Bullpen Falters Erasing Nola’s Stellar Start

GAME RECAP: Marlins Edge Phillies 3-2

The Marlins continue to be one of the best stories in baseball this season. Following Jose Fernandez's 14 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for Miami, Marcell Ozuna knocked in the game-tying run with two outs in the ninth and Martin Prado hit the game-winning home run in the 11th to beat the Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, 3-2. The victory moved the Marlins into sole possession of the second National League Wild Card, one game ahead of the Mets. "You kinda feel like you stole that one, but that's what you've gotta do to be a good team," Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich said. "That was a big win for us." It was the first win for the Marlins this season when they were trailing after eight innings. They had previously been 0-40. "I think [the come-from-behind win] gives you confidence from the standpoint that you're not out of games," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Even in a game where we basically got handcuffed most of the night, our pitching kept us there … in striking distance, where we're able to get to the point where one baserunner changes the game." The Phillies' bullpen spoiled a superb effort from right-hander Aaron Nola, who had struggled in his previous five starts. Nola allowed two hits and struck out five in six scoreless innings. He had been in line for the win until Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez blew his third save of the season in the ninth. "It's a shame we couldn't hold onto that lead in the ninth," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "But the good news was Nola. He pitched really well. He was painting both sides of the plate. He had his fastball working on both corners, down in the zone. Very encouraging."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies skipped Nola's last start before the All-Star break, saying he needed to clear his mind after posting a 13.50 ERA in his previous five starts. Nola disputed he needed a mental break, but whatever the reason for his struggles, he looked like himself again. "It was a tough month for me," Nola said afterward. "Those two weeks off felt like a really long time, and I was ready to get back on the mound."
• Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera ripped a double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first and advanced to third on a dropped third strike. He later scored on Maikel Franco's groundout to second to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. The score remained the same until the seventh, when Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph crushed an 0-1 breaking ball to left field for a solo home run to make it 2-0. "That was nice heads-up baserunning," Mackanin said.
• The Phillies looked to have escaped Fernandez's 14-K day with a win when they handed the game off to Gomez in the ninth. But hits from J.T. Realmuto, Yelich and Ozuna combined for two runs that tied the game. Mattingly pinch-ran Yefri Perez for Giancarlo Stanton, but the Marlins would not miss him. Two innings later, Prado put the third pitch he saw from Brett Oberholtzer into the left-field seats to give the Marlins the decisive, 3-2 lead. Gomez hadn't blown a save since June 12 and it was just his third in 28 attempts this season. "I'm just happy to see everybody not panic when we don't need to," Prado said. "We just made it out all the way ... You never know what's going to happen." Fernandez was watching the ninth-inning comeback from the clubhouse, where he was getting his routine postgame treatment on his arm. "I was watching and I was like, 'Come on!' 'Come on!' It was fun to watch. That tells you how good this team is."
• Joseph has 12 homers in his first 48 games in a Phillies uniform. According to Elias, he is the fourth Phillies player to hit 12 homers in his first 48 games. The others are Raul Ibanez (17), Pete Incaviglia (12) and Lefty O'Doul (12).
  Velasquez has faced the Marlins twice this season, with neither outing going particularly smoothly. In his first, Velasquez allowed four runs on seven hits over six innings. He didn't allow a run his next time facing the Fish, but it took him 103 pitches to make it through five, striking out 10.
• Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez blew his first save in over a month in Monday's game, allowing two runs to tie the game in the ninth before Martin Prado hit a go-ahead home run in the 11th. It was just Gomez's third blown save in 28 attempts.
• Ichiro Suzuki went hitless in two at-bats Monday after staying in the game as a sub, but he is just six hits away from 3,000. He has struck out just four times in his last 104 plate appearances against right-handers, the lowest strikeout rate in the league over that span.

