Absent Offense Wastes Stellar Start

GAME RECAP: National Blank Phllies 3-0

Call Bryce Harper "the Natural," at least for Saturday night anyway. His three-run homer in the eighth inning proved to be the difference as the Nationals blanked the Phillies, 3-0, at Nationals Park. With the victory and the Mets' extra-innings loss to the Braves, the Nationals' magic number dwindled to 12 to win the National League East. The Nationals put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth to set the plate for the reigning NL Most Valuable Player. Harper got ahead in the count and smashed the 3-1 offering from Phillies left-hander Patrick Schuster into the second deck at Nationals Park. "I got pretty good wood on it. I felt good. I knew it was out of the yard," Harper said. "I showed a lot of emotions there. I was pretty fired up to get that W. Down the stretch you want to win as many games as you can and get this into the postseason, hopefully. We have to lock this thing up." The homer snapped a 10-game homerless drought for Harper, during which he was hitting .211/.279/.289. "Boy, that was a dramatic home run. That show you how strong he is mentally. After you strike out three times and you hit a home run," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "He had a rough night going up to then." The Phillies did get a strong start from right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, who hurled six shutout innings and struck out five Nationals.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Eickhoff matched Scherzer, allowing five hits and two walks and striking out five in six scoreless innings. He followed strong performances Thursday from Alec Asher (six scoreless innings) and Friday from Jake Thompson (two runs in 5 1/3 innings) against the Nationals. Philadelphia acquired Eickhoff, Thompson and Asher in the July 2015 Cole Hamels trade with Texas. "Asher said yesterday it's kind of crazy to see all these Rangers up here," Eickhoff said. "It's a cool thing. We all kind of reflect and just look at each other and see how fortunate and lucky we are to have this opportunity to contribute at the big league level." 
• The Phillies had runners on first and second with one out in the first and runners on first and second with two outs in the third, but could not score. It is the fifth time in the past 18 games the Phillies have been shut out. They were shut out five times in their first 124 games. "No new news," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We just lack offense."
• "It is tough. I'm very patient, but it doesn't mean I like what's happening. I don't have to be happy about it." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies' offensive struggles.
• In the fourth inning, Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera threw Clint Robinson out at the plate, but Baker challenged the call, claiming that Robinson's left hand touched home plate before catcher Cameron Rupp tagged him out. But the call was confirmed, and the Nationals lost their challenge.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (2-9, 5.90 ERA) pitches Sunday afternoon in the finale of a four-game series at Nationals Park at 1:35 p.m. ET. Morgan has allowed three earned runs in 12 2/3 innings in his last two starts, including two runs in 6 2/3 innings of two-run ball Aug. 31 against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Hamels Haul Paying Dividends – Jerad Eickhoff could reflect positively about any number of things Saturday night at Nationals Park. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings in a 3-0 loss to the Nationals, striking out five, including Bryce Harper three times on curveballs in the first, third and sixth innings. He has pitched six innings in five consecutive starts and six or more innings in 20 of 29 starts this season, essentially making him the workhorse of the Phillies' rotation. But it also had to feel good to follow strong performances Thursday from Alec Asher (six scoreless innings) and Friday from Jake Thompson (two earned run in 5 1/3 innings), considering they joined the Phillies in July 2015 in the Cole Hamels trade with Texas. "Asher said yesterday it's kind of crazy to see all these Rangers up here," Eickhoff said. "It's a cool thing. We all kind of reflect and just look at each other and see how fortunate and lucky we are to have this opportunity to contribute at the big league level." As the Phillies' season nears its end, it is fair to wonder how each will factor into the Phillies' rotation come Opening Day 2017. Thompson has pitched well in each of his last three starts after struggling terribly in his first four. Asher looked fine in his season debut Thursday, but both of those former Rangers prospects have more to prove. Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez seem to be the only locks at this exact moment, but only because Aaron Nola has not thrown a baseball since receiving a PRP injection in his right elbow last month. Nola said Friday, though, that the elbow is improving and he is anxious to begin his throwing program. Zach Eflin will be returning from a pair of knee surgeries, while Adam Morgan has pitched better lately, but he has to keep it up. The Phillies also figure to acquire at least a veteran starter or two, assuming Jeremy Hellickson rejects the Phillies' qualifying offer following the season. But Eickhoff has been one of the team's few bright spots this season. He is 10-13 with a 3.73 ERA, but his record is under .500 because he has received some of the worst run support in baseball. Eickhoff's 3.76 runs-per-start average is 78th out of 82 qualified starters in the big leagues. "I kind of expected him to be this type of pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It didn't exceed my expectations. I expected him to be a pretty darn good consistent pitcher -- a workhorse type of guy. That's what we were hoping he was going to be and figured he would be, not only because of his stuff, but because of his demeanor. He's all business. He studies. He's always in the video room. He really pays attention and works hard at it. "He just looks like he's out there to beat you. He's mean."

