are traded, that leaves the door open for Correia. He signed a free-agent contract on Monday and threw a bullpen session Tuesday in preparation for his start in Pittsburgh. "Obviously, the business side of baseball is that, sometimes, guys get moved," Correia said. Correia exercised an opt-out clause in his contract on May 29 and was released by San Francisco after having made six starts for Triple-A Sacramento (0-1, 3.58 ERA). The California native made 32 appearances (26 starts) for the Twins and Dodgers last year (7-17, 5.44). He has a career 4.59 ERA while pitching for San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Los Angeles. The Pirates will counter with Jeff Locke, who has owned the Phillies in four career starts against them. Locke is 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in those games, including two victories in 2014. The 27-year-old left-hander began the season with a pair of wins over Milwaukee, but he has just one victory to show for his last nine starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Sticking To The Plan – Johnny Almaraz entered the 2015 Draft with a specific plan, and he believes the Phillies executed it. Almaraz, who ran his first Draft as the Phillies' amateur scouting director, used 13 of the organization's first 18 selections on hitters. He then picked 10 consecutive pitchers from the 19th to the 28th round. "There is some offensive potential in the Draft," Almaraz said Wednesday night. "We feel there are some strong hitters there that are going to have a chance to be everyday players at the Major League level. Position players are becoming a rarity. My feeling is we can find pitching down late. So I tried to go from the 19th round on down with a bunch of pitchers." Here is the breakdown of Almaraz's first Draft: 27 college players; 13 high school players; 21 position players (nine outfielders, four shortstops, three catchers, two first baseman, two third basemen, one second baseman); 19 pitchers (12 right-handers, seven left-handers). Almaraz pointed out that most of the Phillies' selections had good statistics at whatever level they played. He said the organization's analytics crew played a considerable role in that. "We combined in making decisions," he said. "The primary focus was ability, but we looked at the metrics to help us. I'm very old school, but I am a big believer in metrics, too. It's a piece of the puzzle for me to make decisions." Some of the team's high school selections on Day 3 are going to be difficult to sign, but the Phillies plan to follow them during the summer. That group includes left-hander Will Stewart (20th round), outfielder Von Watson (29th round), left-hander Nick Fanti (31st round), right-hander Jacob Stevens (33rd round) and outfielder Ben Pelletier (34th round). Almaraz said with a surplus of money he hopes to pry one or two away from their college commitments. "Even a couple of the college guys that we're going to see during the summer leagues," Almaraz said. "And if we feel we need to sign them, we're going to wrap them up." Almaraz said the Phillies already have agreements with several players in the first 10 rounds. High school outfielder Greg Pickett (eighth round) announced on Twitter he has reached agreement. Players like second baseman Scott Kingery (second round) are almost signed, too. "We're just reading the fine print," Almaraz said. The Phillies selected four players with family ties to the organization: 35th-round pick Andrew Amaro (nephew of Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.), 38th-round pick Beau Brundage (son of Triple-A Lehigh Valley manager Dave Brundage), 39th-round pick Griffin Morandini (son of former Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini) and 40th-round pick Thomas McCarthy (son of Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy). "We know that they're going to go to school," Almaraz said. "It's always a good gesture, but they do have ability."

