Triple The Fun In San Diego

GAME RECAP: Phillies Stun Padres 6-5

Tommy Joseph's pinch-hit RBI in the top of the seventh inning pushed the Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Padres, in a Sunday rubber match in which Maikel Franco started the first triple play in Petco Park history. Philadelphia tallied 14 hits for the sixth time this season, with seven coming in the fourth inning against San Diego starter Jarred Cosart. "It's a beautiful thing, huh?" Franco said about the triple play. "Oh, I like it." Jerad Eickhoff allowed only five hits over his six innings, but two of those hits were of the home run variety, accounting for three of the four earned runs the right-hander surrendered. Eickhoff struck out five batters without issuing a walk on 98 pitches. Cosart threw five innings and allowed five earned runs. Most of the damage came when he allowed five consecutive two-out hits in the fourth inning, but Odubel Herrera also homered against him in the first. The 26-year-old may take solace in the fact that he didn't walk a batter for the first time this season, but he still surrendered 10 hits. "I don't remember the last game I have not walked somebody," Cosart said after the game. "I really can't tell you that off the top of my head. We'd talked about this being a process when I got over here. There's a lot of stuff that [pitching coach Darren] Balsley and I wanted to accomplish. "No. 1 was learning how to utilize the cut on my fastball, and for the most part I think I'm in a pretty good comfort zone with that right now."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Phillies right-hander Edubray Ramos found himself in trouble in the seventh inning when he walked Derek Norris and Jose Rondon to start the inning. But then Jabari Blash hit a grounder to Phillies third baseman Franco, who stepped on third base to begin the 5-4-3 triple play, the Phillies' first since Aug. 23, 2009, when Eric Bruntlett had an unassisted triple play against the Mets at Citi Field. "I've told these guys a couple of times: I thought I would hit into one before I would be on the successful end of one," first baseman Joseph said. "That's pretty awesome, needless to say."
• The Phillies' seven hits in the fourth inning, scoring four runs were their most hits in a single inning since July 31, 2015, when they had seven in the fifth inning against Atlanta. It spotted Eickhoff a 5-1 lead. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz each got hits in the inning. The veterans have been hitting the ball better recently, despite limited playing time. "That's why Howie's playing," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Like I said, I tell everybody, you want to play you've got to hit. Howie's swinging the bat well. So is Chooch."
• "If they ask me to I would because I really owe them one." -- Ramos, on if he owes Franco, Hernandez and Joseph dinner for bailing him out of a jam in the seventh with their triple play.
• The triple play turned by the Phillies in the seventh inning was the first in Petco Park history and the 32nd in Phillies history.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies face a former friend in Monday night's series opener against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at 10:10 p.m. ET. It will be their first time facing Chase Utley since they traded him to Los Angeles in August 2015. Utley is the greatest second baseman in franchise history, having played for the Phillies from 2003-15. Taking the mound for the Phillies will be Zack Eflin whom the Phillies received from the Dodgers as part of the Jimmy Rollins trade in December 2014.

PHILS PHACTS:

