Phillies Overcome Errors To Complete Sweep

GAME RECAP: Phillies Sweep Rockies 7-6

In a game that wasn't the prettiest contest, featuring fielding and mental errors for both sides, the Phillies prevailed, 7-6, to sweep the series from the Rockies -- their first sweep since taking three from the Braves in the first week of July. Cesar Hernandez missed an easy tag of Charlie Blackmon at second that led to a Rockies run in the third. Odubel Herrera dropped a routine popup on the first play of the game and later broke his bat in frustration over a called strike three. Severino Gonzalez balked runners into scoring position. But those were overshadowed by a rare multi-error game from the Rockies' Gold Glove third baseman, Nolan Arenado, Ryan Raburn struggling to field a ground ball then still trying to get the lead runner and a dubious throwing error-wild pitch combo from Tyler Chatwood, who surrendered six runs (four earned) over four-plus innings. Chatwood had allowed eight earned runs in his previous nine road starts, entering Sunday with a 1.30 ERA on the road but exiting with it up to 1.82. "I think because it was one of the hottest days we played on this year, I think that had a lot to do with it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You've got to give credit to the guys that kept hustling throughout. I'm sure there's a lot of weight loss by both teams." Upper-back tightness, the repeat of an injury that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season, limited Chatwood to throwing to one side of the plate, inside to right-handed hitters, outside to lefties. Chatwood had allowed eight earned runs in nine previous starts on the road this season, entering with a 1.30 road ERA but exiting with it up to 1.82. "It spasmed in the first and it stayed tight," said Chatwood, who added that the pain has generally been manageable. "I tried to pitch through it. I know we were short in the bullpen. But obviously, that wasn't the smartest thing to do." The Rockies lost for the ninth time in 11 games, and sloppy play negated a two-homer day from Blackmon, who set a club record with five home runs in a three-game series. "Objectively, you're looking at the game saying, 'We didn't do this well.' … Then we battle back and at the end of the game you lose by a run," said Blackmon, who improved his career-high home run total to 20. "That really hurts, because looking back there are a lot of missed opportunities over the last three and a half hours that could've helped us win."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Typically relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Jimmy Paredes got the start in left field and made the most of it. By the fifth inning, he was a triple away from the cycle. He followed an RBI single in the second with a solo homer in the fourth, before doubling home Herrera in the fifth. It was Paredes' first three-hit game since June 26 of last year, with the Orioles, and only his third multi-hit game since joining the Phillies. "It's good," Paredes said. "You try to help your team to win and do the best you can. That's all. I was ready for my chances. They gave me my chance and I did the best I can." 
• Morgan's day was cut short by a Nick Hundley line drive that hit him on the left forearm. Hundley's liner left the bat at 86 mph and forced Morgan out after three innings. Gonzalez replaced Morgan and immediately balked the two inherited runners into scoring position, though only David Dahl scored, leaving Morgan with two runs allowed over three-plus innings. Morgan exited with what the Phillies called a left forearm contusion, and X-rays came back negative on his forearm.  Morgan was lucky it hit him where it did. "It kind of gets dangerous around the elbow area," he said "But it got me pretty much in the meat of the forearm." With the off-day Monday, Mackanin will "mull it over and see where he's at" before deciding if Morgan will make his next scheduled start. 
• It didn't take long for the first review on Sunday's sweltering series finale. Herrera dropped a popup, allowing Blackmon to reach first to lead off the game. With the next batter, DJ LeMahieu, at the plate, Blackmon broke for second. He appeared to have gotten in under Hernandez's tag and was ruled safe. But the Phillies challenged, and the call was overturned. Mackanin is 20-for-34 (59 percent) on challenges this season. Blackmon earned a measure of payback when he gave a foot and then took it away to slip into second with a third-inning double. It took a 2-minute, 9-second replay review to overturn the out call.
• Phillies infielder Cesar Hernandez enters Tuesday's series opener with a 21-game on-base streak. He's the third Phillies player this season to reach base in 20 more straight games.
• The series win over the Phillies was the Dodgers' fifth in their last six. Combined with the Giants' recent struggles, Los Angeles has rallied from 6 1/2 games back to within one of the division lead.
• The Dodgers took two of three from the Phillies when they met in Los Angeles last week, winning the first two before losing to Jeremy Hellickson in the series finale.

NEXT GAME:

By now, the Phillies and Dodgers should be pretty familiar with each other. At least they're about to be, with a three-game series starting in Philadelphia on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Only one series separates their three games in Los Angeles and the Dodgers' upcoming visit to Philadelphia. Vince Velasquez doesn't get a break from his hometown team. The Pomona, Calif., native pitched in front of more than 100 friends and family at Dodger Stadium in his start Tuesday. Velasquez didn't exactly put on a show, as he allowed nine runs -- a career-high -- and exited with just one out in the fifth. Tuesday's series opener is a rematch of Velasquez and Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda exactly one week later. In their last matchup, Maeda walked a batter for the first time in three starts. He walked two, giving him just three over his past six. Over that stretch, Maeda is averaging less than a walk per nine innings and has a 35:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The game will also be Chase Utley's first at Citizens Bank Park since the Phillies traded him last August. He recently admitted that his return "might be a bit emotional."

