Franco Goes Deep And Morton Goes Down

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blast Brewers 10-6

Maikel Franco hit his third home run in two games and finished with four RBIs as the Phillies outlasted the Brewers, 10-6, on a long Saturday night at Miller Park. The teams combined to throw 387 pitches in a game that surpassed the four-hour mark and was closer than the final score indicated. Franco's three-run homer in the fourth gave the Phillies a 6-4 lead that grew to 7-4 by the eighth, when the Brewers scored twice to make it a one-run game. But the Phillies added insurance during a three-run ninth, highlighted by Odubel Herrera's two-run shot off Brewers closer Jeremy Jeffress, who hadn't allowed a run in his first seven appearances this season. Franco, who homered twice in Friday's series opener, went deep Saturday off Brewers starter Chase Anderson, who was hit hard for six earned runs on eight hits while throwing 99 pitches in four innings. Phillies reliever Brett Oberholtzer earned the win in relief after Phillies starter Charlie Morton exited with a hamstring injury. "We're not giving our team a chance to win," Anderson said. "We have to do better."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Franco followed Friday's two-homer effort with a three-run blast to left field in the fourth to give the Phillies a 6-4 lead. But Franco's best moment came in the bottom of the fifth. Ryan Braun hit a smash to Franco's left, and the third baseman caught the ball as he fell to the ground. Franco spun around and, while still sitting on the dirt, fired a strike to first baseman Ryan Howard for the out. Meanwhile, Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, two walks, four runs scored and two stolen bases. "It means a lot when those guys get going and they look like they're lighting up a little bit," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
• Morton threw 29 pitches in the first inning, then strained his left hamstring running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt in the second. He had to be helped off the field. Morton had been on a roll, allowing just one earned run in 12 2/3 innings in his previous two starts. It is unclear if he will make his next start. "There are varying degrees of severity with any injury," Morton said. "So you really just don't know. It doesn't do anybody any good to speculate really. Something happened. It's not good."
• "He told me you throw better like that." -- Franco, on what Freddy Galvis said to him that made him laugh after he threw out Braun while sitting on his rump in the fifth.
• Through four innings, the Phillies were on pace to throw 231 pitches, and the Brewers 222. Baseball-Reference.com has only six nine-inning games in its database in which both teams topped 200 pitches, and no nine-inning games in which both teams topped 220. In the end, the Brewers finished with 200 total pitches, and the Phillies 187.
• Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored and two walks. He is the first Phillies batter since at least 1900 with four runs, one home run and two stolen bases in a game.

NEXT GAME:

Herrera enters the 2:10 p.m. ET Sunday series finale against the Brewers at Miller Park having reached base in 15 consecutive games. He is three games shy of tying his career high, which he reached during his rookie season in 2015. Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff gets the start.

PHILS PHACTS:

Morton Goes Down, Morgan Called Up – The Phillies placed Charlie Morton on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained left hamstring. The Phillies recalled right-hander Luis Garcia from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Morton's spot on the 25-man roster. Garcia is expected to help the bullpen through this week's three-game series against the Nationals at Nationals Park, but Triple-A left-hander Adam Morgan is expected to take Morton's spot in the rotation Friday night against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Garcia allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Brewers. "He was certainly going to miss at least the next start, if not the next two," general manager Matt Klentak said about Morton. Morgan is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts with Lehigh Valley. He lost the Spring Training battle to be the team's No. 5 starter to Vince Velasquez. Top prospects like Mark Appel (3-0, 1.62 ERA in three starts) have pitched well, but the Phillies want to give their younger prospects more time to develop in the Minor Leagues. "The whole Triple-A staff has been doing a really nice job," Klentak said. "We're fortunate that we do have -- whether Charlie is out for a couple of starts or longer -- we do have options within the organization. We're comfortable with that." Morton, who was injured running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt, will receive an MRI on his hamstring Monday. Morton, who has been on the disabled list in seven of the previous eight seasons, entered Saturday 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts, although he had allowed just one run in 12 2/3 innings in his last two outings. He allowed seven hits, six walks and struck out 13 batters in that two-start stretch against the Padres and Nationals. "Frustrated," Morton said about the injury.

The New Dynamic Duo – Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera can make things fun again. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has been hoping his two best hitters would start hitting together, and both had huge games Saturday night in a 10-6 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. Franco hit a three-run homer to left field in the fourth inning and threw out Ryan Braun from his rump in the fifth. Meanwhile, Herrera went 3-for-4 with one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored and two walks. He is the first Phillies batter since at least 1900 with four runs, one homer and two stolen bases in a game. "It means a lot when those guys get going and they look like they're lighting up a little bit," Mackanin said. It also means the Phillies scored 10 runs in a game for the first time since Sept. 27, 2015, when they put 12 up against the Nationals. The Phillies are 9-9, the latest they have been .500 in a season since they were 15-15 on May 15, 2014. Franco knocked a pair of homers in Friday's 5-2 victory to give him three in two games. He is batting .299 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and an .890 OPS, which ranks fourth among National League third basemen and 18th overall among NL players. Herrera is hitting .283 with two homers, eight RBIs and an .875 OPS, which is ninth among NL outfielders and 20th overall. Herrera leads the big leagues with 17 walks. "I feel great," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I'm seeing a lot of pitches. That's what I want to do. The more pitches that I see, the more pitches my teammates see. It's a collective effort. I feel very comfortable right now." Franco turned heads with an incredible defensive play in the fifth, when Braun smashed a ground ball to his left. Franco fielded the ball and spun as he hit the dirt. Sitting on the ground with his legs stretched in front of him, the third baseman fired a rocket to Ryan Howard at first for the out. "That was the first time I did that play," Franco said. Everybody was impressed. Well, not everybody. "I didn't see it," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis joked. Of course, Galvis did. In fact, he had Franco laughing hard immediately after the play. "He told me you throw better like that," Franco said. "That's what you look for when you go out there. Try to have fun and enjoy the game and win the game. The last two games, we've played good. That's what we're looking for every single day."

