This Wasn’t Good From The Beginning

GAME RECAP: Mets Mash Phillies 9-4

In need of another storybook run as they look to scale the National League Wild Card standings, the Mets on Friday turned to a player best known for his flair for the dramatic. Wilmer Flores slugged his third career grand slam, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jose Reyes combined for three additional homers and Bartolo Colon cruised, leading the Mets to a 9-4 win over the Phillies at Citi Field. The Mets remained 3 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, who also won, in an NL Wild Card race with five serious competitors. "We're not quitting," Flores said. "I think everybody knows that. We've got to keep it going." One of the league's foremost sluggers against left-handed pitchers, Flores clubbed his slam off Phillies starter Adam Morgan in the fifth inning, opening up a five-run lead for the Mets. An inning later, Cabrera hit his second homer, after teaming up with Reyes to open the game with back-to-back solo shots. All of it was more than enough support for Colon, a beacon of sturdiness as injuries crumble the rotation around him. Though the Phillies chased him from the game with four consecutive hits to lead off the eighth inning, Colon became the first Mets starter to pitch even into the sixth inning in their last four games. He allowed four runs in total, holding the Phillies hitless until the fifth. "Colon just seems to own us," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We can't square the ball up off of him. He does a heck of a job of command and movement. He's tough. Didn't score enough runs to stay in the game." Morgan gave up six runs in five innings, all of them on homers. Though he did record the Phillies' first run with an RBI single, Colon topped him there, too, recording two hits in a game for the first time since 2002.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Before Flores broke the game open in the fifth, Ryan Howard found himself with an opportunity to end the inning. With two outs and runners on second and third, Walker hit a popup into foul territory. Howard jogged back, looking over his shoulder, but the ball dropped in foul territory without going into the stands. Walker made the most of the extra chance and walked, setting the stage for Flores' blast. "It was in that floor-to-triangle area, and I was hoping somebody could run that down," Mackanin said. "You got to pitch around those type of things and make good pitches. Like I said, the mistake to Flores, really kind of put it away for them."
• The Phillies entered the eighth trailing 9-1, with the Mets seemingly en route to an easy victory. But then Peter Bourjos and Jimmy Paredes led off the inning with singles, and Cesar Hernandez doubled both home. Aaron Altherr, the next batter, doubled in Hernandez to chase Colon from the game. The Phillies wouldn't score again, though.
• For the third time this season, the Mets hit four home runs against the Phillies. It ties a single-season franchise record, which they set in 1990 against the Astros.
• Colon passed Luis Tiant with his 230th career win, moving into sixth place among pitchers born outside the United States (since 1900).

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson takes the mound Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Citi Field against a Mets team he's struggled against this season. In three starts, he's compiled a 5.63 ERA and a 1-1 mark. Fresh off perhaps his best start of the season, Noah Syndergaard will return to the mound to start against the Phillies on Saturday. He gave the Mets eight shutout innings last time out in San Francisco, improving to 11-7 with a 2.61 ERA.

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome To The Roller Coaster – Friday night at Citi Field, Adam Morgan made history, but not the kind he'll want to remember. In losing his eighth consecutive decision, the lefty tied for the franchise's third-longest losing streak among starting pitchers since 1913. After some first-inning fireworks, Morgan settled down until the fifth. That's when Mets first baseman Wilmer Flores smashed a grand slam to left-center field, effectively handing the Phillies, and Morgan, the loss. Morgan left after completing the inning, finishing with six earned runs allowed on eight hits and two walks in the Phillies' 9-4 loss. "Command issues, missing location, it's as simple as that," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Too many pitches out over the plate to hit." It started from the beginning. Jose Reyes sent Morgan's fourth pitch of the night over the fence, and Asdrubal Cabrera deposited his very next offering into the seats, too. Morgan got into somewhat of a groove from there. After allowing a Yoenis Cespedes single, he retired three in a row to the end the frame. He allowed three baserunners but escaped damage from the second to the fourth. He was starting to resemble the pitcher who allowed just one earned run over six innings against the Cardinals last week. Plus, Morgan finished Friday night with eight strikeouts. But things started to unravel in the fifth. Bartolo Colon and Reyes began the inning with back-to-back doubles, and after inducing a pair of groundouts, Morgan watched as first baseman Ryan Howard couldn't corral a popup off the bat of Neil Walker in foul territory. With the inning extended, Morgan walked Walker in a nine-pitch at-bat. "I don't know if [Walker] wore him out," Mackanin said. "He just made a bad pitch to Flores. Tried a backdoor slider and it ended up right in his wheelhouse." Indeed, Flores crushed the first pitch he saw -- an 82-mph slider -- over the fence. "That's the one looking back, if I got that, it's a whole different ballgame," Morgan said. Morgan has pitched well in the Minor Leagues this season. He's 6-1 with a 3.04 ERA in eight games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but that success for the most part hasn't carried over to the Majors, where he is 1-8 with a 6.50 ERA. Philadelphia made a late run, scoring three runs in the top of the eighth. Still, the deficit created by Morgan proved too much to overcome. "I'm definitely not giving up on myself or this team," Morgan said. "I see improvement. Sure, the home runs and the numbers will tell you different, but I see improvement."