Triple Play! – Maikel Franco summed up those 4.6 seconds in the seventh inning Sunday at Petco Park perfectly. "It's a beautiful thing, huh?" he said with a big smile. "Oh, I like it." Franco, Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph turned the 32nd triple play in franchise history in a 6-5 victory over the Padres at Petco Park, and it came at a critical point in the game, too. Phillies right-hander Edubray Ramos had walked Derek Norris and Jose Rondon to start the inning when Jabari Blash hit a ground ball to Franco, who caught the ball and quickly stepped on third base before throwing to Hernandez at second. Hernandez took the throw on the bag and threw to Joseph at first to complete the team's first triple play since Aug. 23, 2009, when Eric Bruntlett turned a game-ending unassisted triple play against the Mets at Citi Field. It was the Phillies' first 5-4-3 triple play since April 21, 2007, when Abraham Nunez, Chase Utley and Wes Helms turned one in Cincinnati. "Yeah, as soon as he hit the ball, I knew because it was close to the base," Franco said, thinking he had a shot at a triple play. "I just thought I'd go to second. After that, whatever happens happens." It took Franco 1.01 seconds to catch the ball, step on third and throw to Hernandez, according to Statcast™. It took Hernandez 0.5 seconds to catch Franco's throw and throw to Joseph. Hernandez's throw clocked at 70.2 mph. Blash hit the bag 4.69 seconds after he hit the ball, arriving just a tad after the throw. "I didn't know if he was going to throw to second or first, but I always go there just to be ready," Hernandez said. "Every time there's a ground ball to third base, I go to second. It's my instinct." Joseph said he thought Franco would step on third base and throw to first, but he certainly is glad he got greedy and tried for three. "I've told these guys a couple of times: I thought I would hit into one before I would be on the successful end of one," Joseph said. "That's pretty awesome, needless to say. Maik just knew what he was doing, which is what you're supposed to do as an infielder. Be heads-up. Know the play. We had a good runner to do it on. It all worked out. It was a heck of a play. Fun to be a part of." Franco, Hernandez, Joseph and Ramos said they had never been part of a triple play before. "It was exciting," Hernandez said. "That's pretty cool," Franco said. "It helped the team. First and second, nobody out. To get out of that is a beautiful thing for me and my team." Nobody was happier than Ramos, who got bailed out of a big jam. "It really, really helped me," he said. "If they ask me to (buy them dinner) I would because I really owe them one."

Turning Back The Clock – Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz figure to have a little less than two months remaining in their Phillies careers. Both are in the final year of multiyear contracts, and although they have club options for 2017 the Phillies are expected to take buyouts on both deals. But while the end in Philadelphia is likely coming for the pair, they have been hitting the ball well recently, including Sunday in a 6-5 victory over the Padres at Petco Park. Howard singled to center to begin a seven-hit, four-run fourth inning to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. Ruiz went 3-for-4, which included a RBI in the fourth. Howard is hitting .311 (19-for-61) with four doubles, six home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.026 OPS in 23 games since June 23. Ruiz is hitting .362 (17-for-48) with two doubles, five RBIs and an .878 OPS in 14 games since June 23. "We both want to be able to go somewhere and play beyond this year," Howard said. "We've got to try to make the most of what we can while we're still here. … I just keep doing my work. I've been doing this thing for 12 years, playing for 12 years. You figure out how to play the game. That's the game of baseball. Things come in waves. You have good waves and you have bad waves." The recent good wave has not changed Howard's feelings about the future. He said he always planned to play beyond this season. Ruiz does, too. "For whatever reason everybody else thinks I'm done playing," Howard said. "I know I can still play. I know I'm still capable of it. This year one bad month and you're done. For me it's about not having the opportunity to rectify the one bad month.” Howard hit .101 with a .421 OPS in May. He hit .140 with a .585 OPS in June, but he hit .250 with a .793 OPS before entering August. "Everybody looks at May and says I can't play anymore," Howard said. "I know I can play and I still want to play in the future. That's where my mindset is. Now it's just taking advantage of the opportunities I get and put it in play for next year." Said Ruiz: "I'm trying to keep myself ready for when I get the opportunity to play. I'm happy with the way I feel right now. I hope it continues that way and I finish the season strong. My body feels great. I feel strong. I don't have any soreness. I would like to play as many years as I can. We'll see what happens."

