Former Phillie Foils Comeback

GAME RECAP: Nationals Sweep Phillies 5-4

Call Jayson Werth, Mr. Clutch. His single in the bottom of the ninth inning helped the Nationals edge the Phillies, 5-4, at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon. The Nationals are now 15 games over .500 and 4 1/2 games ahead of the Mets in the National League East race. The Nationals were down, 4-3, when they rallied to score two runs in the ninth inning off closer Jeanmar Gomez. After Bryce Harper and Danny Espinosa reached on singles and Clint Robinson walked to load the bases, Werth drove a 2-2 pitch up the middle, scoring Harper and Espinosa. The walk-off win completed a three-game sweep for the Nationals, who chased Werth into the outfield in celebration. There was manager Dusty Baker doing his hop, skip and a jump after the winning run scored. Werth was then doused with Gatorade twice. "As a kid, you always want that last at-bat because you can walk off. You are just glad it didn't happen on the road," manager Dusty Baker said. "No matter what he is doing or how he is playing, he has been a clutch man all these years. A clutch man knows how to come through." Said Werth: "You live for those moments. You grew up playing Wiffle ball in the backyard. You always run through those situations. I've been lucky to get those chances during my career. I want to win, I want to help my teammates win and be part of a championship team. Whatever I can do." It looked like the Phillies had the game won when Maikel Franco's homer in the top of the ninth gave them a 4-3 lead. The solo shot came off closer Jonathan Papelbon on a 2-2 pitch that Franco hit into the left-field stands. The Nationals offense started strong against left-hander Adam Morgan, scoring three runs in the first two innings. Espinosa highlighted the scoring with a home run. But Nationals right-hander Joe Ross allowed the Phillies to tie the score by the sixth inning. As Philadelphia came back, Morgan settled down, for what manager Pete Mackanin called "the best I've seen him pitch in two years, after that first inning." "I tried to keep it simple," Morgan said. "I think in the first couple of innings I was trying to be too fine and picky, and that's not who I am."

PHILS PHACTS:

• In the fourth inning, Franco appeared to injure his ankle after tripping over a baserunner. After a brief conversation with the training staff, the third baseman stayed in the game. Five innings later, Franco homered to left field off Papelbon to break the tie score. The long ball was a good sign for Franco, who recorded his second multi-hit game, and for a struggling Phillies offense. "We've got to get our offense going," Mackanin said. "Good to see Franco bust out, but the rest of the guys have to give us consistent at-bats."
• The Nationals were getting good swings against Morgan in the first three innings. But after Chris Heisey was caught trying to steal third base, the Nationals collected one hit and struck out seven times the rest of the way against Morgan.
• The Phillies fell behind 3-0 in the second inning, and it looked like more of the same for a team that was shut out Saturday and ranks near the bottom of the league in many offensive categories. But Cody Asche homered in the fifth, breaking a team streak of 14 innings without a run, and Philadelphia scored two runs the next inning on three consecutive line drives -- two doubles and a single -- to tie the game at 3. Mackanin was happy to see the Phillies show resilience. "Good to see the guys come back," the manager said. "What a way to lose a game. It was just a tough game to lose."
• With one out in the ninth, Harper reached base on an infield single, but the Phillies challenged the call and claimed that Harper was out on a close play. After a review, the play stood and Harper would later score on the single by Werth. Joseph said he thought, after seeing the replay, that the umps got the call right, but Mackanin wasn't so sure. "If the side of his foot was touching the base, [Harper] was definitely out, but [Joseph] went back. It's like when a guy tags a guy but then goes back to tag him even though he tagged him the first time, it looks like he didn't," Mackanin said. "I believe, from what I saw on the replays, if he didn't go back with his foot, I believe they would've called him out."
• Monday's game marks Jimmy Paredes' return to Toronto. Paredes played in seven games for the Blue Jays this season before being traded to Philadelphia for cash considerations.
• Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis is 4-for-12 with a home run and a 1.083 slugging percentage against Dickey.
• Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista (right thigh) missed his third consecutive game on Sunday but is expected to return as the designated hitter for Monday's opener.
• Expect Josh Thole to get the start behind the dish for the second time in three games on Monday. The 29-year-old is Dickey's personal catcher. Thole enters Monday with one hit in 30 at-bats since the end of April.

