Asher Puts Suspension Behind Him Against Nationals

GAME RECAP: Phillies Nab Nationals 4-1

Right-hander Alec Asher, making his first start of the season for the Phillies, proved to be too much for the Nationals as Philadelphia won the series opener, 4-1, at Nationals Park on Thursday night in Asher's first big league win. Washington's magic number remains at 15 to win the National League East. The second-place Mets had the day off on Thursday. The Phillies also snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Nationals. Asher's counterpart, A.J. Cole, pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits. All four runs were scored in the third inning, on homers by Peter Bourjos and Ryan Howard. "Cole wasn't bad at all," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "It was the three-run homer [from Howard] that did him and us in. Cole was pretty good, actually. The one homer [by Bourjos] hit the foul pole. The other one scraped the wall." Said Cole: "Howard hit a good pitch. At the same time, if I'm going to throw that changeup, I [should] throw it in the ground." Asher, who pitched six shutout innings, retired six of the first seven hitters he faced. The only time the Nationals had runners in scoring position against the right-hander was in the third inning. Washington had runners on first and second with two outs, but Daniel Murphy flied out to left field to end the threat. "He showed makeup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Asher. "Last year he looked like he was a little nervous most of the time and got rocked around. It was good to see him confident." Washington would finally put a run on a board in the eighth inning off reliever Hector Neris. With the bases loaded, Murphy hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Aaron Altherr, scoring Stephen Drew.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Asher returned from an 80-game suspension earlier this week after testing positive for oral turinabol, dazzling in his season debut. He allowed just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings. Asher is the first of three pitchers the Phillies acquired in July 2015 in the Cole Hamels trade who will face the Nationals this weekend. Jake Thompson starts Friday night and Jerad Eickhoff starts Saturday night. "I just said that I was going to go out there and have fun," Asher said. "I felt like I wasn't myself at the end of last year and let the moment get to me. I was going to go back to being me. It definitely worked and I'm looking to build on it."
• Howard's three-run home run to center field handed the Phillies a 4-0 lead. It was the 378th homer of Howard's career, which ties him with Matt Williams for 72nd place on the all-time home run list. Next up are Hall of Famers Tony Perez and Orlando Cepeda, who each hit 379 homers. "Howie came up with that big three-run home run," Mackanin said. "That's [about] all we had offensively, but it was obviously enough."
• "Someone asked me last year, a legitimate question after he was getting rocked around so much, 'Do you think it was a good idea to call him up?' And I said, 'Yes it is, because when he goes back down, he's going to understand what he's up against and let's see what kind of makeup he's got, if he's going to fight and battle back.' And sure enough, he went out there tonight and looked very confident. He felt like he was in control. He got away with a few line drives here and there, but nevertheless he threw strikes and only gave up two hits. I'm really proud of him for that." -- Mackanin, on Asher.

NEXT GAME:

Thompson hopes to keep the good times rolling on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Nationals Park. He went 1-3 with a 9.78 ERA in his first four starts, unable to pitch past the fifth inning in any of those starts. But Thompson is 0-2 with a 1.93 ERA in his last two starts, pitching seven innings in both.

PHILS PHACTS:

Asher Returns – Does Alec Asher have more of this in him? It is just one start, but his season debut Thursday in a 4-1 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park had to intrigue a few people in the Phillies' organization. Asher allowed just two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings, throwing a mere 75 pitches (55 strikes). It snapped the Phillies' nine-game losing streak against the Nationals. Asher's teammates commemorated his first big league win by taking him into the Phillies' shower fully clothed and dumping beer on him. "I just said that I was going to go out there and have fun," Asher said. "I felt like I wasn't myself at the end of last year and let the moment get to me. I was going to go back to being me. It definitely worked, and I'm looking to build on it." Asher went 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts late last season with the Phillies, who acquired him in July 2015 in the Cole Hamels trade with the Rangers. Asher knew he would not last long with performances like that, so he worked on a two-seam fastball in the offseason. It helped. He went 1-2 with a 3.20 ERA in four starts this season with Double-A Reading before being promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, for which he went 3-0 with a 1.53 ERA in four starts. Everything looked great until Major League Baseball suspended Asher 80 games for testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone (DHCMT), which is an anabolic steroid designed by East Germany in the 1960s. The steroid is better known as oral turinabol. Former teammate and Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf also tested positive for DHCMT this year. Both have maintained their innocence, saying they have absolutely no idea how the easily detectable steroid entered their systems. "We're all in the same boat," Asher said about himself and four other players that tested positive this year for DHCMT. "We're all looking for a resolution on what had happened. But that's all I got for you." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he isn't interested in Asher's explanation about his PED suspension. "I don't even want to talk to him about it," Mackanin said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's water under the bridge and let's just put it behind us." Asher figures to make four more starts before the end of the season. If he pitches well, he could put himself in good position to make the 2017 rotation out of Spring Training. But there should be plenty of competition. If everybody is healthy -- that is always a big "if" -- the group of starters in camp should include Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Vince Velasquez, Zach Eflin, Jake Thompson, Adam Morgan, Asher and probably a veteran starter or two. "If he pitches like he did tonight, he's definitely in the conversation," Mackanin said. "It was noticeable to me, just his demeanor on the mound. It looked like he was confident from the start. He threw strikes. He wasn't pitching away from contact. That's huge. For him to go through what he's gone through and develop a new pitch over the winter and to come out against a real good hitting team, a first-place team, speaks volumes."