NEXT GAME:

The Marlins played their first four games out of the All-Star break with an extra hand on the bench, choosing to carry the wheels of Yefri Perez rather than a fifth starter. But the fifth rotation spot rolled around and the Marlins optioned Perez back to Triple-A, recalling Jose Urena to start against the Phillies on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET in the second of a four-game set in Philadelphia. Perez ran into an out at third base while pinch-running for Giancarlo Stanton in the ninth inning of Monday's 3-2 win. He stole a base and scored a run in the only other action he saw in the bigs. Urena (1-1, 7.52 ERA) has appeared in 16 games for Miami this season, but this will be his first start. He has been in Triple-A since the start of June. In his last appearance, May 30 against the Pirates, he gave up four runs in an inning of work. The Phillies send Vince Velasquez (8-2, 3.32 ERA) to the mound in search of their first win of the series following an 11-inning loss Monday. After giving the Phillies a scare with decreased velocity in his second-to-last start before the All-Star break, which the club attributed to a dead arm, Velasquez was back to bringing the heat in Colorado. In his final start before the break, Velasquez went six innings of two-run ball, and his fastball averaged nearly 95 mph, close to his career average.

PHILS PHACTS:

Return To Form – Aaron Nola finally looked like himself again Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed two hits, one walk and struck out five in six scoreless innings in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings to the Marlins. He threw just 68 pitches with the trademark command that made him the seventh overall pick in the 2014 Draft. "He was back to being himself," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. Nola's return to form is a relief for the Phillies, who watched him post a 13.50 ERA in his previous five starts. He struggled so much in that stretch -- he pitched five innings just once -- that the Phillies skipped his final start before the All-Star break, saying he needed to rest and clear his mind. Nola disputed the notion he needed a mental break, believing he simply had to improve the location of his pitches, keeping the ball down in the strike zone. "It was a tough month for me," Nola said afterward. "Those two weeks off felt like a really long time, and I was ready to get back on the mound." He immediately looked different than he had in the previous month, retiring the Marlins in order in the first inning. Nola entered the game with a 7.94 ERA in the first inning this season. He had not pitched a clean first inning since May 25 against the Tigers. "He pitched really well," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He was painting both sides of the plate. He had his fastball working on both corners, down in the zone." "He was confident," Rupp said. "He probably had a little fatigue [in June], just his first full big league season. He's 23 years old. He's young. He was seven, eight innings almost every start. His innings built up quick, and he probably just ran out of juice a little bit." But feeling refreshed, Nola faced the minimum through 5 1/3 innings when Adeiny Hechavarria ripped a line drive off Nola's right shoulder. Nola remained in the game and finished the inning. He said the arm feels fine. "I didn't want that thing to tighten up on him," Mackanin said. "He said he was fine. It was two-fold. I didn't want that thing to tighten up between innings and take any chances. Plus, getting him out on a positive note like that was important." Of course, the next step for Nola is stringing a few solid starts together. He certainly is capable of that. He posted a 2.65 ERA in his first 12 starts this season. "He made a lot of great pitches," Mackanin said. "It was great to see. Very encouraging. I was happy to see it."

Making Room – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr took another step Monday in his return to the big leagues, which means the Phillies are getting closer to making room for him on the 25-man roster. Altherr had his rehab assignment transferred to Class A Clearwater from the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies. Altherr, who tore a tendon in his left wrist in March, began his rehab assignment on July 8, which means the Phillies must activate him from the disabled list on July 28 if he is healthy. "I'm anxious to see where he's at in another week or two," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This was an important year to see how good he could be. Let's say he finishes the last two months of the season, that could give us a better indication. But it's a shame we couldn't find out watching him play the whole year." The Phillies could trade Peter Bourjos before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline to make room for Altherr. Bourjos is a free agent after the season, which provides the Phillies some motivation to move him. But teams could be motivated to acquire him, too. Bourjos entered Monday's series opener against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park hitting .381 (37-for-97) with seven doubles, four triples, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.052 OPS in 29 games since June 12. "I've read where there's interest in [Jeremy] Hellickson, and there might be interest in some other players, but it's so much out of my hands that I don't even worry about it," Mackanin said. "We'll make adjustments when we have to and I'm sure, depending on if and when they make moves, then immediately we'll discuss who takes their place and it'll happen overnight whether it's a callup or whatever, or part of a trade."