More Options – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has a few more players to squeeze into games before the end of the season. The club announced Saturday it had recalled outfielder Cody Asche and right-handers Luis Garcia and Phil Klein from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They also selected the contract of left-hander Joely Rodriguez and designated infielder Taylor Featherston for assignment. The Phillies could see Double-A Reading catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielder Roman Quinn join the club before the end of the season, too. "At this point it's flip a coin," Mackanin said of finding playing time for everybody. "I don't want to sound down about it, but we've got so many guys, and who do I play? I don't know. It's a guessing game. "But when it comes to something like that, I'm going to play the best defense. Peter Bourjos is hard to take out of the lineup because he provides that defense." It should be a little easier to see Rodriguez, whom the Phillies acquired from the Pirates in a December 2014 trade for Antonio Bastardo. The left-hander went a combined 7-0 with a 2.35 ERA in a combined 53 appearances with Class A Clearwater, Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. The Phillies need left-handed relievers, so Rodriguez and Patrick Schuster will have an opportunity to prove themselves in the season's final weeks. Left-hander Elvis Araujo had a 5.60 ERA in 32 appearances with the Phillies. He finished the season with Lehigh Valley but was not recalled. "We want to get a look at Rodriguez," Mackanin said. "We've seen Araujo quite a bit and we know what he's capable of doing. We want to see Schuster, too. We're going to try to run him out there as much as we can." Schuster entered Saturday's 3-0 loss in the eighth inning to face David Murphy and walked him. He then served up a game-winning three-run home run to Bryce Harper. "It wasn't a good audition," Mackanin said. "At least you've got to throw strikes. That situation was meant for a left-handed situational guy."

Losing Patience – Remember when Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera was walking and seeing more pitches than just about anybody in baseball? Well, he got away from that. He ranked fourth in baseball in walks (33) and sixth in pitches per plate appearance (4.37) through June 3. But Herrera ranks 133rd in walks (21) and 91st in pitches per plate appearance (3.79) since. Asked what has happened to Herrera, Mackanin offered a more philosophical answer. "Rather than look at the game of baseball in little spurts, the test is about six months," he said. "Gene Mauch once said, 'You're going to hit what you're supposed to hit.' If you're a .250 hitter and you're hitting .280 with a month to go, you're most likely going to hit .250. What it's all about is consistency over the course of six months. It's not looking at a guy with a hot week and getting excited about him. What you need is consistent at-bats over the course of six months, and those guys are hard to find. "Everybody is streaky to a point, but the really good ones we're looking for don't have prolonged slumps. Regardless, I don't really care what happened to him after the All-Star break. I'm not saying he's a good first-half player or not. Last year, he went through that issue where he was down to .250 near the All-Star break, but he rebounded to hit .297. For example, if he goes off and gets a ton of hits and ends up hitting .297 again because he gets hot, that's great. "But the last six weeks have not been helpful to win games. You're looking for that guy that's consistent on a daily basis, quality at-bats."

Today In Phils History – Despite Eddie Freed going 4 for 5 with 2 doubles and a triple in his 1942 MLB debut, the Phillies lose the game to Cincinnati. In game 1 of a 1955 double header against Milwaukee, Phillies pitcher Fred Weheimer had a shutout through 8 innings before surrendering a 2 out, full count, grand slam to Del Crandall and taking the loss 5-4. Game 2 saw the debut of Freddy Van Dusen who was hit by a pitch in his only career plate appearance. The Phillies set 2 franchise records on this day in 2004 by using 20 pitchers in the 13 inning matchup with the Mets and Todd Pratt’s homerun in the 2^nd breaking the old record of 186 homeruns in a season set in 1977. Other debuts that took place on this date include Ed Sixsmith (1884), Dick Young (1951), Mel Clark (1951), and John Vukovich (1970).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 63-79 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-57-0 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 Bullpen Can’t Hold Off Nationals