Nagging Injuries – Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is day to day with a sore right thumb. Franco could be back in the starting lineup as early as Friday against the Nationals at Nationals Park, although he could pinch-hit in Thursday's series opener. Franco took ground balls, and he planned to hit in the batting cage Thursday. Franco jammed the thumb Sunday against the Braves in Philadelphia, but he played Monday and Tuesday in Miami. He went 0-for-8 in those games to drop his batting average to .246 and his OPS to .721.

Today In Phils History – George Davis of the Braves no hit the Phillies in the second game of a double header on this day in 1914. Jimmie Foxx hit the final of his 534 career homeruns in 1945. The Phillies struck out 26 times in a double header against the Mets in 1970 with Nolan Ryan adding 13 to his career tally in game 1. In the 2^nd game of that double header, Greg ‘The Bull” Luzinski made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter and unceremoniously struck out (he was the Phillies 1^st player born in the 1950’s. 2003 saw the Phillies hammer the Braves 18-5 with both Tomas Perez and Jason Michaels each hitting the 1^st grand slam of their career. The following season Jimmy Rollins hit a leadoff inside the park homerun which was his 4^th homerun to begin a game that season tying the franchise record. In that same game, Jason Michaels bobbled a ball so badly that he forced the ball over the fence for a homerun which was soon forgotten with 5 homeruns and a Phillies win. Other debuts on this day include Jeff Stone (1983) and Nick Punto (2001). Finally, happy birthday to Hugh Mulcahy (1913), Ron Stone (1942), and Todd Zeile (1965).   

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 63-77 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 54-42-1 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.

Nola Shutout + Howard Power = Phillies Win

GAME RECAP: Phillies Fluster Cardinals 1-0

Aaron Nola extended his scoreless innings streak to 20 and Ryan Howard backed him with his sixth home run to boost the Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Tuesday. One night after the Cardinals blasted five home runs, Nola held the club to two hits over seven innings. In doing so, he lowered his season WHIP to 0.80, the third-lowest mark among National League starters. "He can paint the fastball on both sides of the plate, keep hitters guessing one side or the other," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You can't sit on one side of the plate because he's so good at locating both sides of the plate and he's got a real good breaking ball that he threw extremely well today." Cardinals starter Michael Wacha was nearly as good, but paid for a sixth-inning mistake to Howard. The St. Louis native clobbered Wacha's cutter to collect his sixth home run of the season and 12th home run in 36 career games at Busch Stadium. Wacha held the Phillies hitless after the homer en route to finishing a season-high eight innings. "[He] just put a good swing on it," Wacha said of the cutter he threw to Howard. "He doesn't miss those. I have to locate those better. I know if I execute that pitch and get to where I want, it might be a groundout or a take. But I just didn't execute it."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Howard continued to burn his hometown team with a 411-foot home run over the right field bullpen in the sixth. It was Howard's 22nd career home run against the Cardinals. Howard's average of a home run every 10.9 at-bats is the highest home run rate for any batter in Major League history against the Cardinals with a minimum of 150 at-bats. "I was just looking for something up in the zone," Howard said. "He (Wacha) does a great job keeping the ball down, putting it where he wants to put it. He just kind of left that one middle and tried to take advantage of it."
• The right-hander continued his string of dominant performances. Nola struck out seven, four of which were looking, over seven innings of two-hit ball. In his past three outings, Nola has given up one run and struck out 21 over 21 innings. He currently has a 20-inning shutout streak. "Kind of mixing my pitches in well," Nola said. "Try to mix my change-up in more. I didn't do it too too much tonight, but when I did, I felt like I used it efficiently. Just trying to command the ball down in the zone and try to command it in and out and up."
• Having watched Peter Bourjos patrol the outfield for them the past two seasons, the Cardinals were not all that surprised to see the Phillies right fielder make a terrific catch along the right-field line to potentially save a run. Yadier Molina was off from first when Randal Grichuk made contact and likely would have tested Bourjos' arm if the ball had gotten past him and kicked off the wall. "Shocking," Grichuk said of the catch. "He tracks down balls that you don't think are going to be caught. Off the bat, I thought it was going to be able to sneak in there, but he made a great play."
• "Yadi's a lot faster than people think man. He's a very smart smart baseball player, period. I think he scores if Pete doesn't catch that ball." -- Howard on whether Bourjos' sliding catch in the fourth prevented Molina from scoring from first base.
• Hector Neris struck out all three Cardinals he faced in a perfect eighth inning and Jeanmar Gomez struck out another while picking up his ninth save of the season. The Phillies, who entered the game third in the majors in strikeouts, now have 98 through the team's first 27 games. "Neris has an invisible pitch that nobody can see and Gomez, what can you say?" Mackanin said. "Gomez has been impeccable so far."
• Molina was awarded an infield single after a fourth-inning replay review overturned an initial out call. Molina was awarded the two-out hit after a one-minute, 14-second review showed he beat out a throw from third baseman Maikel Franco.

NEXT GAME:

Lefty Adam Morgan (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his second start of the season in the third of a four-game series against the Cardinals on Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. EST. Morgan made his major league debut against the Cardinals last season, allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings in a 9-2 victory on June 21.