NEXT GAME:

After completing a four-game set against the American League East-leading Orioles, the Blue Jays welcome the Phillies to town as they begin a home-and-home series on Monday night at Rogers Centre. R.A. Dickey (4-6, 4.15 ERA) will get the ball for the Blue Jays in the opener, as he looks for his third straight victory. The knuckleballer battled his last time out against the Tigers, going 5 1/3 innings while limiting Detroit to two runs in a 7-2 victory. Dickey has plenty of experience pitching against the Phillies thanks to his time with the Mets, and carries a 5-4 record with a 3.03 ERA in 12 starts against Philadelphia. On the opposite end, Jerad Eickhoff takes the mound for the Phillies following a stellar outing in which he held the high-octane Cubs to one run over seven innings. Eickhoff has pitched much better than his record indicates, with eight quality starts in 12 outings this season. On the season, Eickhoff has a 3.68 ERA and an impressive 1.17 WHIP. Ryan Howard, who has lost playing time lately to Joseph, will likely DH. The Evansville, Ind., native will be making his first career appearance against Toronto. The Blue Jays are 27-20 all-time against the Phillies and have gone 9-2 against them since the start of the 2012 season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Pivotal Replay – When Jeanmar Gomez got Bryce Harper to ground weakly to the right side with one out in the ninth, it appeared the Phillies had cleared their biggest hurdle en route to a victory. But Cesar Hernandez's throw was high, Tommy Joseph's foot landed in the wrong place, and Harper beat out a controversial infield hit. The Nationals then scored two runs for a walk-off win, 5-4. Harper's hit drew Hernandez to his left, and though the second baseman gathered the ball without difficulty, his throw sailed slightly high. Joseph jumped for the ball and came down beside first base, then, fearing he wasn't making contact with the bag, stuck his foot backward. He missed the bag with that lunge, and Harper was called safe. The Phillies challenged the call, but a replay review upheld it. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin speculated that Joseph's second effort might have cost the Phillies. "I believe, from what I saw on the replays, if he didn't go back with his foot, I believe they would've called [Harper] out," Mackanin said. "If the side of his foot was touching the base, he was definitely out, but he went back, it's like when a guy tags a guy but then goes back to tag him even though he tagged him the first time, it looks like he didn't." Joseph drew a different conclusion from watching the same replay on the center-field video board. "I think they got the call right," the first baseman said. "I wasn't sure. It was too close. I couldn't feel it. Obviously if I couldn't feel it, that's why I went back." Danny Espinosa followed with a single, and after a Ben Revere lineout, Gomez walked Clint Robinson to load the bases. That brought up Werth, who poked a 2-2 fastball up the middle for a walk-off single. The rally might not have occurred if Hernandez and Joseph could have converted Harper's grounder. Joseph is relatively inexperienced at first base, having begun playing there regularly last season after spending most of his Minor League career behind the plate. Of course, the play would have been difficult for any first baseman, given the high throw. Harper was credited with a hit on the play, but it could have been ruled an E-4. "Cesar, I'm sure, feels worse than anybody here," Mackanin said. "It's a shame, but we can't afford to make mistakes. We've got to make clean plays to win."

Today In Phils History – There are a couple of interesting games that occurred on this day beginning in 1918 when the Phillies and St. Louis, tied at 8, proceeded to enter a pitching duel that would last until the 19^th inning when the game was called a tie. In 1945, the Phillies lost the first game of a double header to Boston seemingly securing their 16^th consecutive loss which was later nullified when they won a suspended game from earlier in the month when it was concluded in July. Lastly, it was 9 year ago today when Kyle Kendrick made his major league debut with the Phillies.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 29-34 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 48-49-2 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Would We Have The Same Matchup Had One Move Not Happened?