There Can Be Only One – Not much remains from the Phillies' 2008 World Series team. Chase Utley? Gone. Jimmy Rollins? Gone. So are Cole Hamels, Brad Lidge and Jayson Werth. Don't forget about manager Charlie Manuel, either. Now, with Carlos Ruiz's trade to the Dodgers on Thursday, only one player from Philadelphia's magical season is left: Ryan Howard. "You play with guys your entire career, now you see them in different uniforms. It's definitely something you need to get used to," Howard said. "But that's baseball. That's the business aspect of it." Ruiz joins fellow former Phillies Utley and Joe Blanton in Los Angeles. Howard's future, of course, is also unclear. He has one year left on the five-year, $125 million contract he signed before the 2012 campaign, but the Phillies could exercise a $10 million buyout on his club option for '17 instead of paying the $23 million owed to him next season. Howard is rumored to have cleared waivers, which means he can be traded before Aug. 31. He hit cleanup against the Mets on Friday, and he entered the game slashing .199/.252/.442 with 19 homers and 43 RBIs. "It's crazy, he's going over there playing for a team that's playing for another ring," Howard said of Ruiz. Eight years ago, Howard, Ruiz and the rest of the Phillies helped the franchise capture its first World Series since 1980. Ruiz's trade pushes the memory even further into the past.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies issued 17 free passes against the Dodgers in 1903 but still only lost the game by 1 run. Pitcher Art Lopatka filed suit against the Phillies in 1948 alleging that the team’s trainer did not issue proper care following being hit in the hand by a batted ball during batting practice in April of 1946 which was later concluded to be a broken hand which subsequently became infected and ended his career. 3 years later, Del Wilber hit 3 solo homeruns for the Phillies accounting for all of the scoring in the shutout against the Reds. In 1987, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #522 passing Ted Williams and Willie McCovey for 9^th on the all time list. Bobby Abreu hit a walk off, inside the park, homerun in the bottom of the 10^th in 2000. The Phillies acquired Jeff Conine on this day in 2006. Lastly, Happy Birthday to Jim Thome who was born on this day in 1970 (Mike Maddux is also celebrating his 55^th birthday today).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 59-69 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-51-1 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.

Phillies Run Into A Pack Of Vicious Cubs

GAME RECAP: Cubs Crush Phillies 6-2

The young and the old showed off their home run swings as 24-year-old sluggers Jorge Soler and Kris Bryant each hit a solo shot and veteran David Ross belted a three-run blast to power the Cubs to a 6-2 victory over the Phillies on Friday at rainy Wrigley Field. All three homers came off Phillies lefty Adam Morgan, who lasted four-plus innings. Jon Lester, who couldn't make it out of the third inning in his last outing, went 6 1/3 innings for the win. The Phillies took advantage of errors by Dexter Fowler and Javier Baez to score an unearned run in the third against Lester. Cubs manager Joe Maddon called them mistakes that they never make. "Dexter catches that ball 101 times out of 100," Maddon said. The difference for Lester was his ability to be more consistent with his pitches, especially his curve. The previous outing didn't faze him. "I wasn't worried about my start at all," Lester said. And the Phillies were aggressive. "They were swinging -- they were swinging from jump street, so to execute the fastball was important," Ross said. Maddon gave Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward the day off, and the team didn't miss a beat. The Cubs (32-14) are off to their best start since the team opened the 1918 season at 32-13.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Morgan had given up only two home runs in 25 2/3 innings this season entering Friday. In his first start at Wrigley Field, Morgan surrendered two homers in the fourth inning alone, when Soler took a hanging 1-2 slider off the left-field scoreboard and Ross smashed a 1-0 changeup that almost reached Waveland Avenue. Morgan also gave up a homer to Bryant in the fifth, when the first baseman turned on an inside fastball on a 1-2 count. "You can overcome a solo home run, but that home run to Ross, that was the one that got us out of the game," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
• After a 56-minute rain delay, the Phillies momentarily looked rejuvenated. When play resumed with one out and a runner on second in the top of the seventh, Freddy Galvis singled to move Odubel Herrera to third. Maikel Franco followed up with an RBI single on a slow roller aided by the wet infield grass, but the rally didn't materialize as Tommy Joseph and Carlos Ruiz struck out to end the inning. "I think we had 10 hits and one double, so there's not a lot to say other than we couldn't string enough hits together to get anything going," Mackanin said. "We had some opportunities and didn't capitalize."
• "Nobody's solid in their spots. Last year, I always had to talk about how you audition every day. Every time you go out there, you got to keep doing it. At this level, consistency is the hallmark of a good Major League player." -- Mackanin, on if Morgan's rotation spot could be in jeopardy.
• In the Chicago seventh inning, Bryant walked with two outs and advanced on a wild pitch. The Phillies challenged whether Bryant was safe at second, and after a review, the call stood.
• Cubs players have been counting down Ross' home runs, and they could finally celebrate the veteran's 100th career blast. Soler led off the fourth with his moonshot, and after Addison Russell walked and Javier Baez singled, Ross, 39, hit his milestone homer. He celebrated in the dugout with his teammates, then tipped his cap to the fans. "The boys were excited, I was excited," Ross said. "My favorite part while this has been going on is rounding second base and looking in the dugout. It makes me smile every time seeing everybody so happy for me and counting down for me. They're as happy as I am. That makes me feel good." Ross is the oldest player in franchise history to hit his 100th homer as a Cub. 
• "Who wants a picture with me? I'm surprised he didn't ask for [Bryant] or [Rizzo]." -- Ross, on the fan who retrieved his 100th home run ball and asked for a photo with the catcher in exchange.