Today In Phils History – When John McGraw made his managerial debut with the Giants in 1902, the Phillies offered him a rude reception by handing him his first loss. However, when Juan Marichal made his debut with the Giants in 1960, it was a completely different outcome as he threw a 1 hit shutout. 3 years later, Roy Sievers hit his 300^th career homerun to beat the Mets and hand Roger Craig his 14^th straight loss. Greg Luzinski’s homer contributed to the NL victory at Yankee Stadium during the 1977 All Star Game. 5 years later, Gary Matthews completed a franchise record streak by going 11 straight game where he only collected 1 hit in each contest. It was on this day in 1993 when John Kruk’s cup was shattered by an errant pick off attempt from Mitch Williams against the Dodgers which would later lead to his testicular cancer diagnosis the following spring. Finally, happy birthday Jonathan Pettibone, wherever you may be.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 43-51 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 56-62-0 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.

Franco Already Getting Ready For 2016

PHILS PHACTS:

Ready For The Winter? – So where has Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco been lately? Franco played the final three games of the 2015 regular season following a nearly two-month stint on the disabled list with a broken left wrist. He is scheduled to begin playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic with Gigantes del Ciabo as early as this week. "He took some time off, but he's supposed to be out there any day," Phils player development director Joe Jordan said Tuesday afternoon. Franco, 23, hit .280 with 22 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs, 50 RBIs and an .840 OPS in 335 plate appearances this season. He is a lock to be Philadelphia's 2016 Opening Day third baseman, provided he is healthy.

One Day, Three Teams – Baseball fans and pundits love to debate who they'd like to build a franchise around, if they were given the opportunity to do so. But on this day in 1997, the D-backs and the Rays actually had that opportunity in the MLB Expansion Draft. With the sixth pick in that draft, the then-Devil Rays selected a Venezuelan outfielder named Bobby Abreu (the Astros left him unprotected in favor of fellow Venezuelan outfielder Richard Hidalgo). Before Abreu could even pack his bags for sunny Tampa, however, the Rays turned around and traded him to the Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker. Within the span of about four hours, Abreu was an Astro and then a Devil Ray and then a Phillie. Over the next nine seasons, Abreu played in 1,353 games for the Phils and accumulated 1,474 hits before he was traded to the Yankees in 2006. He finished his career with 2,470 hits, 288 home runs, two All-Star appearances, a Gold Glove Award, a Silver Slugger Award and one incredible Home Run Derby performance.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Billingsley Sinks Fish Before Getting The Hook

GAME RECAP: Phils Fluster Fish 3-1

The Phillies suffered more than their share of struggles the first half of the season, so they have warmly welcomed the results from their first two games after the All-Star break. They beat the Marlins on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, 3-1, to take the first two games of the three-game series. Chad Billingsley pitched five scoreless innings before leaving with elbow tightness, and the Phillies' bullpen held the lead, putting the Phils in position to sweep their first series since May 15-17 against Arizona. "I think everybody felt better coming back [after the break]," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Starting fresh. We talked about it as a team -- starting fresh and choosing that path to win more games. It certainly helps that guys are playing hard." Sloppy play hurt the Marlins, who had been solid defensively the first half of the season. It stood out in the second inning, when they committed two errors and allowed the Phillies' third run without the benefit of a hit. "It's uncharacteristic of what we've done," Miami manager Dan Jennings said. "We've been a good defensive team. Early we were sloppy. It bit us. We're not that kind of ballclub. We're a better ballclub than that. I don't know if it's coming off the break and we haven't handled the ball with the four days off. Early in the game, sloppy. It definitely put us in a hole a little bit."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies have been desperate for quality starting pitching this season, and Billingsley provided them such an effort Saturday. He allowed four hits, one walk and struck out two in five scoreless innings, although the Phils pulled him after he complained about elbow stiffness throughout the start. Billingsley, who had right elbow surgeries the last two years, said he will know more about the severity of the issue after seeing the team doctor. "Didn't want to push it too much more," Billingsley said.
• The Phillies kept the Marlins at bay with several solid defensive plays. Ryan Howard caught a line drive and doubled up J.T. Realmuto in the third. Ben Revere made a great catch at the wall in the fourth and Galvis threw out the lead runner at third in the sixth. "Close games are more often lost than won, and it usually is due to mistakes by the opposition," Mackanin said. "And just like last night, we took advantage of their mistakes and we won that game. It's all about making the big play, getting big hits and making pitches when you have to."
• Prior to Saturday's game, the Phillies' 65 team errors were the second most in the National League. According to fangraphs.com's defensive standings, the Phillies have been the worst defensive team in the NL. But Saturday, the Phillies turned that idea on its head. They capitalized on two Miami errors and a botched double-play opportunity to score three early runs, and held that lead on the back of outstanding defensive plays by Howard, Galvis and Revere.
• "Oh, [teammates] just told me. It was kind of like, 'Where were you in the beginning of the season?' and that kind of thing. They were joking around." -- Ken Giles, whose 100-mph fastball struck out Adeiny Hechavarria to end a threat in the eighth inning. It is believed to be the first time Giles officially hit 100 mph with a pitch this season.
• Ichiro Suzuki singled, stole second and scored for Miami in the sixth inning. The hit was No. 2,893 for Ichiro, who is 107 shy of 3,000. The stolen base was his 495th as he closes in on 500.