GAME RECAP: Nats Edge Phils 4-3

Daniel Murphy continued his scorching-hot month of May by collecting three hits, including the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth to lead the Nationals to a 4-3 comeback victory against the Phillies on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Murphy also hit a solo home run in the fourth to collect three RBIs on the night, while raising his Major League-leading batting average to .395 as the Nationals snapped a four-game losing streak to the Phillies. "It's been incredible. He's carrying our team," Nationals right-fielder Bryce Harper said. "He's doing everything possible in our lineup to keep us going. It's something fun to watch. It's definitely special." Philadelphia right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who tossed seven shutout innings on April 27 at Nationals Park, had shut the Nationals down again through seven innings of one-run ball. He only allowed three hits -- two of which were to Murphy -- with eight strikeouts, and even drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt in the second. "Hellickson pitched a hell of a game, and we just couldn't hang on," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis hit a solo homer in the sixth to give Philadelphia a 2-1 advantage. The Nationals then rallied for a three-run eighth inning off Phillies reliever Hector Neris, handing him his first blown save of the year after a run-scoring double from Jayson Werth and the go-ahead hit by Murphy. Jonathan Papelbon allowed a run on back-to-back doubles from Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard to open the bottom of the ninth, but the right-hander retired the next three batters to secure his 14th save and close out his former team.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Just three starts after he approached his personal best of 10 strikeouts in a game, Hellickson again got within striking distance of that number. But Phillies manager Pete Mackanin pulled Hellickson two K's away from getting there. Emmanuel Burriss pinch-hit for the veteran righty in the seventh after Hellickson had tossed 79 pitches. Through 11 starts, Hellickson has rung up at least eight batters in three of them. He has more eight-plus strikeout games in 2016 than any other season but 2013, when he had five in 31 starts. "When things are going good, you just have a lot of confidence with all your pitches," Hellickson said. "I feel like I've got good life on my fastball right now. I'm not afraid to throw that in hitter's counts. And in this 4-5 game span, it's probably the best my changeup has been in a long time."
• If Hellickson throwing over to first twice before making another pitch after he hit Harper in the knee wasn't cruel enough, Tyler Goeddel only added insult to injury the next play. Murphy lined a ball to Goeddel in left field. By the time the ball was in Goeddel's glove, Harper had made it to second. Big mistake. Goeddel secured the fly ball before firing a rocket to first base to double up Harper for the second out of the seventh. The Nats' phenom almost stuck his foot out to reach the bag in time, but after review, the out call stood. "I couldn't believe it," Mackanin said. "That was a great play. It's a shame to waste a great play like that and not come out with a win."
• "We thought about doing that, but we've had such a good combination of Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. We thought it was a good idea to get him out and go with the combination that's been working so well for us." -- Mackanin, on possibly leaving Hellickson in after the seventh.

NEXT GAME:

Aaron Nola (4-3, 2.86) gets the ball in Game 2 against the Nationals. He's allowed 14 runs in 33 May innings, but only eight have been earned. Washington tagged him for seven runs in five innings on April 16, but Nola responded with seven shutout innings against the Nats two starts later. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome Home! – Before he served in the Iraq War, ran for Congress or became Under Secretary of the Army, Patrick Murphy worked in the Phillies marketing department. Before even that, Murphy worked security in the raucous 700 Level of Veterans Stadium during Temple University and Philadelphia Eagles football games. Not even at the Vet did Murphy picture himself standing on the field, the center of attention. But he did just that prior to Monday's Nationals-Phillies game, when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citizens Bank Park in celebration of Memorial Day. "It's pretty special," Murphy said. His accent says he grew up in a Northeast Philly rowhouse before Murphy can spit the words out himself. Neither that nor his passion for Philadelphia sports have vanished under the guise of Washington politics. After returning from Iraq, Murphy in 2006 ran for and won the Congressional seat in Pennsylvania's 8th District. He became the first Iraq veteran elected to Congress and served two terms. In 2015, President Barack Obama tapped Murphy to be Under Secretary of the Army, for which he was sworn in for this year on Jan. 4. Murphy has become a Washington insider, but he still spends his weekends in Bucks County. More importantly, he's taken what he learned growing up in Northeast Philly and applied it among all of his service. "That rowhouse mentality of taking care of the person on your left and your right is something the Phillies believe in," Murphy said. "It's the same way we are in the Army to make sure we all come home." As part of Memorial Day celebrations across baseball on Monday, the Phillies recognized veterans with pregame ceremonies, between-innings honors and official U.S. Marine camouflage on their hats and jerseys. And the Phillies saved their best for one particularly decorated vet. After all, it was the least they could do for an apparent good-luck charm. "They were cursed when I left," Murphy joked. "But since I came back from Iraq, they've been winning again."

Rocket Man – It took a replay review to confirm the call, but no video evidence was necessary to prove Tyler Goeddel has a cannon for an arm. Just ask Bryce Harper. In the seventh inning of a 4-3 Nationals win, Daniel Murphy had curved a would-be home run just foul of the right-field pole. Jeremy Hellickson threw over to first. Harper was back safely for a third time. Then Hellickson delivered home and Murphy ripped a liner to left, quickly landing in Goeddel's glove. The rookie outfielder made the transfer, crow-hopped and launched. By about this time, Harper was just turning back from second base. As Harper was making his way back to first, the ball went from the leather of Goeddel's glove to his right hand and into the muggy Philadelphia air. The ball landed, bouncing on one hop, in Ryan Howard's glove just as Harper attempted to sneak his foot onto the bag. Harper was too late, first-base umpire Mike Estabrook ruled. The Nationals challenged, but to no avail. The loudest and longest cheers of the game from the Citizens Bank Park crowd rained onto the field as Phillies fans witnessed Goeddel's assist hold up on a baserunning gaffe by the reigning National League MVP. "I couldn't believe it," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's a shame to waste a great play like that and not come out with a win."

