This Wasn’t Good From The Beginning

GAME RECAP: Mets Mash Phillies 9-4

In need of another storybook run as they look to scale the National League Wild Card standings, the Mets on Friday turned to a player best known for his flair for the dramatic. Wilmer Flores slugged his third career grand slam, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes combined for three additional homers and Bartolo Colon cruised, leading the Mets to a 9-4 win over the Phillies at Citi Field. The Mets remained 3 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, who also won, in an NL Wild Card race with five serious competitors. "We're not quitting," Flores said. "I think everybody knows that. We've got to keep it going." One of the league's foremost sluggers against left-handed pitchers, Flores clubbed his slam off Phillies starter Adam Morgan in the fifth inning, opening up a five-run lead for the Mets. An inning later, Cabrera hit his second homer, after teaming up with Reyes to open the game with back-to-back solo shots. All of it was more than enough support for Colon, a beacon of sturdiness as injuries crumble the rotation around him. Though the Phillies chased him from the game with four consecutive hits to lead off the eighth inning, Colon became the first Mets starter to pitch even into the sixth inning in their last four games. He allowed four runs in total, holding the Phillies hitless until the fifth. "Colon just seems to own us," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We can't square the ball up off of him. He does a heck of a job of command and movement. He's tough. Didn't score enough runs to stay in the game." Morgan gave up six runs in five innings, all of them on homers. Though he did record the Phillies' first run with an RBI single, Colon topped him there, too, recording two hits in a game for the first time since 2002.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Before Flores broke the game open in the fifth, Ryan Howard found himself with an opportunity to end the inning. With two outs and runners on second and third, Walker hit a popup into foul territory. Howard jogged back, looking over his shoulder, but the ball dropped in foul territory without going into the stands. Walker made the most of the extra chance and walked, setting the stage for Flores' blast. "It was in that floor-to-triangle area, and I was hoping somebody could run that down," Mackanin said. "You got to pitch around those type of things and make good pitches. Like I said, the mistake to Flores, really kind of put it away for them."
• The Phillies entered the eighth trailing 9-1, with the Mets seemingly en route to an easy victory. But then Peter Bourjos and Jimmy Paredes led off the inning with singles, and Cesar Hernandez doubled both home. Aaron Altherr, the next batter, doubled in Hernandez to chase Colon from the game. The Phillies wouldn't score again, though.
• For the third time this season, the Mets hit four home runs against the Phillies. It ties a single-season franchise record, which they set in 1990 against the Astros.
• Colon passed Luis Tiant with his 230th career win, moving into sixth place among pitchers born outside the United States (since 1900).

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson takes the mound Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field against a Mets team he's struggled against this season. In three starts, he's compiled a 5.63 ERA and a 1-1 mark. Fresh off perhaps his best start of the season, Noah Syndergaard will return to the mound to start against the Phillies on Saturday. He gave the Mets eight shutout innings last time out in San Francisco, improving to 11-7 with a 2.61 ERA.

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome To The Roller Coaster – Friday night at Citi Field, Adam Morgan made history, but not the kind he'll want to remember. In losing his eighth consecutive decision, the lefty tied for the franchise's third-longest losing streak among starting pitchers since 1913. After some first-inning fireworks, Morgan settled down until the fifth. That's when Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores smashed a grand slam to left-center field, effectively handing the Phillies, and Morgan, the loss. Morgan left after completing the inning, finishing with six earned runs allowed on eight hits and two walks in the Phillies' 9-4 loss. "Command issues, missing location, it's as simple as that," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Too many pitches out over the plate to hit." It started from the beginning. Jose Reyes sent Morgan's fourth pitch of the night over the fence, and Asdrubal Cabrera deposited his very next offering into the seats, too. Morgan got into somewhat of a groove from there. After allowing a Yoenis Cespedes single, he retired three in a row to the end the frame. He allowed three baserunners but escaped damage from the second to the fourth. He was starting to resemble the pitcher who allowed just one earned run over six innings against the Cardinals last week. Plus, Morgan finished Friday night with eight strikeouts. But things started to unravel in the fifth. Bartolo Colon and Reyes began the inning with back-to-back doubles, and after inducing a pair of groundouts, Morgan watched as first baseman Ryan Howard couldn't corral a popup off the bat of Neil Walker in foul territory. With the inning extended, Morgan walked Walker in a nine-pitch at-bat. "I don't know if [Walker] wore him out," Mackanin said. "He just made a bad pitch to Flores. Tried a backdoor slider and it ended up right in his wheelhouse." Indeed, Flores crushed the first pitch he saw -- an 82-mph slider -- over the fence. "That's the one looking back, if I got that, it's a whole different ballgame," Morgan said. Morgan has pitched well in the Minor Leagues this season. He's 6-1 with a 3.04 ERA in eight games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but that success for the most part hasn't carried over to the Majors, where he is 1-8 with a 6.50 ERA. Philadelphia made a late run, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth. Still, the deficit created by Morgan proved too much to overcome. "I'm definitely not giving up on myself or this team," Morgan said. "I see improvement. Sure, the home runs and the numbers will tell you different, but I see improvement."

