GAME RECAP: Orioles Beat Phillies 6-4
The Orioles would like to have the Phillies on their schedule more
often. They jumped to an early lead and held it in Wednesday night's 6-4
victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Chris Parmelee and Travis Snider each homered to help the Orioles, who
won both contests earlier this week against the Phils in Baltimore. They have
won 11 of their last 13 games. "April and May, it's like fighters in the
first few rounds, kind of feeling their way around trying not to get knocked
out, see what the other guy's got, see what they've have," Orioles manager
Buck Showalter said of his team's change in approach in recent weeks. "But
sooner or later, you've got to start throwing punches.” The Phillies have lost
nine consecutive games and 19 of their last 22. It is their longest losing
streak since an 11-game skid in September 1999. "I think we can do
better," shortstop Freddy Galvis said.
"For sure, we can do better. It's not happening right now."
OTHER
NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- The Phillies entered the night
averaging 3.03 runs per game, the lowest average of any team in baseball
since 1972. An example of their offensive shortcomings came in the fourth
inning, when Maikel Franco
singled and Ryan Howard
doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. But Domonic Brown
struck out looking, Cameron Rupp
struck out swinging and Cody Asche struck
out looking to end the inning. The Phillies finished the night 1-for-7
with runners in scoring position. "The fourth inning was a big
inning," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "The four unearned
runs we gave up. And then in the bottom of the inning, we had our
opportunities. Those things add up."
- Galvis committed his 10th error of
the season to start the fourth inning, and it led to four unearned runs.
Galvis' strength is supposed to be his defense, but his 10 errors are tied
for the sixth most in baseball. He had been struggling offensively, too.
He entered the night batting .137 (13-for-95) with a .313 OPS in 24 games
since May 15, but he hit a three-run home run to right field in the
seventh inning to cut Baltimore's lead to 6-4.
- The Phillies' first-inning ERA is
6.31 (47 earned runs in 67 innings), which is the second highest in
baseball. Only the White Sox (7.29 ERA) have fared worse in the first
inning. The Phillies also have allowed 14 first-inning home runs, which is
second only to Toronto (15).
- Getting a win this series is a priority for the Phillies for
more reasons than one, one of which is that they have been swept in each
of their past five Interleague series, including the two-game series
Monday and Tuesday in Baltimore. It has been four years since the Phils
won a series against an American League East opponent, dating back to July
2011.
- Baltimore has not been kind to O'Sullivan in the past. Among
all the teams against whom he has made more than two appearances, O'Sullivan
has a higher career ERA vs. the Orioles than any other team at 8.64. For
his career in Interleague Play, O'Sullivan is 1-0 with a 6.43 ERA.
- Adam Jones was out of the lineup for the Orioles again
Wednesday, but before the game, manager Buck Showalter hinted at the
possibility that Jones could return Thursday, though it still isn't a
guarantee. Showalter did say that Jones could play off the bench if
needed.
NEXT
GAME:
Two pitchers who have
had tough seasons match up against one another in the final game of the second
consecutive series between the Orioles and Phillies on Thursday in
Philadelphia. Bud Norris and Sean O'Sullivan will start for the O's and Phils,
respectively. Though Norris is having the less successful year in terms of ERA
at 8.29, the Orioles are 4-4 in games he has started. O'Sullivan, by contrast,
has a lower ERA at 5.08, but the Phillies are 3-6 when he has taken the mound. Despite
the relative similarities between O'Sullivan and Norris, their teams are
trending in opposite directions. The Orioles have won 11 of 13, including a 7-1
homestand, while the Phillies lost all eight games on a road trip over the same
span, and have lost nine straight and 19 of 22 overall.
PHILS PHACTS:
Hurting And Helping The Team – The
Phillies kept their 2015 expectations more than reasonable for Phillies
shortstop Freddy Galvis. If he
could hit .250, they would be thrilled, because he plays such good defense. But
Galvis' error to start the fourth inning Wednesday night in a 6-4
loss to the Orioles at Citizens Bank Park
led to four unearned runs. The Phillies have lost nine consecutive games, which
is the team's longest losing streak since an 11-game skid in Sept. 1999. They
have lost 19 of their last 22 to drop to 22-45, which is their worst start
since '97. "Nobody wants to make errors," Galvis said. "Nobody
wants to make a bad pitch. Everybody wants to get a home run. Sometimes you
have to let it go. When you try too much, sometimes that happens." Galvis
has committed 10 errors this season, which is tied for the sixth most among
shortstops. His .965 fielding percentage entering the game ranked 18th out of
25 qualified shortstops. "I have to make some adjustments on my
throws," Galvis said. "Most of the errors have been on my throws.