PHILS PHACTS:

Bats Backing Pitching – After Nick Hundley shot a line drive back at Adam Morgan that hit the Phillies starter's left forearm in the fourth inning of the Philadelphia's 7-6 win over the Rockies, manager Pete Mackanin took a look at his chart of starts from the past couple weeks. "We've been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our starters," Mackanin said. "That really taxes the bullpen. … It's concerning. We don't want that to happen. Every team has injuries but we don't want that to happen now, especially starting pitching." Two pieces of good news: First, Morgan's forearm doesn't appear to be serious. He left the clubhouse with it wrapped but X-rays were negative and he only has a bruise. The second: Despite the poor showing by their starting pitchers, the Phillies are 8-4 in August. The dog days of summer are upon us and the temperature outside is rising. So is that of the Phillies' lineup. Only three teams in baseball are averaging more runs in August than the Phils. Through the first 12 games of the month, the Phillies are averaging more than six runs a game, including showings of seven, six and 10 in their first sweep of the Rockies since 2012. And they did so while also allowing 15 runs over the three games. It's the most runs allowed over any stretch of three wins for the Phillies all season. Colorado has scored the third-most runs in baseball this season. "It's great to sweep a team like the Rockies, with their offense," Mackanin said. "Everybody's contributing," he continued. "I feel like everybody's getting opportunities. It's good to see. When you win a game, the more players that are involved in that game, the happier I am. I think it unites the team." Although the seven runs Sunday were a team effort, as Mackanin said, Jimmy Paredes led the charge. By the fifth inning, Paredes was a triple away from the cycle. Making a cameo in the starting lineup, Paredes drove in three of the Phillies' run, including one on a solo shot that just cleared the left-center-field wall in the fourth. "You never know when they're going to give you a chance and when they're going to call you to play," Paredes said. "I was ready for my chances. They gave me my chance, and I did the best I can." The win was the Phillies' fourth straight -- their longest streak since the first week of July. They scored four runs in each of the four games, making for the longest such streak by the team since June 2013.

Morgan Recovering – With nobody out and a runner on first base in the fourth inning of the Phillies' 7-6 win over Colorado on Sunday, Nick Hundley lined a ball right back at Adam Morgan on the mound. Morgan attempted to shield himself with his glove, but the 86-mph line drive got him on his left forearm. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan and the Phillies' infield huddled on the mound around Morgan, who was crouched over in pain. A few hours later in the clubhouse, though, Morgan said he was feeling fine. And he was especially happy to hear X-rays came back negative on the left forearm contusion that forced him from the game. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess," Morgan said. "It's just a bruise. [Once] that bruise goes away, I'm good." Mackanin didn't commit to Morgan being able to make his next start. "We're going to take the day off tomorrow, mull it over and see where he's at," Mackanin said "We'll see." Morgan left the clubhouse with his left arm wrapped in a compression sleeve. He threw three-plus innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Although it got cut short, Morgan felt he saw the results of what he worked on his five starts back with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "The two-seam, I've been working on and had a good feel for it," Morgan said. "I was just up today; the two-seam, and confidence in the slider and changeup. Really just a simple game plan: get ahead, strike one. It wasn't apparent today, but it'll get better." The southpaw was replaced by Severino Gonzalez. Morgan threw three-plus innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Morgan's exit could be yet another blow to an already depleted Phillies rotation. Morgan was already filling in for Zach Eflin, who is on the 15-day DL and could be done for the year with injuries to his knees and right foot. Jeremy Hellickson's start was pushed back to Saturday, as he deals with a sore back, and Charlie Morton hasn't pitched since April 23 and will miss the remainder of the season. Mackanin was more concerned with the present state of his bullpen, though, rather than the potential future issues on the starting staff. "I looked back at my chart, and we've been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our starters," Mackanin said. "That really taxes the bullpen. Today was kind of hairy for us, because we didn't want to get in a situation late in the game where it was a tie game and I didn't have any pitchers left. So I had to go the extra mile with some of those guys. They did a real good job. ... We don't want that to happen. Every team has injuries, but we don't want that to happen now, especially starting pitching."

Today In Phils History – Don Demeter hit a pair of homeruns for the Phillies on this day in 1962 both coming off of Bob Miller which was actually 2 completely different Mets pitchers. 3 years later, Masanoni Murakami became the 1^st pitcher born in Japan to start a MLB game when he took the mound for the Giants against the Phillies (he debuted the previous season but had only pitched in relief). Mike Schmidt hit his franchise record 7^th grand slam on this day in 1983 against the Cubs. However, the most memorable moment on this day is the performance of Terry Mulholland on this day in 1990 when he completed a no hitter against the Giants (ironically, Charlie Hayes made a great play to end the game but cost Mulholland the perfect game earlier when he committed an error).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 56-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 53-59-0 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 Powers Phillies To Victory

