Phillies Take 2nd Straight Series

GAME RECAP: Phillies Stun Royals 7-2

A team like the Phillies could use a series like this as a real confidence booster. They beat the Royals on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, 7-2, to win the three-game series against the defending World Series champions. The rebuilding Phillies have won seven of their last 10 games. They beat the Royals on Sunday behind a solid effort from Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez and home runs from Cameron Rupp, Cody Asche and Maikel Franco. "We played really well in San Francisco, really well in Arizona and now really well here," Rupp said. "We've kind of found our groove working on all cylinders. Defensively, offensively and pitching has all been better. We're playing well and having fun." Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura left the game in the third inning because of a sprained right ankle. He allowed four hits and four runs in 2 2/3 innings. Shortstop Alcides Escobar extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Both Ventura and Royals manager Ned Yost said it was too early to tell if Ventura would be able to make his next start. Ventura said after the game he would know in the next couple of days. "I thought he didn't make a good pitch on the three-run homer," Yost said. "He elevated it. He came back out in the second inning, and that was better. But then he twisted his ankle and had trouble pushing off in the third inning. Can't really judge much off today."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Velasquez gave the Phillies a scare in the first inning, when manager Pete Mackanin, pitching coach Bob McClure and an athletic trainer visited the mound after just five pitches. Velasquez's fastball had hit just 90 mph, which is alarming. But he remained in the game and allowed just five hits, two runs, two walks and struck out seven in six innings. Velasquez's four-seamer improved but averaged just 92.1 mph after it averaged 95.7 mph in his previous start in Arizona. "My arm was just dragging a little bit," Velasquez said. "I mean, it's coming to the first half of the season, and I also had the injury that I had. And then you're next question is going to be, 'You hit 97 in Arizona, so what happened [today]?' Well, things happen. Everyone has dead arm at some point. But that's the game of baseball. You've got to pitch." 
• The heart of the Phillies' lineup did damage. Asche, Franco and Rupp went a combined 6-for-12 with three home runs and six RBIs. Rupp crushed a 98-mph fastball from Ventura to right field for a three-run homer in the first inning to give the Phillies a 3-0 lead, Asche hit a solo homer to right in the third to make it 4-0 and Franco ripped a solo homer to left-center field in the eighth to make it 6-2. "I'm tempted to play him a lot more," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Rupp. "That ball he hit to right field was about neck-high, which was nice. He's been concentrating on not missing fastballs up in the zone, which are home run pitches for him, by trying to stay on top of those pitches. It certainly looked like he did that today." 
• "I don't know exactly what's happened. I just know we had it in us. I always felt, even for the first two months, that we were a better hitting team than it showed, and it was kind of an enigma as to why we weren't hitting better. It just took a little time. Now, the guys as a group are starting to hit. It helps when you've got a guy like [Peter] Bourjos, who came out of nowhere up to .270. That's an unbelievable story in itself. I think the other players feed off things like that. You know, it's like, 'Well I can do it, too.' I know that's not a scientific answer, but it's the best I can do." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies' sudden offensive surge.
• Velasquez won his seventh game, despite spending half of June on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right biceps. Incredibly, he already surpassed the Phillies' 2015 wins leaders. Cole Hamels, Ken Giles, Aaron Nola and Aaron Harang each finished the season with six wins.
• The Royals challenged a safe call in the fourth inning when Ryan Howard attempted to advance from first to third on a bloop single to left. The original call implied that third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert missed tagging Howard. But after two minutes and 29 seconds, the call was overturned as replays showed Cuthbert did make the tag on Howard's shoulder.
• The Phillies activated right-hander Dalier Hinojosa from the 15-day disabled list and optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Hinojosa has been on the DL since April 29 because of a bruised right hand.
• Peter Bourjos' two hits on Saturday extended his hitting streak to 11 games, matching Odubel Herrera for the longest by a Phillies player this season.
• Despite being the two lowest-scoring teams in baseball, both the Braves and Phillies have been on offensive tears of late -- at least in relative terms. Entering play Sunday, Atlanta was averaging 4.52 runs a game over its last 19 and Philadelphia 5.73 over its last 11. On the season, the Braves and Phillies are averaging 3.43 and 3.46 runs per game, respectively.
• A.J. Pierzynski is one double away from the 400th of his career. He would become just the fourth catcher in Major League history to notch 400 two-baggers, joining Ivan Rodriguez (572), Ted Simmons (483) and Carlton Fisk (421).
• Freddie Freeman leads Major League Baseball over his last 55 games in line-drive percentage. His 33.3 percent is best among 210 full-time players and 13 points above the league average of 20.4.