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

There have been a couple interesting article posted on MLB.com lately about the top 5 moves that lead the Royals and Mets, respectively, to the World Series. Below are those lists:

Mets:

1. The R.A. Dickey trade – After Dickey won the 2012 NL Cy Young Award, the Mets, knowing that they had pitching depth in their organization, smartly decided to trade the ace at his peak value rather than sign him to an extension. They found a buyer in the Blue Jays, and in return, they extracted two potential premium players from them. At 23 years old, Noah Syndergaard has been as impressive as any rookie starting pitcher, leading all first-year starters with 166 strikeouts while posting a 3.24 ERA. Meanwhile, catcher Travis d'Arnaud is finally healthy after dealing with a variety of ailments, and put up a .268/.355/.487 line over 268 plate appearances. That slugging percentage would have led all catchers had he qualified. Both guys are key pieces for the Mets this season and years to come.
2. Re-signing David Wright – When Wright was a year away from free agency following the 2012 season, he and the organization both had to take a leap of faith. The front office had to decide on whether it should invest $138 million over eight years to arguably the best position player in franchise history. Conversely, Wright had to decide if this was the organization that was going to take the steps necessary to win. Wright believed in the plan, and the front office showed incredible discipline and decision-making in the Draft and internationally over the past several seasons (15 players on the roster are homegrown, the most of any playoff club). Wright isn't the player he once was, but he still posted an .814 OPS this year, is a consummate leader, and was integral in convincing the likes of Curtis Granderson and Michael Cuddyer to buy in and sign with the club.
3. Signing Curtis Granderson – In a move to infuse more offense, the Mets signed Granderson to a four-year deal during the 2013 Winter Meetings. They hoped he would be a middle-of-the-order bat and run producer. But after a slow 2014 season, manager Terry Collins and new hitting coach Kevin Long felt his best place in the lineup this year was batting leadoff. After making a couple of mechanical adjustments under Long's observation, Granderson became one of the best leadoff men in the NL, leading the Mets with a .364 OBP. Granderson's productivity has gone under the radar in the postseason due to Daniel Murphy's torrid October, but he has set the table for the Mets, posting a .385 OBP while driving in seven runs and even stealing four bases in five attempts.
4. Trading Ike Davis – This was less about trading Davis and more about the fact that it opened up the door for Lucas Duda to take over as the everyday first baseman. It seems like an obvious move now, but when the 2014 season began it was unclear who the Mets would choose as their long-term answer at first. Davis, the Mets' first-round pick in the 2008 Draft, hit 32 homers in 2012, and was considered a better defender. The organization tried to keep both, playing Duda in the outfield (he played 100 games in 2012 and another 58 in '13), but as Davis' struggles continued beyond '13, the Mets decided it was time to cut ties with him and make Duda the full-time first baseman. He responded by hitting 30 home runs in '14 and another 27 this past year, with an impressive .838 OPS while playing solid defense.
5. Acquiring Yoenis Cespedes – OK, so there was one move from 2015 that had to be on this list. No player moved at the non-waiver Trade Deadline made a bigger impact for a team this year than Cespedes. His numbers as a Met are gaudy: In only 230 at bats, he hit 17 home runs, had 44 RBIs, a .942 OPS and a 157 OPS+, while playing mostly center field for the Mets (starting 39 of his 53 games in CF), a position that evaluators were convinced he was not comfortable playing anymore. Over the course of the summer, the Mets acquired two other veteran bats in Kelly Johnson and Juan Uribe, promoted rookie Michael Conforto from Double-A to the Majors, and welcomed Wright's return from a long disabled list stint, and all of those moves helped create a deeper and more dynamic lineup. But the Cespedes acquisition almost single-handedly allowed the Mets' offense to come alive, as it averaged more than five runs per game in the final two months of the regular season.