Heading Back To Philly – Austin Bossart made Philadelphia his home for the past four years, and he hopes to make it his home again in the future. He has a chance. The Phillies on Wednesday selected Bossart, a senior catcher from Penn, in the 14th round (414th pick overall) of the 2015 Draft. He is the first Penn player drafted since 2012, when the Athletics selected right-hander Vince Voiro in the 15th round. "It was a little bit of a surprise," Bossart said in a telephone interview on Wednesday evening from his home in O'Fallon, Ill. "I was very happy to have my name called by them. I've been in Philly, I've been to a few games [at Citizens Bank Park], and I'm excited to be a part of it." Bossart hopes to become the first Quakers player to make the big leagues since Mark DeRosa (1998-2013) and Doug Glanville (1996-2004). "They were two really, really great players," Bossart said. "I hope to have a career like they did." Bossart earned co-Ivy League Player of the Year and Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Year honors following a strong senior season. He hit .358 with 13 doubles, four home runs, 27 RBIs, a .420 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging percentage. He walked 13 times and struck out 18 times. Behind the plate, he did not commit an error, and he threw out 53 percent of attempted basestealers. He was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award. "I've always considered myself more of a defensive player first," he said. "I've improved offensively year after year. I've been very happy with that. This year I went in with the mentality of being a professional baseball player, so I sat down at the beginning of the year and said I'm going to take a professional approach to everything. It really seemed to work out for me." "I'm excited for Austin to get this opportunity," Penn coach John Yurkow said in a statement. "He is maybe the best leader I've seen during my time coaching college baseball. Knowing his skill set both offensively and defensively, I think Austin is a solid addition to the Phillies' system." One scout had told MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo that Bossart would be a nice Day 2 selection, but he slipped to Day 3. That could be to the Phillies' benefit. "I didn't really hear anything from the Phillies throughout the season," Bossart said. "Then I sent them a little bit on information late in the year. I hadn't heard anything from them until this morning when [area scout Paul Murphy] told me to give him a call. He said he really liked me and he was going to throw my name in the mix. And before you know it, the Phillies had me." Bossart is eager to get started. "I went to Penn with baseball on my mind from Day 1," said Bossart, who majored in economics. "That's what I've always wanted to do since high school. Education was always a big thing for me, so it gave me the best of both worlds. But I've always had baseball on my mind."

Randolph Eager To Start Career – Cornelius Randolph has been compared to the likes of Tony Gwynn, Robinson Cano and Dmitri Young. If Randolph has a career close to any of them, the Phillies will be thrilled with their first pick in this year's Draft. Randolph answered questions Wednesday morning on a conference call, and he seems eager to get his professional career going. "I'm pretty confident," Randolph said about signing a contract in the near future, "but we'll see how it goes, though." Randolph, who is being advised by agent Scott Boras, hit .526 with 11 doubles, seven home runs, 27 walks and a .934 slugging percentage in 17 games this season with Griffin (Ga.) High School. The Phils drafted the 18-year-old with the 10th overall pick as a shortstop, but amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz said Monday night they expect Randolph to move to left field once he signs. Randolph is OK with that. "I'm open to anything, honestly," Randolph said. "I'm just ready to play ball. I've played outfield a little bit with my summer ball team, so I think I'll adapt pretty quickly." Randolph said he learned to play baseball from his father, Cedric. Father and son worked together from the time Randolph was 5 years old. "We go to the cages every day," Randolph said. "We hit buckets and buckets [of balls]." Randolph said he modeled his swing after Cano. "That's my favorite player," Randolph said. "I watched him growing up. That's where I got the little smooth swing from the left side. I know I have a lot of work to do with my hitting, but I feel like I can be a clutch hitter." The Phillies think so, too. "We love his bat," Almaraz said. "He's somebody who we feel is one of the top three hitters in the country as far as this year's Draft is concerned. Very rarely do you ever get a consensus from an entire room. There's no doubt we feel he's got a chance to be a hitter in the Major Leagues that hits for both average and power." Randolph said he went to his share of Braves games at Turner Field with his father and brother. They saw the Phils play quite a bit, and he gravitated toward Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard. "Getting drafted by the Phillies is actually pretty cool," Randolph said.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 22-39. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 43-58-0 on this day.

This Is The Ugliest Phillies Game Of The Year So Far…

GAME RECAP: Marlins Fluster Phillies 6-1

The Marlins needed a victory in the worst way Wednesday night, so if the Phillies wanted to help them with a handful of errors in the field, they would not complain. Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria scored the go-ahead run on a balk in the seventh inning in a 6-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park. Errors by Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and center fielder Odubel Herrera in the eighth inning led to four insurance runs. "We haven't gotten the breaks," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "We needed a ball to drop or something to go our way, and tonight we got some breaks and took advantage of them." Miami ended a five-game losing streak and has a chance to win the series with a victory in Thursday's finale. Despite the skid, the Marlins could win two of the three series on this 10-game trip. The Phillies could not carry the momentum from Tuesday's seven-run effort into the next night. They scored their only run when Cody Asche homered off Jarred Cosart in the second.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• With a single into left-center in the first inning on Wednesday night, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley ended an 0-for-21 drought at the plate. Utley entered the night hitting .109 with two home runs and a team-high nine RBIs.
• Home runs had hurt Phillies ace Cole Hamels in his first three starts, but his own error allowed a run to score in the second inning to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead. The unearned run would be the only run Hamels would allow in six innings.
• Luis Garcia has been one of the Phillies' few bright spots this season, pitching himself into a seventh-inning role. The righty reliever had not allowed a run in seven appearances before he balked home the go-ahead run in the seventh to make it 2-1.