NEXT GAME:

Joel De La Cruz will make his second Major League start as the Braves and Phillies open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Independence Day. The 27-year-old rookie allowed three runs over six innings in his MLB debut against the Indians, taking the loss and striking out one. On Monday, he'll be opposed by Jerad Eickhoff (5-9, 3.38 ERA), who posted a 2.23 ERA in six June starts. The last time the Phillies and Braves met, Philadelphia was still riding high at 25-19. Atlanta took two of three from them, though, and since then the Phils have gone 11-27. Atlanta was already 14 1/2 games back of first at the time, but the Phillies have fallen from two behind the Nationals to 13. The opener will be the conclusion of three days of traveling for the Braves, who played the first two games of their weekend series with the Marlins in Atlanta on Saturday before traveling to Fort Bragg in North Carolina for the finale.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rupp Overshadowing Ruiz – Cameron Rupp moseyed to his locker late Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, donned a black cowboy hat and smiled. The get-up suited him. "I have a few at home," the native Texan said. "Can't you tell I wear them? It looks good on me." Rupp is looking pretty good in the Phillies' lineup, too. He hit a three-run home run in the first inning in Sunday's 7-2 victory over the Royals, launching a 98-mph fastball up and out of the zone from Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura to right field. The homer helped the Phillies win the three-game series against the defending World Series champions. "I just threw the bat on it, and he provided the power with a 98-mile-per-hour fastball," Rupp said. Rupp is hitting .288 with 16 doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 22 RBIs and an .831 OPS in 201 plate appearances. His numbers put him among the best catchers in baseball. He entered the afternoon ranked third among big league catchers in doubles; third in OPS and slugging percentage; fifth in batting average; 10th in hits and tied for 11th in home runs. He posted those numbers, despite ranking 17th among catchers in plate appearances. "I'm tempted to play him a lot more," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "That ball he hit to right field was about neck-high, which was nice. He's been concentrating on not missing fastballs up in the zone, which are home run pitches for him, by trying to stay on top of those pitches. It certainly looked like he did that today." Rupp's season is becoming a compelling one. He entered Spring Training expected to share time with Carlos Ruiz, who purchased the black cowboys hats for the entire team. (They plan to wear them to Colorado on Wednesday.) But Rupp also entered camp knowing the Phillies had two of the better catching prospects in baseball in Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp, and pretty much everybody expected one of them -- not Rupp -- to be the organization's catcher of the future. But that is hardly fait accompli. Phillies fans probably forget, but they screamed for former Phillies general manager Pat Gillick to replace Ruiz with top catching prospect Lou Marson in 2008, when Ruiz posted a forgettable .620 OPS. The Phillies hung with Ruiz, who established himself as one of the better catchers in franchise history. The Phillies traded Marson to Cleveland in July 2009 as part of the Cliff Lee trade. Marson hasn't been in the Majors since 2013, never establishing himself as an everyday catcher. "I'm still trying to establish myself in the big leagues," Rupp said. "Whatever I need to do, that's what I'm trying to do. I want to makes sure people know that I want to belong here. I don't want to be somebody that is a place filler. "At any point in my career, somebody is going to want my job, not just those two. If I end up playing for seven or eight more years, there's going to be somebody else trying to get my job. I take it as, I've got to be me. I've got to play. It doesn't matter how good I've performed. There is motivation, but it's not just because of those two that are down there. They're good ballplayers. Who wouldn't want them on your ball club? But I think at any point it doesn't matter who's down there. I'm still playing for my job every day."