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 6-3

Tyler Anderson wasn't long for this one. In the Phillies' 6-3 win Saturday night, the Rockies' rookie left-hander hit Maikel Franco the at-bat after the third baseman gave Philadelphia an early lead with a three-run homer and subsequent exuberant trot. Tempers flared. Benches cleared. Bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected. After Franco came around to score, the Rockies had more fireworks to contribute by way of the long ball. Franco didn't believe Anderson plunked him on purpose. But given the situation, he wasn't surprised to see the benches clear and his team come to his defense, either. "I know the team had to protect me," Franco said. "They had to respond, too. … I didn't expect the ball to be coming because I didn't do anything wrong, just run my bases. This moment, you just have to get mad a little bit." Anderson and Weiss each said they thought home-plate umpire Eric Cooper's decision was quick, but they also saw Cooper's side. "Obviously, I put that guy [Cooper] in a tough situation, because he hit a home run the at-bat before, but I was not going to intentionally hit the guy in the shin," Anderson said. "A little quick, but I put him in a bad spot, too." Down four runs in the sixth, Colorado knocked Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff out after 5 2/3 innings with a pair of dingers. Daniel Descalso mashed a two-run blast, while Tony Wolters added a solo shot -- the third straight plate appearance he reached safely in to start the game. The win gives the Phillies three straight victories for the first time since early July -- a streak the Rockies snapped during the teams' series in Colorado. A sweep Sunday would be their first since taking three from the Braves during that streak. The Rockies are trending in an opposite direction, dropping their eighth game of their last 10 to fall five below .500 for the first time since July 23. "It's really good to win a series against this lineup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This whole lineup is a good lineup. All you have to do is look at their batting averages. We're doing a heck of a job beating these guys the first two games."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Franco took his time rounding the bases after putting a three-spot on the scoreboard in the first inning with his 21st blast of the season. The next pitch Franco saw from Anderson in the fourth was a fastball to the knee. Franco stared down Anderson, who had words for him and home-plate umpire Eric Cooper, and took first after the benches and bullpens cleared. A Carlos Ruiz walk pushed Franco to second, where he hustled home on Freddy Galvis' single to give the Phillies their fourth six run of the evening. The Phillies' third baseman had a hand (and knee) in all four.
• The sixth inning has not treated Eickhoff well. The three runs Colorado plated off him in the inning upped his sixth-inning ERA this season to an astronomical 12.71. Eickhoff's struggles the third time through the order have plagued him all season, often turning a potential gem into a mess heading into the seventh. Thanks to some uncharacteristic run support, Eickhoff's scheduled sixth-inning implosion cost him only ERA points, not a win. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff isn't so sure either. Despite the gaudy numbers, he doesn't believe it's any sort of a trend. He attributed his struggles in the sixth his last start to an inability to locate, while Saturday, he believed he lost the touch on his curveball. "It just comes down to getting that curveball over," Eickhoff said. "I got it over the first inning maybe, but if the hitters can eliminate that, especially being lefties, you know, it's a big weapon for me. If I'm not throwing that with consistency, they can just put that in the back of their mind, or eliminate it, really."
• Andres Blanco is still more than a week away from removing the pin from his fractured left index finger. Mackanin said the tentative date for that is Aug. 22, but once it is out, it shouldn't take Blanco much more than a week to be ready for action again. Mackanin anticipates Blanco's return around the first week of September.
• The Phillies moved Jeremy Hellickson's next start back to let him rest his sore back and also get a better look at it. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, Mackanin said Hellickson's next start will tentatively come Saturday against the Cardinals. They'll know for certain after Hellickson goes through more tests Saturday. "He seems to be improved and ready to go," Mackanin said. "But we're going to double-check tomorrow." Hellickson said Friday that although he still had some soreness, he expected to make his next start.
• Mackanin also officially named Adam Morgan as Sunday's starting pitcher, filling in for Eflin. Morgan was scratched from his start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and will be recalled prior to Sunday's game. The Phillies will send down a reliever after Saturday's game to clear a roster spot for the left-hander.

NEXT GAME:

Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65 ERA) gets the nod to fill the injured Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation in the series finale at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. The last time Morgan was on a Major League mound, it was July 7 in Colorado, allowing six runs over five innings to the Rockies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Bad Inning(s) – Numbers don't lie. And they don't tell a pretty story for Jerad Eickhoff after the fifth inning. Albeit in a 6-3 Phillies win, the Rockies again signed their name to the list of teams to torch Eickhoff the third time around the order. They had done so once already, scoring six of their eight runs off Eickhoff in the sixth inning of his start at Coors Field in July. The first five innings Saturday were hardly easy for Eickhoff. He allowed six hits and nine baserunners but stranded them all. David Dahl doubled with one out the sixth, and he was not stranded. Daniel Descalso homered the next at-bat and Tony Wolters followed two batters later with a solo shot of his own. After a triple by pitcher Chris Rusin, Eickhoff's night was over, in the sixth, again. With the two outs recorded in the inning Saturday, Eickhoff has now pitched 17 total sixth innings this season. In those, he has allowed 24 runs. Over 119 1/3 total innings pitched in the first through fifth frame, Eickhoff has allowed a combined 34 runs. His sixth-inning ERA climbed to 12.71. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff knows what the numbers say, but he doesn't see any trend. To him, it's a different malfunction each time. On Saturday, he said he lost his touch on the curveball. The start prior, in which he completed the sixth, but not before allowing three Padres runs, he pointed to a single mistake pitch on a two-run Ryan Schimpf home run. Even dating back to his Minor League days, Eickhoff said it was the early innings, not the late ones, that gave him trouble. "It's just kind of how trends happen," Eickhoff said, emphasizing their randomness. "It's not anything concerning for me." While Eickhoff may not have an explanation for the consistent sixth-inning struggles, there was an easy one for Saturday's. With temperatures north of 90 degrees and a heat index of 105 at first pitch, Eickhoff (and everyone else) was dripping with sweat. He had command of his curve in the first, but it evaporated as the game continued. A curveball may be the pitch most affected by a slick hand: having to grip the seams, flick the wrist to get the ball spinning, all while commanding it with precision -- ideally. It had been "a while" since Eickhoff pitched in hot and humid conditions comparable to Saturday, and he didn't shy away from admitting its effects. "I felt like I had it early on," Eickhoff said. "But as the game went on and the more I sweat, the moisture kept building. I couldn't throw it like I wanted to. It's just a part of the game. I've got to adjust to it and I wasn't able to do that.”