Road Work Ahead – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin stressed the importance of baserunning in Spring Training because he knew an extra base here and there could mean everything to a team expected to work for its runs. Perhaps they took a step forward in Saturday's 10-6 victory over the Brewers at Miller Park. Odubel Herrera stole a pair of bases and took a couple extra bases that led to two runs. The Phillies entered Saturday night's game against the Brewers at Miller Park having stolen just seven bases in 14 attempts. Their stolen base percentage (50 percent) tied four other teams for the lowest mark in the Majors. The Phillies have made six more outs on the bases, which includes failing to advance on a fly ball, failing to take an extra base on a hit, being doubled up on a line drive or failing to advance on a wild pitch or passed ball. The Phillies' combined 13 outs on the bases are behind only the Rangers (17), Pirates (17) and Rockies (14). "With the type of offense we have, I'm taking more chances than I normally would," Mackanin said. "We have to try to ignite the offense somehow and get things going." But it has not all been bad. The Phillies had been tied for seventh in the big leagues in extra bases taken percentage (45 percent), according to Baseball Reference. The statistic measures the percentage of times a runner advances more than one base on a single or more than two bases on a double, when possible. "A couple mistakes are outweighing some of the good we're doing," first-base coach Mickey Morandini said. "We've made a few mistakes, but I think we're coming out of the box good. I think we're hustling. We did have a couple of guys get to second base on dropped popups, which I liked. We're making plays close at first on some ground balls. We've gone first to third pretty good. Just a couple of those mistakes are outweighing some of the good we're doing." Morandini handles the team's baserunning. He is not happy with the team's basestealing. For example, Cesar Hernandez is just 1-for-5 in stolen base attempts. "There's no way Cesar should be 1-for-5 with his speed," Morandini said. Morandini and Mackanin believe the Phillies are running on the right pitchers. Specifically, they are running on pitchers with slower times to the plate. But they think their base stealers have been getting poor jumps. Hernandez got thrown out Friday because he started his move toward second base only when the ball nearly was out of the pitcher's hand. "That's just way too late," Morandini said. "It's a confidence thing. If you're going to be a base stealer, you've got to have the confidence to go and not care. You've got to have that attitude that he's not going to throw me out. Cesar, especially, he's sometimes afraid to make mistakes. We'll keep working on it. We'll get better at it."

Today In Phils History – Today is quite the day for offensive accomplishments from catcher Lave Cross hitting for the cycle during a 22-5 thrashing of Brooklyn in 1894 and Dick Bartell becoming the first player to hit four doubles in four consecutive at bats in 1933 to Chase Utley hitting a grand slam in his first Major League game in 2003 and Pat Burrell setting the April RBI record with 24 in 2008. Of course there is also the peak of the Ben Chapman controversy in 1947 as he missed the final game of the series against Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the players on that team was Schoolboy Rowe who made his Phillies debut four years prior (along with Babe Dahlgren) in 1943.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 9-9 this season putting them on pace to meet most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 49-50-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

An Ugly Night For The Phillies

GAME RECAP: Nats Swat Phils 9-1

The Nationals showed plenty of firepower Friday night in a 9-1 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park as Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson. Michael Taylor hit a leadoff home run and Jayson Werth added a three-run double in the Nationals' five-run first inning. The Nationals scored a run in both the third and fifth innings before Bryce Harper hit a towering two-run home run to right field in the sixth -- the 101st of his career -- to give the Nationals a nine-run lead. "We are battling every day. We are having a lot of fun," Harper said. "I think [manager] Dusty [Baker] raises a lot of emotion in the game, a lot of opportunity for all of us. It's a lot fun coming in here every single day playing the game of baseball." The offense backed a strong start from the Nationals' Joe Ross, who allowed three hits over 7 2/3 shutout innings. The Phillies' rotation had been the best in baseball through 10 games with a 2.14 ERA and 0.81 WHIP, but right-hander Jeremy Hellickson allowed seven hits, six runs (five earned runs) in just three innings. "It wasn't a lot of fun," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It seemed like we were out of it from the beginning." Ryan Howard tied Joe DiMaggio for 81st on the all-time home run list with his 361st career homer in the ninth for the Phillies' only run. "It's surreal," Howard said. "Sometimes it's hard to think of your name being in the same breath as some of these guys that have played the game before. So it's a very humbling situation. I don't know. Words really can't describe that kind of feeling."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The five-run first proved to be insurmountable for a Phillies offense that is expected to struggle to score runs all year. In its first 10 games, Philadelphia had skirted by on the tails of excellent starting pitching and typically one breakout offensive performance to win a ballgame. The Phillies got only two men in scoring position all night before Howard's ninth-inning homer, and that was when Franco stranded all three men on base in the third. Through 11 games, Philadelphia is averaging 2.72 runs. "Obviously we're not hitting the ball very well right now," Mackanin said. "But anytime you get beat up like that early and you've gotta climb out of that hole early, it's tough."
• "Over the course of a season you're going to have games like this. These aren't really the guys you want to have it against." -- Howard, on the team's offensive struggles.
• Darin Ruf lined out to Werth in the eighth inning as a pinch-hitter. Ruf had not played since Monday after he jammed his left shoulder diving for a ball. Ruf is expected to be in the starting lineup Sunday afternoon against Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will be looking to rebound from Friday's one-sided loss. They send Aaron Nola to the mound Saturday night, hoping Hellickson's outing was merely a blip on the radar, rather than a serious interruption to the momentum Philadelphia's rotation had prior to Friday.