There Can Be Only One – Not much remains from the Phillies' 2008 World Series team. Chase Utley? Gone. Jimmy Rollins? Gone. So are Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge and Jayson Werth. Don't forget about manager Charlie Manuel, either. Now, with Carlos Ruiz's trade to the Dodgers on Thursday, only one player from Philadelphia's magical season is left: Ryan Howard. "You play with guys your entire career, now you see them in different uniforms. It's definitely something you need to get used to," Howard said. "But that's baseball. That's the business aspect of it." Ruiz joins fellow former Phillies Utley and Joe Blanton in Los Angeles. Howard's future, of course, is also unclear. He has one year left on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed before the 2012 campaign, but the Phillies could exercise a $10 million buyout on his club option for '17 instead of paying the $23 million owed to him next season. Howard is rumored to have cleared waivers, which means he can be traded before Aug. 31. He hit cleanup against the Mets on Friday, and he entered the game slashing .199/.252/.442 with 19 homers and 43 RBIs. "It's crazy, he's going over there playing for a team that's playing for another ring," Howard said of Ruiz. Eight years ago, Howard, Ruiz and the rest of the Phillies helped the franchise capture its first World Series since 1980. Ruiz's trade pushes the memory even further into the past.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies issued 17 free passes against the Dodgers in 1903 but still only lost the game by 1 run. Pitcher Art Lopatka filed suit against the Phillies in 1948 alleging that the team’s trainer did not issue proper care following being hit in the hand by a batted ball during batting practice in April of 1946 which was later concluded to be a broken hand which subsequently became infected and ended his career. 3 years later, Del Wilber hit 3 solo homeruns for the Phillies accounting for all of the scoring in the shutout against the Reds. In 1987, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #522 passing Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 9^th on the all time list. Bobby Abreu hit a walk off, inside the park, homerun in the bottom of the 10^th in 2000. The Phillies acquired Jeff Conine on this day in 2006. Lastly, Happy Birthday to Jim Thome who was born on this day in 1970 (Mike Maddux is also celebrating his 55^th birthday today).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 59-69 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-51-1 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 Salvage Split In Chicago

GAME RECAP: Phillies Wrestle White Sox 5-2

Jerad Eickhoff threw just 71 pitches over six quality innings on Wednesday during the Phillies' 5-2 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. The White Sox three-game winning streak came to an end, as Eickhoff allowed two runs on four hits while striking out two and not issuing a walk. Eickhoff faced the minimum through five innings, having given up a leadoff single to Adam Eaton in the fourth, which was erased on a Tim Anderson double-play grounder. But after giving up two runs on three hits in the sixth, the Phillies went to their bullpen. "I wanted him out on a positive note," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Eickhoff. "He's been struggling in the sixth inning and after that, so I didn't want him going back out there. We have three guys I have confidence in [Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. So it worked out for us." "Adam was the one that breaks it up and gets it going, but [Eickhoff] was tough on us," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "A great curveball. That's the biggest thing that sticks out. When he got in trouble, that curveball was the pitch for us. After that, it just wasn't a good night offensively. I don't think we swung it that well." James Shields suffered the loss, although he made his first average start of the month. The White Sox right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out six without a walk. Shields retired the first five Phillies he faced before consecutive hits from Tommy Joseph, Aaron Altherr and Freddy Galvis brought home two runs. Cesar Hernandez and Joseph also went deep for the Phillies. The White Sox scored one in the ninth off of Gomez but stranded two runners when Dioner Navarro grounded out to second to end the contest.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The sixth inning has been a problem this season for Eickhoff, who has a 12.32 ERA in the sixth compared to a combined 2.64 ERA in the first five innings. But after he allowed the two-run homer to Navarro and allowed a hit to Tyler Saladino to bring the tying run at the plate, he retired the next three batters to preserve the Phillies' two-run lead. "I tried to slow it down," Eickhoff said. "Freddy [Galvis] came out and said I was going a little quick, a little fast, so he was kind of instrumental in slowing me down and making me make pitches. I was happy to get out of that inning and bounce back." 
• Hernandez, Joseph and Altherr continue to make cases for 2017. Hernandez hit a solo homer to left in the third and Joseph hit a solo shot to right in the sixth. Hernandez entered the game hitting .343 (72-for-210) with 15 extra-base hits, including three homers, 16 RBIs and a .413 on-base percentage over his previous 59 games. Joseph has hit 17 homers, giving Phillies' first basemen a Major League-leading 33 homers this season. Altherr added a pair of hits and two RBIs, as well. Mackanin said he has been impressed with each of them. "That's kind words from the guy that's at the helm of the club," Joseph said. "You get the opportunity, you just try to make the most of it. And that's what I'm trying to do and that's what everybody in here is trying to do."
• "We won, so I guess I made the right move. That's how it works, right?" - Mackanin, on removing Eickhoff, despite throwing just 71 pitches after six innings.
• Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard made his first career appearance at U.S. Cellular Field and has now played in all 30 big league ballparks. He singled, giving him a hit in all 30, as well.
• The Phillies and Class A Lakewood announced a four-year extension to their player development contract. The BlueClaws will remain in the South Atlantic League through the 2020 season.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies return to action Friday when they open a three-game series against the Mets at Citi Field at 7:10 p.m. ET. Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.21 ERA) faces Mets right-hander Bartolo Colon (11-7, 3.36 ERA) in the series opener.