Season Over? – Zach Eflin's first Major League season could be over. In addition to the patellar tendinopathy in both his knees that put him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, an MRI on Friday revealed Eflin also has a stress fracture in his right foot. "I would say it's unlikely he'll be back this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I can't commit to that 100 percent, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll be back." Eflin has dealt with knee issues for years, but the pain in his foot was a more recent occurrence. Eflin said the foot began to bother him a couple weeks ago and asked for it to be examined when he was getting an MRI on his knees. In both cases, Eflin and the Phillies are waiting for more detailed results and will likely seek a second opinion. With no knowledge of his current situation, it would be difficult to diagnose Eflin with any sort of injury. He strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. His foot is no game of Russian nesting dolls. There is no walking boot, medical tape or other treatment beneath the leather cowboy boot on his right foot. "When I walk on the outside of it, I feel it, but I'm fine," Eflin said. "Obviously I could pitch through it. But it's just not really ideal." If this is the end of Eflin's rookie season, he'll finish with a 3-5 record and 5.54 ERA. It did have its bright spots, though, including a complete-game shutout of the Pirates and a seven-start run without allowing more than three earned runs.

Today In Phils History – While staying in Ventnor, NJ recovering from a series of illnesses in 1913, club President William Locke died of a heart attack. The Phillies finally put an end to their 30 inning scoreless streak on this day in 1942. 10 year later, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones ended his NL record for 3B streak of 62 games without committing an error. The Phillies lost their 17^th straight game on this day in 1961 which was also the 11^th straight game during which the opposing pitcher recorded a complete game. 20 year later, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #300 off of New York’s Mike Scott. The following season, Pete Rose moved passed Hank Aaron on the all-time at bat list with 12,365. 2 year later, Juan Samuel stole his 56^th base of the year breaking Sherry Magee’s franchise record. 6 years ago, R. A. Dickey held the Phillies to only 1 hit which was recorded by opposing pitcher Cole Hamels in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Mets. Finally, happy birthday to Juan Pierre who was born on this day in 1977.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 55-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 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.

Grand Nostalgia Enough To Top Rockies

GAME RECAP: Phillies Rock Rockies 10-6

The Phillies got a little nostalgic Friday night. Prior to their series-opening 10-6 win over the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils inducted Jim Thome into the club's Wall of Fame. Not three hours later, the man who took Thome's job back in 2005, Ryan Howard, looked like his old self and hammered a grand slam into the Rockies' bullpen, 455 feet away per Statcast™, to break a tie for good. "You want to go out there and try to get a win on a special night like this," Howard said. "Being able to get something to hit and having it land on the other side of the fence -- it's the bonus." After circling the bases, Howard re-emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done so. "It's been a while," Howard said. "Felt great. I mean, to be able to do it in that situation in a night like tonight, it was pretty cool." Howard's slam, the 14th of his career and first since 2014, continued the Rockies' downward spiral. Colorado had pulled a game over .500 and three games back of a Wild Card spot, but the Rockies have lost seven of nine games since. Friday's pitching matchup was anything but nostalgic, featuring a pair of rookies in the Rockies' slumping Jon Gray and the Phils' Jake Thompson, making his second MLB start. Thompson bounced back nicely from a 4 1/3-inning, six-run debut to toss five innings of three-run ball, though not without the red-hot Charlie Blackmon touching him for a home run. The Rockies' center fielder added two more big flies in the seventh and ninth for his first career three-home run game. Over the last week, Blackmon is 19-for-33 (.576) with six home runs. "I felt pretty good -- I imagine that's what it's like to be Nolan Arenado on a day-to-day basis -- that's as close as I get," said Blackmon, referring to the Rockies' third baseman, who has 30 homers this season. But with Gray throwing 111 pitches and lasting just 4 1/3 innings, the Rockies didn't get the starting pitching a team that was coming off a 4-hour, 3-minute game in 100-plus degree heat needed to keep up its energy level. "No question, you're already a little bit low and then you're standing around out there on defense, it doesn't help," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• After a 13-pitch at-bat to lead off the first, Cesar Hernandez ripped a ball into the right-center gap. As Gerardo Parra scrambled to field it, Hernandez was wheeling around the bases and landed on third for his MLB-leading ninth triple of the season. Odubel Herrera poked a fastball into left the next play, scoring Hernandez to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead, and followed it by swiping his 19th bag of the season. Hernandez matched Herrera on the bases the next inning, stealing his 12th base after an eight-pitch walk.
• Hernandez had plate appearances of 13, eight and 13 pitches against Gray. He tripled, walked and struck out in those and saw 34 of Gray's 111 pitches (30.6 percent).
• The Rockies hoped to erase a baserunner and possibly make the fifth easier on Gray when they challenged a safe call at second base on Maikel Franco's fielder's choice grounder with one out. But after 2 minutes, 25 seconds, the replay official ruled that there was no angle that showed definitively that shortstop Daniel Descalso's right foot was on second base when he received DJ LeMahieu's throw in an atempt to retire Aaron Altherr. The call stood, Gray faced Howard with nowhere to put him, and Howard smashed the Rockies -- again.