NEXT GAME:

Could Sunday be Cole Hamels' final start in a Phillies uniform at Citizens Bank Park? It certainly is possible. Hamels is expected to be traded before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, with continued interest from the Cubs, Red Sox, Dodgers and Rangers. In Sunday's 1:35 p.m. ET series finale, Dan Haren (7-5, 3.24 ERA) makes his 19th start of the season. The right-hander is 1-1 (3.00) in two starts against the Phillies this year.

PHILS PHACTS:

Billingsley Exits Early – The Phillies signed Chad Billingsley to a one-year contract in January because they considered it low risk, high reward. It was low risk because if Billingsley, who left Saturday night's 3-1 victory over the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park with elbow tightness after five scoreless innings, could not pitch effectively following a pair of right elbow surgeries, they had committed only $1.5 million. That is a pittance compared to the $37.5 million injured left-hander Cliff Lee will make this year, which includes his $25 million salary and a $12.5 million buyout on a 2016 club option. It had the potential for reward because if Billingsley pitched well, the Phillies hoped to trade him to a contender before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, or even the Aug. 31 waiver Trade Deadline. But neither seems likely after Saturday. "Throughout the game I was feeling it," Billingsley said of the elbow issue. "I don't really know the extent of it right now. I haven't seen the doctor or had him evaluate me. But I guess I'll know more once that happens." Billingsley had Tommy John surgery on April 24, 2013, and flexor tendon surgery June 24, 2014, before joining the Phillies' rotation in May. He lasted just three starts before suffering a strained right shoulder, which put him back on the disabled list. "Just something didn't look right," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "In his face you could see in his face that something was bugging him, so we wanted to make sure and take care of it. ... Stiffness, soreness ... he complained about it. We felt it was in the best interest of him, especially after what he's gone through, to take it easy." If Billingsley (2-3, 5.84 ERA) heads to the DL again, it seems right-hander Jerome Williams could take his place. Williams just made his third rehab start Friday with Double-A Reading. But clearly the Phillies are desperate for quality starting pitching right now, which made Billingsley's early hook stick out. "You know what's been going on here," Mackanin said. "We want our pitchers to go more than five innings, and I certainly didn't want to take him out. But we're not going to risk his health, if in fact there is anything of any serious nature. I'm hoping that he's going to be fine and it's just one of those things that's going on while he's getting back into his groove. Just being careful with him." Billingsley almost didn't know what to say Saturday. Asked if he feels he can't catch a break, he only said, "It's part of it. It's part of it."