PHILS PHACTS:

Honoring Robinson – The Phillies celebrated Jackie Robinson Day before and during Friday night's game against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Some of the festivities included: Members of the Phillies and Nationals wore No. 42 in honor of Robinson's Major League debut. Fans watched highlights of the Ken Burns documentary, "Jackie Robinson," on Phanavision. The Negro Leagues' Philadelphia Stars also were honored. Dr. Mahlene Duckett-Lee, daughter of former Philadelphia Stars player Mahlon Duckett, took part in an on-field tribute. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen served as honor guard. Zion Spearman and Scott Bandura of the Anderson Monarchs threw out ceremonial first pitches. The Phillies also recognized Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholar John Bernagene, a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania, and Phillies' RBI Jackie Robinson Scholar Skyler Glover, a freshman at Rutgers-Camden. Berachah Baptist Church, Bright Hope Baptist Church, Deliverance Evangelistic Church, Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, Mount Airy Church of God in Christ and Sharon Baptist Church sang the national anthem.

Impressive Company – Maybe the Phillies need more Sarge in their lives. Former Phillies slugger, broadcaster and fedora aficionado Gary Matthews made an appearance in the Phillies' dugout before Friday night's 9-1 loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. He ran into Ryan Howard and asked him a small favor. "Hit one for Jackie," Matthews said, referring to the Jackie Robinson Day festivities. "Believe it," Howard replied. Well, Howard fulfilled his promise and hit a solo home run to right field in the ninth inning. It not only was Howard's fourth homer of the season, it was the 361st homer of his career. It tied Howard with Joe DiMaggio for 81st on the all-time home run list. "It's surreal," Howard said. "Sometimes it's hard to think of your name being in the same breath as some of these guys that have played the game before. So it's a very humbling situation. I don't know. Words really can't describe that kind of feeling." Howard has hit 23 homers in each of his previous two seasons. If he matches that total this season he will finish 2016 with 380 homers, which would put him in sole possession of 70th place on the all-time homer list. He would pass Hall of Famers Ralph Kiner (369), Carlton Fisk (376), Tony Perez (379) and Orlando Cepeda (379) along the way. Howard is hitting .219 with four home runs, seven RBIs and an .883 OPS through 11 games. He did not hit his fourth homer until his 22nd game last season and his 18th game in 2015. "I'm feeling pretty good," Howard said. "Just trying to find some green out there."

Just A Blip – Jeremy Hellickson's second pitch Friday night sailed over the left-field wall, and the Phillies quickly found themselves in trouble from there. It took their Opening Day starter 43 more pitches to get through the first inning of Friday's 9-1 loss to the Nationals. When the Phillies returned to the dugout after the first inning, the Nats already led 5-0. "I just didn't command like I needed to," Hellickson said after the game. The Phillies played their first 10 games against the Reds, Mets and Padres, but they saw their best lineup in the 11th game of the season against the Nationals. Washington ranked 10th in baseball last season with 703 runs scored. Its lineup has a 2-3-4 of Anthony Rendon, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. "It's an aggressive lineup," Hellickson said after the game. "It's a good lineup. But I just wasn't good today. That's what it comes down to." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin agreed. "I think it boils down to that our starting pitcher wasn't at his best," he said. "If you make good pitches, you're going to get Nationals out." Hellickson's poor outing ended what had been a string of strong starts. Phillies starters had thrown 22 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings entering Friday night. That streak didn't get any longer. After his seven shutout innings on Wednesday, Jerad Eickhoff said the rotation was feeding off one another. Catcher Cameron Rupp told Charlie Morton it was like each was trying to top the last. The Phillies, who aren't expected to contend in 2016, led the league in ERA (2.14) entering Friday night's action, offering fans a potential glimpse into the future -- the light at the end of the tunnel of the rebuild. On Wednesday, Mackanin said he doesn't see why the Phillies won't continue their starting pitching success. It's possible the rotation could still be near the top of the league by the end of the month, but they will need to make better pitches than Hellickson made Friday night.

Being Careful Moving Forward – Vince Velasquez had one of the best starts in Phillies history on Thursday. He struck out 16 and walked none in a shutout victory over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. He earned a Game Score of 97, which is tied for the eighth-highest score in the regular season in franchise history. But while the Phillies' front office loved Velasquez's performance, it is being mindful of his workload moving forward. "Organizationally, the health of our pitchers is going to be very important to us," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said before Friday night's game against the Nationals. "We're not going to come out in mid-April and start announcing certain innings limits or pitch limits or things of that nature. But it is something we're keenly aware of and it's extremely important to the future of this franchise, so we're going to be certainly monitoring it all season long." Pitchers like Stephen Strasburg, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom found themselves under microscopes in recent seasons because of their respective organizations' desires to limit their workloads, despite the potential impacts on their postseasons. The Phillies are unlikely to be in the postseason hunt in August and September, so their decision will not be nearly as scrutinized, but a young pitcher's workload is an interesting topic. Velasquez, 23, pitched a career-high 124 2/3 innings in 2013, which he split between Class A Quad Cities and Double-A Lancaster, so it is highly unlikely he is pitching seven to nine innings every five days until the end of the season. But how the Phillies handle it remains to be seen. "It's about workload and we can define workload in a lot of different ways," Klentak said. "But it's about managing that." A University of Waterloo study published last year in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness determined that innings limits had no positive effect on preventing the recurrence of elbow ligament injuries. "We're trying to be as cognizant of all the research that has been done," Klentak said. "And in addition we're applying some of our own research and findings to it. We're going to talk to our medical people, our doctors. We're applying some objective data to it. And ultimately we're going to make the best collective decisions that we can to make sure these guys stay healthy. It's not as simple as looking at an innings total or looking at it the raw number of pitches. There is a lot more that goes into it." Young pitchers like Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff seem better suited to finish the 2016 season in the Phillies' rotation. Nola, who got shut down in the final week of 2015 because of the Phillies' concern about his workload, threw a combined 187 innings last season. Eickhoff threw 184. But Velasquez had Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2010, and again he has never pitched more than 124 2/3 innings in a season. Sources also told MLB.com in December that the Phillies had some concerns about Velasquez's health, which is why the trade that sent Ken Giles to Houston got delayed a couple of days and ultimately changed to include pitching prospect Mark Appel. "Vince pitched a full healthy season a year ago," Klentak said. "He's been a horse for us so far this year. At this stage, there's no story there." The Phillies hope they never have a story there. They hope to improve their chances by closely watching how much Velasquez works. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure that we're keeping the pitchers -- and all of our players -- as healthy as we can," Klentak said.