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78 ERA) looks to avenge his last start against the Rockies on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET. In his first meeting vs. Colorado at Coors Field, the Rockies put up a six-spot in the sixth, en route to a season-high eight runs allowed by Eickhoff in 5 1/3 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

4 K Inning – When Jake Thompson struck out four Rockies in the second inning of the Phillies' 10-6 win Friday night, it was more than just a fun anecdote. It proved he can put away Major League hitters. The one knock on Thompson has been that he doesn't have strikeout stuff. Despite his dominant run at Triple-A before making his Major League debut on Saturday against the Dodgers, Thompson didn't fan more than six in a single outing, even while posting a 1.08 ERA over his final eight Triple-A starts. Thompson had so ignored the punchout, he didn't even realize he had completed the rare four-strikeout inning until he was back in the clubhouse icing his arm. "That's definitely a first," Thompson said, which is not surprising, as he had seven starts just this season with fewer strikeouts than he recorded in the second inning. It was hardly a breeze to get there, though. Thompson's first victim wasn't so much a victim as a benefactor. David Dahl swung at and missed a curveball in the dirt and hustled to first. A single and an error brought Dahl home. But Thompson stranded Gerardo Parra and Nick Hundley, the two batters who reached after Dahl's strikeout. Parra and Hundley didn't even advance a bag, as Thompson sent down Ben Paulsen, Daniel Descalso and Jon Gray consecutively on strikes to end the inning and the scoring threat. "A lot better than the first one, that's for sure," Thompson said, reflecting on his debut, when he struck out one and allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings. "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." Although Thompson progressed a mile in one start, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is still excited about what's to come. Thompson allowed only two hits, but he issued three free passes. "He was a little erratic," Mackanin said. "His command wasn't the greatest, but he battled, and like I said, this is a very tough team. They've got a great offense." Thompson sees greener pastures ahead, too, after picking up his first MLB win. "It's kind of nice to get the first one out of the way," Thompson said. "Hopefully I'll gain more confidence on the mound and keep it rolling."

Phillies Honor Thome – No player on the Phillies' Wall of Fame had a shorter tenure with the Phillies than Jim Thome. But perhaps no player better represented the rebirth of baseball in this city than he did. The Phillies had been perennial doormats in the National League East for years, when former general manager Ed Wade signed Thome to a six-year, $85 million contract in December 2002. "Overnight he changed the way people looked at the Phillies," former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said during Thome's Wall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Thome led the National League with 47 home runs in 2003, as the Phillies fell just short of the National League Wild Card. He hit 42 homers in 2004 and seven more in 2005, finishing the season on the disabled list. Ryan Howard emerged in his shadow, winning the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year. The Phillies traded Thome to the White Sox that winter, but the baseball renaissance he started in Philadelphia did not fade. "I don't think one guy actually comes in and changes things," said Thome, who rejoined the Phillies briefly in 2012. "I think what happens is, if a guy signs, you see other guys follow. And even though you don't see at that moment, say a world championship that season, eventually you're working towards that. When I came here and Ed and Ruben [Amaro Jr.] and Mr. [Bill] Giles and Mr. [David] Montgomery, all those guys kind of told us what the plan was. It put us in a position where we felt really good about what Philadelphia could be. I felt the love in a lot of areas, not only in the organization. You could see there was something special here that was about to emerge." Manuel introduced Thome, who stood alongside fellow Wall of Famers like Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Darren Daulton, Mike Lieberthal, Tony Taylor and Jim Bunning. Former teammate Bobby Abreu unveiled Thome's Wall of Fame plaque. A highlight video captured the excitement of Thome's arrival and his many big moments with the Phillies, including his 400th career home run. Former teammates Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, David Bell and Nick Punto wished Thome congratulations with recorded messages on Phanavision. So did country music star Tim McGraw. Of course, Thome never got his World Series with the Phillies or anybody else over the course of his career. It is perhaps the only thing on his baseball bucket list he could not check off. But Thome still rooted hard for the Phillies, who won the World Series in 2008. He showed up to Game 4 at Citizens Bank Park and watched Game 5 at home. "The business of the game, that's kind of how things work," Thome said. "I moved on, [Howard] got to emerge, which helped the Phillies along with my other teammates that I got to play with. I was just so happy that they were able to accomplish that, because when you play as many games as we do, we're ultimately brothers. You do root for your brothers." And Friday night Thome joined an elite Phillies brotherhood. "You are humbled that they would think that highly of you to put you in a great fraternity," Thome said. "Baseball Hall of Fames -- they just don't give people that honor. To be voted by the fans -- that's something special. I know that I didn't play here long, and I know there are so many guys that are going to be in this that are deserving. I just feel so honored that they would think of me to put me in."