PHILS PHACTS:

Stabilizing The Rotation – The Phillies opened the season with Jeremy Hellickson, Charlie Morton, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff in their rotation. Adam Morgan, Zach Eflin, Jake Thompson and Phil Klein have come and gone at different points, too, but only Eickhoff has the opportunity to make every scheduled start from the beginning of the season to the end. He continued that pursuit Wednesday night in a 5-3 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. "That's my job," Eickhoff said. "I take pride in what I do and in that." Eickhoff allowed four hits and two runs and struck out two. Surprisingly, he left after throwing only 71 pitches in six innings. Eickhoff said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure told him they pulled him because they want him to finish the season healthy and make every start the rest of the way. "You can't complain about that," Eickhoff said. "I'm very lucky and very fortunate to be healthy this year." But Mackanin also said they removed Eickhoff from the game because "I wanted him out on a positive note. He's been struggling in the sixth inning and after that, so I didn't want him going back out there. We have three guys I have confidence in [Edubray] Ramos, [Hector] Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. So it worked out for us." The sixth inning has been a problem for Eickhoff, who has a 12.32 ERA in the sixth compared to a combined 2.64 ERA in the first five innings. Sure enough, he had pitched five scoreless innings when he allowed a two-run home run to Dioner Navarro in the sixth to cut the Phillies' lead to 4-2. White Sox second baseman Tyler Saladino then followed with a single to put the tying run at the plate. But Eickhoff retired the next three batters to end the inning: Adam Eaton flied out to left, Tim Anderson struck out swinging and Melky Cabrera flied out to center. "I tried to slow it down," Eickhoff said. "Freddy (Galvis) came out and said I was going a little quick, a little fast, so he was kind of instrumental in slowing me down and making me make pitches. I was happy to get out of that inning and bounce back." Eickhoff has thrown 155 2/3 innings this season. He threw a career-high 184 1/3 innings between the Minor Leagues and Phillies last year. He is not on an innings limit, so he should make the rest of his scheduled starts. "No, no, no," Mackanin said about an innings limit for Eickhoff. "I wanted him out on a positive note. We won, so I guess I made the right move. That's how it works, right?"

Veterans Clear Waivers – Do not expect Ryan Howard to be anywhere but Philadelphia when the Phillies finish their season Oct. 2. Carlos Ruiz is likely to be in a Phillies' uniform for the season finale, too. But ESPN.com reported Wednesday that both players have cleared waivers, which means the Phillies can trade them before the Aug. 31 deadline to make players eligible for postseason rosters. Both players could help contenders, but at the moment, it's unlikely either is dealt. "I guess you've got to see what presents itself," Howard said before Wednesday night's game against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. "You know me, the last 12 years I've just been focused on playing ball. If it presents itself, it presents itself. You handle that situation. Otherwise I just try to stay in the moment, stay in the now and prepare for the game." Howard has hit .324 (24-for-74) with four doubles, eight home runs, 18 RBIs and a 1.062 OPS since July 3. But it is believed the Phillies prefer to finish the season with their iconic first baseman, rather than flip him to a team for a minimal return -- if any teams express interest in him. ESPN.com reports a couple teams have some interest in Ruiz, but it is not believed to be an intense pursuit. Ruiz is hitting .261 (43-for-165) with six doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs and a .719 OPS this season. He has a .368 on-base percentage. Ruiz has started four of the last six games, including as a designated hitter on Tuesday, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said that is just a coincidence and not the Phillies showcasing him for potential suitors. "Maybe it's possible," Ruiz said. "Maybe it's not. Depending on how everything goes, it's possible. So far, there's nothing. I don't know. I'm still happy here. It was something I was thinking early in the season to now. We'll see what happens." Both Howard and Ruiz have full no-trade rights, but Ruiz has indicated he would love to play in the postseason again. "That's definitely one of my goals, to come back to the postseason and have a chance to go to the World Series," Ruiz said. "I'd like to go and win this thing. It's going to be a tough decision you'll have to make. But baseball continues, life continues and I have to continue to work." Howard has a $25 million club option for 2017, but the Phillies are expected to take a $10 million buyout instead. Ruiz has a $4.5 million club option for 2017, but the Phillies are likely to take a $500,000 buyout.

Here To Stay – Jake Thompson's first four starts in the big leagues have not gone according to plan, but he will have more opportunities to turn things around this season. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Wednesday that Thompson will remain in the rotation. "At this point, yeah," Mackanin said. "In Triple-A, you can get away with more mistakes. You can't get away with mistakes here. You immediately find that out when you start making a few mistakes. They don't get popped up or grounded out. They get hit. What he's doing now is just trying to make perfect pitches and trying too hard. Keep the ball down. Keep it down. Everything is up in the zone. He didn't do that in Triple-A. When he did, he got away with it." Thompson is 1-3 with a 9.79 ERA in his first four starts. He is tied with Alec Asher for the second-highest ERA in franchise history for a pitcher that made four starts in his first four big league appearances. Only Mike Maddux fared worse. He posted a 9.98 ERA through his first four starts in 1986.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies lost to the Cubs by a score of 26-23 on this day in 1922 after having climbed out of a 25-6 defecite in the 4^th inning despite not hitting a single homerun in the game. The Phillies honored Del Ennis on this day in 1955 for driving in more runs than any other player in team history (Ennis added 4 RBI during the double header sweep over St. Louis after the presentation). Jim Bunning (1984) and Curt Simmons (1993) were each inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (later know at the Wall of Fame) on this day. On the same day that pitcher Jeff Juden hit a homerun off Phenom Hideo Nomo in 1995, Gregg Jefferies also hit for the cycle. Roy Halladay moved to 0-13 on the year, all strikeouts with his second plate appearance of the game on this day in 2013 setting a NL and tying the MLB record for consecutive strikeouts. Finally, happy birthday to Doug Glanville who was born on this day in 1970.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 59-68 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-63-0 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.