NEXT GAME:

The Marlins and Phillies will complete a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday with a pair of pitchers who opened the season in the bullpen. Miami will go with right-hander David Phelps, while Philadelphia will counter with a spot start for right-hander Dustin McGowan. This will be the first encounter between Phelps and the Phillies. Phelps spent the last three seasons in the Bronx, where he compiled a 15-14 record and a 4.28 ERA with the Yankees. In his first and only start this year, Phelps got a no-decision after he allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings in a 4-1 loss at the Mets. Right-hander Dustin McGowan makes a spot start for the Phillies because righty Sean O'Sullivan landed on the disabled list Wednesday with tendinitis in his left knee. McGowan hopes to go three to four innings in the series finale against the Marlins. McGowan, who signed with the Phillies during the opening week of the season, had eight starts last season with Toronto, but he has been a reliever since last May. Just how deep McGowan can go will bear watching, but he indicated he expects it will likely be just three or four innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

At Least He Didn’t Give Up A Homer – Cole Hamels aims for perfection, but he is seeing that the Phillies are far from perfect this season. Hamels allowed one unearned run on five hits and three walks while striking out five in six innings in a 6-1 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night. Hamels allowed his only run in the second inning. The Marlins had runners at the corners with two outs when Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart hit a ground ball past a diving Ryan Howard at first base. Chase Utley moved to his left, fielded the ball and threw to first. Hamels got to the bag in time, but the ball popped out of his glove as Marcell Ozuna scored to make it 1-0. "That was all on me," Hamels said. "Chase gave me a great throw and I wasn't able to catch it." Of course, it appeared Hamels struck out Cosart on a 1-2 pitch, but home-plate umpire Toby Basner thought otherwise. Hamels chose not to complain about the strike zone, although pitching coach Bob McClure expressed his displeasure to Basner during a meeting on the mound after the Cosart at-bat. Hamels entered the night 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA, having allowed seven home runs and nine walks in 18 innings. A notoriously slow starter in April, Hamels at least kept the ball in the park Wednesday. "There's still a lot of work to do," Hamels said. "You strive for perfection and you never really seem to reach it. That's kind of the case."

Utley Snaps Hitless Streak – Maybe Chase Utley can start fresh Thursday. The Phillies' second baseman singled to right-center field in the first inning Wednesday night in a 6-1 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. It snapped a hitless streak of 21 at-bats, which was the second-longest hitless streak of his career. "It always feels good to hit where they aren't playing," Utley said. "We'll continue to try to make some improvements and move on." Utley had a career-high hitless streak of 24 at-bats in June 2008. He also had a 0-for-18 slump in July-August 2014, which means two of his three longest hitless streaks have come since last year's All-Star Game. But the first-inning single Wednesday did not open the offensive flood gates. Utley grounded out in the fourth, struck out swinging with a runner on third to end the sixth and grounded out to the pitcher in the ninth to end the game. Utley also dropped a throw from Cody Asche at second base with two outs in the top of the eighth. It allowed the Marlins to load the bases and eventually score four insurance runs. "He made a good throw," Utley said. "I missed it. Bottom line, that play needs to be made." Utley entered the night hitting .109, which was the second-lowest batting average out of 193 qualified hitters in baseball. He had not gotten a hit since he homered in the eighth inning April 14 against the Mets at Citi Field. Bad luck had something to do with it. He entered the night last in baseball with a .079 batting average on balls in play. The average player had a .289 BABIP. Still, the Phillies need much more from their No. 3 hitter. Asked if the hitless streak had been on his mind, Utley said, "It's not the first time I've haven't had some hits. So I don't know."