Blown By The Bullpen – Jeremy Hellickson was cruising. He'd flown through seven innings with a solo home run the only damage. He'd struck out the side the inning prior. But Hector Neris, with his mid-90s heater and bottom-dropping splitfinger, was too tempting an option for Pete Mackanin. The Phillies skipper lifted Hellickson for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the seventh. By the end of the next half inning, the Nationals had taken a lead they would not lose, beating the Phillies 4-3 on Monday. Mackanin afterward still called Neris among the best in the game. And for his first 26 appearances, he had been. But he wasn't Monday. Neris faced seven batters in the eighth inning. He retired only two of them, gave up two hits and walked three more. Three Nationals runs had scored by the time Jeanmar Gomez had recorded the final out of the inning. "I can't remember the last time a team got three runs off of Neris," Mackanin said. "Two outs, man on first and he just couldn't control that split." To answer Mackanin's inquiry, Neris had a particularly rough series against the Mets last August when he gave up four runs twice in three games and 10 runs in five innings of relief. Before that? Never. And since? Not until Monday. The backend combo of Neris and Gomez had been effective. But no bullpen can go a season without allowing runs, and for it to only allow runs when it doesn't cost its team a game is next to impossible. The Phillies bullpen hadn't hit many bumps after its rough start to the season, though. Gomez, Neris and David Hernandez had combined for a 2.09 ERA before Monday. Neris had been the best of the bunch, averaging almost 12 strikeouts per nine innings and allowing just four runs in 28 innings. Then, in two-thirds of one, the Nationals nearly matched Neris' season total. Hellickson, who had been brilliant though seven, was surprised to get the hook so early. "I obviously would have loved to have a chance to finish that game," he said. "I felt like it was my game to win or lose. "But at the same time you don't really question going to Hector in that situation. He's been one of the probably best eighth-inning men in the game so far this year. So, you don't really question that move." Neris has a closer's mindset, though -- something that's required of any effective relief pitcher. "I know I'm better than that," Neris said. "Everybody has a bad night in their career in baseball. Ready for tomorrow."

Daily Decision – Is Pete Mackanin facing one of his toughest managerial challenges to date? "Hell yes," the 64-year-old baseball lifer said, as he let out a hearty laugh prior to Monday's game against the Nationals. Mackanin, in his first season at the helm of the Phillies, has been tasked with transitioning the past into the future. Many changes are already taking shape. A good manager handles the situation without the product on the field taking a hit. A great manager does so while keeping the clubhouse in order. It is Mackanin's prerogative -- or at least his belief -- to let the lineup do the talking. When Tommy Joseph was penciled in at first base, batting fourth against Cubs right-hander John Lackey on Sunday, neither the 24-year-old Joseph nor the 36-year-old Ryan Howard were notified in person of the change. "I haven't been called into the office and talked to about it, so you guys apparently have breaking news before I do," Howard told the media after Sunday's 7-2 loss. Mackanin hasn't communicated anything to his first basemen because he doesn't believe there's anything to communicate. Simply, he has a young player up from Triple-A whom he and the front office want to get a look at. On a day-to-day basis, Mackanin is top dog when it comes to lineups, playing time and the like. From upper management, Mackanin said "pretty much all I go by right now" is to make sure Joseph doesn't stagnate against right-handers, whom he had success against in Triple-A this season. Mackanin had similar orders at the beginning of the season regarding Tyler Goeddel. Since Mackanin started playing him nearly every day in left field at the start of May, he's hitting .313 and slugging .493, compared with .160 marks for both prior. Joseph, who's hitting .286 (10-for-35) with three home runs since being called up, isn't going to start every day at first, according to Mackanin. "Howie's still in the picture, he's not being benched," Mackanin said. "If I was going to sit him on the bench and he wasn't going to play anymore, I'd have to have a conversation." Instead, Mackanin will lean on splits when deciding who to start between Howard and Joseph. He said the platoon role Darin Ruf played was more due to Ruf's success against lefties than Howard's struggles versus righties. With Tanner Roark on the mound for the Nationals in Monday's series opener, Mackanin gave the nod to Howard, who is 4-for-12 (.333) against right-hander. Mackanin wouldn't speculate as to who would start even a game in advance. He's handling it day by day. Want to know who's the Phillies' starting first baseman? Look at the lineup, just like Howard and Joseph.