Fixing The Enigma – Cesar Hernandez is having the best season of his career, but he remains an enigma to the Phillies. The second baseman entered Sunday's series finale against the Padres at Pecto Park hitting .292 with 11 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 27 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 405 plate appearances. He has hit .362 with an .877 OPS since Phillies manager Pete Mackanin benched him two games in Minnesota in June. "He could be a hell of a player," Mackanin said after Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Padres. But Mackanin's praise came at the end of an answer to a question that has been asked repeatedly this season: Why does Hernandez keep making so many mental mistakes on the field? He got caught stealing third base in the seventh inning Saturday, which befuddled Macakanin and coaches because the Phillies trailed by four at the time. "I have no idea why he went," Mackanin said. In fact, a couple of Hernandez's teammates approached Hernandez after the game and told him that it was not a smart time to run. "I know this situation wasn't ideal," Hernandez said Sunday through an interpreter. "But I'm learning. I'm trying to get better. It's a learning process for me. But I really thought I could have stolen that base. I just wanted to go to third so if there was a deep fly ball I could have scored a run." Hernandez has stolen 11 bases this season, but he has been caught eight times. His 57.9 stolen base percentage is 46th out of 48 qualified basestealers. He also has been picked off once and made four other outs on the bases. The 13 outs on the bases, plus other head-scratching decisions on the field, are why Hernandez's future with the Phillies is not secure. The Phillies' top prospect J.P. Crawford could be the team's everyday shortstop as early as next season, which means Freddy Galvis could compete with Hernandez for regular playing time in 2017 and beyond. Galvis is not the offensive player that Hernandez is, but Phillies coaches love his defense, instincts and leadership qualities in the clubhouse. Second base prospects like Scott Kingery also are moving up through the system. "Cesar is in a rut where he's making too many mental mistakes," Mackanin said. "We've got to keep working with him and talking to him about it. He's got so much talent. We have to corral it and figure out a way to get him on track. That's the one thing he's missing right now. He needs to be a little smarter on the bases, and all-around baseball." Hernandez seems to recognize this, although discussions about focus and concentration with Phillies coaches have not stuck. "It's something I definitely want to get better at," Hernandez said. "I'm going to keep working to learn. It's concentration."

Today In Phils History – It was on this day in 1903 when 12 people were killed and over 200 injured when a section of walkway that hung over the street behind the Baker Bowl collapsed. Gavvy Cravath hit 4 doubles and collected 8 RBI against the Reds on this day in 1915. Despite the Phillies scoring 11 total runs, it was a different story in 1922 when the Pirates recorded 46 total hits in a double header sweep. In 1954, Granny Hamner, Danny Schell, and Herm Wehmeier each tripled in the 8^th inning to tie the NL record and beat the Cubs. 2 years later, Ted Kazanski hit and inside the park grand slam against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. Rick Wise threw a complete game 1 hitter against the Dodgers in 1968 with the lone Phillies run coming off the bat of Dick Allen who homered in the 8^th. 20 years later, the Phillies and Cubs started the 1^st night game in Wrigley Field history only to have the game rained out in the bottom of the 4^th erasing Phil Bradley’s name from the history books as the 1^st to record a hit. In 1997, Mark Lieter surrendered Mark McGwire’s 1^st NL homerun (364^th overall). The Phillies lost a few players on this day including Bo Diaz (1985), Mariano Duncan (1995), and Gregg Jefferies (1998). Finally, the team has also honored a couple of players on this day as Granny Hamner was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (the precursor to the Wall of Fame) in 1987 and inducted Juan Samuel into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 52-61 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-62-1 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.