Royals:

1. The Zack Greinke trade – In December 2009, one year after he won the American League Cy Young Award, Greinke was traded along with Yuniesky Betancourt to the Brewers for Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress. Kansas City was coming off a 67-win season and desperately needed an influx of young talent. What's amazing is that this trade almost didn't happen. The Royals made a lot of progress on a trade with the Nationals, but Greinke made it clear he would not waive his no-trade clause to go there. At the time of the trade, it was unclear who the best piece was coming back to Kansas City, but general manager Dayton Moore took a chance on athletes, and in doing so he acquired Cain, the 2014 AL Championship Series MVP, Escobar, the 2015 ALCS MVP, as well as Odorizzi, who was used in the trade with the Rays that brought back Wade Davis and James Shields. That one trade laid the foundation for this great Royals team.
2. Hiring Dayton Moore – That Greinke trade wouldn't have happened without Moore at the helm. He was hired in 2006 to bring some of the scouting and player development acumen he picked up while working in the Braves' front office. With a philosophy built around relationships, loyalty and a team approach, Moore built one of the deepest farm systems in history, and then parlayed that into the juggernaut you see now. This is a team that can beat you with pitching depth, defense, speed, contact hitting and even power. It does not have a glaring weakness, and Moore is the man responsible for putting this group together.
3. Drafting Alex Gordon – If you're going to pick in the top five of the Draft, you have to make it count, and the Royals had an impressive run of top-three picks that began with Gordon, the No. 2 overall pick in 2005. In the subsequent three years, they drafted Luke Hochevar No. 1 overall in 2006, Mike Moustakas No. 2 overall in 2007 and Eric Hosmer No. 3 in 2008. And one common thread among all of these guys is that none of them was an instant sensation. Kansas City had the patience to stick with these guys as they struggled in the Minor Leagues and early on in the Majors. Gordon had to switch from third base to left field, Hochevar moved from the rotation to the bullpen, Moustakas struggled to hit lefties and Hosmer dealt with vision issues in the low Minors. Many in the game doubted that these guys would pan out, but the only people who didn't waver were the folks who were developing them and the front office who drafted them. Their patience has been rewarded.
4. The Salvador Perez extension – In today's game, every organization needs a productive Latin American program, one that consistently adds impactful talent to the organization. No player represents the Royals' Latin American program better than Perez, who they signed out of Venezuela as a 16-year-old for $65,000 in 2006. After a solid debut in 2011, hitting .331 in 39 games, Kansas City gave Perez a five-year, $7 million extension with three club options that might be the best bargain in baseball. Other products of that Latin American pipeline are Yordano Ventura and Kelvin Herrera, both signed out of the Dominican Republic. Like Perez, Ventura was signed for a bargain bonus ($28,000), and he also received a club-friendly contract after his rookie campaign. He signed a five-year, $23 million deal before last season that includes club options for 2020-21.
5. Hiring Ned Yost – Yost was hired in 2010 to replace Trey Hillman, and he spent the next four years slowly nurturing a young core of players. His patience, belief and humility eventually showed itself in 2014, and again this season. With Yost and Moore paired together, the Royals have an outstanding combination that has been able to adapt consistently to the ever-changing challenges of the game. As you can see, Kansas City is a complete organization where each area of the baseball-operations department impacts its current roster. It is an organization that is blessed with continuity, and it is led by humble quality people who truly understand what an organization should represent.

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

New York at Kansas City

Game 1: Tuesday, October 27, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Plenty of rumors floating around but no news yet!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Royals And Mets On The Brink

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

Well, didn’t see this one coming. Following their dominant offensive display (and a shocking performance by Chris Young) the Royals are one win away from playing in their second consecutive World Series. The Mets find themselves in the same position as the Royals up 3-0 over the sentimental favorite Cubs. Pitching has been the overwhelming obstacle for the young Chicago squad but only time will tell… Boston can attest to that. However, the most important thing that both of these current underdogs need to realize is that it is going to take more than two runs to win a game!  