Hoping For A Quick Recovery – The Phillies still need a starter Sunday against the Rockies and possibly one Wednesday against the Dodgers. Triple-A Lehigh Valley left-hander Adam Morgan is an option to start Sunday. The IronPigs scratched him from Friday's start, making him available to face Colorado. Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said he still has some soreness in his back after leaving Wednesday's game against the Dodgers after the fifth inning. He was scheduled to see a team doctor Friday night, but he thinks he is likely to pitch Wednesday. "It feels better," Hellickson said. "Just a tad sore. All the stuff they had me do today felt fine." The Phillies placed Zach Eflin on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with patellar tendinopathy in his knees. He had a MRI exam scheduled Friday, but those results were not available. It is unclear if Eflin will pitch again this season. "He's had enough good starts where he's been impressive at times," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "And he's had chronic knee issues as it is. If they decide to take care of it now, I think that may be a good idea. But I'll leave that up to the medical people. Bring him back 100 percent next year. We'll see what they say."

Waiver Claim – The Phillies claimed Patrick Schuster off waivers from the A's. and optioned the left-hander to Lehigh Valley. He allowed nine hits, eight runs, six walks and struck out six in 6 2/3 innings in five appearances this season with Oakland. He had a 1.16 ERA in 32 appearances with Triple-A Nashville.

Today In Phils History – It was a record setting day for pitcher Bill Kerksieck and the Phillies on this day in 1939 as the pitcher surrendered 6 homeruns including 4 in 1 inning to tie 2 MLB records. The team turned the tables on the Giants in 1948 as the 1^st 9 Phillies to come to the plate scored before a single out was made setting a new NL record. Karl Wallenda returned to the Vet on this day in 1972 to traverse a cable strung between the foul poles between the games of a double header. On this day in 1985, Darren Daulton hit his 1^st MLB homerun off of the Mets Rick Aguilera. 2 years later, the Cardinals defeat the Phillies 4-2 in 13 innings despite not recording a single OF putout or assist (it was the 1^st time it had happened since 1905). The following season, in 1988, Paul Owens was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (the precursor to the Wall of Fame).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 54-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-49-0 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 Get Some Rest

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

The Phillies return home to face Colorado after a rocky road trip.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• It has been a bad week for the Phillies' rotation. They placed Aaron Nola on the disabled list on Aug. 3 and Zach Eflin on the DL on Tuesday only to watch Hellickson leave the game after the fifth inning because of tightness in his back. He had retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced before leaving the game. Hellickson said he will be OK, but if he cannot make his next start, the Phillies will need to find two new starters to pitch next week. "It's definitely not something I think will linger more than a couple days," Hellickson said. 
• Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games, dating to July 23.

NEXT GAME:

The Phils do not play Thursday, but they open a three-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Rookie right-hander Jake Thompson makes the second start of his career after getting hit hard in his big league debut over the weekend against the Padres.

PHILS PHACTS:

Today In Phils History – The Phillies recorded their 13^th straight win on this day in 1991 setting the team’s modern day record (post 1900). In 2009, Shane Victorino makes the routine play on a fly ball against the Cubs despite having a Wrigley fan in the bleachers throw a beer in his face. 2 years later, on the same night that John Kruk is inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame, Chase Utley sets the franchise record for games played at 2B, passing Tony Taylor. 3 years ago, with a win over the Braves, Charlie Manuel records career win number 1,000. Finally, it was on this day 120 years ago when future Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie made his MLB debut with the Phillies.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 53-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-49-0 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 Split Final Series Before All Star Break