Today In Phils History – Despite Gene Freese’s 5^th pinch hit homerun of the season, 1 short of the MLB record, the Phillies lost to Milwaukee in 1959. Those loses continued to pile up as the Phillies fell to 1,243 games below .500 with a loss to the Expos in 2003… following a win the next day, the franchise has never fallen that far from even since then. One of those wins came in 2009 when Jamie Moyer collected the 250^th win of his career. 5 years later, Ryan Howard became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 1,000 RBI which he accomplished in only 1,230 games. This came in the second of two consecutive 14 inning games, a first for the franchise. And, finally, happy birthday to Kenny Lofton who was born on this day in 1967.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 26-25 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 40-61-0 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. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Shock Nationals By Completing Sweep

GAME RECAP: Phillies Sweep Nationals 3-0

The Nationals and Phillies found themselves in a pitchers' duel on Thursday afternoon, but thanks to some clutch ninth-inning hitting, the Phillies completed their three-game sweep, winning 3-0 at Nationals Park. It was the Phillies' first sweep at Nationals Park since 2009. Scoreless heading into the ninth inning, the Phillies loaded the bases with one out and Jonathan Papelbon on the mound. On a 2-2 pitch, Cameron Rupp doubled over Bryce Harper's head in right field to score Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis. Two batters later, David Lough reached base on an infield single, scoring Maikel Franco. All three runs were charged to Nationals reliever Felipe Rivero, who allowed two hits and an intentional walk to start the inning. Rivero started the inning because manager Dusty Baker didn't like the matchup between Papelbon and the top of the Phillies' batting order. "Sometimes, those things don't work. It's just one of those days where nothing worked," manager Dusty Baker said. "We'll get it fixed. It's not easy while you're in it, and it doesn't take long to get in a funk like that. You don't have any choice. You just gotta keep playing, keep grinding." The upstart Phillies finished their road trip at 5-1. "When we started 0-4, that obviously wasn't a good start, but the guys just hung in there," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This is huge to get our confidence back. The guys scrape and scratch, but you've got to hand it to the pitching. The pitching is the reason we're able to win games." The Nationals collected four hits in the game against four Phillies pitchers and scored only three runs during the three-game series.

PHILS PHACTS:

• After walking Harper five times in the first two games, the Phillies wound up pitching to Harper in two key situations on Thursday. Harper grounded out to second with a runner on third to end the sixth inning and struck out swinging on three pitches with the bases loaded to end the bottom of the eighth.
• With Hernandez on second and two out in the fifth, Peter Bourjos hit a hot smash down the third-base line that Stephen Drew drove to grab. As the ball slithered behind him, the seasoned veteran lunged to pick it up, and with a spinning move, he tagged out the sliding Hernandez.
• The Phillies held the Nationals scoreless for 22 consecutive innings. In Thursday's game, the Nationals went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. "It was one of those days where nothing worked our way -- offensively or defensively," Baker said.
• After walking to lead off the game against Roark, it appeared Herrera had stolen second base. But after a 45-second review, the call was reversed, and Herrera was thrown out by Nationals catcher Pedro Severino.

NEXT GAME:

They open a three-game Interleague series against the Indians on Friday at Citizens Bank Park at 7:05 p.m. ET. With the season-ending hamstring injury to Charlie Morton, Mackanin has yet to announce a starter for the opener. Corey Kluber is expected to start for Cleveland.

PHILS PHACTS:

No Trouble With The Curve – Phillies starter Aaron Nola was on a mission to find himself on Thursday against the Nationals. And what he found at Nationals Park was the right combination of a split-finger fastball with a devastating curve. "I felt better about that pitch," Nola said, when asked about the curve. "I felt like I had a much better feel for it than the last few games." It was certainly enough for him to stymie the Nationals, as he allowed just two hits during seven scoreless innings in a 3-0 win. The win gave the Phillies their first sweep at Nationals Park since May 2009. It was also enough for Nola to match Nationals starter Tanner Roark, who also worked seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball. Neither pitcher was around when the Phillies scored three times in the ninth inning to end their road trip 5-1. "Nola was pretty darn good today," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He had a low pitch count. I even thought about letting him go back out for the eighth inning and not hitting for him. But we had to try to score some runs." Mackanin saw a pitcher who has now made a pair of stellar starts since allowing seven runs on seven hits in the first five innings of an 8-1 loss to the Nationals at home on April 16. Nola threw seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball in a 5-2 win over the Brewers in Milwaukee on April 22 and followed it up on Thursday with this gem. The Phillies' manager had so much confidence in Nola that he let him pitch to Nationals slugger Bryce Harper with a runner on third and two out in the sixth inning. In the previous two games, Mackanin had walked Harper five times, twice intentionally. Not this time, though. "Why not? We can't walk the guy every time," Mackanin said. "Somebody has to get him out. Eighth inning I might have done it. But not in that situation. I'm not going to do it." Harper bounced the ball to the right of second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who made a fine play by just beating Harper to first base with an impressive throw. Harper, 2-for-8 in the series with no extra-base hits or RBIs, slammed his helmet to the turf in frustration. "I felt like I could get him out right there," Nola said. "I knew he was going to be aggressive with guys on. All I needed to do was execute a pitch. I did it and got a ground ball out of it." It was a learning experience, too, for the 22-year old right-hander, Mackanin said. The manager wanted to show that he believes in Nola. "I like that," Nola said. "I like that he does have the confidence in me."