Royals Obliterate Blue Jays 14-2

The Royals are one win from going to the World Series for the second consecutive year after putting a stranglehold on the American League Championship Series with another victory over the Blue Jays. Ben Zobrist and Alex Rios homered for Kansas City, which scored early and often for a 14-2 victory in Game 4 at Rogers Centre on Tuesday. With a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Royals have a chance to clinch the AL pennant with a victory in Game 5 on Wednesday. "We've still got work to do," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "This feels good, but we know how good that team is over there." The Blue Jays once again have their backs against the wall and will have to win three games in a row to advance. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven Championship Series are 29-7 all-time, so Kansas City is clearly in the driver's seat, but Toronto can at least fall back on the fact that it rallied from an 0-2 deficit to beat Texas in the AL Division Series. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey was responsible for putting the Blue Jays in the early hole. He allowed four runs in the first inning, including a two-run homer by Zobrist, and another in the second before he was pulled after recording just five total outs. Dickey departed with a five-run deficit, and Toronto never recovered. "This team is a really good team," Dickey said of the Royals. "They spit on a lot of good knuckleballs, and they hit the ones that were a little bit flatter. Two singles and two home runs, and I'm out of the game -- it happened really quickly. This is, like, my 103rd start with the Blue Jays, and this is the first time I've gone this short, so it was the anomaly for sure, but it was a poor time to have the anomaly." Kansas City right-hander Chris Young came within one out of picking up the second postseason victory of his career, but he was pulled with two outs in the fifth. He allowed two runs on three hits and a pair of walks while striking out four. The only real sign of difficulty Young encountered was in the fourth, when he surrendered an RBI double to Josh Donaldson. Royals manager Ned Yost is feeling pretty good about where his team is. "We feel good about it," Yost said. "I felt great going into this game because we had Chris Young on the mound, and I felt he would give us a really, really good performance. "We like the way we're playing right now. Our offense has been really, really good. We have [Edinson] Volquez coming back tomorrow, our defense is always spectacular and our bullpen is primed to go tomorrow, too. "We didn't have to use Wade [Davis]. We have Danny Duffy if we need him for multiple innings tomorrow. Kelvin [Herrera] and [Ryan] Madson had short stints today, so they'll be ready to go tomorrow, and so will [Luke Hochevar]. We're in really good shape." But Young cautioned that they can't get too giddy yet. "We haven't won anything yet," Young said. "Toronto is such a good team. We have to come back and play hard and play our game tomorrow."

Mets Tame Cubs 5-2

In this old ballpark where even the outfield ivy has taken on a role, the weight of history is now on the Mets' side. Their 5-2 win over the Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday at Wrigley Field gave them a 3-0 series lead, moving the Mets to within one victory of their fifth NL pennant and their first World Series appearance since 2000. "That clubhouse right now, that's all they're talking about is tomorrow," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "They know what they're facing." What the Mets are facing is a Cubs team backed into one of Wrigley's quirky corners, knowing only one Major League team has ever come back from a 3-0, best-of-seven series deficit in 34 attempts. They also know that the architect of that club, the 2004 Red Sox, was none other than Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein. "Of course you think about those things, you think about the parallels, think about the fact that that happened against a New York team," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "We think about all that stuff, but it's up to us to go out and play and execute. I put all my stock in the fact that I know our guys are going to be ready to play tomorrow." Maddon's hope is that the Cubs can rip apart history in much the same way the Mets have done this month. Before this series, Collins' club had not beaten the Cubs all year. Until Game 3, they had not won at Wrigley since May 19, 2013. They overcame that last part behind second baseman Daniel Murphy, who matched an MLB record by homering in his fifth consecutive postseason game, and starting pitcher Jacob deGrom, who overcame a rocky first inning to move to 3-0 this October. Aside from solo homers to Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler, deGrom was everything the Mets needed him to be. Along the way, the Cubs made multiple defensive mistakes, including a Soler blunder in the sixth that allowed a Wilmer Flores double to scoot into the ivy. Though that play wound up being a positive break for the Cubs, who could not parlay it into a comeback, other mistakes cost them dearly. Chief among those was a Trevor Cahill wild pitch that allowed Yoenis Cespedes to score the go-ahead run on Michael Conforto's sixth-inning strikeout. "I think we're all very aware of how close we are, and at the same time, we're not taking it for granted because they are a very, very good team -- a very explosive team -- that can blow up at any time," Conforto said. "We're not taking them lightly. We're going to show up the same way tomorrow that we have the last three games." By the ninth, a light rain had begun falling on Chicago's North Side, as Jeurys Familia locked down the final three outs for his franchise-record fifth postseason save. "There's no excuses to what happened today," Schwarber said. "They just played better than we did. Now we've got our backs against the wall, but we're going to keep fighting until the end."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