Phillies Pitchers Continue To Struggle Against Dodgers

GAME RECAP: Dodgers Down Phillies 7-2

Chase Utley had no home runs, grand slams or curtain calls on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. But the Dodgers still rolled to a 7-2 win over the Phillies -- extending their lead in the National League West to 1 1/2 games over the Giants. Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer to right field in the fourth inning and a two-run blast to right in the seventh to lead the way. Justin Turner added a two-run homer to left-center in the fifth. "The length of the lineup is impressive right now," Turner said. "We're a tough lineup to pitch to one through eight. Anyone can hit a ball over the fence and do some damage. It's fun going up there knowing you can hang a crooked number every inning." The Dodgers have scored 22 runs in the first two games of this series. They've done so on seven home runs, including two-homer games from Utley on Tuesday and Gonzalez on Wednesday. "Adrian's been under the radar," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "But tonight, huge night. Two homers, drove in five. … Good things are happening." The Dodgers also worked out of a jam in the sixth, when the Phillies loaded the bases with none out. Left-hander Grant Dayton got three consecutive flyouts to end the inning. Right-hander Jake Thompson pitched just five innings as Phillies starters have logged fewer than six innings in eight consecutive games, tying a franchise record. "Just kind of lost the feel for working down in the zone and both sides of the plate," Thompson said. "That's not a good problem to have against those guys."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Thompson threw first-pitch strikes to just 10 of the 24 batters he faced, which tells the story of his night. He allowed five hits, five runs, four walks and two home runs as he fell to 1-2 with an 8.79 ERA in his first three big league starts. "Young pitchers tend to overthrow and try to make perfect pitches," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Once you gain that poise and composure, you start understanding how important it is to locate those pitches. It's hard to make the perfect pitch."
• The rookie hit his 16th homer, a solo shot into the upper deck in left field in the sixth. Phillies first basemen have 31 homers this season, which is tied with the Indians for the most in baseball. "Tommy hit that ball in the upper deck, which was nice to see," Mackanin said. "I wish the bases were loaded on that at the time. We swung the bats well. We just didn't come through in the clutch."
• "It was a baserunning mistake. If you're on third base and you're not going to go because it would have been too close ... you stay heads up and the minute you see that ball go to second base, you score. He just shut it down a little bit early." --Mackanin, on Franco not scoring on a flyout to right in the sixth, when Dodgers right fielder Reddick threw to second on the play.
• Cesar Hernandez has reached base safely in 23 consecutive games. He has hit .348 with a .464 on-base percentage in that stretch. It is the longest on-base streak by a Phillies player since Darin Ruf reached safely in 33 games from Sept. 25, 2012, to Aug. 6, 2013.
• The Phillies challenged a call with two out in the ninth inning, when Odubel Herrera appeared to beat a throw to first from Utley. First-base umpire Jerry Meals had ruled Herrera out, but the call was overturned after a brief review.
• Jake Thompson was unable to complete six innings on Wednesday and the Phillies tied a franchise record. It was the eighth consecutive game their starter didn't pitch six innings and the first time it's happened since 1999.
• Cesar Hernandez has reached safely in 23 straight games for the longest streak by a Phillies hitter this season. Peter Bourjos reached safely in 22 straight games from June 16 to July 15. Over the streak, Hernandez is hitting .356 (32-for-90), including his first home run of the stretch on Tuesday.
• Stripling has had quite a bit more success in his limited action out of the bullpen. He made three long-relief appearances in July, posting a 1.54 ERA over 11 2/3 innings. In his 10 starts, Stripling has a 4.61 ERA.

NEXT GAME:

Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling will square off against Phillies righty Jerad Eickhoff on Thursday in the finale of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies should be happy to see the Dodgers leave town, as they've managed just one win in five games against Los Angeles this season. Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley likely won't harbor similar feelings. He has mashed against his former team since homering in his first at-bat against the Phillies in Los Angeles. In his return to Philadelphia, Utley hit two home runs, including a grand slam, to cap an eight-run seventh inning on Tuesday night. Utley and Frank Thomas are the only players to homer twice in their first games back in a city where they previously hit 200 or more home runs. Thursday's finale will be the sixth and final meeting between the clubs this season. The Dodgers have taken full advantage of a rebuilding Phillies club since its last postseason appearance in 2011. Los Angeles has won 12 of its 15 games at Citizens Bank Park dating to the start of 2012. Additionally, the Phillies have dropped 10 of their last 13 to the Dodgers and six of their last seven. Stripling (3-4, 4.07 ERA) will make his third start since transitioning from the bullpen back into the rotation. Eickhoff (8-12, 3.82) shut out the Rockies for five innings, but gave up three runs in a sixth inning where he only recorded two outs in his last start.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rotational Shortcomings – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin answered a question about his bullpen on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, when he quickly segued into a discussion about the rotation. "We just need our starters to get out of that rut where we're not getting six, seven, eight innings," he said before a 7-2 loss to the Dodgers. "We're trying to develop nine-inning pitchers. But it has not happened like the Phillies had hoped, particularly lately. Rookie Jake Thompson yielded five hits, five runs, four walks and two home runs in five innings in his third big league start. He threw first-pitch strikes to just 10 of 24 batters as he fell to 1-2 with an 8.79 ERA. "He's 22 years old and made some mistakes," Mackanin said of the Phillies' No. 5prospect. "The interesting thing is that he doesn't walk that many people, but he's got nine walks in [14 1/3] innings. I attribute that to the fact he's 22 years old and his first go around at the big league level. Pitching is all about repeating your mechanics and making good pitches. In time, he'll get there." Mackanin said Thompson simply might be trying to impress too much, trying to follow up an impressive run at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he went 8-0 with a 1.21 ERA in his final 11 starts with the IronPigs. "I wouldn't say I'm trying to impress," Thompson said. "I'm just trying to get outs regardless of who I'm facing. Just trying to be too fine, falling behind, especially to those guys in the middle of the lineup. That's a terrible place to be." Phillies starters have pitched fewer than six innings in eight consecutive games, tying a franchise record last done in 1999. They also have not thrown seven or more innings in a game since July 26 in Miami, when Jerad Eickhoff gave up one run in seven innings. That is 19 consecutive games without a starter pitching seven innings. Phillies starters have a 7.05 ERA in that stretch, falling short of logging six innings 16 times. "We have to get it going and get back on track and pounding the strike zone, getting ahead early and running the counts deep, and getting outs early in the counts," Mackanin said. The Phillies' rotation looked pretty good early in the season, but the past few weeks have been quite a contrast. Aaron Nola will finish the season on the 60-day disabled list with an injured right elbow. Zach Eflin might not pitch again this season because of knee issues. Vince Velasquez has struggled recently, posting a 7.24 ERA in his last five starts. Thompson, who is the No. 67 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, has not pitched more than five innings in his three starts. "Mentally I'm fine," Thompson said. "It's kind of how pitching goes. Every now and then you struggle with stuff. I dealt with it in Lehigh. I had a terrible first month of the season, partially due to the same thing -- erratic fastball command. We'll get in the bullpen and get it ironed out."