PHILS PHACTS:

Nola Continues Dominance – Phillies starter Aaron Nola continued his dominance Tuesday night. The right-hander bested Cardinals starter Michael Wacha in an old fashioned pitchers' duel in the Phillies 1-0 victory at Busch Stadium. Nola pitched seven shutout innings, gave up two hits and struck out seven, four of which were looking. The Cardinals couldn't get a runner past first after Nola pitched around a Matt Carpenter leadoff double in the first. "He can paint the fastball on both sides of the plate, keep hitters guessing one side or the other," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You can't sit on one side of the plate because he's so good at locating both sides of the plate and he's got a real good breaking ball that he threw extremely well today." Nola threw 76 of his 111 pitches for strikes. In his past three outings, Nola (2-2) has given up one run and struck out 21 over 21 innings. He currently has a 20-inning scoreless streak. "Try to mix my changeup in more," Nola said. "I didn't do it too too much tonight, but when I did, I felt like I used it efficiently. Just trying to command the ball down in the zone and try to command it in and out and up." The 22-year-old overshadowed eight strong innings from Wacha (2-2), whose only mistake was a home run off the bat of Ryan Howard. "He has good run on his fastball and then the curveball comes out of the same slot, the same kind of funky delivery," Wacha said of Nola. "It's a good one. He gets a lot of movement on the fastball and then throws the slider, curveball and gets it down in the zone. Credit to that guy, he was on his game tonight." Peter Bourjos aided Nola's cause with a sliding catch to rob Randal Grichuk of a sure RBI double in the fourth. Grichuk's drive was tailing away from Bourjos. Had the ball gotten down, it would have gone into the right field corner and would have scored Yadier Molina, who reached on a two-out infield single after a successful review by Cardinals manager Mike Matheny. "He's helped us win four of five games with his defense and speed," Mackanin said of Bourjos. "That's the thing we talked about over the winter about getting better coverage in the outfield. He's really added to our outfield coverage." Nola thanked Bourjos afterward. "Pete covered a lot of ground on that," Nola said. "That's what Pete does. He's fast. He's quick. He's a great player." Hector Neris struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth and Jeanmar Gomez picked up his ninth save. The Phillies have now won seven of their last eight. The win broke a four-game losing streak against the Cardinals. "The key to a good team is bouncing back," Mackanin said. "We bounced back from an 0-4 start and it was important for us as a team to bounce back from getting beat pretty bad last night."

Welcome Home Howard – Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard definitely feels at home in St. Louis. Howard, who grew up in suburban St. Louis, has made a career of beating his hometown team. He added to the list on Tuesday. Howard drove the first pitch he saw from Michael Wacha in the sixth inning 411-feet over the right field bullpen in the Phillies' 1-0 win over the Cardinals. "I was just looking for something up in the zone," Howard said. "He [Wacha] does a great job keeping the ball down, putting it where he wants to put it. He just kind of left that one middle and tried to take advantage of it." It was career home run No. 22 for Howard against the Cardinals. Howard's average of a home run every 10.9 at-bats is the highest home run rate for any Major League player with a minimum of 150 at-bats ever against St. Louis. "It's always good to be able to come home and play," Howard said. "This is home. This is where it all began for me. I think it's just something different when you get to play against the team you grew up watching." Howard is a career .336 (81-for-241) batter against the Cardinals with 66 RBIs. Most of the damage has come at Busch Stadium, where Howard is hitting .331 (44-for-133) with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs in 36 games. "For some reason certain guys hit well in certain ballparks," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "And you can count on Howie to hit the ball well here." It was the second time the Phillies have won 1-0 this season on a Howard home run. His homer against the Mets on April 9 was also the only run in that game. 

Locating Results – Location, not high velocity, is everything to the Phillies' bullpen. Without any traditional flamethrowers who can routinely throw in the high 90's, Phillies' relievers are showing that the strikeouts don't have to pile up while topping the radar gun. Entering Tuesday's game against the Cardinals, Phillies relievers had 94 strikeouts, third most in the big leagues behind Boston (96) and Minnesota (95). "It's nice to have a big arm, but those guys still have to throw quality strikes," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "If you throw 97, it's great if you throw it here or here or elevate it, but if it's thigh-high two or three in row, Major Leaguers can hit it." Reliever Andrew Bailey gives a lot of credit to pitching coach Bob McClure and bullpen coach Rick Kranitz for developing detailed scouting reports. "We don't throw over 100 miles per hour and none of us really throw over 95," Bailey said. "For us, it's knowing the scouting reports, knowing how to make balls appear in the zone and finishing out of the zone to get swings-and-misses. Obviously, location's very important no matter what velocity you throw at." Roster decisions on the make-up of a fluid bullpen situation out of Spring Training hinged on command. "[Luis] Garcia didn't make team out of Spring Training and he's got a big arm, because of the command of his pitches," Mackanin said. "And Bailey didn't make the team either because he didn't show command. That's more important, command, control and movement. [Jeanmar] Gomez has been successful as a closer to this point because he's making quality pitches consistently." Strong leadership by catchers Cameron Rupp and Carlos Ruiz have been instrumental, too. "Cameron Rupp and Chooch have a great idea of what they're doing every single inning, every single batter," Bailey said. "They know how to use each pitcher's repertoire to have success."

