GAME RECAP: No Game Played Yesterday
Phillies took the time to
reflect on the tough season and the possibility of losing 100 games for the
first time since 1961. Hopefully they also spent a few moments looking for a
new manager and GM.
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco and first baseman Ryan
Howard are injured, but both expect to play again this season. Franco
definitely won't be back in time to face the Braves. Howard probably
won't, either. Franco is recovering from a broken left wrist in
Clearwater, Fla. Howard is still hobbling because of a bruised left knee.
- The Braves snapped a 12-game home losing streak Tuesday with
a victory over the Blue Jays. The Elias Sports Bureau said only five teams
since 1969 had lost more than 12 consecutive games at home, the last being
the 2002 Mets, who lost 15 consecutive games at Shea Stadiuim.
NEXT
GAME:
Phillies left-hander
Adam Morgan gets the opportunity to pitch at home Friday night in the series
opener against the Braves at Turner Field. Morgan is 5-6 with a 4.60 ERA in 14 starts in his rookie season,
including a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Braves. Morgan grew up in nearby
Marietta, Ga., about 30 minutes north of Turner Field. He pitched at Turner
Field on July 3, allowing two runs in seven innings. The Phillies will face right-hander William
Perez (5-6, 5.36 ERA). He earned the win against the Phillies on Sept. 7, when
he allowed two runs in seven innings at Citizens Bank Park.
PHILS PHACTS:
No Leg Lamps Here – It has been a heck of a year for the Phillies' farm system.
MLBPipeline.com
recently
ranked Philadelphia's organization No. 7 in baseball
after it finished last season in the bottom 10. A big reason is the influx of
talent from multiple trades since December. But another reason is that some of
the Phillies' recent Draft picks have developed as expected or better than
expected. MLBPipeline.com on Thursday named two of the Phillies' recent Draft
picks -- righty
Aaron Nola and catcher
Andrew Knapp -- the
Phillies'
top pitching and hitting prospects of 2015,
respectively. Nola entered the season as the No. 2 prospect in the system,
behind only shortstop J.P. Crawford,
currently
the club's top prospect. But Nola has lived up
to the hype. The Phillies selected him with the seventh overall pick in the
2014 Draft and said at the time that he was the most Major League-ready pitcher
in the Draft. He made the big leagues a little less than a year later. Nola
went 7-3 with a 1.88 ERA in 12 starts with Double-A Reading. He went 3-1 with a
3.58 ERA in six starts with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before making his big league
debut on July 21. Nola is 6-2 with a 4.11 ERA in 11 starts with the Phillies.
He should be a solid piece of the rotation for years to come. The Phillies
selected Knapp, the club's No. 17 prospect, in the second round of the 2013
Draft. He posted a .710 OPS in 404 plate appearances last season with Class A
Lakewood and Class A Advanced Clearwater after undergoing Tommy John surgery in
October 2013. He hit .262 with 14 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 28
RBIs and a .725 OPS in 63 games with Clearwater this season before being
promoted to Reading. And his season in Reading is why Knapp earned Hitter of
the Year honors. Knapp, a switch-hitter, has hit .360 with 21 doubles, two
triples, 11 homers, 56 RBIs and a 1.050 OPS in 55 games with Reading, which is
in the Eastern League Championship Series. Despite the fact that Knapp has
spent about a half-season with Reading, it would not be a surprise to see him
open next season in Triple-A and even make the big leagues before the end of
2016.
Reading Is Rolling – Double-A Reading moved to within one game of claiming the
Eastern League title Thursday, dispatching Bowie, 9-3, in Game 3 of the
best-of-five championship series. A slew of Phillies top prospects contributed
in the win, as starting pitcher Jake Thompson took care of business on the
mound while outfielder Nick Williams, shortstop J.P. Crawford and catcher
Andrew Knapp supported his effort with strong performances at the plate. Fresh
off the best start of his career -- a three-hit shutout against Binghamton in
the Eastern League semifinals -- Thompson,
the
Phillies' No. 2 prospect (
No.
55 overall),
picked up the win with seven innings of one-run ball, carrying a no-hit bid
into the fifth inning before surrendering a single to Garabez Rosa to open the
frame. The 21-year-old right-hander scattered four hits and three walks in the
outing and struck out five, throwing 65 of his 97 pitches for strikes. Thompson
has dealt for the Fightin Phils since coming over from Texas in the
Cole Hamels blockbuster, going 7-1 with a 1.48 ERA,
0.92 WHIP and 47/16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 61 innings spanning nine starts
(including the postseason). During the regular season, the 2012 second-rounder
was 11-7 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 42 walks (2.9 BB/9) and 112 strikeouts
(7.6 K/9) in 132 2/3 innings (24 starts) between Double-A Frisco and Reading.
No. 1 prospect
(
No. 5
overall) Crawford got the scoring started
with a sacrifice fly in the third inning and finished the game 2-for-3 with a
run scored and a walk. The 20-year-old shortstop has now hit safely in all six
Eastern League playoff games, and he's batting .476 (10-for-21) with six runs
in that span. Crawford's prospect stock continued to rise this season thanks to
another impressive showing at a pair of advanced levels. Specifically, the 2013
first-rounder posted a .288/.380/.414 batting line with six home runs, 35
extra-base hits and 68 runs scored in 107 regular-season games between Class A
Advanced Clearwater and Reading. He also stole 12 bases in 16 attempts and
accrued more walks (63) than strikeouts (54).
No. 3 prospect (
No.
59 overall) Williams -- acquired from Texas
along with Thompson in the Hamels deal -- also had a big game for the Fightin
Phils, going 2-for-6 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. The
left-handed-hitting outfielder connected on a solo shot to open the fifth
inning -- his third home run of the postseason -- and he also delivered an RBI
single in his next trip to the plate as part of Reading's five-run sixth
inning. The 22-year-old took a huge step forward this season during his first
extended stay in Double-A, batting .303/.354/.491 with 17 home runs, 26
doubles, six triples and 55 RBIs over 119 regular-season games between Frisco
and Reading. At the root of Williams' success was a vastly improved strikeout
rate, as he fanned just 18.8 percent of the time this season after posting a
28.8-percent whiff rate in 2014.
No. 17 prospect Knapp also had a
hand in Reading's victory, hitting a double in four at-bats while driving in a
pair of runs to improve his series' RBI total to five. The 23-year-old,
switch-hitting catcher
quietly
enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, batting
.308/.385/.491 with 13 homers, 35 doubles and 84 RBIs in 118 games between
Clearwater and Reading. The California product is batting .261 with an .812 OPS
in the postseason.
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 56-91. 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 46-57-1 on this day.