I've been working on it. I hope everything will be all right." But this
one came on a slow ground ball. Galvis charged the ball, but came up empty. "I
don't think he's a guy that should have 10 errors at this stage of the
game," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "This was a hard one,
charging in, but it's one I've seen him make." Galvis also has been
struggling offensively after a hot start. He was batting .355 (43-for-121) with
an .827 OPS in 35 games through May 15. But Galvis entered the night batting
.137 (13-for-95) with a .313 OPS in 24 games since. Perhaps a three-run home
run to right field in the seventh inning -- his second homer of the season --
gets him back on track. "I'd prefer the 'W' tomorrow, the win tomorrow for
us," said Galvis, asked if he hopes the homer gets him going offensively.
"Like I said, man, play hard every day, go hard. That's all we can
do."
Miscues Accentuate Issues – The
Phillies are hanging their red caps on the fact they have been losing close
games lately. They said it shows they can compete. "Maybe notwithstanding
[Tuesday's 19-3 loss], we've actually been battling pretty well," Phillies
general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said before Wednesday's 6-4
loss to the Orioles at Citizens Bank Park. "It
was good to see late fight with the guys," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg
said afterward. "But we came up short." The Phillies have lost nine
consecutive games, their longest losing streak since an 11-game skid in
September 1999. They also have lost 19 of their last 22, losing nine of those
games by two or fewer runs. But a close loss is still a loss, and the Phillies
have dropped to 22-45. The biggest culprit is an anemic offense that entered
the night averaging just 3.03 runs per game, the lowest average of any team in
baseball since 1972. "The frustrating part of it is one ball away, one
ball in play, on base hit away from I don't know how many more wins than we
have," Sandberg said. "Those start to add up. We find ourselves in a
losing streak because we don't scrap out a couple of those wins, and maybe
change the momentum the other day. That's not getting the job done and not
executing." The fourth inning encapsulated the Phillies' season-long
offensive struggles.
Maikel Franco singled
and
Ryan Howard doubled to
put runners on second and third with no outs. But Orioles right-hander
Ubaldo Jimenez struck out
Domonic Brown looking,
Cameron Rupp swinging and
Cody Asche looking to end the inning. "It's
possible to get two runs there with no hits," Sandberg said. "When
you don't have a swing and you take pitches to drive and you go at balls in the
dirt, that's where it becomes hard." The Phillies finished the night
1-for-7 with runners in scoring positon. "We're just trying to keep our
heads up and keep moving forward," said Brown, who struck out on a pitch
that appeared to be above the zone. "I don't think that I was pressing
there. We've just got to get the job done right there. Good teams capitalize
right there. I'm not going to say any bad calls or anything, because you get
pitches to hit."
Front Office Frustrations – It has
been so bad lately for the Phillies that Ruben Amaro Jr. unexpectedly popped
into the home dugout Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park to talk about
it. The Phillies entered Wednesday's series opener against the Orioles with the
worst record (22-44) in baseball. They have lost 18 of their last 21 games, and
they just completed an 0-8 road trip, their first winless road trip of eight or
more games since an 0-9 stretch in the team's inaugural 1883 season. "We
knew that were not going to be necessarily challenging for the National League
East title, but at the same time, we need to see improvement, and that's what
we expect," Amaro said. "We're not seeing it right now." Could
changes be coming? Possibly, but they do not seem imminent. A CSNPhilly.com
report earlier this week said longtime baseball executive Andy MacPhail, 63, is
the organization's top target to replace Phillies president Pat Gillick, who is
not expected to remain in his position beyond the season. But until Gillick's
replacement is announced, he seems unlikely to make wholesale changes with the
front office or coaching staff. "I really don't have any comment about
that," Amaro said about MacPhail's possible arrival. "That's not my
area. That's for people who are much higher than my pay grade." Could
MacPhail's arrival be bad for him? "I'll answer that the same I just
answered the first question," Amaro said. But Amaro, whose contract
expires at the end of the season, said he is "fully supportive" of
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, and he expects Sandberg to finish the season. "As
far as I'm concerned, yes," Amaro said. Of course, it might not be
entirely Amaro's decision to make at this point. Sandberg said he isn't worried
about his job status. "I worry about the game today and what has to be
done today," Sandberg said. "That's the focus and the mindset for
me." But the pressure certainly is on the Phillies, who are rebuilding for
the future. They hope to trade Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Aaron Harang and potentially others before the July
31 Trade Deadline in an effort to speed up the rebuilding process. The
Phillies' intentions are known, but so far, they have not pulled the trigger. There
are reasons for that. The Phils might argue teams are low-balling them. Other
teams might argue the Phillies are asking for too much. "All I can say
about that is people have their opinions," Amaro said. But if MacPhail is
going to join the organization, a strong Trade Deadline performance might be
Amaro's best bet to save his job. "I don't worry about doing my job to
save my job," Amaro said. "I have to do my job well so this
organization can get back on its feet and do the things that we need to do to
be a perennial contender. That was the plan at the outset of this offseason. We
were going to rebuild. We were not going to be a great ballclub. We were not
going to be a contending team. We knew that. We know that we were going to take
some lumps. "I see a lot of positive things that are happening in our
Minor League system. There's a lot of lights at the end of the tunnel for
us."