New Swing, Better Results – A new swing has helped Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp build off of a strong finish to the 2015 season. Rupp slugged eight home runs in his final 38 games last season after having just one long ball in his first 65 games in the big leagues. Still, the 27-year-old saw room for improvement and worked on a change in his swing path in the offseason. "I did alter it, working more down towards the ball," Rupp said. "I do believe that it has helped with some of the success we've had this year early on." Rupp had a seven-game hitting streak snapped against Cleveland on Saturday. He has hit safely in 11 of his 14 games and five of his last six hits have been doubles. Rupp is hitting .263, which is 30 points above his career average, with one home run and four RBIs this season. "I think he's got a better chance to hit," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "How far that's going to go we'll find out. But he looks better than last year." Mackanin gives Rupp credit for sticking with the new approach. "Their flaws are always pointed out on a daily basis and at some point they've got to carry it over to the game," Mackanin said. "They can do it in batting practice, but it's difficult to carry it into the game." Mackanin compared it to taking golf lessons. Hitters in both sports can be taught the proper techniques in practice, but as soon as a few bad swings or shots take place, the natural inclination is to revert back to what feels comfortable. Rupp is determined to not look back. "A lot of balls I've had for hits this year I don't think would have translated into hits last year," Rupp said. "Maybe a couple of routine fly balls on the doubles I hit, even the home run I hit wasn't handled very well last year. So I think it has kind of given me more success this year and early on it shows."

Today In Phils History – An interesting game to start the history of the day is in 1919 when future Hall of Famer Dave Bancroft is carried off the field during the first legal Sunday home game for the Giants… the Phillies later traded him to the Giants. A decade later, the Phillies set a modern record for most runs allowed in a shutout when the Cubs crushed them, 16-0. In 1964, Jack Baldschum and Bob Gibson had it out when Baldschum hit Gibson with a pitch and Gibson return the favor by throwing his bat at Baldschum. Denny Doyle concluded the longest home game in Phillies history when he tripled and scored the winning run on a sac fly in the 20^th inning in 1973. Two years later, the Phillies traded for Garry Maddox who would prove to be a big piece of the championship team 5 years later. 15 years ago today, Barry Bonds hit his only homerun at the Vet, going deep off of Bruce Chen, during his record 73 homerun season. And, finally, happy 40^th birthday Jason Michaels!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 16-11 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 43-51-0 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!

Rookies Shine In Win Over Braves

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blank Braves 5-0

The Phillies' future looks a little brighter just about every time Aaron Nola has pitched this season. The rookie pitched seven scoreless innings in Tuesday night's 5-0 victory over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Nola allowed just six hits, one walk and struck out seven to improve to 6-2 with a 3.56 ERA in 10 starts since his promotion from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It is safe to say he is a heavy favorite to be in the 2016 rotation. "Nola was outstanding," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He located his fastball, kept them off-balance, and made some great pitches." Braves right-hander Ryan Weber did a nice job in his big league debut. He allowed four hits, two runs, one walk and struck out two in six innings, but Nola kept the Braves' offense in check the entire night. The Braves are now just one game ahead of the Phillies in the battle against having Major League Baseball's worst record.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Nola suffered the worst start of his brief career last week in New York, where he allowed six earned runs in four innings against the Mets, but he rebounded nicely against the Braves. The only question is how much more the Phillies will see him this year? He has pitched 170 innings this season, including 109 1/3 innings in the Minor Leagues. The Phillies have said Nola will be limited to about 185-190 innings, which means he has about 15-20 innings to work with in his final three scheduled starts. "Took a day or so to get over," Nola said about his start against the Mets. "Even though we didn't come out with a win that night, I still felt good and my body and arm still felt good. So that's what I brought into tonight."
• Phillies rookie Odubel Herrera played a part in four of the Phillies' five runs. He singled to move Cesar Hernandez to third in the fourth inning. Hernandez scored a batter later on a double play to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Herrera then hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning for some insurance runs. Herrera is hitting .364 (75-for-206) in his last 56 games, raising his batting average from .243 to .302. "The three-run homer was huge," Mackanin said. "It allowed us to breathe a little bit."
• "It's nice to come in here and smile for a change." -- Mackanin, in the Phillies' press conference room, referring to the Phillies' fourth victory in their last 15 games.
• Buchanan has allowed 18 earned runs and totaled just 5 2/3 innings over his past two starts. The Atlanta native has posted a 3.91 ERA in four career starts against the Braves.
• Freddie Freeman is 3-for-12 (.250) in his career against Buchanan with a home run and three RBIs.
• Teheran has produced a 1.21 ERA in the six starts he has made against the Phillies dating back to the start of the 2014 season. Ryan Howard has gone 4-for-21 (.190) with a double and two homers in his career against Teheran.

NEXT GAME:

Now that Philadelphia has lost Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and its former stable of aces, Ryan Howard stands as the most recognizable figure from that recent era when the Phillies replaced the Braves as the National League East's most dominant club. The Braves or Phillies won 16 of the 17 NL East titles awarded from 1995-2011. Howard arrived at the Major League level in 2004, in time to see the Braves win the last two of their 11 consecutive NL East crowns. Then in 2007, the powerful first baseman helped Philadelphia capture the first of its five consecutive division titles. Thus it is easy to understand why Howard has found himself in a rather unfamiliar position this week as the Braves and Phillies have battled against gaining the distinction of owning Major League Baseball's worst record. The two teams will conclude a three-game series on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Atlanta will send Julio Teheran to the mound to oppose David Buchanan.