Nola Done – Aaron Nola's season is finished. The Phillies announced on Wednesday they've placed Nola on the 60-day disabled list with an injured right elbow to make room on the 40-man roster for right-hander Frank Herrmann. The Phils promoted Herrmann from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to replace left-hander Elvis Araujo, who was optioned to the IronPigs. "I'm pretty confident right now that everything is going to heal correctly, and by Spring Training, I should be good to go," Nola said. But Nola's recovery is not entirely certain. Dr. James Andrews examined Nola on Monday in Alabama. The righty has a low-grade sprain of his UCL and a low-grade strain of his flexor pronator tendon. "At this time nobody is talking about surgery," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. Nola also received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Monday, and he will not throw for four weeks to allow the PRP injection to work. "We'll ramp him back up at that point to see how he responds," Klentak said. If everything goes well, Nola is expected to be ready by Spring Training. If he does not respond, what is the next step? "We haven't gone down that road yet," Klentak said. "Right now, nobody is suggesting that surgery is the way to go on this, and we feel good about the fact that there's a consensus among all the doctors that have seen him." Nola finished 6-9 with a 4.78 ERA in 20 starts this season, and he went 1-5 with a 9.82 ERA in his final eight starts. Interestingly, Nola said he does not think the injured elbow had much to do with his recent struggles. "I think it was unrelated," Nola said. "Before the last game, everything felt good. My arm felt good. I don't think this had to do with any of the previous starts before then. Just overall my body felt really good leading up to that. It was just something that happened. ... I had some real bumps in the road there. But I want to learn from those, I want to learn from the challenges I had. The experiences that didn't go well, I want to learn from them and kind of build on those." The Phillies have used this season to look at their young starters. The results have been mixed. Jerad Eickhoff has been steady, but Nola struggled mightily before landing on the DL. Zach Eflin has patellar tendinopathy in his knees and it is unclear if he will pitch again this season. His results have varied. Vince Velasquez dominated early, but he has a 7.24 ERA in his last five starts and has struggled recently to pitch deep into games. Velasquez's workload is being monitored closely. He said he could make "three or four more starts" before the end of the season. Klentak said the Phillies do not have a specific day targeted as his final start. "More than anything it reinforces the position that we've taken for most of the last year about the importance of starting pitching depth," Klentak said about the rotation's performance. "For four months, this team's starting rotation was about as healthy as any starting rotation in baseball, and for the last two, three weeks it's been something less than that. That's kind of the nature of our game." Expect the Phillies to make a qualifying offer to Jeremy Hellickson after the season. If he accepts, they will have at least one veteran in the rotation. If he rejects the offer, expect them to pursue at least one more veteran starter. "We need to figure some more things out," Klentak said. "It's fairly reasonable to expect that every offseason we'll be looking to add starting pitching depth. There's a lot of different ways to skin that cat. But I think realistically this offseason will be no different than any other."

Crawford Dealing With Injury – Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford remains sidelined with an injured oblique, but it probably will not affect his chances of being promoted to the big leagues before the end of the season. Crawford, 21, has not played since Aug. 9 after tweaking the oblique while making an acrobatic play in the field for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He is hitting .258 with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 25 RBIs and a .681 OPS in 306 plate appearances with the IronPigs. "J.P. is day to day," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said on Wednesday. "I expect he'll be back in the lineup in Lehigh sometime in the next couple of days. He's been playing catch. He's been hitting off a tee. He's been doing a lot of work on the side. We're just trying to be a little careful with him and make sure he doesn't re-aggravate it." Crawford is the No. 3 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. He could be the Phillies' everyday shortstop as early as next season, but the Phils might not promote him until 2017 because of 40-man roster considerations. The Phillies have to protect multiple prospects before this year's Rule 5 Draft. The list includes 12 of their Top 30 prospects, according to MLBPipeline.com: Nick Williams (No. 3), Dylan Cozens (No. 7), Mark Appel (No. 11), Andrew Knapp (No. 12), Ricardo Pinto (No. 16), Nick Pivetta (No. 18), Elniery Garcia (No. 20), Malquin Canelo (No. 22), Carlos Tocci (No. 23), Ben Lively (No. 24), Jose Pujols (No. 27) and Alberto Tirado (No. 29). There are others not on that list, too. Crawford does not have to be protected yet, so keeping him off the 40-man roster until next year would allow Philadelphia to protect an additional prospect it feels is at risk of being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