Skipping Next Start – The Phillies hinted they could skip Aaron Nola's final start before the All-Star break, and they confirmed Sunday afternoon that they will. Nola will not pitch Thursday in Colorado. Instead, he will pitch a simulated game and use the time to rest his body and clear his mind. He allowed five runs in five innings Saturday in a 6-2 loss to the Royals, making him 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts. Nola retired the final 10 Royals he faced, striking out six of them, but it wasn't enough to keep him in the rotation. "They talked to me beforehand," Nola said. "I understand the process. I'm still going to get my work in. I'm going to throw a simulated game, simulate a couple innings in Colorado. The main key and the important part is I feel healthy and feel strong right now." The Phillies tried something similar in July 2013, pushing back a Cole Hamels start a couple days to try to clear his mind. Hamels disagreed that he needed a break at the time, although he was 2-11 with a 4.58 ERA. Coincidence or not, Hamels went 6-3 with a 2.68 ERA in his final 16 starts. "If you ask anybody, we all want to be pitching every fifth day," Nola said. "It's what they want to do, and I understand. But hopefully it will help. Any time you get some time off it's good. ... This is my first full season here, and they want to watch me, but I'm still going to go out and try to throw as many innings as I can." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said they have not decided who will start Thursday, although left-hander Adam Morgan would be an option. He just left the rotation to make room for Vince Velasquez, joining the bullpen as a long man.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies received an interesting win during their inaugural season in 1883 when the team from Providence left after the 7^th inning so that they could catch a train to New York giving the Phillies the forfeit victory. In 1892, 2 300 game winners took the mound as the Phillies Tim Keefe faced St. Louis’ Pud Gavin. The Giants George Wiltse nearly had a perfect game against the Phillies in 1908 but had to settle for a 10 inning no hitter when he hit George McQuillen with a pitch in the 9^th. In 1967, Clay Dalrymple set a franchise record and tied the NL record when he drew 6 walks during a double header. Not used to hitting homeruns, Tim McCarver had a grand slam taken away in 1976 when he passes Garry Maddox while circling the bases. 3 years later, Steve Carlton threw a 1 hitter against the Mets at home on the same day that the Phillies lost 3 pitchers, Larry Christenson, Dick Ruthven, and Randy Lerch, to a variety of injuries. 10 years later, Dickie Thon broke up the Reds’ Tom Browning's perfect game with a double in the 9^th which was followed up by a Steve Jeltz double to break up the shutout.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 37-46 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 87-88-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Waste Solid Homecoming By Morgan

GAME RECAP: Braves Overpower Phillies 2-1

The Braves entered Friday's series opener with the Phillies as Major League Baseball's worst home run hitting team, but the long ball proved to be the difference as Jonny Gomes and Juan Uribe both connected off of Phillies starter Adam Morgan to lead Atlanta to a 2-1 win. The homers backed up yet another solid home performance from Julio Teheran, who allowed just one unearned run over seven innings. Teheran was far from flawless, as he worked around Philadelphia baserunners throughout the evening, but still managed to lower his home ERA to 2.04. "It's one of those things you can't explain," said Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez about the difference in Teheran's home and road numbers. "Maybe we'll fly him in the day of his starts [on the road], just fly him in that day. He can sleep in his bed, maybe that will help. Morgan had a solid outing for Philadelphia as well, but the two pitches to Gomes and Uribe prevented him from getting back-to-back wins to start his career, with minimal run support behind him. He finished his night after seven innings and just two runs allowed, while striking out five batters and walking two. "This is the kind of guy we're looking for," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "We need a guy that at 100 pitches can go seven or eight innings. That's what we want. Then it makes my job easier. I don't have to worry too much about the bullpen." The much-maligned Braves bullpen continued the solid performance it has recently shown -- 2.12 ERA in the last 14 days entering Friday -- as Luis Avilan and Jim Johnson combined to shut the door on the Phillies with two shutout innings.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Braves second baseman Jace Peterson had to rush on a ground ball from Morgan in the fifth inning, and Chris Johnson couldn't handle his high throw at first base. Morgan scored from second after being moved over on a sacrifice bunt and driven in on a Cesar Hernandez single to right. Morgan was initially given his first Major League hit on the play, but an inning later Peterson was charged with a throwing error. "That's a tough play when you're coming in as a second baseman," Gonzalez said. "That may be the hardest play any second baseman can make. And I thought he made a nice scoop. Sometimes that second baseman and the first baseman get too close to each other. And even CJ will tell you it's hard for him to see the ball where it's coming from. But Petey, there's no complaints there the way he's playing."
• Morgan notched the longest start by a Phillies pitcher not named Cole Hamels since May 14, when Aaron Harang pitched eight innings against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies starters had not pitched six innings in 13 of 16 games since June 15. "He looks like he's been around a long time," Mackanin said. "He knows how to pitch. He mixes his pitches. He's got a Bugs Bunny changeup that I really like. He's got good command. That's another strong outing."
• Hernandez curiously stopped running between first and second when he scored Morgan on a single to right field in the fifth inning to tie the game, and was tagged out. It prevented a potentially bigger inning. Later, instant replay overturned Cameron Rupp's leadoff double in the seventh. For a team that has trouble scoring runs, they were two big baserunning outs at second base. "That was close," Mackanin said about Rupp's play. "I don't what that might have lead to. But then Cesar made a baserunning mistake. I don't know what he … I think he was trying to go to second, then decided too late that he couldn't make it. He got caught in no-man's land."
• Rupp started off the top of the seventh inning with what seemed to be a leadoff double to left field. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons made a strong throw from foul territory in left field to Peterson at second and, after a 2-minute, 22-second review, the initial safe call was overturned and Rupp was ruled out. "That was a nice job by our video guy here to call out and say, 'Hey, challenge that,'" Gonzalez said. "And you never know when the go in the headset which way New York is going to come up with it, but they overturned it and it was a big out."
• Hernandez has an eight-game hitting streak. He is hitting .455 (15-for-33) in that stretch. Since June 21, Hernandez leads the big leagues with 21 hits.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Kevin Correia starts the second game of the three-game series Saturday night at Turner Field. He is 0-2 with a 3.60 ERA in four starts since joining the Phillies. Correia has not pitched more than 5 2/3 innings in any of those starts, which is something that needs to happen with the bullpen being overworked. Atlanta counters with Alex Wood, who is coming off of his best start of the season. In 7 1/3 shutout innings against the Pirates, Wood matched a season-high eight strikeouts while working around five hits and no walks.