Giles Ready To Take Over In 9^th – If Ken Giles' future were a baseball game, he'd be warming up in the bullpen right about now. The Phillies' setup man of the last two seasons, who reached 100 mph in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Marlins, has been nothing short of dominant in his brief big league career, posting an ERA of 1.46 and striking out 12 batters per nine innings in his 86 1/3 career innings. More than 70 percent of those 259 outs he's recorded have come in the eighth inning, as he's been bridging the gap between the starters and long bullpen arms and closer Jonathan Papelbon. But Giles' status may soon change. Much like a closer watching a tie game in the eighth inning, anxious to see whether his team requires his services, Giles is waiting to see whether his team will need him in the eighth or ninth inning in the coming months. With the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline less than two weeks away and Papelbon expected to be one of the Phillies' main trade chips, Giles may have to take over for the franchise's all-time saves leader within the next month. On Saturday night, Giles pitched in a high-leverage situation as a closer would, and once again proved his ability. He worked himself into an eighth-inning jam, allowing one-out singles to Martin Prado and Christian Yelich, but worked out of it by forcing Justin Bour to ground out to first base and striking out Adeiny Hechavarria with a 100-mph fastball, his first three-digit heater of the year. "That last one I just went and let it fly," Giles said. "If I walked him, I had an open base. It was just one of those things like, 'Full count, let it fly.'" Giles said that despite the high stakes of the situation, he didn't view it as an audition for the closer's role. That being said, pitching the ninth inning is ultimately what he is striving for. "It is my goal," he said. To Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin, Giles is doing what is necessary to move into the role, regardless of if he does or not. "I think he certainly has the ability to [close], he's got the stuff to do it," Mackanin said. "Pitching the eighth inning, although it isn't the final three outs, it's still a pressure cooker. And he's handled that relatively well. Actually, very well. And we're not going to know until he's put into that position if and when that happens." Despite the unknowns, Mackanin said he believes Giles will be a closer for the Phillies someday, even if it doesn't come this year. "[Pitching] is all a matter of mechanically being able to repeat your delivery and so there is some emotion involved and there's a lot of mechanics involved and there is temperament," Mackanin said. "Nobody can really tell how good a guy is going to be. He could be very good. I would think that he's going to be a closer at some point."

Williams Ready To Return – The question isn't whether Jerome Williams is ready to rejoin the Phillies. The question is whether the Phillies are ready for Williams. On Friday, Williams made his third rehab start since injuring his hamstring vs. the Orioles on June 16. The 33-year-old right-hander threw 90 pitches over eight innings, allowing two runs, only one of which was earned. Upon returning to Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, Williams said he feels healthy and doesn't think making another rehab start is necessary. "I think I'm good," Williams said before the Phillies' 3-1 win over the Marlins on Saturday. "But it's not my decision. It's up to the team. Whatever the decision is I'll take it in stride and make it my goal to get back here." Williams wasn't the only one to acknowledge that his future is in flux. Interim manager Pete Mackanin said that while he was impressed when he heard about Williams' outing Friday night, it's hard to know exactly where Williams will fit in on the Phillies' active roster moving forward. "We're going to have to make some decisions," Mackanin said. "We haven't made any conclusions yet. It's imminent. So we've got a few possibilities, but we're still in the process of ironing it out." Though Mackanin has plenty of possible options as to how to stack the Phillies' rotation for the rest of 2015, most of them hinge upon the question of whether the team wants to press onward with youth or with veterans. After rookie Adam Morgan continued the solid start to his career Friday night, and with the impending arrival of Phillies top pitching prospect Aaron Nola on Tuesday, youth seems to be infiltrating the Phils' starting five. That being said, Williams and fellow veteran Aaron Harang are expected to return from the disabled list soon, and Chad Billingsley may be headed there for a third time this season after he left his start Saturday after 70 pitches with elbow discomfort. If Billingsley is headed to the DL, it would make sense for Williams to occupy his spot in the rotation. But with Cole Hamels still on the team for the time being, Morgan, Nola and 25-year-old David Buchanan having the advantage of youth on their sides, and Sean O'Sullivan, Kevin Correia and Severino Gonzalez all in Triple-A with 25 combined starts for Philadelphia this year, Williams isn't the only option Mackanin has. With this mix of youngsters trying to make a name for themselves, a star in his prime expected to be traded and veterans trying to reinvent themselves, Mackanin's "imminent" decision relies upon many different factors. But to Williams, the variety of ages and experiences on the roster has actually been advantageous for the pitchers themselves. "[I try] being someone who is a veteran guy to pass on some knowledge on ups and downs and just to give the younger guys confidence too," Williams said. "Also, those younger guys give us confidence to step our game up because they're younger. We're more mature, but they have a future ahead of them."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 31-62. 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 56-62-0 on this day.