From High School To MLB – Off the top of his head, Tyler Goeddel can still recall his batting line from a game his senior year of high school. Why? It was his first time facing longtime travel ball teammate and childhood friend Joe Ross. "I was 2-for-3 that game," Goeddel said Friday, five years later. "I guess I got him pretty good." With the Nationals' Ross on the mound Friday night for his first start against the Phillies, the right-handed-hitting Goeddel, because of his platoon arrangement with Cedric Hunter in left field, was not in the starting lineup. However, Goeddel faced Ross as a pinch-hitter in the third inning of the Nationals' 9-1 win and reached on a throwing error by Nationals shortstop Danny Espinosa. The two Northern California natives still get together in the offseason, and Ross texted Goeddel on Thursday asking if he'd be in the lineup Friday. Although he didn't know Thursday night, Goeddel was disappointed when he had to tell Ross that he wasn't. After playing together since they were in grade school, the pair committed together to play college ball at UCLA. Goeddel said they decided independently, but took their official visits and went through orientation together. Both, however, had to rescind their commitments when each was a first-round Draft pick in 2011. The Padres took Ross with the 26th pick, while the Rays selected Goeddel with the 41st, in the supplemental round. "I remember, sophomore year of high school, [Ross] was throwing 78 mph," Goeddel said. "Then the next year, he came back throwing 94. We were just like, 'What happened?'" That velocity increase helped Ross post a 0.92 ERA in his senior season and led to him becoming a first-round Draft pick. Last season, Ross' heater averaged 93.4 mph and in his first start of 2016 averaged 92.7. Goeddel now trains in the offseason with Ross and his older brother, Tyson, who started on Opening Day for the Padres. San Diego visited Philadelphia for the past four games, but Tyson landed on the DL just days prior and Goeddel didn't get a chance to see him.

Today In Phils History – This is not a particularly good day to remember for the Phillies as they have been the victim of two no hitters the first coming in 1972 at the hand of Burt Hooton (the same day that former reliever Antonio Alfonseca was born) and the second occurring 6 years later when Bob Forch blanked a promising roster. Prior to those inept performances, Mel Ott hit the final homerun of his Hall of Fame career in 1946, the Phils lost the first night opener in New York City in 1952, and, despite 6 consecutive hits by Connie Ryan the following year (exactly one year after his Phillies debut alongside Smoky Burgess), they still couldn’t pull out the victory. Even back-to-back homeruns by Lenny Dykstra and Mickey Morandini weren’t enough in 1996 to give the Phillies the win. Other notable debuts on this day include Bert Humphries in 1910 and Irish Meusel in 1918. Jim Lonborg was also born on this day in 1942. However, recent Phillies history has been much more kind to the franchise as Brett Myers dominted the Rockies in a 1-0 shutout in the first victory of its kind by a visiting team at Coors Field.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 5-6 this season putting them on pace to meet most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 35-27-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Velasquez Has Historically Dominant Performance Against Padres

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blank Padres 3-0

Vince Velasquez's friends in California started to call him "Vinny from Philly" the moment the Phillies acquired him in December. Phillies fans will treat Velasquez as one of their own if he keeps pitching like he did Thursday afternoon in a historic performance in the Phillies' 3-0 victory over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez, 23, allowed three hits and struck out a career-high 16 in nine scoreless innings. He has struck out 25 in 15 scoreless innings in the first two starts of his Phillies career. "My face doesn't show it, but it was fun," Velasquez said. "I'm fully excited. Man, gosh, it's still hitting me." The strikeouts are the most by a pitcher in his first two Phillies starts since at least 1913. Hall of Fame right-hander Jim Bunning held the previous record with 20 in 1964. Velasquez, who joined the Phillies as part of the Ken Giles trade with Houston, also becomes the seventh pitcher in history to throw a shutout with at least 16 Ks and zero walks; Roger Clemens achieved the feat twice. "It looks like we made a pretty good trade," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Padres left-hander Drew Pomeranz allowed two runs in six innings, including a solo homer and a sacrifice fly to Ryan Howard in the second and sixth, respectively. His eight strikeouts tied a career high, but the performance went for naught, as the Padres were shut out for the fifth time in their first 10 games, an MLB record. "It has a lot to do with who's on the mound, but it has a lot more to do with the level with which we choose to compete every single day," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Regardless of how difficult it is, we've got to be more competitive."