Today In Phils History – In his 1886 debut, Charles Ferguson gets the win over Boston and go on to collect 12 more victories and 4 ties in 16 games. 20 years later, Kitty Bransfield hit an inside-the-park grand slam against St. Louis. In 1909, Arlie Latham became the oldest player in MLB history to walk and steal a base when the Giants inserted the coach into the lineup against the Phillies. In 1960, the Braves Lew Burdette threw a no hitter against the Phillies with only Tony Gonzalez reaching base when he was hit by a pitch in the 5^th inning. Larry Bowa hit his 1^st MLB homerun on this day in 1972… he had amassed 1,745 plate appearances before hitting the inside the park homerun at the Vet. Steve Carlton and Tom Seaver faced off for the last time in 1981 with Seaver, once again getting the victory and improving his head to head record to 12-2. In 1990, Tommy Greene made his Phillies debut. 5 years later, the Phillies sent 4 Kevins to the plate against the Giants (Stocker, Elster, Flora, and Jordan). 2 years later, for only the 2^nd time in franchise history, the Phillies hit 2 grand slams in the same game as Mike Lieberthal and Billy McMillon both connected against the Giants. Lieberthal once again etched his name in Phillies history on this day in 2006 when he caught his 1,125^th game passing Red Dooin as the all-time leader in games caught and celebrated the milestone by throwing out 2 baserunners and connecting for a homerun in a loss to the Nationals.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 56-65 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-62-0 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.

Phillies Fall In Utley’s Grand Return

GAME RECAP: Dodgers Destroy Phillies 15-5

Chase Utley could not have scripted Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park any better than this. The Dodgers' second baseman received a nearly 90-second standing ovation from Phillies fans in the first inning before he hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the seventh inning in Los Angeles' 15-5 victory. He made curtain calls after each homer, completing a special and unforgettable night -- his first game back in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers last August. "We've had some great times here with great teams and played hard," Utley said. "Philly fans recognize the guys that play the game the right way. Like I said, they'll always have a special place in my heart for sure." The victory, and the Giants' loss to the Pirates, pushed the Dodgers into first place in the National League West, but this night was about Utley's return to Philly. "I held it together fairly well," he said. "It is a situation I've never been in before. It's something you can't describe in words. It is a special feeling to see the fans give you their support." Howie Kendrick plated two with a shot two batters before Utley's solo jack, and Yasmani Grandal's two-run homer in the sixth was Velasquez's final straw. A walk to Joc Pederson ended Velasquez's night. In a rematch of pitchers from last Tuesday's game at Dodger Stadium, Velasquez fared only slightly better. After giving up nine runs over 4 1/3 innings in Los Angeles, he allowed five over 5 2/3 on Tuesday. Kenta Maeda, however, turned in his best start in more than a month. He walked only one while striking out nine over six innings. The Phillies' only runs off Maeda came on separate solo homers from Cameron Rupp and Cesar Hernandez. Ryan Howard added solo shot in the seventh to move into 76th place on the all-time homer list with his 375th career homer. "I think it just goes to show you can change the uniform, but he's always going to be a Phillie at heart," Howard said. "He's always going to be a Phillie to everybody here. I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. For the fans to give him a curtain call again, it shows what he was able to do here and the impact that he had here on the fans."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The most surprising thing about Utley's return to Philadelphia wasn't just his two home runs, nor even the standing ovation and curtain call that followed each dinger. Really, it was that it took him until his third at-bat of the night to hit the first. But he more than made up for the wait, coming to bat with the bases loaded in the eighth and unloading. The grand slam nicely caps Utley's career in Philadelphia. His first Major League hit was a grand slam, way back in Veterans Stadium in 2003. In all, Utley finished his first game at Citizens Bank Park in a visiting uniform 2-for-5 with five runs driven in. Utley has hardly shied away from the big moments in his career. Just last week, in his first game against his old team, Utley homered in his first at-bat. There's no doubt there's a little extra adrenaline," Utley said. "With playoff baseball, we had a little practice with that over the years. Adrenaline can be your friend at times. Definitely a lot of adrenaline flowing tonight. After that first at-bat, I was able to calm down a little."
• Phillies manager Pete Mackanin wanted Velasquez to throw more changeups in his start last week against the Dodgers, when he allowed nine runs in 4 2/3 innings at Dodger Stadium. He threw a few Tuesday, but he didn't fare much better. He struck out 10 but allowed five runs on seven hits, including three home runs, in just 5 2/3 innings. "I can't express how tough this team is," Velasquez said. "I'm glad it's the last time I'm facing them." 
• Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo turned a three-run deficit into an 8-2 deficit. He walked Utley to start the seventh and eventually loaded the bases. He then hit Adrian Gonzalez with a pitch to force home a run and walked Grandal to force home another run. Michael Mariot took his place, but he eventually allowed the grand slam to Utley. Araujo's ERA -- which sat at 5.00 entering the night -- is now 6.91. "It is what it is," Mackanin said about the team's left-handed bullpen problems. "What you see is what we get. We just need to improve in that area."
• Utley circled the bases in just 18.59 seconds in the fifth inning, his fastest trot around the bases this season according to Statcast™. He needed 19.97 seconds to circle the bases in the seventh. He entered the game averaging 20.12 seconds on home run trots. Utley wasn't sure if it was the fastest he had run following homers this season. "It happened pretty quickly," he said. "I know my [solo] home run I hit for my first hit, I was moving pretty quickly there around the bases. But maybe you can check Statcast™."
• "It's completely overwhelming. The standing ovation my first at-bat was something that I'll never forget, to be honest with you. It was truly special. It really shows how passionate and how great the Philadelphia fan base is. It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I've ever had, honestly, at any level. I was glad to get that first at-bat over with." -- Utley, on his reception from the Philadelphia fans.
• "I definitely think it was something bigger than the game tonight," -- Howard, on Utley's return.
• It was the 52nd time in their careers that Utley and Howard have homered in the same game. Of course, this time they played for different teams.
• Hernandez walked in the third inning to reach base in 22 consecutive games. He then got thrown out trying to steal second base.
• Cesar Hernandez extended his on-base streak to 22 games with a third-inning walk Tuesday. If he reaches safely Wednesday, he'll pass Peter Bourjos for the Phillies' longest streak of the season.
• Chase Utley on Tuesday played his first game at Citizens Bank Park since the Phillies traded him in August last season. Utley led off, greeted by a standing ovation and his customary walk-up music, "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin. Utley went 2-for-5 with a two homers -- including a grand slam -- and five RBIs in his return to Philly.
• Both teams' rotations have been hit with injuries -- and it shows. Entering play Tuesday, the Dodgers' bullpen had thrown the second-most innings in August, while Phillies relievers were tied for the third-most.