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff will make his 10th start of the season for the Phillies against the Cubs on Saturday at 2:20 p.m. ET. He threw seven scoreless innings in his latest start, a win against the Braves.

PHILS PHACTS:

Shake It Off – Maikel Franco's prediction was right. The Phillies' third baseman said his right ankle is doing great, and he was in Friday's lineup against the Cubs just as he said he would be after exiting Wednesday's game vs. the Tigers. Franco suffered a mild ankle sprain in the seventh inning of that game when he jammed his ankle sliding into second base. Franco didn't leave the game immediately, but he exited between innings. "I wanted to still play, but sometimes it's not my decision," Franco said. Franco used the team's off-day Thursday to recover, saying he spent the day "just chilling" while icing his ankle. Phillies trainers agreed Franco was ready to play in the opener vs. the Cubs. He reinforced that in the Phils' 6-2 loss to the Cubs, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk. In four career games at Wrigley Field, he's 5-for-15 with a home run and five RBIs. "Everything is good," Franco said.

Lingering Injuries – Outfielder Cody Asche and left-hander Mario Hollands each had their rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday. Through nine rehab games, Asche -- on the disabled list with a right oblique strain -- is 5-for-34 with two home runs. Hollands, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, has allowed only one run in 8 2/3 innings during his six rehab appearances.

Heading To The DL – Phillies prospect Mark Appel, the former No. 1 overall Draft pick who is currently rated the club's No. 4 prospect and the No. 65 prospect in the Major Leagues by MLBPipeline.com, was placed on the disabled list Friday with a right shoulder strain. In a corresponding move, Phillies No. 30 prospect Ben Lively was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley from Double-A Reading, where he was 7-0 with a 1.87 ERA in nine starts for the Fightin Phils. Lively, who was acquired from the Reds for Marlon Byrd during the offseason, held Eastern League hitters to a .185 average, striking out 49 in 53 innings while walking 15 and posting a 0.94 WHIP. Appel, whose fastball normally reaches the mid-90s, suffered from a significant drop in velocity in his last start, struggling to hit 90 mph on Sunday for Lehigh Valley. The 24-year-old is 3-3 with a 4.46 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A this season, with 34 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

Today In Phils History – While his flailing pales in comparison to some of the modern day sluggers, Mike Schmidt wasn’t a stranger to the strikeout and he was quite familiar with the homerun as well which was exemplified on this day in 1983 when he followed 4 strikeouts (and an uncommon fielding error) with a game winning homerun in the bottom of the ninth. The following decade, in 1990, Lenny Dykstra made his only appearance as a Phillie on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Dykstra was part of the overhaul of the Phillies roster that included Steve Jeltz being traded to the Royals after the 1989 season. I mention Jeltz because he was born on this day in 1959, 40 years after Art Lopatka.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 26-22 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 52-46-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Offense Can’t Back Solid Outing