PHILS PHACTS:

• It is just two starts, but the Phillies love what they have seen so far from Velasquez. He struck out nine in six scoreless innings in his Phillies debut Saturday against the Mets. He followed that with an even better performance Thursday. He is the third youngest pitcher (23 years, 312 days) in Phillies history to strike out 14 or more batters in a game. Art Mahaffey (22 years, 323 days) struck out 17 against the Cubs on April 23, 1961, and Cole Hamels (23 years, 115 days) struck out 15 in Cincinnati on April 21, 2007. "It was a great day today," Velasquez said. "Everything was just kind of clicking."
• Howard isn't supposed to play against lefties, but a shoulder injury to Darin Ruf had him in the lineup again Thursday. Howard took advantage of the opportunity. He hit a solo home run to left-center field in the first inning and hit a sacrifice fly to center in the sixth inning to give the Phillies a two-run lead. "All you can do is go up there and try to have good at-bats," Howard said. "For me, it's just about trying to take advantage of the opportunities I get."
• "He was impressive. There's riding life in the zone with his fastball. It was explosive. Reminds me of when I saw [Nationals ace Max] Scherzer going as well as he goes, and that fastball is literally exploding through the zone." -- Green on Velasquez.
• The Phillies have pitched three shutouts in their first 10 games for the first time since 1954, when Curt Simmons, Murry Dickson and Robin Roberts threw shutouts. Velasquez started two of the three shutouts this season. Charlie Morton started the other Tuesday night. The team record in 10 games is four. The Phillies accomplished that in 1913 with Tom Seaton (twice), Ad Brennan and Pete Alexander.
• Velasquez's 15 scoreless innings to begin his Phillies career is the longest streak by a Phillies starter since Marty Bystrom threw 19 scoreless innings in 1980.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies open a three-game series Friday night against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (1-0, 1.54 ERA) opens the series against right-hander Joe Ross (1-0, 1.29 ERA).

PHILS PHACTS:

Historic Perspective – Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez turned in the most brilliant pitching performance of the young season Thursday, striking out 16 and walking none while shutting out the Padres in Philadelphia's 3-0 win at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez also allowed just three hits, all singles. Here's a look at how his start ranked historically: It was the seventh nine-inning game in history in which a pitcher had 16 strikeouts with no runs and no walks allowed. Only one other pitcher had allowed three hits, walked none and struck out as many batters: Roger Clemens, who fanned 18 Royals on Aug. 25, 1998, in a 3-0 win for the Blue Jays. The only other active pitcher with a 16-strikeout, zero-walk shutout: Max Scherzer, who fanned 17 on Oct. 3, 2015. Velasquez's 16 strikeouts were the most by a Phillies pitcher since Cliff Lee had 16 on May 6, 2011. The only other Phillies pitcher with 15-plus strikeouts and no walks in a game: Curt Schilling on Sept. 1, 1997, against the Yankees (16 strikeouts). Velasquez's 25 strikeouts are the most by a pitcher in his first two Phillies starts since at least 1913. Jim Bunning had held the previous mark with 20 in 1964. Velasquez's 16 strikeouts were the most in a shutout by a Phillies pitcher since Art Mahaffey had 17 on April 23, 1961. Velasquez's gem gave the Phillies three shutouts in their first 10 games for first time since 1954.

It All Comes Down To The Fastball –  Vince Velasquez finished a stellar Thursday afternoon with a 96 mph fastball, a 16th strikeout and a couple of emphatic fist pumps. Oh brother, what a day. "Man, gosh," Velasquez said after a historic performance in a 3-0 victory over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. "It's still hitting me." Velasquez, 23, dominated the Padres in the second start of his Phillies career. He allowed just three hits and struck out 16 for his first career shutout. Impressive? On its own, yes. But consider where it puts Velasquez in baseball history. He joins Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Luis Tiant, Max Scherzer, Kerry Wood and Dwight Gooden as one of only seven pitchers to throw a shutout with 16 strikeouts and zero walks. The only Phillies pitchers to strike out more batters in a game are Chris Short (18 in 1965) and Art Mahaffey (17 in 1961). But nobody has struck out more batters in his first two Phillies starts than Velasquez's 25. Hall of Fame right-hander Jim Bunning held the previous mark with 20 strikeouts in 1964. "That was awesome," Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton said. "Are you kidding me, 16 punchies? Are you kidding me?" Velasquez struck out the side in the first inning on 16 fastballs. He hit 97 mph twice. "You want to establish that fastball command," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said of the fastball-only diet in the first inning. "But then it got to a point where I was thinking to myself, 'I kind of want to mix in a breaking ball here, but I don't need to.' He was blowing everybody's doors off with it." "See if they can hit it," Velasquez said. The Padres could not. They have been shut out a Major League-record five times in 10 games, but that does not make Velasquez's performance any less impressive. He was legit. "There's riding life in the zone with his fastball," Padres manager Andy Green said. "It was explosive, reminds me of when I saw Scherzer going as well as he goes, and that fastball is literally exploding through the zone." "I really liked how he was just challenging guys with this fastball," Morton said. "One, the ball is coming out hot. Two, it looks like he's hiding the ball really well. And just challenging guys. When you see guys take almost defensive swings like that, even after three or four at-bats against a guy, you know the guy they're facing is overpowering. They were just overmatched." Velasquez walked onto the mound in the ninth and proceeded to strike out Jon Jay on a 95 mph fastball, get Cory Spangenberg to pop out on an 86 mph changeup and strike out Wil Myers on a 96 mph fastball to end the game. "I kind of bent back a little bit, reached back a little bit and tried to get it," Velasquez said about the last strikeout. "I wasn't really looking at the radar gun. I was just trying to get a last strikeout and celebrate." The Phillies seemed perfectly giddy about Velasquez's dominant performance. They hoped for starts like this when they acquired him from Houston in December as part of the Ken Giles trade. But in just his second start? No way. "It looks like we made a pretty good trade," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said with a smile. "I don't even think of that," Velasquez said. "My job is to pitch for the Phillies and the Phillies only. They traded me, so my job is here. This is home for me, this is my home."