GAME RECAP: Phillies Crush Rockies 10-3

Cameron Rupp made sure the Rockies didn't even their home record before the All-Star break, going a career-best 4-for-5, and tying a career-high four RBIs in the Phillies' 10-3 win on Sunday at Coors Field. Rupp drove in runs on singles in the third and fifth before hitting a 465-foot home run off Jake McGee in the seventh. Maikel Franco out-did him in the following frame with a 471-foot shot -- the fourth longest in baseball this season -- off Jason Motte. "Our hitting has come around," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "The first two months we were at the bottom of the pack, literally. Everybody has been contributing." The Phillies tagged Rockies starter Tyler Chatwood for four runs on eight hits with three walks and two strikeouts. It was his second straight start after coming off the 15-day disabled list (mid-back strain) to only last five innings. "I don't think I've pitched very well since I hurt my back," Chatwood said. "I haven't found my rhythm again. That's not an excuse, I just haven't pitched good." Phillies rookie Zach Eflin did a good job solving a Rockies lineup that scored 22 runs in the previous three games this series. He limited them to two runs on seven hits over six innings with three strikeouts and two walks. Home Run Derby participant Carlos Gonzalez homered into the third deck in right field in the eighth off Hector Neris.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Eflin allowed two runs in six innings against the Rockies, giving him some solid mojo heading into the All-Star break. After allowing nine runs in just 2 2/3 innings in his big league debut June 14 in Toronto, Eflin is 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA (eight earned runs in 32 2/3 innings) in his last five starts. "You just can't live in the past," Eflin about his recovery after Toronto. "You've just always got to have your head high. I learn after every outing and I learned a lot after that one. I've done a good job of just keeping the ball down and throwing all of pitches for strikes and keeping the hitters guessing."
• Rupp said recently he does not consider himself a placeholder for Phillies' catching prospects Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. He continued to make a strong case for himself, going 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. He is the first Phillies' catcher with four hits and four RBIs in a game since Carlos Ruiz on June 13, 2008, in St. Louis. Rupp now ranks third among qualified catchers with an .840 OPS. "No, not at all," said Rupp, asked if he could have scripted his half any better. "Just coming out and being consistent. That's what I'm trying to do every day. I don't want to get too high, too low."
• "I've been making unbelievable decisions. It's unbelievable," -- Mackanin, joking on what has gone right for the Phillies during their 10-3 stretch before the break.
• Maikel Franco's three-run homer in the eighth traveled a projected 471 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the Statcast™ era, which dates to last season. It is believed to be the Phillies' longest homer since Ryan Howard hit one an estimated 473 feet on Sept. 18, 2009, according to ESPN's home run tracker. 
• Left-hander Daniel Stumpf returned to the Phillies July 10 after serving an 80-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Philadelphia acquired Stumpf from Kansas City last December in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched in three games before being suspended.
• Active members of the Mets have hit a combined .307 against Hellickson, with Jose Reyes having recorded a .381 batting average to go along with one homer and four RBIs.
• Mets manager Terry Collins has expressed hope that Yoenis Cespedes would be ready to play by the end of the All-Star break. Cespedes, who sustained a right quad strain July 8, leads the Mets with 21 homers and 52 RBIs. In 26 at-bats against the Phillies in the first half of the year, Cespedes hit .269 with three homers and six RBIs.

NEXT GAME:

After limping into the All-Star break with a slew of injuries to key players, the Mets turn to Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.61 ERA) to set the tone for the second half of the season July 15 against the Phillies, who counter with Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 3.92 ERA). deGrom and Bartolo Colon have been the only regular members of the Mets' starting rotation to avoid injury issues in recent weeks. Matt Harvey opted for season-ending surgery to repair his thoracic outlet syndrome, while Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard have both been pitching through bone spurs; Syndergaard left his start July 8 with a "dead arm." Hellickson has provided a veteran presence in a young Phillies pitching staff, but his name has floated around in trade rumors. The Mets could be in the market for a starter given all their issues, but there's been no indication Hellickson could be an option for them.

PHILS PHACTS:

Setting Sights On Second Half – Almost nobody expected anything from the Phillies this season. They were rebuilding. They were young. And then they started the season 0-4, which only seemed to confirm those low expectations. But after a 10-3 victory over the Rockies on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field, the Phillies enter the All-Star break at 42-48. They have won 10 of their last 13 games, putting them within striking distance of .500 and -- is it crazy to even mention this? -- just six games behind the Marlins and Mets for the second National League Wild Card. Suddenly, the second-half expectations are a little higher. "Back at the start of the season, I said I'd like to play .500 and go from there," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I feel like even though we're six under, we're at that point where we're going to find out how much we've improved and how good we are or if it's just a façade. And I chose to believe it's not. We're going to win a lot more games in the second half than we did in the first half." Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, who has been one of the team's brightest spots this season, said .500 play the rest of the way would be a nice accomplishment. Remember, the Phillies finished last season with the worst record in baseball at 63-99. "You don't want to settle for mediocrity by any means," Rupp said. "But when a team has zero expectations and you've got days where the oldest guy on the field is 27, 28 years old, it's part of the learning process of playing in the big leagues. We're doing that and showing that we all belong here. That we can play with anybody, play with the best." The Phillies were 24-17 on May 18, but went just 6-26 from May 20 through June 22. "We went into that nosedive in June," Mackanin said. "I didn't think we'd ever win another game." They are 12-5 since the tailspin, which has the team encouraged entering the break. While they are looking forward to getting away for a few days, it is nothing like last year's All-Star break when they were 29-62. Players last year quietly said how much they could not wait to get away for a few days, almost dreading their return. "When you struggle a lot and you're losing every day it's hard to come to the ballpark and get up and get going," Rupp said. "We're winning. Winning is fun. I know we're not .500, but we hit a stretch … where we were playing the best teams back-to-back-to-back-to-back. They did what they were supposed to do to us, but we didn't quit." And now the second half is suddenly a little more interesting.