PHILS PHACTS:

Franco To Test Wrist – Maikel Franco is going to take one last shot at playing again for the Phillies in 2015. He said Tuesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park that he will hit off the practice tee on Wednesday. Franco has been on the disabled list since Aug. 12 because of a broken left wrist. He said if he feels something in the wrist he expects his season to be finished. "I was told if I don't feel pretty good and I still feel something in my wrist it should be over for the season and try to work on my wrist and try coming into next year [100 percent]," Franco said. Franco plans to play winter ball in Venezuela, but only if the Phillies clear him to play. There is absolutely no reason to risk further injury to Franco, who became the team's best hitter since his promotion in May. "I feel my wrist is pretty good," Franco said. "I've done a few exercises in the weight room, and it's getting better. It's getting very good. "It's a big day for me. I want to come back healthy, I want to come back and not feeling anything in my wrist. That's what I want to do right now."

New Ace? – The hot talk in baseball this week is Matt Harvey's innings limit with the Mets. There is no such controversy with the Phillies, but Aaron Nola is nearing his own innings limit. He pitched seven scoreless innings Tuesday night in a 5-0 victory over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Nola has pitched a combined 170 innings this season, which includes 109 1/3 innings with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It leaves him about 15-20 innings short of his 185-190 innings limit. "It's obviously been my longest year so far," Nola said, "but I really feel good. My body and arm feel really good. Every time I go out I just try to go as long as I can. I feel like the recovery has been good. Every time I take the mound every fifth day I feel really good." Nola (6-2, 3.56 ERA) is scheduled for just three more starts because the Phillies have just introduced a six-man rotation the rest of the season. He is scheduled to pitch Monday against the Nationals, Sept. 22 in Miami and Sept. 29 against the Mets. He could make every single one of those starts. He could make two. It simply depends on when the Phillies feel Nola has pitched enough. "I don't even know where he's at," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "When they tell me he's done, he's done." But Nola rebounded nicely from the worst start of his 10-start career last week against the Mets at Citi Field, where he allowed six earned runs in four innings, although poor defense should take much of the blame for that. Remove that defense-aided loss against the Mets and Nola has a 2.86 ERA in his other nine starts. Nola cruised most of the night against the Braves, throwing just 85 pitches (60 strikes). He needed just 18 pitches to get through his first two innings. He had runners on second and third with one out in the third, but struck out Nick Markakis and got Hector Olivera to fly out to end the threat. He had runners on first and second with one out in the sixth, but struck out Nick Swisher and got Jace Peterson to ground out to end the inning. "His ability to locate his fastball down in the strike zone on both sides of the plate is his strong suit," Mackanin said of Nola. "To mix in his secondary pitches when he wants to is a real good sign for the future. He's a special guy."

Return To The Rotation – The Phillies have just a few more weeks to watch rookie starters Aaron Nola, Adam Morgan, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher pitch. But while they want to see them pitch, they also want to protect their arms. It is why they announced Tuesday that David Buchanan will start Wednesday night's series finale against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Buchanan's arrival creates a six-man rotation the rest of the season, which should limit the workload of the others. Buchanan is 2-7 with a 9.00 ERA in 10 starts, but the Phillies chose him over veteran Jerome Williams for one simple reason: Williams is a free agent and unlikely to return next season, while Buchanan is under team control and is expected to be with the team in Spring Training. The Phillies need as many starting pitching options as possible, so they want to give Buchanan another look, despite his struggles. "Whatever Ruben [Amaro Jr.] wants to do is fine with me," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "That was the decision that was made. … Buchanan is in that slot for right now. There was some concern, and I know he wasn't pitching well, but that ankle injury that he had earlier in the season might have affected him. And he has been pitching relatively well in Triple-A [Leigh Valley]. So we'll get another look at him." Phillies starters have a 7.14 ERA in their previous 14 games. They also have thrown the second-fewest innings in baseball this season. "I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity I have," Buchanan said. "And this is another one that they are giving me this year. I'm not pitching to make up for the rest of this year. I am pitching as a fresh start.

2016 Schedule Announced – The Phillies announced their tentative 2016 schedule Tuesday. Here are a few highlights: They open the season April 4 in Cincinnati. The Phillies play their home opener April 11 at 3:05 p.m. ET against the Padres. The Padres series is the beginning of a 10-game homestand that includes the Nationals and Mets. The Phillies will host four American League teams as part of Interleague Play: the Indians, Royals, White Sox and Blue Jays. They play the Tigers, Blue Jays, Twins and White Sox on the road. It is the first time the Phillies will play the White Sox in Chicago since 2004, when Ryan Madson, Eric Milton and Brett Myers started for the Phillies. Fans looking to hit two of the best ballparks in baseball might want to consider the back-to-back series against the Twins (Target Field) and Giants (AT&T Park) in late June. Road trips to Southern California are always fun, too. The Phillies play back-to-back series against the Padres and Dodgers in early August. The Phillies play their final homestand against the Mets on Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Six-game and three-game packs of tickets will go on sale in mid-November. Group tickets will go on sale in mid-December and individual tickets will go on sale in February.