Rookie Roughed Up In Phillies Loss

GAME RECAP: Padres Beat Phillies 9-7

The Padres didn't give Phillies starter Jake Thompson much of a warm welcome in his Major League debut. San Diego's first three batters reached safely to start the game, and four batters later Christian Bethancourt broke open the scoring with a bases-clearing double, with the Padres going on to win, 9-7. The Padres totaled 14 hits, with leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski continuing to serve as the team's spark plug, with three hits and a career-high four runs. "He's been outstanding," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Loving what he's doing, loving the quality at-bats, loving him shooting balls to left field. The walk in the last at-bat [in the eighth inning] when he recovered from being down, I think 1-2 in the count, to come back, walk, steal a base and then have enough feel on the [Yangervis] Solarte play to come flying across the plate to score. We needed that run." Thompson, the No. 69 prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, allowed four runs in the first inning and two more in the fifth, when Jankowski and Wil Myers led off with back-to-back doubles. He was taken out after 4 1/3 innings and struck out one batter while walking two and hitting one. "He's 22 years old," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You can't judge him on this outing." San Diego starter Paul Clemens also threw 4 1/3 innings despite allowing just two earned runs. Green pulled Clemens after he got his first out in the fifth inning, just a half-inning after Clemens grounded into an inning-ending double play on a failed bunt attempt.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The best thing that can be said about Thompson's debut is that he will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself the rest of the season. He appeared to rush himself in the first inning as the Padres took a 4-0 lead. He settled down after that, retiring nine of 11 batters at one point. But there is no question he has room to improve after allowing six runs in just 4 1/3 innings. "I wasn't nervous," Thompson said. "I was kind of amped up, instead of being nervous. Especially in that first inning, I just wasn't able to spin the ball for strikes or be able to get fastballs down in the zone."
• Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has been relegated to bench duty since Tommy Joseph's emergence this season. But Howard quietly has been putting up some pretty solid numbers. He homered in the second and doubled in the fourth and is hitting .310 (18-for-58) with four doubles, six home runs, 10 RBIs and a .690 slugging percentage in 22 games since June 23.
• "He's making too many mental mistakes. We've got to keep working with him and talking to him about it. He's got so much talent. We have to corral it and figure out a way to get him on track. That's the one thing he's missing right now. He needs to be a little smarter on the bases, and all around baseball. He could be a helluva player." -- Mackanin, on Cesar Hernandez getting caught stealing third in the seventh inning. Hernandez has made 13 outs on the bases this season.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-12, 3.68 ERA) pitches the series finale against the Padres on Sunday at 4:40 p.m. ET at Petco Park. This is the second time Eickhoff will face the Padres. He threw seven scoreless innings against them in April at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Looking Forward To Second Start – Jake Thompson expected better than this. But if there is any good news following his big league debut Saturday night in a 9-7 loss to the Padres at Petco Park it is that he will get more opportunities to prove why the Phillies coveted him last summer in the Cole Hamels trade and why MLBPipeline considers him the No. 69 prospect in baseball. He allowed seven hits, six runs, two walks and struck out one in just 4 1/3 innings. He became one of six Phillies pitchers since 1913 to allow six or more earned runs in fewer than five innings in his big league debut, according to Baseball Reference. Turk Farrell (1956), Rafael Quirico (1996), Ethan Martin (2013), Severino Gonzalez (2015) and Zach Eflin (2016) are the others. "I wasn't nervous," Thompson said. "I was kind of amped up, instead of being nervous. Especially in that first inning, I just wasn't able to spin the ball for strikes or be able to get fastballs down in the zone." Thompson allowed four runs in the first to hand the Padres a 4-0 lead. "He was overthrowing obviously," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He was pumped up. He's got good stuff. He just lacked command, the ball was up in the zone. Kind of typical for a guy making his debut." "I'm sure he had some nerves, a lot of adrenaline," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It makes it a little bit tougher to get the ball down, I think. You're probably feeling really fresh. It happens." Thompson settled down a bit after the first, retiring nine of 11 at one point, before he found himself in trouble again in the fifth. Thompson's debut garnered a little more interest than normal because he took a somewhat unusual route to the big leagues. The Tigers selected him in the second round of the 2012 Draft before trading him to Texas in July 2014 in the Joakim Soria trade. The Rangers then traded him to Philadelphia in July 2015 in the Hamels deal. Thompson also had been pitching incredibly well in Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his promotion. He went 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 21 starts, including an 8-0 record with a 1.21 ERA in his last 11 starts. "For me, I need to get back into the bullpen and work on spinning the ball," Thompson said. "I wasn't able to spin the ball very well tonight, curveball or slider. Just make sure I can spin those down in the zone consistently." He gets his next opportunity Friday night against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. "He's 22 years old," Mackanin said. "You can't judge him on this outing."