Hinojosa Exits Early – Phillies right-hander Dalier Hinojosa suffered a bruise on the palm of his pitching hand when he was struck by a line drive off the bat of Washington center fielder Matt den Dekker in the eighth inning of Philadelphia's 3-0 win at Nationals Park on Thursday. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said X-rays were negative, but he intends to watch the reliever closely. "We're just going to go day to day and see how swollen it gets," Mackanin said. "Let's see what happens. Did he get hit hard? It sure looked like it." Hinojosa came in to relieve starter Aaron Nola in the bottom of the eighth. With one out, he walked Pedro Severino. The next batter, pinch-hitter Chris Heisey, lined a shot off Hinojosa's glove that second baseman Cesar Hernandez turned into a forceout. Lightening then struck twice as den Dekker's shot deflected off Hinojosa's hand for an infield single, putting runners on first and third. Mackanin and the trainers went to the mound to examine Hinojosa. "At that point, I was going to make a change anyway," Mackanin said. Left-hander Elvis Araujo came in, and Washington manager Dusty Baker countered with pinch-hitter Anthony Rendon, who walked on a full count pitch to load the bases. But Bryce Harper whiffed swinging on three pitches to end the Nationals' last threat of the evening.

Pitching To The Lineup – When the Phillies faced the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park earlier this month, Bryce Harper pummeled Philadelphia pitching. So prior to this week's three-game sweep that ended on Thursday with a 3-0 win at Nationals Park, the Phillies' baseball brain trust decided on a different strategy: pitch around the left-handed power hitter, who is again tearing up the National League to the tune of a .314 batting average, nine homers and 24 RBIs. "When [the Nationals] were at our place, he was hitting everything. I don't care if the pitch was a foot off the ground or over his head, he crushed it," Phils bench coach Larry Bowa said of Harper, who was 7-for-11 in that series, with three homers, six RBIs, 16 total bases and one walk. "I mean he wore us out." Harper's OPS of 1.252 entering Thursday's game is impressive, and it compares favorably to the all-time leaders for a single season in that category. Barry Bonds holds three of the top four and has the best ever of 1.422 in 2004. A guy name Babe Ruth has the third best and three of the top six. Now, the Phillies are giving Harper the Ruth and Bonds treatment. They walked Harper five times in the first two games of the series -- both Philadelphia victories -- including two intentionally. And then suddenly on Thursday, they didn't. Mackanin allowed 22-year-old starter Aaron Nola to go right at Harper in the sixth inning with two out and a runner on third. Harper grounded out to second. Why did the manager decide to deviate from the plan? "Why not? We can't walk the guy every time," Mackanin said. "Somebody has to get him out. Eighth inning, I might have done it. But not in that situation. I'm not going to do it." In the eighth inning, Mackanin didn't have any choice. The bases were loaded when Harper came up to face young left-hander Elvis Araujo. He whiffed on three pitches, swinging at strike three toward the inner part of the plate. It's a game of constant adjustment, as other great players before Harper have found. Bonds walked 2,558 times in 22 years, 688 of them intentionally, both of them all-time records. Ruth is third with 2,062 walks. Harper has only 294 (27 intentional) during the first four-plus years of his career. But other teams are just getting started. "Let somebody else beat you," Bowa said. "They've got a good club over there, but [Ryan] Zimmerman is not swinging too well right now. Obviously, when he starts swinging, you've got to think a little bit. But when they left our place, Harper just kept hitting. "We'll have to pitch to him eventually, but if you have a base open or something right now, you'd be dumb not to walk him." To Bowa's point, Zimmerman -- the cleanup hitter behind Harper -- is 6-for-29 with no homers and four RBIs in his past six games, which gave the Phils the option of pitching around the reigning NL MVP Award winner. It worked. Harper was 2-for-8 in the series, and despite the five walks, he didn't score once. Zimmerman hasn't hit a homer since April 19 and hasn't had an extra-base hit since April 20. Consequently, Harper has scored only five times during that period. And the Nats' once five-game NL East lead over the defending league champion Mets has shrunk to a half-game. "Yeah, they're going to walk him," said Dusty Baker, Harper's third manager in his short career. "He's learning a lot in the process. He's learning about patience. He's taking his walks. It's just a matter of whether they can play on his emotions and patience, so he loses his concentration and stays in the strike zone. "Zimm has a track record where he can handle it, I think. It's just a matter of him not taking it personal, either. I batted behind Hank Aaron. I was a good hitter, but, dang, I was 23 years old. His advice to me was not to try to do too much." Harper seemingly has been part of baseball's fabric for so long, one can forget he's just 23 years old. He was brought up from Triple-A Syracuse exactly four years ago Thursday at the tender young age of 19. Harper has had transgressions like most young players, but from the Phillies' point of view, they're not worried about getting inside either Harper or Zimmerman's head. They're just trying to keep the MVP off base. Bowa said he, Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure sit on the bench and discuss strategy when Harper comes up. "I mean, we talk about it, but Pete has to implement it," Bowa said. "McClure, he'll sit there and he may say, 'Hey, I don't want to pitch to him right here.' Pete asks, but he has to make the decision. Before a series, we go over the team, and if there's one guy where we say, 'We don't want him to beat us,' we try not to let that happen." In this series, that guy was Harper, and thus far what the Phils are doing has altered the game more than a bit. Advance scouts from other teams are watching, and that's the way trends emerge.