NEXT GAME:

Jake Thompson's progression from prospect to Major League starter continues Wednesday, as he makes his third big league start against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. The 22-year-old righty got rocked in his debut, allowing seven runs (six earned) to the Padres over 4 1/3 innings. Thompson made strides in his second start, lasting five innings and allowing three runs to the Rockies in his home debut. He also struck out six, a mark he's topped only once this season, even in his dominant run at Triple-A. "A lot better than the first one, that's for sure," Thompson said after his second start. "I felt more comfortable out there. I was able to spin the ball for more strikes, which I wasn't able to do in my first outing." Thompson's next step is to improve his command. He walked three in his second start after issuing two in his first. "He was a little erratic at times," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin noted. His opponent, Scott Kazmir, should be a familiar foe for the Phillies, who faced the lefty Wednesday in Los Angeles. Kazmir was effective but picked up the loss in the Phils' lone win of the series.

PHILS PHACTS:

Utley’s Grand Return – The fans had already seen what they came for. They had greeted Chase Utley upon his return to Philadelphia with a standing ovation of nearly 90 seconds. And Utley had returned the favor with a home run and subsequent curtain call in the fifth. But Utley has never settled for adequate. When he dug in with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, there was a reason jokes wafted through Citizens Bank Park that, Hey, wouldn't it be so stereotypically Utley to park a ball here? Then he did. The fans, for the fourth time on the evening, went wild. Utley finished rounding the bases and entered the dugout, only to exit seconds later for his second curtain call of the game. The clout was the punctuation on Los Angeles' 15-5 win, which pushed it past San Francisco, who lost to Pittsburgh, for first place in the National League West. "It happened pretty quickly," Utley said. "I know my [solo] home run I hit for my first hit, I was moving pretty quickly there around the bases. But maybe you can check Statcast™." Statcast™ calculated that Utley circled the bases on the first homer in 18.6 seconds, his fastest home-run trot of the season by almost a full second. Fans roared and rose to their feet before Utley's name had even been announced for his first at-bat. Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" begun playing from the loudspeakers, and Utley stepped from the on-deck circle into the batter's box. From the scheduled first pitch time of 7:05 p.m. ET until it was actually thrown at 7:08, Citizens Bank Park was stuck in time. Some were taking in the spectacle of Utley's first appearance back in the town in which he spent the first 13 seasons of his career. Others were harkening back to those years, which have been so often referred to as "the good times." The fans clapped and screamed. Utley turned and waved. He pointed to the fans and to Ryan Howard, who pointed back. Finally, Utley closed his fist, pounded his chest one last time and raised it toward the sky before taking strike one from Vince Velasquez. After a minute and a half of applause, Utley experienced a new sensation: nerves. "The standing ovation my first at-bat is something I'll never forget," Utley said. "It was probably one of the most nervous at-bats I've ever had, honestly, at any level. I was glad to get that first at-bat over with, to be honest." By his third at-bat, though, those nerves had turned into full-blown adrenaline. "We had a lot of practice with that over the years," Utley said, referencing his playoff runs with the Phillies. "Adrenaline can be your friend at times. Definitely a lot of adrenaline flowing tonight." Utley should get a full serving of adrenaline this season. The Dodgers are in the midst of a pennant chase. Meanwhile, the Phillies are two years into a rebuilding process that has seen every player from the teams that won five consecutive division titles depart except for Howard and Carlos Ruiz. "We had a lot of great times here at this stadium," Utley said before the game. "But in that five-year run, it was pretty special. When you look back on it, I just feel fortunate to have been on the team at that time. Because we had a pretty good squad." When the Phillies traded Utley last season, Howard and Ruiz became the lone remaining members of the 2008 World Series team. Their reunion has been a long time coming. The day Utley was dealt -- nearly a year ago to the day -- the Phillies held him out of the lineup as they finalized his move to Los Angeles. There were moving pieces, and the trade didn't get announced until about an hour after the last out of Utley's last game in Philadelphia. He tipped his cap to the fans afterward, but he was robbed of a proper farewell. "I didn't really have an opportunity to say goodbye," Utley said. "Everything kind of happened pretty quickly last year. If I were to write up a script it would have gone a bit differently." So in the moments leading up to Utley taking that first-pitch strike, it offered fans a chance to pay their respects to a catalyst in five division titles, two pennants and a World Series championship. The good times. They stacked five deep down the left-field line as Utley was the first Dodger on the field for pregame stretches. They piled over each other when Utley walked over and signed autographs up and down the line for 15 minutes. The first standing "O" came as his name was announced in the starting lineups (contrasted with an immediate round of boos for No. 2 hitter Corey Seager). It was the farewell that Utley never received. The treatment that Jimmy Rollins got after being traded to Los Angeles earlier last year. The same as Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino and the other 19 since-departed Phillies who hoisted the World Series trophy in the air that October 2008 night. Utley is one of the few still playing. Jayson Werth is in Washington; Cole Hamels is awaiting his return in Texas. Joe Blanton, like Rollins last season, was reunited with Utley in the Dodgers' clubhouse. But Utley, now 37, has no plans on making this his final return trip to Philly. Although he's looking to sell his Philadelphia condo, he wants to continue playing after this season. Utley, however, finds himself in the middle of another pennant chase. He hasn't had much time to think about the future. It's not because of his on-base percentage or speed that manager Dave Roberts keeps Utley in the leadoff spot. The reason, like what so often separated Utley from the pack, is what doesn't show up on the stat sheet. "The biggest thing for me why I keep him in the leadoff spot is because of his at-bat quality," Roberts said. "If there's any player that you have to dig deeper than the numbers to find his value, it's Chase."