GAME RECAP: Mets Beat Phillies 9-4

For the third time this season, the Mets own a winning streak of at least half a dozen games. They grabbed their sixth straight win with a 9-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night, extending their National League East lead over the Nationals to 6 1/2 games -- their largest since leading the Phillies by seven games with 17 to go in 2007 -- and putting themselves on pace for exactly 90 wins. "You've got to win games you're supposed to win, there's no question about it," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "Right now, we'll take it." A continued offensive renaissance resulted in three first-inning runs off Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff and plenty of late insurance. Michael Cuddyer homered and drove in three runs, Michael Conforto delivered another multihit game and the Mets plated six-plus runs for the fifth time in their last six games, giving Bartolo Colon plenty of cushion throughout his seven scoreless innings. "I'm not happy about the loss," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You never want to lose games. The Mets have had our number all year. We want to beat them, especially with a game tomorrow. We need to salvage something out of this series." The Mets wound up cashing in much of their insurance when the Phillies rallied for four runs off Eric O'Flaherty and Carlos Torres in the eighth, highlighted by Cameron Rupp's two-run double. But Tyler Clippard nailed down the final out of the eighth and the Mets cruised from there. The Phillies have lost eight consecutive games to the Mets and 11 of 12 this season.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The righty allowed three runs, two earned, in the first inning but quickly recovered and allowed just four runs over six innings. In a stretch that began with the final two outs of the first, the rookie retired 16 straight Mets hitter, five of which were strikeouts, before a Conforto double and a Juan Uribe single gave the Mets their fourth run of the night in the sixth. Eickhoff, who threw six scoreless innings in his Major League debut on Friday, fell to 1-1. "I thought [Eickhoff] did an outstanding job after that first inning," Mackanin said. "He basically had a quality start tonight. He turned himself around and pitched very well through the sixth inning."
• The Phillies' offense lay dormant for most of the night against Colon. In the eighth, against the Mets' bullpen, the Phillies showed some signs of life as they manufactured four runs on four hits, a walk and an error. Clippard ended the threat when he got Darnell Sweeney to strike out swinging with two on. "We fought back," Mackanin said. "We were kind of listless the whole game. Mainly because Colon really knows how to pitch. That's the first time I've really seen him use more than a fastball. He generally cuts you up with a fastball, but tonight he used all of his pitches."
• The Phillies are confident that rookie third baseman Maikel Franco will return to the lineup before the end of the season. Franco, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left wrist, received encouraging news on Tuesday and looks to be two weeks away from possibly hitting off a tee.
• The Mets have won 11 of 12 against the Phillies this year, including a current eight-game winning streak. The Mets have been particularly strong at Citizens Bank Park, where they are 26-8 since 2012.
• David Wright will return to the lineup after getting Wednesday night off following two starts upon his return from the 60-day DL on Monday. Wright went 0-for-4 with a walk on Tuesday after he hit a home run in his first at-bat on Monday.

NEXT GAME:

The Mets will look to continue their strong play away from Citi Field and complete a sweep of the Phillies behind Jon Niese in the final game of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. New York has found an offensive rhythm recently and has tied a club record for any month with 40 homers in August. The Mets have won six games in a row -- all on the road -- and own a 6 1/2-game lead on the second-place Nationals in the National League East. Niese, who has a quality start in 12 of his last 14 games, is 10-6 lifetime against the Phillies with a 2.77 ERA. This year he is 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA against Philly while allowing just one earned run in 13 1/3 innings. He is 5-0 in his last seven starts against the NL East rivals. The Phillies will go with Aaron Harang, who went seven innings and allowed just two runs at Miami in his last start. Harang had struggled in his three previous starts, allowing 18 runs in just 15 innings of work in three consecutive losses.

PHILS PHACTS:

Settling Down – With a relatively young roster, the Phillies will be using the final six weeks of the season to gauge just what type of team they can field in 2016 and beyond. More to the point, the last month of evaluations won't be just about successes and failures. Instead, for a team that is clearly in a rebuilding phase, the biggest concern will be how this collection of players handles both scenarios. On Wednesday night, right-hander Jerad Eickhoff made just his second Major League start and first at Citizens Bank Park in a 9-4 loss to the National League East-leading Mets. The Mets entered the game as one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball in August and looked to bring the rookie crashing down to earth after he went six scoreless innings in his debut against the Marlins just five days ago. "I think he was a little nervous [making his first start at home]," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "For sure, I was getting nervous [after Eickhoff's pitch count hit 40 in the first inning]. We have a strapped bullpen. We can't keep going to the bullpen every night as much as we do. Obviously, he wasn't the guy in the first inning we saw in Miami. After that, he was." "I just needed to get settled," said Eickhoff, the team's No. 15 prospect. "The first start at home, there are some jitters. I think that's what I was getting rid of in that first inning. I knew my pitch count was up there so I just wanted to attack the zone, pitch to contact." For Eickhoff and the Phillies, the game started ominously when center fielder Odubel Herrera dropped a fly ball deep at the warning track in left-center. The Mets scored three runs in the frame on their way to their eighth straight win over the Phillies, but Eickhoff's recovery spoke louder than the final result. While it's hard to say one dropped ball changed the entire game, it certainly didn't help. Especially after Eickhoff used an economical 57 pitches over his final five innings. "Those things make a difference," Mackanin said of the dropped ball. "We talk about the fact that the only ball hit hard that inning was the [Michael Cuddyer double that brought home the second run]. The fly to center was well hit, but it should have been caught. "But the more important thing is he came out of it. As poorly as he located his pitches in that first inning, he located extremely well the rest of the game." Eickhoff went six innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk while striking out six. After the shaky first, he recorded 16 straight outs and kept the Mets guessing until a double by Michael Conforto in the sixth and a single by Juan Uribe scored the fourth run. "After the first, I was able to get my slider over," said Eickhoff, who became the first Phillies rookie to record 16 straight outs since Mike Grace recorded 17 straight on May 12, 1996, against the Braves. "I was able to locate it off the plate when I needed to and then the occasional changeup." "He's a pretty solid guy," Mackanin said. "He really doesn't need reinforcement. He's got a lot of confidence."

Reacting To A Slump – Over the last month, the Phillies have made it clear that they are in full rebuilding mode. Mired in last place since the opening week of the season, the Phillies have traded several major components to one of the franchises most successful periods, including a World Series title in 2008. That has afforded playing time for young players such as Freddy Galvis and Odubel Herrera, both of whom were in the lineup on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park against the Mets. Cesar Hernandez has also seen a lot of playing time, but he started the night on the bench after a five-game slump that saw him hit .048 (1-for-21). Manager Pete Mackanin isn't concerned about the 25-year-old, and in fact, saw this as a chance to get a better feel for the young infielder's mental makeup. "We have to find out how he's going to react to [the recent slump]," Mackanin said. "We have to see if he's going to rebound. I think he's going to be fine. "When you think about it, he didn't play a lot early in the year. He has 300 and some at-bats. He plays in the winter, too, so physically he's fine and is used to it. You get tired mentally more than physically, but he's going to come out of it." Hernandez has played in a career-high 110 games so far this season and has hit .266 with 50 runs scored and 29 RBIs. Much of April saw him used as a late-game replacement, but with the injuries and subsequent trade of Chase Utley to the Dodgers, he started 32 of 33 games since the All-Star break until Wednesday night. "You see it all the time," Mackanin said. "[Galvis] hit [.355] in April and then it came down to .250. But he worked through it and is hitting [.273] for the year. You have to find a way to work through it."

Bowa Cites Safety – Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa has been around the game long enough to know he's going to hear from Major League Baseball over the next few days. "It will say, 'Dear Larry, I miss you,'" a clearly sarcastic Bowa said on Wednesday afternoon. "[Chief baseball officer Joe Torre's] going to say, 'After further review,' and then I'm going to let him know what the situation was." In Bowa and veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur's mind, the quick pitch thrown by Mets reliever Hansel Robles in the seventh inning of the Phillies' 6-5 loss to New York on Tuesday endangered hitter Darin Ruf. Ruf had stepped into the box with his head down, and as home-plate umpire Dan Bellino signaled no pitch, it still came to the plate. "That's exactly what went down," said Bowa, who was ejected from the game and also had words with Mets first baseman Daniel Murphy. "It had nothing to do with us getting [beaten badly] for two nights. You're going to hurt somebody. That's all it is. "And the umpire said, 'I called no pitch.' It doesn't matter. The pitch was on the way. So if Ruf looks up. Yeah, he threw a strike. But they make mistakes throwing the baseball. They throw one up and in, and the guy turns around, the ball [could be] 10 inches from his face. There's no reason for that." On the surface, the ejection didn't have anything to do with the recent struggles the Phillies have had against the Mets, against whom they are just 1-10 this year. At the same time, it certainly didn't help and has to weigh heavily on a relatively young team that is not only playing the role of spoiler but fighting for jobs next year and beyond. "This is the big leagues ... we're playing for jobs, positions," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We got beat up the last couple of days. We want to win. Nobody likes it. I don't expect the players to be in a good mood. We want to win and there is a lot of emotion. We've seen it over the years, it just comes out. "The only grudge I have against [the Mets] is we want to beat them a few times. That's the bottom line. You want to win every night. It's more fun when you win."

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 50-77. 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 48-51-1 on this day.