Making Cuts – The Phillies decided Saturday that they needed to see Luis Garcia, Michael Mariot and other relief pitchers in the final two months of the 2016 season more than they needed to see Brett Oberholtzer. The Phils designated Oberholtzer for assignment to make room for right-hander Jake Thompson on the 25-man roster. "He's pitched pretty well lately," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Oberholtzer, "but overall, there's other people that need to be seen, given opportunities to make decisions on them. I think there are other people that are more important for us to see to make a determination about whether they fit. And that's what this year is about." Oberholtzer can be traded, claimed off irrevocable outright waivers, assigned to the Minor Leagues or released within the next 10 days. He first must clear waivers to be sent to the Minor Leagues or released. Oberholtzer posted a 2.88 ERA over 25 innings in 13 appearances since June 8 after he posted a 6.75 ERA in 25 1/3 innings in his first 13 appearances. But the Phillies look at Oberholtzer as a long man, while they think other relievers in the system can potentially play more critical roles in the future. The Phillies acquired Oberholtzer in December as part of the Ken Giles trade. He went 11-20 with a 3.94 ERA in 45 appearances (42 starts) with the Astros from 2013-15. Interestingly, Oberholtzer's departure leaves the Phillies without a left-hander on the entire pitching staff. It is unclear if that has ever happened before in franchise history, but it shouldn't hurt the Phillies too much -- Oberholtzer was not particularly effective against lefties. Right-handers have a .747 OPS against him in his career, while lefties have a .776 OPS. "There's not a lot of guys you can really count on," Mackanin said about the organization's left-handed relievers. The Phillies also asked for unconditional release waivers for right-hander Andrew Bailey.

Today In Phils History – In the last at bat of his career in 1893, Frank O’Connor hit a homerun off of Blatimore’s Bill Hawke. In 1942, the Phillies signed free agent Chuck Klein who would wind down his career over the next 3 seasons of his career. The following season, Utility man Glen Stewart hit the only 2 homeruns of his career (742 at bats) against the Giants. Frank Thomas joined the Phillies via trade on this day in 1964. Bob Skinner resigned as manager on this day in 1969 citing a lack of support from the front office regarding discipline of Dick Allen (George Myatt finished the season with his second stint as interim manager). Following a single by Greg Luzinski in the top of the 9^th against the Cardinals manager Danny Ozark replaced the slugger with Jim Kaat to pinch run who was later replaced after a double by Jay Johnstone with pinch runner Johnny Oates who scored the winning run. 10 years later, Juan Samuel scored on a 4 base error against the Cardinals but it wasn’t enough as Todd Worrell broke the NL Rookie record with his 23^rd save of the season. A decade later, Todd Ziele tied a MLB record by committing 4 errors in a single game while playing 1B against the Braves. 5 years later, Bobby Abreu connects in the 5^th inning against San Diego for the 10,000^th homerun in franchise history. In 2009, Harry Kalas was posthumously inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 51-61 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-51-0 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.