Minor Update – Players of the Week: Player - INF Drew Stankiewicz, Lakewood...Stankiewicz, a 22-year-old in his second professional season, was named Phillies Minor League Player of the Week after batting .438 (14-for-32) with eight runs scored, three doubles, and four walks in eight games. He scored at least one run in seven of those eight games and hit safely in seven as well, recording multiple hits five times. He finished with a .354 on-base percentage and a .288 average, after raising it from .241 in the season's final nine games. Stankiewicz was selected by the Phillies in the 11^th round of the 2014 draft out of Arizona State University and was signed by Brad Holland. Pitcher - RHP Jake Thompson, Reading…Thompson, 21, started twice for the Fightins, and was dominant in both. He allowed two runs and no walks in 7.0 innings against Binghamton in his first start, and tossed 6.0 shutout innings against Richmond while striking out seven, walking none and surrendering just four hits in his second. It was his first scoreless outing in the Phillies' organization. Thompson was acquired by the Phillies in the eight-person trade that sent Cole Hamels to Texas on July 31, and in his seven starts with Reading he went 5-1 with a 1.80 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and .217 opponent's batting average. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander was originally drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 2012 draft. Lehigh Valley IronPigs - International League North Division…63-81, 5^th place…After winning their first game of the week 8-3 over Syracuse, the IronPigs dropped six of their next seven, including a three-game sweep at the hands of Rochester to finish out the season. Despite an inconsistent season, Lehigh Valley drew more than 600,000 fans to Coca-Cola Park for the eighth straight year and they remain the league's attendance leader since 2008. Top hitting performers - 2B Tyler Pastornicky had a team-high 11 hits, batting .379 with a home run, double, three RBI and three runs scored. He hit .286 in 25 games for the IronPigs…INF/OF Russ Canzler clubbed two home runs and drove in five as he hit .357 with a .679 slugging percentage for the week…OF Kelly Dugan hit safely in his first seven games of the week, finishing with nine base hits, two runs and two RBI…C Logan Moore recorded a couple of multi-hit games as he went 4-for-11 (.364 ) with an RBI and a walk in his four games played. Top pitching performers - RHP David Buchanan struck out a season-high seven batters over 6.0 shutout innings on September 3 against Syracuse. He did not allow more than three earned runs in any of his 10 starts with Lehigh Valley…RHP Sean O'Sullivan did not allow a run in his 6.0 innings of work and has allowed just four earned runs in his last four starts (26.1 innings, 1.37 ERA)…RHP Nefi Ogando made two appearances out of the bullpen, combining to throw 3.0 scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts…LHP Ken Roberts also threw 3.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, doing so over three games. Reading Fightin Phils - Eastern League Eastern Division …80-61, 1^st place…Reading went 3-5 during a week which saw them clinch their first Eastern Division Title in 15 years. The Fightins finished the season first in the league with 101 home runs, and second in batting with a .269 team average. They will begin a best-of-five series with the Binghamton Mets in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday. Top hitting performers - OF Dylan Cozens hit two home runs, scored three runs and drove in another three while recording three multi-hit games for Reading. He was promoted to Reading on August 28, where he hit .350 with three home runs and nine RBI in 11 games…C Rene Garcia completed his season with an active 12-game hit streak as he hit safely in all four games last week, batting .438 with three RBI. He hit .343 in 38 games with the Fightins. Top pitching performers - RHP Jake Thompson was named Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week after striking out 11 batters, allowing no walks and just two runs in 13.0 innings pitched over two starts.…RHP Ben Lively started two games for the Fightins, combining to allow five runs (four earned) in 11.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and just two walks…RHP Ethan Martin started one game, tossing 5.0 no hit, no run innings with five strikeouts. He also appeared in relief, striking out a pair of batters in 1.2 innings pitched…RHP Jimmy Cordero struck out six batters and did not allow a base runner in 3.0 innings over two games out of the bullpen. In 13 games with Reading, he pitched 17.0 innings and struck out 18 while walking just four and posting a 2.12 ERA. Clearwater Threshers - Florida State League North Division…42-25, 1^st place, 79-58 overall… The Threshers finished their season with the best record in the Florida State League as they won both the first and second half division titles. Clearwater will play Daytona-the team they edged out for first-place in both halves of the season-in the opening round of the Florida State League playoffs