Today In Phils History – On the day that we celebrate the first legal Sunday home game in Phillies history (1934), we also celebrate Steve Carlton for becoming the first left handed pitcher (and 6^th overall) in major league history to reach 3000 strikeouts in 1981. Robin Roberts also had a notable pitching performance when he threw a one-hit shutout against Milwaukee in 1954. The longest game in Phillies history also took place on this day in 1989… the Phillies won the rain shortened matchup 8-0 against the Reds after waiting out rain delays of 151 and 92 minutes respectively. One of the players waiting through the rain that day was Juan Samuel whom the Phillies signed exactly 9 years earlier in 1980. Most recently, this is the day when two franchise records for the month of April were eclipsed when, in 2011, Ryan Howard drove in his 27^th RBI and Placido Polanco recorded his 39^th hit breaking Chase Utley’s record set three years prior.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 12-10 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 46-47-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Return The Favor Against Nationals

GAME RECAP: Phils Swat Nats 4-3

The Nationals' bullpen had been virtually unhittable entering Tuesday, but it proved it could be scored upon as the Phillies claimed a 4-3 win at Nationals Park on Tuesday night. It's Philadelphia's second straight victory over Washington. The score was tied at 3, when the Phillies took the lead in the seventh inning off left-hander Oliver Perez. With one out, Andres Blanco doubled to left field. Maikel Franco followed and doubled over the head of center fielder Michael Taylor to send Blanco home to take the one-run lead. "That certainly had a lot of drama to it, that game with that guy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, referring to Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, who grounded out with the tying run on first in the ninth to end the game. Right-hander Max Scherzer started for Washington and he lasted six innings, allowed three runs with seven strikeouts, but did not figure in the decision. Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez went six innings and allowed three runs for his third win. Blanco got the Phillies on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning and fell a triple short of the cycle.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Blanco engaged Scherzer in a little cat-and-mouse game early. He called time out twice before Scherzer delivered a 0-1 pitch in the first, which Blanco hit for a two-run home run. Blanco called time out three more times in a nine-pitch at-bat in the third. It resulted in a double play, but Blanco came back, singling against Scherzer in the fifth and doubling and scoring the go-ahead run against Perez in the seventh. "He feels comfortable on the mound and I want to feel comfortable at the plate, too," Blanco said. "It's baseball. It's not something I'm just doing because I'm Blanco. Buddy, I'm not playing every day. Let me get comfortable, too." 
• Mackanin said he had a plan to handle Harper and it appeared to be intentionally walking him. It paid off as Zimmerman fouled out and struck out looking to end the third and seventh innings, respectively. The Phillies didn't intentionally walk Harper in the fifth, and he singled to score a run. Harper then came up with two outs and one on in the ninth and Jeanmar Gomez retired the slugger on a grounder to third after an eight-pitch at-bat. "Harper is a tough guy to get out," Velasquez said. "His approach is just ridiculous." Harper said he doesn't mind being walked intentionally by the Phillies because he has faith in the hitters behind him like Zimmerman and Jayson Werth. "I don't mind getting on base. If it's a walk or intentional walk or a hit, I would rather get on base as best I can for the guys behind me. We just take it one day at a time," Harper said.
• "I'm not comparing him to [Roy] Halladay, but I didn't like the way he pitched and he only gave up three runs. I remember sitting with [former Phillies coach] Sam Perlozzo after a game and I'd say, 'Boy, [Halladay] was terrible tonight and he only gave up three runs.' That's how good he was." -- Mackanin, on Velasquez's outing.
• Franco is hitting .444 (8-for-18) with three home runs, eight RBIs and four runs scored in his last four games.
• Franco said he is OK after turning his ankle rounding first base on a double in the seventh. An athletic trainer checked him out on the field, but he remained in the game.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson hopes to get back on track Wednesday night against the Nationals in a 7:05 p.m. ET start. After he allowed just two earned runs in 11 1/3 innings in his first two starts, Hellickson has allowed nine earned runs in 7 1/3 innings in his last two starts. That includes an April 15 start against the Nationals, when he allowed five earned runs in just three innings at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Good Game Plan – Give Andres Blanco a break. He just wants to get comfortable, too. He had a big night Tuesday in a 4-3 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. He hit a two-run home run against Nationals ace Max Scherzer in the first inning and made Scherzer work hard in a nine-pitch at-bat in the third. Blanco then hit a first-pitch fastball for a single against Scherzer in the fifth and doubled and scored the go-ahead run in the seventh against Oliver Perez. "It's not approach," Blanco said. "It's just getting a chance to play and just having your best swing. He attacks the zone and he found my bat right away." Blanco truly shined in those first two at-bats. Scherzer issued a leadoff walk to Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera in the first. Scherzer got a first-pitch strike on Blanco, but Scherzer got preoccupied with Herrera at first base and held the ball an inordinate amount of time out of the stretch. Blanco called time once. He called time twice. He then smacked a two-run homer to right-center. "I thought he was holding Herrera," Blanco said. "I was wondering if he was holding him or messing around with my high kick. He got mad. You can tell in his face he wanted to say something to me, but he can't. Come on, it's the game. It's baseball." "I'm going to hold the ball," Scherzer said. "I know how to shut down the running game. Herrera's a good runner. He can steal a base at will. I don't get frustrated when the hitter calls time. He can call time all he wants. I don't get frustrated by that. I understand he probably doesn't want to sit there. If he calls time, that's on him. It's up to the umpire." Blanco called time three more times in his third-inning at-bat against Scherzer, who was visibly annoyed on at least one occasion. Blanco then smashed a ball to Nationals second baseman Daniel Murphy for a double play. But the point is Blanco made Scherzer work. "He feels comfortable on the mound and I want to feel comfortable at the plate, too," Blanco said. "It's baseball. It's not something I'm just doing because I'm Blanco. Buddy, I'm not playing every day. Let me get comfortable, too. Yeah, take time out. I have a big high kick." Blanco is hitting .346 (9-for-26) with three doubles, one home run, five RBIs and a 1.010 OPS in 14 games. One wonders if Phillies manager Pete Mackanin could find more places for him to play. Left field, maybe? The Phillies have had the lowest production in baseball in left field. "[Bench coach Larry] Bowa asked that during the game," Mackanin said. "[Blanco] is who he is, and I think if he played every day he might not be the same player, but it's hard to find a player who can do what he does. He's the best utility man I've ever seen."