Rotation Shuffle – The timing could not be worse for Phillies right-hander Sean O'Sullivan. The Phillies placed him on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with tendinitis in his left knee. The team recalled right-hander Hector Neris from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace O'Sullivan on the roster, and announced right-hander Dustin McGowan will start in O'Sullivan's place Thursday afternoon against the Marlins. O'Sullivan's time as the Phillies' No. 5 starter could be finished for the foreseeable future. "I told them I wanted to pitch, just because I don't want that opportunity to slip away," O'Sullivan said. "But at the same time, if I do go out there and try to gut through it ... if I have to alter my mechanics, I think I can be effective, but at what cost?" O'Sullivan had been the team's No. 5 starter, filling in temporarily until Chad Billingsley is ready to join the rotation early next month. Billingsley will make his third of five rehab starts Saturday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It is not impossible to think Billingsley's timetable could be pushed up with O'Sullivan injured, but that remains to be seen. McGowan is not believed to be a full-time replacement until Billingsley is ready. He has started in the past, but he has said he no longer can start on a long-term basis because of shoulder surgeries in 2008 and '10 and another shoulder injury in 2013. McGowan said he hopes to give the Phillies three to four innings Thursday. "I obviously can't go five or six," he said. "As long as I am feeling good and strong, I'll take the ball as long as I need to." Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said the team had no conversations about calling up one of the team's top pitching prospects -- like Double-A right-hander Aaron Nola -- to replace O'Sullivan in the rotation. "There wasn't any young pitcher that was an option," Sandberg said, "at this time."

Fielding Issues – Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has preached the importance of fundamental baseball since Spring Training in February. But not much of anything has gone as planned, including Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Three Phillies errors and one balk led to every Miami run, leaving Philadelphia needing to win Thursday's series finale to take the three-game set. The Phillies have 15 errors this season, which is only one behind the Nationals, who lead Major League Baseball. "We didn't do too much right tonight," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. Cole Hamels dropped a throw from Utley at first base in the second inning to allow the Marlins to take a 1-0 lead. Phillies right-hander Luis Garcia then balked home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning. It was the first run Garcia had allowed in eight relief appearances this season. "It's OK," Garcia said. "Tomorrow is another day." Utley dropped a throw from Cody Asche in the eighth, which loaded the bases with two outs. "He made a good throw. I missed it," Utley said. "Bottom line, that play needs to be made." Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon then ripped a fly ball to center field. Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera was playing shallow, but he broke back on the ball. Herrera got twisted around and made a last-second attempt to dive to catch the ball. The ball hit his glove, but he could not hold onto it as three runs scored. "I got a good jump on it," Herrera said through translator Andres Blanco. "The wind was blowing in a different direction, and as soon as I noticed that the ball kept moving to my left side, I passed the ball a little bit. I tried to catch it at the end. That's why I tried to jump at the end. "It's something that just happened. I'm going to work on it."

Phranchise Phan Phavorites – Nobody should be surprised Mike Schmidt is first among Phillies players nominated in Major League Baseball's "Franchise Four" campaign. The campaign has fans vote for the four most impactful players in Phillies history. Steve Carlton, Richie Ashburn and Chase Utley round out the top four in the first voting update. The other nominees are Jimmy Rollins, Robin Roberts, Jim Bunning and Chuck Klein. Perhaps surprisingly, Rollins is not in the top four. He is first in Phillies history in hits (2,306) and doubles (479); second in games (2,090), extra-base hits (806) and stolen bases (453); third in runs (1,325) and triples (111); sixth in RBIs (887) and ninth in home runs (216). He also won the 2007 National League MVP and four NL Gold Glove Awards, while helping the Phillies win the 2008 World Series, 2009 NL pennant and five NL East titles from 2007-11. More than 11.8 million votes have been cast in the Franchise Four voting, and you can cast your ballot here. Voting ends on May 8, and winners from all 30 clubs will be announced at the 2015 All-Star Game, which will take place on July 14 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 5-10. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 46-45-1 on this day.