Padres Can’t Contain Phillies E-Rupp-tion

GAME RECAP: Phillies Dis-Rupp-t Padres 5-4

Cameron Rupp homered in his third straight game Friday night at Petco Park, leading the Phillies to a 5-4 win over the Padres in the first game of a three-game series. Rupp hit his 13th homer of the season 427 feet to straightaway center field, and straight into a palm tree, against San Diego starter Christian Friedrich in the fourth inning, before tacking on an RBI double in the sixth. "He left the pitch up. I didn't miss it," Rupp said. "I was looking to drive the ball up the middle, with the infield back in that situation, with guys in scoring position. He gave me a pitch to hit." Rupp's offensive efforts backed up yet another solid start from Jeremy Hellickson, who tossed 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs. The 29-year-old righty struck out just three Padres hitters, but put together a stretch of 13 straight batters retired before pinch-hitter Alexei Ramirez homered in the seventh and ended his outing. Friedrich threw seven innings for just the second time this season, and pitched well, aside from the two at-bats against Rupp, who was responsible for driving in all the runs he allowed. Friedrich struck out four batters while walking none, and managed four 1-2-3 innings. "Just two bad mistakes to Rupp," Friedrich said. "Spinning slider [on a 3-2 count on the home run] and curveball just left over the middle of the plate [on the double]. ... The crooked number has usually been my kind of bugaboo, so trying to get rid of those and hopefully get deeper into games."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Rupp's impressive season continues. He entered the night with an .813 OPS, which ranked fourth among 20 qualified catchers. His numbers improved with his homer and double Friday. Rupp has three homers and eight RBIs in three games this month. He also became the first Phillies catcher to homer in three consecutive games since Mike Lieberthal in July 1999. "I can't tell you how much more fun baseball is when you hit homers and drive runs in and win games," Rupp said. "It's so much more fun. It's always great to see something that you work at, you see the success, especially fairly quick. I'm just trying to stay with it. Stay within myself. It's awesome that I've had the success so far."
• "The pitch that Rupp hit was a palm ball," -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, on Rupp's homer which hit off a palm tree in center field.
• The Phillies challenged after Travis Jankowski hit a two-out double to left field in the seventh inning and was called safe at second base. Cesar Hernandez held his tag on Jankowski as he stood up to call time, but Jankowski momentarily removed his right arm from the bag before his foot stepped on it. Hernandez immediately signaled to the Phillies' dugout to review the play. The replay official in New York saw what Hernandez saw and the call was overturned. When Jankowski removed his arm, no other part of his body was on second base.
• The Padres challenged a call in the bottom of the ninth inning after Derek Norris was called out at first on the back end of a 6-4-3 double play. Replays showed that while Norris might have been able to beat the throw, he didn't actually make contact with the first-base bag. After a review, officials determined that both runners --Jabari Blash at second (confirmed) and Norris at first (call stands) -- were out.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson makes his big league debut Saturday night against the Padres at Petco Park at 8:40 p.m. ET. He is the No. 70 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. He joined the Phillies in July 2015 as part of the Cole Hamels trade with Texas.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rupp Stays Hot – Cameron Rupp should have won something for homering off a palm tree Saturday night at Petco Park. A cocktail with an umbrella in it, perhaps? His three-run home run to center field in the fourth inning helped the Phillies to a 5-4 victory over the Padres. The 3-2 pitch from Padres left-hander Christian Friedrichleft Rupp's bat at 109 mph, and it sailed like a missile until it smashed into the middle of a palm tree just beyond the 396-foot sign. "The pitch that Rupp hit was a palm ball," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin joked. "I didn't miss it," said Rupp, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Rupp's stellar season continues. He has an .831 OPS, which is third among 20 qualified catchers in Major League Baseball. Only Wilson Ramos (.928) andJonathan Lucroy (.894) have been better at the plate. "I can't tell you how much more fun baseball is when you hit homers and drive runs in and win games," Rupp said. "It's so much more fun. It's always great to see something that you work at, you see the success, especially fairly quick. I'm just trying to stay with it. Stay within myself. It's awesome that I've had the success so far." Rupp, who doubled to score a run in the sixth, has homered in three consecutive games, becoming the first Phillies catcher to homer in three consecutive games since Mike Lieberthal from July 27-30, 1999. The last Phillies catcher to homer in four consecutive games is Darren Daulton from June 7-12, 1992. Rupp is hitting .357 (5-for-14) with one double, three home runs and eight RBIs in three games this month. "One of the things about what Rupp has done is he's drastically changed his approach at the plate and it's paying off for him, which is huge," Mackanin said. "If other guys that need to make an overhaul on their swing would look at what Rupp has accomplished -- and it's all pretty much the same, staying on top of the ball and not dropping the back side and getting underneath the ball. If the other hitters that need to do that would pay attention, it would help them also. "We're trying like hell to get them do that. It's not easily done. But Rupp spent the whole winter believing in that and it's paying off for him." This was the first time Rupp ever hit an odd object in the outfield on a home run. No bulls for a free steak. No "Hit It Here" signs, which the Padres' Wil Myers almost hit in the seventh inning in left field. "I wonder what he would have won," Rupp said.