National League Championship Series

New York leads series 3-0

Game 4: Wednesday, October 21, at 8:00 PM

American League Championship Series

Kansas City leads series 3-1

Game 5: Wednesday, October 21, at 4:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

A Closer Look At Nick Williams – Background: For what seemed to be an eternity, the baseball world wondered when the Philadelphia Phillies would trade their perceived greatest asset, Cole Hamels, in an effort to rebuild the franchise with younger players carrying lengthy team control. On July 31 this season, the Phillies transformed their franchise by sending the star left-hander Hamels and hard-throwing lefty reliever Jake Diekman to the pitching starved Texas Rangers. Both pitchers are among the reasons the Rangers made it to the playoffs as the American League West champions. But the other end of the deal may have changed the Phillies for years to come. Prospects Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Nick Williams and veteran Matt Harrison offer a boatload of talent. The trade was stunning and far-reaching. One of the component players in the transaction was Williams, a left-handed outfielder with a bag full of tools. He's 22. The 6-foot-3, 195 pound Williams has a well-proportioned athletic frame. The Rangers selected him in the second round of the 2012 Draft out of Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. After parts of four Minor League seasons, Williams is No. 3 on the Phillies' Top 30 Prospects list. Hitting: Williams is still a work in progress. He has been inconsistent in his approach and results until this past season. He hit a combined .303 playing for Double-A Frisco for the Rangers (.299 in 415 plate appearances) and .320 over 100 plate appearances at Double-A Reading in the Phillies' organization. I first saw Williams when he played for Surprise in the 2014 Arizona Fall League. He hit .277 with two homers and a solid 19 RBIs in his 27 autumn games. Williams is an aggressive hitter with a very quick bat. That excellent bat speed helps him drive the ball and allows him to generate power from his strong body. Using the entire field, Williams is a solid gap hitter with emerging home run power. Defense: Considered an average outfielder by most, Williams is known more for his hitting and power upside than his fielding. He has played all three outfield positions, but I project his best position to be left field. He looks and reacts more comfortably in that role. Strengths: Whenever I watch Williams play, his power and his good foot speed are evident. His outstanding bat speed forms the foundation of his overall hitting mechanics. He has a fluid swing and can punish a fastball. Weaknesses: Recently I have seen his highly aggressive approach become reduced a bit. That's a good thing. This year, his splits against right- and left-handed pitching were a bit troubling. He hit .a very solid .330 against right-handed pitching, but only .210 vs. lefties. In 2014, his splits were close to equal, both being above .275. I find this interesting: Williams is still a raw player. He is gaining momentum and learning more about his game as he continues his development. Williams is a player who could ultimately hit .300 with 25 home runs if he continues his current progress. But risk remains that he won't consistently harness his abilities. The future for Williams: There is risk involved in going out a limb with Williams. He has such great upside that the Phillies will likely give him every opportunity to be an offensive force in their hitter-friendly home park. I can see him arriving in late 2016. His bat speed and the power in his athletic body are real. Can he translate upside to reality? Williams in a word: Explosive.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.