Going (Really) Deep – Maikel Franco got his title back. He crushed a three-run home run in the eighth inning of Sunday's 10-3 win over the Rockies at Coors Field a projected 471 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest home run of the season and the fourth-longest homer in baseball this season. It also is the Phillies' longest homer of the Statcast™ era, which dates to last season. It is believed to be the Phillies' longest homer since Ryan Howard hit one an estimated 473 feet on Sept. 18, 2009, according to ESPN's home run tracker. "471?" Franco said. "I didn't know that." He bested Cameron Rupp, who ripped a two-run home run a projected 465 feet in the seventh inning. Rupp's status atop the Phillies' home run leaderboard lasted just one inning, although it remains the 11th-longest homer in baseball. "They were both good ones," Rupp said. It has been a week of long homers for the Phillies. Tommy Joseph hit a pinch-hit, three-run home run Friday that traveled a projected 455 feet, which made it the Phillies' longest homer of the year. Joseph's bomb beat Franco's 448-foot blast Monday at Citizens Bank Park, which was the Phillies' longest homer of the season when he hit it. Statcast™ radars tracked each of the home runs. It projects home run distances, not where the balls land, but where they would have landed had the stands not gotten in the way. Of course, it is worth noting that Coors Field also adds about 20 feet to home runs, according to a study. "They all count the same," Rupp said.

Back From Suspension – Daniel Stumpf said he rejoined the Phillies on Sunday with a clean conscience, maintaining his innocence and saying he has no idea how a performance-enhancing drug that first gained notoriety with East German athletes entered his system. Stumpf, 25, tested positive in Spring Training for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), which is an anabolic steroid better known as oral turinabol. He served the final game of his 80-game suspension Saturday. The Phillies activated him from the restricted list Sunday, optioning Severino Gonzalez and designating Mario Hollands for assignment to make room for him on the 25-man and 40-man rosters. "I understand that it's going to be hard to believe for people," Stumpf said. "I understand that people say all the time that they don't know how it got into their system. I know that there's been chatter out there from people saying 'If you're taking an uncertified supplement, then you're taking the risk of that.' Well, I don't take supplements, period. I don't drink protein. I don't do pre-workout. I don't eat protein bars. I don't go to Smoothie King and drink smoothies, strictly because they mix stuff in their smoothies. The only thing I took in my life is fish oil because I had high cholesterol. That's the only supplement that ever went in my body." East Germany developed DHCMT in the 1960s. It is ingested orally. It also is easily detectable. Stumpf, who the Phillies selected in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft, said he tested positive for only one metabolite in his system. "Everybody who gets caught says, 'Well, it's a metabolite in trace amounts,'" Dr. Stuart Phillips, a professor at McMaster University and an expert in exercise metabolism, told Sportsnet Canada, which reported on Toronto's Chris Colabello's suspension for DHCMT. "But everything's trace when you're measuring on that level. If you fail the test, and it's four parts per trillion, it means there's not very much of it in there. But there was none of it before. "If you have a metabolite, then you had the drug in your system and you enjoyed the benefits of that drug at that time. You doped at some point. Whether you did it inadvertently or whether you did it deliberately is the question. But you still had it in your system." Stumpf said he is still searching for answers. He has talked with Colabello, Triple-A Lehigh Valley pitcher Alec Asher, Mariners prospect Boog Powell and Minor League free agentCody Stanley, who each have been suspended for DHCMT. "You might go take a drug test right now and have this M4 metabolite in your system," he said. "You don't know. Apparently it's not something that is created in your body. It's a synthetic thing so that's why they're saying that we have to have taken something. Other than food and a fish oil, that was the only thing in my body. "If it could happen to me, it could happen to anyone." Stumpf said he never appealed his suspension because he was advised it would delay the inevitable. He sent close to 60 items to be tested for possible contamination, including medications, cough drops, ChapStick and lotions. Each came back clean. "I specifically told the union when I was going through this, I don't care if I have proof or not, I want to sit down in front of these people and I want them to tell me that I'm a liar, that I did this," Stumpf said. "I'm going to argue to you that I did not. They said that's not enough, that my word isn't good enough to them. So yeah, I was told I was going to lose, so I didn't appeal. "I lay down at night with a guilt-free conscience. I know I didn't do anything. My family believes me. My teammates believe me. The Phillies believe me. God knows what I did. I don't have to prove myself to anybody. Obviously there's a bunch of guys in the game right now that are running their mouths now about this. And that's fine. But again, if this can happen to me it can happen to you."

Today In Phils History – The Phillies delivered a surprising beating to Pittsburgh in 1910 when they won the game 18-0 including 9 runs scored in the 9^th inning. On the flip side in 1931, New York crushed the Phillies 23-8 at the Baker Bowl knocking out 28 hits including 4 homeruns and 7 doubles. Phillies manager Ben Chapman made a serious mental error in 1947 when he accidentally handed the umpire an unused lineup card from the previous day forcing Schoolboy Rowe to throw 2 pitches without warming up (one hit for a double) before yielding to intended starter Charley Shanz who eventually took the loss. In 1954, Jim Command launched a grand slam for his 1^st major league hit during the Phillies 8-7 loss to the Dodgers in the first game of a double header. Dick Allen helped to propel the NL to a 2-2 victory with a homerun in the 1967 All Star Game. 20 years later, Kent Tekulve set the MLB record when he made his 900^th career relief appearance (no other pitcher had appeared in as many games without ever starting a game). In 1995, Phillies closer Heathcliffe Slocumb got the win as the NL defeated the AL 3-2 in the All Star Game at Arlington. A decade later, Bobby Abreu took home the homerun derby crown in Detroit finishing the tournament with a record 41 bombs including 24 in the first round.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 42-48 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-36-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.