PHILS PHACTS:

Coming Home – Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan grew up about 30 minutes north of Turner Field, so he probably imagined himself pitching in the big leagues in front of his family and friends. Those aspirations became reality Friday night in a 2-1 loss to the Braves. "It was fun," Morgan said after pitching seven innings. "It was definitely something I won't forget. A lot of people that couldn't make it to Philly for my debut [June 21] were here. We would always just come over here, tailgate in the blue lot, buy the $5 will-call tickets and just watch the game." Morgan and his friends probably participated in the tomahawk chop a few times. He found it used against him Friday. "I knew it was coming," he said. "I really prepared myself for it. It was kind of cool. I hummed along with it." Morgan, 25, allowed five hits, two runs, two walks and struck out five. He allowed first-pitch home runs to Jonny Gomes and Juan Uribe in the second and seventh innings, respectively, to take the loss. But Morgan gave the Phillies rotation something it had seriously lacked in more than two weeks: length. Morgan's seven innings were the most by a Phillies starter not named Cole Hamels since May 14, when Aaron Harang pitched eight innings against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies starters had not pitched six or more innings in 13 of 16 games since June 15, which had put a tremendous strain on the bullpen. Phillies relievers had thrown 65 2/3 innings in those 16 games -- only 12 1/3 innings fewer than Phillies starters -- the most of any bullpen in baseball. The bullpen should buy Morgan dinner for his efforts. "This is the kind of guy we're looking for," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "We need a guy that at 100 pitches can go seven or eight innings. That's what we want. Then it makes my job easier. I don't have to worry too much about the bullpen." Gomes' homer in the second handed the Braves a 1-0 lead. Morgan retired the side in order in the third and fifth innings, becoming the first Phillies starter since June 15 to have two 1-2-3 innings in a start. Uribe then hit a first-pitch slider for a homer in the seventh to make it 2-1. "I was very comfortable going out there for the seventh inning," Morgan said. "I just didn't execute." Mackanin could have pulled Morgan for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, but he stuck with him for a very specific reason. "I'm trying to learn about him," Mackanin said. "[Pitching coach] Bob McClure is big on that. He wants to see guys when they get tired to see what they do with it. Because you're not always going to feel 100 percent. You're going to get tired. When you need that guy to stay in there and get out of trouble this is the kind of guy you're looking for."

Utley Aiming For Late July – Chase Utley is hopeful he can be back on the field before the end of the month. The Phillies second baseman received a cortisone injection in his right ankle June 24, a day after he landed on the 15-day disabled list. "It's definitely given me some relief," Utley said before Friday's game against the Braves at Turner Field. Utley has remained off the ankle since the injection, but he said he will begin moving on it a little beginning Saturday. He said he could take some ground balls as early as next weekend's series against the Giants in San Francisco, but, he said, "it's not like I have to take ground balls there. It depends how it's going." So for the moment Utley will continue to rehab with the team at least through the All-Star break. "I would like to be in some games before [August]," he said. "But the most important thing is being healthy. There's no point in rushing it." Utley sprained his ankle in January, and a slow recovery forced him to miss the beginning of Grapefruit League games in Spring Training. He opened the season in the Phillies' lineup, but has hit .179 (39-for-218) with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 25 RBIs and a .532 OPS in 65 games. Utley has a $15 million club option for next season. It automatically vests if he reaches 500 plate appearances. He has 249 plate appearances through 82 games, which puts him slightly behind that pace. Obviously, the longer he is on the DL the more difficult it will be to trigger the option. It seems like a moot point anyway. Cesar Hernandez has played well in Utley's absence. He is hitting .284 (46-for-162) with 10 doubles, one triple, one home run, 17 RBIs and a .748 OPS. If Hernandez had enough plate appearances to qualify, he would rank 10th out of 23 qualified second baseman in OPS. It is unclear how Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin will handle playing time at second base upon Utley's return, although Mackanin said Hernandez has earned the right for more playing time.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 27-55. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance so far this season, this could end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 87-88-0 on this day.