beginning Tuesday, September 8. Top hitting performers - SS Malquin Canelo homered twice and drove in five runs, including a season-high four on September 4. He also tripled, scored four runs and batted .348 for the week…1B Rhys Hoskins hit his eighth home run of the season for Clearwater and tallied a pair of three-hit games while hitting .364 last week. He finished the season with a .314 average, which would have been tied with teammate Willians Astudillo for the league batting title if he had enough at-bats to qualify…CF Carlos Tocci went 8-for-24 (.333) and hit safely in all but one of his six games played…2B/SS Jesmuel Valentin batted .292 and hit his first home run of the season in the team's final game. He drove in four runs and also doubled four times in six games. Top pitching performers - RHP Victor Arano surrendered two runs in 5.0 innings in his start on September 1, and followed that with a scoreless 3.0-inning relief outing on September 5…LHP Matt Imhof made two starts and allowed just four total runs (three earned) in 8.0 innings of work with 11 strikeouts. His seven strikeouts on September 6 tied his season high…RHP Alexis Rivero threw 2.0 scoreless innings in relief, marking the eighth time in nine outings he has pitched 2.0 innings or more out of the bullpen. He has allowed just one run since August 9 and finished the season with 30 strikeouts to just six walks…RHP Alberto Tirado appeared in two games and did not yield a run, striking out three batters in 4.0 innings. In his nine games (16.0 innings pitched) he posed a 0.56 ERA with 16 strikeouts and just six hits allowed. Lakewood BlueClaws - South Atlantic League Northern Division…40-30, 2^nd place, 73-65 overall… The BlueClaws went 10 games over .500 in the second half, and despite a recent surge during which they won 10 of their last 14 games, they failed to make the South Atlantic League playoffs. Lakewood, which had one of the most consistent pitching staffs all year, finished third in the league with a 3.26 ERA. Top hitting performers - INF Drew Stankiewicz posted five multi-hit games, batting .432 with a team-high 14 hits in eight games. He scored seven runs, hit three doubles, drove in three runs and raised his batting average from .261 to .268. His strong finish earned him Phillies Minor League Player of the Week honors…1B Kyle Martin drove in seven runs and homered in back-to-back games, giving him five home runs and 37 RBI in 65 games this season. He also hit three doubles, scored six runs and slugged .731 in his final week of his first professional season…OF Cord Sandberg hit safely in seven of eight games, batting .292 with a pair of home runs, six RBI, six runs scored and three doubles. Top pitching performers - RHP Jairo Munoz was dominant in his two starts, pitching 6.0 innings of shutout ball with three hits allowed in his first start, followed by two runs in 5.0 innings in his next. He combined to strike out nine batters…RHP Ranfi Casimiro allowed a run on five hits and did not walk a batter in his 7.0-inning start. He went 9-7 with a 3.35 ERA, two complete games and a shutout in his 23 starts this season.…LHP Zach Morris earned a save after pitching 3.0 innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts on September 1 and followed that with a perfect inning of relief five days later. Williamsport Crosscutters - New York-Penn League Pinckney Division…46-30, 1^st place…Williamsport has landed in the postseason for the first time since 2005, and will face the West Virginia Black Bears in the opening round of the playoffs beginning on September 9. The Crosscutters went just 3-5 to end the season, but still posted the best record in the league, winning four more games than the Tri-City Valley Cats. Williamsport also had the second best ERA in the league (3.15) and third-most home runs (35). Top hitting performers - Three straight multi-hit games helped 2B Josh Tobias bat .350 for the week and raise his season average to .321-third highest in the New York-Penn League. Tobias, who also finished in a tie for the league lead in hits with 77, homered, drove in three runs and stole a base in his last week of the season…OF Mark Laird batted .308 in five games with three walks and a .438 on-base percentage. He finished with a .285 average and 28 runs scored in 52 games for the Crosscutters. Top pitching performers - In RHP Luke Leftwich's only start of the week, he held State College to a run on seven hits in 6.0 innings of work. He did not allow more than three earned runs in any outing with Williamsport and finished with a 2.76 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 45.2 innings…RHP Luis Morales tossed 6.0 shutout frames and walked just one batter in his only start of the week. He allowed just one earned run in his final 13.0 innings of the season…RHP Feliberto Sanchez tied a career high when he struck out seven batters in a 4.0-inning relief outing on September 2. He followed that with another scoreless inning and two more strikeouts on September 7.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 54-85. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 54-42-1 on this day.