Solid Strategy – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday afternoon he had some ideas for handling Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper. He said he conveyed those ideas to Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure. "Just throw him fastballs down the middle of the plate," Mackanin joked before Tuesday night's 4-3 victory at Nationals Park. In reality, the Phillies walked Harper in the first, intentionally walked him with a runner on second and two outs in the third and intentionally walked him with a runner on second and two outs in the seventh. It paid off each time as Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman flied out, fouled out and struck out looking to end those innings. But the Phillies also pitched to Harper twice. He singled with runners on first and second and two outs in the fifth to cut the Phillies' lead to 3-2. He then grounded out to end the game with the tying runner on first base in the ninth inning following an eight-pitch at-bat against Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez, who had allowed two hits in two at-bats in his career against Harper, including a go-ahead homer in the 10th inning April 17 at Citizens Bank Park. "That certainly had a lot of drama to it, that game with that guy," Mackanin said of Harper. Gomez's first seven pitches to Harper were a mixture of sinkers and splitters. He made his eighth pitch a changeup. "The last out was a really good battle," Gomez said. Mackanin said he had no plans to intentionally walk Harper there, even with Stephen Drew standing in the on-deck circle. "I wasn't going to walk him and put the tying run at second base where a single could tie up the game," Mackanin said. But they were cautious earlier. Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez, who allowed three runs in six innings, once played on a travel team with Harper, so they know each other. He discreetly pointed to the Phillies' dugout when he intentionally walked Harper in the third, letting his former teammate know it wasn't his call. But the Phillies' cautious nature against Harper makes sense. Harper got Velasquez in the fifth. "His approach is just flat out ridiculous," Velasquez said. But it is tough to hold down Harper for long. He gets another crack at the Phillies on Wednesday night.

Today In Phils History – In 1988 Mike Schmidt broke up another potential no hitter in the 9^th inning by Nolan Ryan (as if he didn’t already have enough at that point)… the game was later tied on a double by Lance Parrish but the Phillies couldn’t hold on and lost in the 10^th. A big part of the championship team 20 years later was newcomer Pedro Feliz who was born on this day in 1975.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 10-10 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 39-49-0 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. Let the rebuild begin!