Climbing The List – Ryan Howard wasn't supposed to be in the Phillies' lineup for Thursday afternoon's 3-0 win over the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. But because the other half of Philadelphia first-base platoon, Darin Ruf, is still hampered with a rotator cuff contusion, Howard found himself penciled into the No. 4 hole in Philadelphia's lineup -- even against Padres left-hander Drew Pomeranz. The veteran first baseman took full advantage of an opportunity to prove he can slug against more than righties. Howard made hard contact each of his chances against Pomeranz, registering exit velocities of 110, 96 and 103 mph in his three at-bats. He drove in the Phillies' first two runs with a home run and a sacrifice fly. "It's very encouraging," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He looks pretty good at the plate right now." The quality at-bats were made even more impressive by the left-hander on the mound. Pomeranz isn't Clayton Kershaw or Chris Sale, but his splits against left-handed hitters are impressive. Entering Thursday's contest, lefties had hit .175 against Pomeranz in his career, with a .493 OPS. Before Howard's home run, only five left-handers had homered against him in 312 plate appearances. Howard made it clear at the beginning of Spring Training that he was not a fan of the platoon. But by the end of March, he had come to terms with his role. "All you can do is go up there and try to have good at-bats," Howard said after Thursday's game. "For me, it's just about trying to take advantage of the opportunities I get." He doesn't expect Mackanin to put too much weight in one or two strong performances against southpaws, and Mackanin doesn't plan to. Mackanin said postgame that Ruf, who was able to swing the bat pregame, was available to pinch-hit and will start the next game against a left-handed starter. Howard's 360th career home run tied Gary Gaetti for 82nd on the all-time list. One more will tie Joe DiMaggio. "I had no clue," Howard said. "The names that are coming up, it's kind of a rarefied air. It's an ultimate honor to even be put in the same category as those guys." As for active players? Only seven have more home runs than Howard. Carlos Beltran is closest, with 394, while Alex Rodriguez's 688 leads the pack.

Henderson Honors Robinson – Having made his Major League debut in 1977, Phillies hitting coach Steve Henderson feels his appreciation for Jackie Robinson is stronger than most of today's players. But Henderson, whose debut came 30 years after Robinson broke the color barrier, is quick to add the difficulties he faced don't compare to what Robinson overcame. "If it wasn't for this guy, we wouldn't even be in the game," Henderson said. "A lot of people of color wouldn't be in the game. I'm very happy for what he did and the sacrifices he went through. "I don't know if some of these modern-day ballplayers could handle that." That perceived softness could be interpreted as a sign of progress, though. Baseball is quickly progressing, and it is a far more inclusive sport than it was even during Henderson's playing days. Yet the sport, in recent years, has seen declining participation from black athletes, forgoing it for other sports such as basketball and football. Major League Baseball, conscious of that, founded the Reviving Baseball in Inner-Cities (RBI) program in 1989. Henderson thinks Robinson would appreciate the efforts MLB is making to increase minority interest and participation in the sport. "I think he'd be very proud," Henderson said. "Because of all the stuff he went through, and the number of Major League baseball players that have come through, and a lot of black players have come through here. And we're working hard to get more." On Friday, the Phillies and the other 29 Major League teams will don uniforms with Robinson's retired No. 42 on the back. April 15 marks the 69th anniversary of Robinson's Major League debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, who broke color barriers outside of sports in the '40s, will be at Citizens Bank Park serving as the honor guard in pregame ceremonies. Members of the Anderson Monarchs, a local youth team named after the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. The city of Philadelphia announced it will also officially apologize for the way it treated Robinson in his first trip to the city in 1947, which included being refused service at a hotel and receiving racial slurs from then-Philadelphia manager Ben Chapman. The city will join MLB in dedicating the day to Robinson's legacy.

Today In Phils History – There are two games to remember on this day to remember beginning with Les Sweetland’s performance in 1930 when he pitched a three hit shutout and scored the game’s only run on opening day against the Dodgers. Years later in 1977, five years to the day after his Phillies debut, Steve Carlton won the first game played in Olympic Stadium over the Expos. Today is the day of the pitcher as we also mark the debuts of Pete Alexander (1911) and Jim Bunning (1964). Other debuts include Ralph LaPointe in 1947 and Wally Post in 1958. Finally, we also remember the birthdays of former Phillies Woodie Fryman (1940) and Ted Sizmore (1945) who we remember despite their brief stints in Philadelphia.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 5-5 this season putting them on pace to meet most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 35-27-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Put Out Of There Misery In Series Finale