Phillies Finally Reel One In

GAME RECAP: Phils Catch Fish 6-2

Ryan Howard snapped an 0-for-11 slump with his first triple of the season, and it set in motion the Phillies' 6-2 comeback victory over the Marlins on Sunday at Marlins Park. Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak, and Miami capped its homestand at 7-2. Miami right-hander Jarred Cosart hadn't allowed a run in 16 innings, spread over three starts. But in the fifth inning, the Phillies tied it at 1 on Ben Revere's RBI single. In the sixth inning, the Phillies claimed the lead for good. After Darin Ruf was hit by a pitch, Howard's triple tied it. Grady Sizemore's RBI single gave the Phillies the lead for good. "We had some timely hitting with some men on base, had some opportunities, and came through with some guys swinging the bat," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "It was a good combination." The Marlins, winners of four straight series, rested regulars Dee Gordon and Martin Prado. Ichiro Suzuki scored on Giancarlo Stanton's sacrifice fly in the first inning, but Phillies right-hander Severino Gonzalez gave up just two runs in five innings with five strikeouts. The Phillies added a pair of runs in the seventh inning, with one unearned. Howard drove in his second run of the game with a single off Bryan Morris. Miami had a string of 11 straight games of allowing three or fewer runs snapped. "We just couldn't hold it," Miami manager Mike Redmond said. "We've done a pretty good job holding our leads. Our pitchers have done a great job over these last 10 games. When we have leads, they're shutting them down. We weren't able to do that today. That's going to happen."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Revere's two-out RBI single in the fifth not only tied the ballgame at 1 but also snapped a stretch of 18 consecutive scoreless innings for the Phillies' offense. Revere, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Sunday, produced his first RBI in five games.
• After the Phillies took a 3-2 lead on Howard's RBI triple in the sixth inning, righty Justin De Fratus came on in relief of Gonzalez. Given the task of facing Miami's 3-4-5 batters, including Stanton, De Fratus struck out the side swinging on 10 pitches (nine strikes). "I thought De Fratus in the sixth inning was big," Sandberg said. "We had just taken the lead and it was a shutdown inning with the heart of the order. Three strikeouts. That was probably the key."
• Odubel Herrera robbed Adeiny Hechavarria of an extra-base hit in the eighth inning with a sprinting, over-the-shoulder catch. Herrera, who has started 22 games in center field, entered the game in the seventh inning as a defensive substitution.
• Howard's go-ahead RBI triple off Cosart in the sixth inning marked his first triple since April 20, 2014, against then-Rockies right-hander Juan Nicasio at Coors Field. "I tried to go up there for that third [at-bat] and just see the ball and get a little bit better flow and rhythm, and I was able to do that on the first couple of pitches," Howard said. "That third [at-bat], I found something. That fastball… there it was."
• The Phillies have lost seven straight road series (5-18 overall road record since Sept. 15, 2014). Philadelphia is 2-12-1 over its last 15 road series, one of which came last September in Atlanta.
• Carlos Ruiz is 4-for-7 (.571) with two doubles, three RBI and a walk off Wood.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies close out a 10-game road trip, while the Braves finish off a 10-game homestand beginning on Monday night at Turner Field. The pitching matchup offers a rematch of Philadelphia's 1-0 victory on April 24 at Citizens Bank Park. Aaron Harang received the no-decision against his former team, the Braves, despite tossing eight scoreless, two-hit frames. His string of four consecutive quality starts to open the season was snapped in his last outing in St. Louis, when he surrendered five runs on nine hits over six innings. Southpaw Alex Wood pitched 5 2/3 shutout frames against the Phillies, striking out one batter and walking two. He took his first loss of the season in his last outing against the Nationals, allowing five runs on six hits in five innings. Wood did, however, strike out a season-high eight batters.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rookie Rebound – Severino Gonzalez finally got to showcase his ability to locate and execute secondary pitches, five days after a disastrous Major League debut in St. Louis. Gonzalez, who was the youngest Phillies pitcher to start a big league game in a decade, picked up his first victory in Philadelphia's 6-2 win over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon. The 22-year-old righty went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and one walk. Of his 78 pitches, 53 went for strikes. He helped snap the Phillies' five-game skid. On Tuesday in St. Louis, Gonzalez earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first Phillies starter since 1996 to last fewer than three innings in his debut when he surrendered seven runs on 10 hits in just 2 2/3 innings. The Phillies dropped the game 11-5 to the Cardinals. "I wanted to attack the strike zone and be aggressive, and my fastball worked this time," Gonzalez said through a translator. "I also wanted to help the club win. My mind was really set on attacking the strike zone." Miami scored a run off him in the first without the benefit of a hit. Gonzalez walked Ichiro Suzuki, the leadoff batter, who then stole back-to-back bases and scored on Giancarlo Stanton's one-out sacrifice fly to right. Gonzalez proceeded to retire the next six batters before Ichiro got the Marlins' first hit with two outs in the third. He worked around a pair of one-out singles in the fourth by striking out Michael Morse and inducing a lineout to third by Reid Brignac. "I came back with a very good changeup," Gonzalez said. "It was a pitch that worked for me today, and I kind of got him off balance a little bit on that [Brignac] liner to third base." Though he gave up another run in the fifth on Jhonatan Solano's RBI double, Gonzalez limited the damage by stranding him at second. Jarred Cosart struck out on a bunt attempt, Ichiro grounded out and Adeiny Hechavarria lined out to right. When the Phillies took the lead on Ryan Howard's RBI triple in the sixth, it put Gonzalez in line for the win. Manager Ryne Sandberg thought Gonzalez's ability to mix his changeup and curveball helped his fastball, something the rookie worked on in a bullpen session following his debut. While the Cardinals jumped on him early in the count, the Marlins took a more conservative approach. Sandberg also saw fewer nerves. "He has a good mound presence about him and a look of confidence," Sandberg said. "He doesn't get flustered too much out there. He was able to make adjustments. He's young. There's still things to be worked on. We had to talk to him between innings about the baserunners and getting him on board with holding baserunners. Some grooming there, but the attitude and the conviction and all that and the look about him is very good." As for whether Gonzalez would make another start, Sandberg said the organization would weigh its options. Later Sunday, the Phillies optioned Gonzalez to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, which helps create room for the return of several starters from injuries. Chad Billingsley will make his Phillies debut on Tuesday in his return to a big league mound for the first time since 2013 after a pair of elbow surgeries. Sean O'Sullivan (left knee tendinitis), the fifth starter in the rotation to open the season, will start a rehab game on Thursday in Lakewood. "I was very positive after what happened last time, concentrating, and it paid off for me," said Gonzalez, whose ERA lowered from 23.63 to 10.57. "I'm very proud of my start today."

Herrera Shows Off Defense – Odubel Herrera flashed the leather with an impressive running catch to rob Adeiny Hechavarria of extra bases during the eighth inning of the Phillies' 6-2 victoryover the Marlins on Sunday afternoon. Herrera, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in center field for Andres Blanco in the seventh, tracked down the liner to straightaway center. In a three-run ballgame, manager Ryne Sandberg switched around his defense to preserve the lead by shifting Ben Revere to left and moving Darin Ruf to first for Ryan Howard. The 23-year-old Herrera had appeared in Philadelphia's previous 25 games, starting 22 of them in center. He remains a work in progress at a position he didn't pick up in the Minor Leagues until last season. Primarily a second baseman, Herrera saw action in two games in center with Class A Myrtle Beach and 41 for La Guaira of the Venezuelan Winter League in 2014. Through parts of 26 games, Herrera has committed two errors on 54 putouts. "He's progressed really well," Sandberg said. "He went in there for defense. He's taking to it very good. Very athletic, he has very good routes, his instincts are very good. That's a tough one -- ball straight over your head with that kind of distance. But he's been very good. A lot of fun to watch, a lot of energy."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 9-17. 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 43-51-0 on this day.