Preparing For His Debut – Jake Thompson followed the Trade Deadline like most people followed it. He monitored everything on TV and Twitter. Of course, he had particular interest in the speculation because much of it involved him. Most believed that if the Phillies traded a pitcher before Monday's deadline that Thompson would be promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. But the Phillies traded nobody, so Thompson stopped thinking about it. But then Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola landed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. Phil Klein started in his place Wednesday night, but Thompson got the news that same night that he would take Nola's spot in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Thompson will make his big league debut Saturday night against the Padres at Petco Park. "It was awesome," Thompson said about the promotion. "Pretty satisfying. I had a different route than most guys my age to be called up having been traded a couple of times, few different stops. But, yeah, it was a really satisfying moment for me." Detroit selected Thompson in the second round of the 2012 Draft. The Tigers traded him to Texas in July 2014 in the Joakim Soria trade. The Rangers traded him to Philadelphia in July 2015 in the Cole Hamels deal. The trade is looking pretty good for both teams. Hamels has pitched well in Texas, while Jerad Eickhoff has fared well in the Phillies' rotation and three of the prospects (Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro) are among the top 100 prospects in baseball. Right-hander Alec Asher had been pitching well at Double-A Reading and Triple-A before being suspended for testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. "I sure hope it is," Thompson said about the trade being a difference-maker for the organization. "There's a lot of different things that can happen. But looking at the talent they got back in [the trade], they got a lot of young talented guys in it. Hopefully everybody makes it up and sticks and has a long successful career." Thompson is the No. 70 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. He went 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 21 starts this season with Lehigh Valley. He went 8-0 with a 1.21 ERA in his last 11 starts. He feels he is ready to go. "Really after the first month in Triple-A, I had a few starts go my way and I started to build that comfort," Thompson said. "About a month ago, I really started feeling comfortable pitching, regardless of the level. I was really comfortable with myself. "I'll sleep well [Friday night]. [Saturday] I might get a little jittery, but it's still the same game. I have to control the things I can control, keep the ball down in the zone."

Sending A Message – The Phillies' only All-Star has been hard to find lately. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has put Odubel Herrera on the bench in three of the past four games, including Friday night's series opener against the Padres at Petco Park. The Phillies faced left-handers in each those three games, but Herrera's spot on the bench is not only a matchup issue. After all, he started 17 of the team's first 21 games against left-handers this year. Mackanin seems to be sending Herrera a message. "He doesn't look like the same guy right now," Mackanin said. "I'm giving him a little bit of a reprieve here just to back off a little bit and maybe he'll come in and ask me how come he's not playing or maybe he'll take advantage of the time off to clear his head and get back to where he was before." Herrera is hitting .211 (19-for-90) with two doubles, one home run, eight RBIs and a .598 OPS in 24 games since July 6. He has walked eight times and struck out 20 times in that stretch. He hit .305 (96-for-315) with 10 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs and an .834 OPS in his first 85 games. He walked 43 times and struck out 65 times in that span. "He's a little less disciplined than he was earlier," Mackanin said. "He's swinging at too many bad pitches." Mackanin said Herrera's struggles could be a focus issue. "It's such a long season and a long grind," Mackanin said. "You've got to be special to be up and post up for every game and some guys can do that and others need a little time. I don't feel players get physically tired at the end of the season; I think they get mentally tired."

Today In Phils History – Harry Wright returned to the dugout on this day in 1890 following an absence of over 2 months due to blindness. 4 years later, on Sherry Magee’s 10^th birthday, the stands at the Phillies wooden home park burned down prior to an afternoon game and partially rebuilt for a game on August 18^th before being fully rebuilt with steel and brick. Robin Roberts threw a complete game in a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers in 1960 while allowing 13 hits all of which were singles. In 1971, manager Frank Lucchesi moved pitcher Bill Wilson to 3B and sent lefty Joe Hoerner to the mound to face Willie Stargell who struck out and allowed Wilson to complete the inning. 3 years later, the Phillies beat the Cubs while only recording a single assist in the process (the 6^th time the Phillies had done so in franchise history). Goose Gossage picked up his 300^th career save against the Phillies in 1988. The Phillies sell out streak which dated back to July 2009 (257 home games) ended on this day in 2012 and was declared by the team to be the longest such streak in NL history.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 51-60 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-61-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Velasquez Has Historically Dominant Performance Against Padres

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blank Padres 3-0

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

PHILS PHACTS:

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

NEXT GAME:

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

PHILS PHACTS:

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

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

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

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

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

THE BEGINNING:

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