GAME RECAP: Mets Sweep Phillies 6-1

Lucas Duda and Travis d'Arnaud's first home runs of the year supported Jon Niese's first win as the Mets earned their first series sweep by topping the Phillies 6-1 on Jackie Robinson Day at Citi Field in their first game without David Wright. Niese scattered nine hits, holding the Phillies to one run over 6 1/3 innings despite the best efforts of Odubel Herrera and Cody Asche. The pair combined for six hits and four doubles off Niese, but the lefty worked out of multiple jams and stranded eight runners. The Phillies left 11 men on base in all. d'Arnaud and Duda supplied the power with solo shots off Phillies starter Jerome Williams, who was tagged for five runs (four earned) on 10 hits in five innings. d'Arnaud, batting in the No. 2. hole, gave the Mets the lead with a solo shot to left in the third. Duda launched a solo homer of his own into the seats beyond the right-center-field fence in the fifth and scored d'Arnaud with a sixth inning RBI double. Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas to replace Wright, who landed on the disabled list Wednesday with a strained hamstring, Eric Campbell singled, scored and made an exceptional barehanded play to rob Chase Utley of a bunt single in the fifth. The Phillies are 6-20 against the Mets since August 2013. "I see the discrepancy in the win-loss record," Asche said. "Do I have an explanation? No. Do I wish it was different? Yeah. If we are going to make moves, we have to take care of the teams in our division. So we definitely have to play better against the Mets."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies' right-hander allowed 10 hits, five runs (four earned runs), one walk, two home runs and struck out one in five innings. His night included leadoff home runs to d'Arnaud and Duda in the third and fifth innings, respectively.
• The Phillies' offensive issues really came to light this week against the Mets. They were 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position Wednesday, and 3-for-27 with runners in scoring position for the series.
• "Couldn't come up with a drive to put up a crooked number. We had the opportunities. Could not do it." -- Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, on his team going 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
• Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels dominated the Nationals on Saturday. He allowed two hits, one run, two walks and struck out five in seven innings. Hamels is hoping the offense can do something for him Thursday it has not done when he has been in his first two games this season: score a run.
• The Phillies need Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to get going offensively. They are a combined 5-for-26 with one double, one RBI and five strikeouts against Fister.

NEXT GAME:

Left-hander Cole Hamels opens a four-game series Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. ET against the Nationals at Nationals Park. Hamels allowed two hits, one run, two walks and struck out five in a 3-2 victory last Saturday. Hamels got the no-decision as he waits for the Phillies to score their first run for him while he is in the game. The Nationals hope to carry some momentum from Wednesday's 10-5 victory in Boston into a four-game series against the Phillies beginning Thursday night at Nationals Park. The Phillies took two of three from the Nationals over the weekend at Citizens Bank Park as Washington scored just seven runs in the series. The good news for Washington is that it has scored at least seven runs in each of the past two games.

PHILS PHACTS:

Behind Closed Doors – Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon had something on his mind Wednesday afternoon at Citi Field, so a few minutes before batting practice he hastily cleared the visitors' clubhouse of everybody except his teammates. Once the doors closed he held a brief players-only meeting. "It was a team meeting about baseball," Papelbon said before a 6-1 loss to the Mets, "About playing the game. It wasn't a big deal." Papelbon later said it was nothing more than a meeting to establish a kangaroo court. Regardless, the Phillies have plenty of things going on these days, but very little going well. They fell to 3-6 partially because Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams allowed five runs in five innings, but also because the Phillies went just 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They had runners on first and second with no outs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but none of them scored. "I think it has been a trend here the last four or five games," said Phillies third baseman Cody Asche, who went 3-for-3 with one walk to improve to .500 (12-for-24) for the season. "We kind of need that big hit, a two-out double here and there to really spark something. It's going to come. It's still early. There's no need to panic or have knee-jerk reactions. But we do need a big hit. I think that would help a lot." The Phillies are hitting .159 (11-for-69) with just two extra-base hits with runners in scoring position this season. The batting average is 29th in baseball. "That's the first thing you ask for is base runners and opportunities," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Couldn't come up with a drive to put up a crooked number. We had the opportunities. Could not do it." Will they? The Phillies entered the night tied for eighth in baseball with 59 runners left on base -- they left 11 on base Wednesday -- which is saying something considering they ranked 23rd with a .278 on-base percentage. Their lack of extra-base hits has contributed to that. Asche had a double Wednesday. Rookie Odubel Herrera had two doubles and a triple to become the first Phillies player to have three extra-base hits in a game since John Mayberry Jr. on June 12 last season. But the Phillies' offense otherwise remained powerless. It has been for most of the season. "Don't press, keep grinding and have good at-bats," Asche said. "The law of averages has to take over sometime. The hits are going to come."

Ebb And Flow On The Mound – Jerome Williams stumbled Wednesday after he appeared to take a step forward last week against the Nationals. He allowed 10 hits, five runs, one walk, two home runs and struck out one in five innings in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Mets at Citi Field. He had struggled terribly in his final three Spring Training starts, but allowed one run in six innings Friday in a victory over the Nationals. He could not build upon that success at Citi Field. "I ain't going to take no steps back from that," Williams said. "Just move forward with this one and put this one behind me and come back at home and pitch well [Tuesday against Miami]." Williams simply left too many pitches over the middle of the plate, and the Mets took advantage. He hung a breaking ball to Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who hit a homer to left field to lead off the third inning. He left a first-pitch fastball over the middle of the plate to Lucas Duda, who hit a homer to lead off the fifth. "Just elevated," Williams said. "Got to make a better pitch." Williams also was victim to some miscues. Mets third baseman Eric Campbell advanced to second base on a wild pitch in the second inning because the ball rolled behind home-plate umpire Dan Bellino and blocked catcher Cameron Rupp's view. Juan Lagares followed with a single to score Campbell and tie the game, 1-1. "He's supposed to release himself from the ball," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said about Bellino. "There was no courtesy there. Usually they dance out of the way and show where the ball is. Rupp couldn't see where the ball was. And [Bellino] didn't do anything about it. That might have been the first time I've seen that. That was a first for me." Third baseman Cody Asche bobbled a potential inning-ending double play ball in the fourth. It led to a run scoring to make it 3-1. But in the end, Williams allowed 10 hits, way too many for five innings. "I was just leaving the ball over the heart of the plate," he said. "You're not going to have success doing that."