Turning Back The Clock – Ryan Howard smiled as he recalled Chase Utley's standing ovation in the top of the first inning Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies fans stood and cheered as Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" played and Utley strode to home plate for the first time since the Phillies traded him to the Dodgers last August. They kept standing and they kept cheering for nearly 1 minute, 25 seconds. Utley stepped out of the batter's box at one point, turned and raised his blue Dodgers helmet to the crowd before he looked to Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp and home-plate umpire Ron Kulpa. "Hey, let's go," Rupp said he told them. But the roar continued. Utley stepped out of the batter's box again and acknowledged the fans one more time. Howard smiled because he knows Utley is not one for sentimental moments. But Utley had no choice this time. This was something special. "I think it was something bigger tonight," Howard said after the 15-5 loss. "I definitely think it was something bigger than the game tonight." Utley then homered in the fifth inning and hit a grand slam in the seventh inning. He got curtain calls each time. "I think it just goes to show you can change the uniform, but he's always going to be a Phillie at heart," Howard said. "He's always going to be a Phillie to everybody here. Again, I thought it was great. I thought it was awesome. For the fans to give him a curtain call again, it shows what he was able to do here and the impact that he had here on the fans." Howard hit a solo homer to center field in the eighth. It was the 375th homer of his career, which moved him into 76th place on the all-time list. It also was the 52nd time in their careers Howard and Utley homered in the same game. Of course, this was the first time they homered for different teams. "It's crazy, man," Howard said. "I'm out there, we're trying to beat him, but it's also tough because I played so many years alongside him and I always want to see him do well. I don't think you could have scripted it any better for him tonight."

The Struggles Continue – A little more than four months have passed since Vince Velasquez struck out 16 in a shutout against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez would like to finish the season more like that pitcher than the one who faced the Dodgers in his last two starts. Velasquez struck out 10 in Wednesday night's 15-5 loss in Philadelphia, but he also allowed seven hits -- including three homers -- and five runs in 5 2/3 innings in a game that featured a solo home run, a grand slam and two curtain calls from Dodgers second baseman and Phillies icon Chase Utley. "I don't really know the guy myself, but to have an ovation like that is incredible," Velasquez said. "He's a legend here." It was a fun night for Phillies fans celebrating the greatest second baseman in franchise history, but it has not been a fun week for Velasquez. He has allowed 18 hits, 14 earned runs and six home runs in 10 1/3 innings in his two starts against the Dodgers. "I can't express how tough this team is," Velasquez said. "Their approach is difficult." Velasquez will have opportunities to turn things around in the season's final few weeks, but how many more opportunities he'll get remains to be seen. The Phillies have been monitoring his workload, and he has thrown 113 innings to this point. "As of right now, I don't know what they have planned," said Velasquez, who has a 7.24 ERA in his last five starts. "I know I don't want to stop right now. The stage that I'm at and what I'm doing right now, I kind of want to finish on a better note. This is a tough time. I'm glad it's the last time I'm facing them. "I'm not perfect. I'm not [Clayton] Kershaw. It takes years to deal with a lineup like that and to be proficient. Tomorrow I'll go back to the drawing board and watch film and just be consistent."

Starters On Schedule – Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson remains on schedule to start Saturday against the Cardinals. Hellickson's scheduled start got pushed back three days because of soreness in his back, which he first experienced last week in a start against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Hellickson is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday. "We will find out for sure tomorrow," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday. "He's on track to pitch on the 20th. We'll see how he feels during his bullpen, after his bullpen." Left-hander Adam Morgan left Sunday's game because of a bruised left forearm. He is scheduled to start Friday. "Everything is negative," Mackanin said about Morgan's X-rays. "So it looks like he's going to be on track also. Unless I hear otherwise, he's still here."

Today In Phils History – In 1894 Sam Thompson recorded 6 hits including a cycle (the team recorded 36 hits) as the Phillies beat Louisville by a score of 29-4. Richie Ashburn hit the same spectator in the stand in 1957 as his first foul ball broke Alice Roth’s nose while the second struck her while she was being removed from the stand on a stretcher. Steve Carlton set a franchise record when he recorded his 15^th consecutive victory in a win over the Reds in 1972. The Phillies tied a team record in 1985 when they hit 6 homeruns including going back to back to back to back (Darren Daulton, Juan Samuel, Glenn Wilson, and Mike Schmidt) for only the second time in franchise history. Lastly, happy 36^th birthday to Brett Myers who should probably still be pitching… the Phillies do need a starter right now!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 56-64 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 49-64-0 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.