Progress! – Phillies right-hander Chad Billingsley threw five scoreless innings Wednesday in his second rehab start with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He allowed two hits, two walks and struck out three. The veteran starter threw 73 pitches (44 strikes), and Billingsley said the plan is to make three more rehab starts, which would allow him to join the Phillies' rotation as early as the first week of May. "I felt pretty good," Billingsley said in a transcript provided by the IronPigs. "I didn't feel like I had my best stuff, but I was able to go out there and execute some pitches to get some ground balls and get out of a jam early. "It's been a long road, but I'm excited and I'll keep working. The strength is there, my arm feels good. I talked to my doctor who performed the [2014] surgery [on my right elbow], and he said if I can get through a month and a half of pitching in games with no pain, I'll be in the clear."

Looking For Lefties – The Phillies employed a double-switch in the sixth inning Tuesday, but curiously chose not to have left-hander Jake Diekman, who was part of the switch, start the seventh inning to face Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy, who hits left-handed, homered against Phillies right-hander Dustin McGowan in the 6-5 loss. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg explained that Diekman is the only left-hander in the Phillies' bullpen and had pitched five times in the team's first eight games. Sandberg wanted to keep his options open, but if Diekman had pitched the seventh inning and racked up eight to 10 more pitches he might not have been available to pitch Wednesday's series finale against the Mets at Citi Field, if they needed him. The Phillies could use an extra left-hander in the bullpen. Left-hander Cesar Jimenez is in Triple-A after being designated for assignment Sunday to make room for right-hander Sean O'Sullivan on the 25-man roster. "We don't have one to give them," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "The guys in the bullpen should be able to get righties and lefties out." Jimenez is not eligible to be called up for at least another week. Left-hander Elvis Araujo is in Double-A and has posted an 8.10 ERA in two appearances. Left-hander Joely Rodriguez is starting for Triple-A and is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA following two starts. The Phillies had Rule 5 Draft pick Andy Oliver in Spring Training, but the left-hander struggled toward the end of camp with his command. He allowed six hits, five runs, 11 walks and struck out 12 in 12 2/3 innings. Oliver cleared waivers and the Phillies outrighted him to Triple-A. But Oliver opted for free agency instead and signed a Minor League contract with the Rays. Oliver would've been on the short list for a callup. "We offered him a pretty good deal to come back," Amaro said. "He just decided to go somewhere else. I think it was a very foolish move on his part, but that's OK. He had a choice. He had that right."

Some Adjustments Required – Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has not started twice in the team's first nine games, including Wednesday's at Citi Field against Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese. Both times Howard has sat against lefties. Could this become a pattern? "You've got to talk to the manager about that," Howard said. "You keep bringing up these lefty questions. I talked with Ryno [manager Ryne Sandberg] earlier about that kind of stuff. I think right now it's more so trying to get rest, days off here and there. "I don't think it's going to be a pattern. I think early on he said that he's going to pick days to get rest. Obviously with it being two lefties and two days off people are going to try to make something out of it, but it's nothing. Like I said, we had that conversation earlier that when this situation arises that's what it is." "We'll see as we go forward," Sandberg said, when asked if this could become a regular thing. "It's a chance for a right-handed bat to get in there. Kind of take that a series at a time." Howard entered Wednesday hitting .148 (4-for-27) with three doubles, one RBI and 10 strikeouts. Interestingly, pitchers have been attacking Howard with fastballs more than ever. "It's confusing isn't it?" Howard said. According to FanGraphs pitch type data, 59 percent of the pitches Howard has seen this season have been fastballs. That is his highest percentage of fastballs since he became an everyday player as a rookie in 2005, when it was 58.3 percent. That number dipped as low as 44.8 percent in 2009, remaining in the 44.8 to 51.3 percent range from 2007-13. It is a small sample size, but FanGraphs Pitch f/x plate discipline data also shows Howard is seeing 55 percent of his pitches in the strike zone this season, far and away his highest percentage since it started recording the data in 2007. It has been between 39.5 to 43.7 percent from 2007-14. The data also shows Howard is swinging at more pitches than ever before, but making less contact when swinging at pitches thrown inside the strike zone. "I have to make adjustments," Howard said. "You get guys like [Max] Scherzer and [Matt] Harvey yesterday, those guys will sit 95, 96 mph. There's been a pretty good amount. It's just about getting them in the zone and taking care of them." Sandberg said he sees bat speed with Howard, but he also said adjustments are needed. "He's getting fastballs throughout the game," Sandberg said. "I've had a conversation with him about being on the fastball. Each day that's a different speed. It's a game of adjustments. If a guy's at 96, then you need to do something to be a little earlier to be on 96. If it's 89 and sinker that day then you want to be on 89 and sink. That's the game of adjustments. That's where the inconsistency has been, just not being on the fastball that day. "The amount of fastballs that he's getting, he should look fastball and just really disregard the breaking ball until he gets two strikes."

A Lasting Legacy – The Phillies wore No. 42 jerseys Wednesday to celebrate Jackie Robinson Day at Citi Field. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said he heard plenty of Robinson stories when Don Zimmer managed the Cubs from 1988-1991. Robinson and Zimmer played together with the Dodgers. "He just liked his wild abandon on the bases," Sandberg said. "His aggressive, total aggressive approach to playing the game in all aspects. He also remembered like 10 or 15 times he stole home." Said Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard: "The first thing that comes to mind when I hear Jackie Robinson is hero. Robinson is a hero because he helped pave the way for me to be able to play in this game today."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 3-6. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 27-45-0 on this day.