Can You Hear Me Now? – One of
the roughest moments of Tuesday's 19-3 loss to the Orioles is the fact the
Phillies could not call to the bullpen to get a pitcher warmed up because the
bullpen phone literally was off the hook. It was an embarrassing moment for the
organization. "It's not our greatest moment, but it's been
addressed," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Wednesday
afternoon. "It's a mishap that can happen, but it should never happen
again. It's as simple as that." Amaro also touched on a couple other
topics Wednesday: Aaron Nola: Amaro said the Phillies will not rush
Triple-A right-hander Aaron Nola to the big leagues, despite the rotations'
struggles and Jerome Williams landing
on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. (The Phillies
recalled Hector Neris to temporarily take his spot on the roster.) "We
have to do what's right for Aaron Nola and his development, and that's not
going to change," Amaro said. "And he's going to be in the big
leagues at some point this year. I don't think there's any question about that,
if he continues to progress the way he's progressed so far. There's no reason
to think that he won't be. We'll just have to do it at the right time." Cliff Lee: Left-hander Cliff Lee, who is on the
60-day disabled list with a left elbow injury, saw the doctor Tuesday, but he
is still three to four weeks from throwing again. "Best case, he'd be
throwing right about how," Amaro said. "He's not ready to do
it."
Phillies Introduce Randolph – It is
time for Cornelius Randolph to get to work. The Phillies introduced Randolph,
whom they selected with the 10th overall pick in last week's Draft, in a news
conference Wednesday evening at Citizens Bank Park. Randolph signed a
$3,231,300 signing bonus, which was full value for his Draft slot. He is set to
begin his professional career Thursday in Clearwater, Fla. "This is
amazing," Randolph said. "It's unbelievable. It's just a dream come
true." The Phillies have signed or reached agreements with 28 of the 29
players they hoped to sign immediately following the Draft. (The others are
draft-and-follow selections, which must be signed by July 17.) The only holdout
is UNLV senior right-hander Joseph Lauria, who was a 25th-round pick. Randolph's
agreement came quickly. "It's always nice in the Draft when you have an
agreement," said Scott Boras, who is Randolph's agent. "I think
[scouting director] Johnny [Almaraz] and his staff, they certainly placed
Cornelius up in the Draft, and certainly Cornelius' performance throughout the
course of the year, he got better as his senior year went on. And his bat is
certainly something special. So it's always nice in baseball when a lot of
veteran baseball people get together and share a common dynamic, and certainly
that was the case here." The Phillies plan to move Randolph from
shortstop, where he played in high school, to left field. Randolph said he is
OK with the move. "I'm open to anything," Randolph said. "I
played the outfield before. During the summer, I've been out there. So I feel like
I'll be able to adapt to anything." Randolph hopes to be another quick
riser through the system like Double-A Reading shortstop J.P. Crawford, who was
a first-round pick in 2014. The two have spoken since the Phillies drafted
Randolph. Randolph also met some of the Phillies' veterans Wednesday, such as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. "The key words were, 'Stay
hungry,'" Randolph said. "'Don't ever quit, don't ever be content
with where you're at.' When I watched them when I was little, I was just
watching a couple of my favorite players play. Now I'm a part of the organization.
It's crazy. It's a dream come true."
Asche Visits School – "G"
stands for "Giving up is not an option." "R" means
"Ready for giving 100 percent." You get to "I" when you can
say "I've reached my goal." And finally, "T" symbolizes
taking on a challenge. At John Barclay Elementary School in Warrington, Pa.,
this acronym embodies the meaning of the word it spells out: Grit. It is the
word the school teaches its students to live by and, with the school year
coming to a close this week, the school's entire student body was rewarded for
a year's worth of grit and determination. Two of the school's students, Liam
and Katie Petersen, won a contest their parents entered on Mother's Day to be
driven to school Wednesday in a limousine. But that perk wasn't the last of the
prizes for winning the contest; they also helped escort in the school's
surprise guest of honor, Phillies left fielder Cody Asche. After the teachers and student body of
the school formed a chorus to sing the Barclay Elementary fight song and recite
the meaning of G.R.I.T., Asche was introduced to an auditorium filled with
kindergartners through fifth graders donning red Phillies jerseys and waving
towels with the words "Fightin' Phils" emblazoned across them. Impressed
by the school's commitment to hard work and dedication, Asche spoke about what
the words meant to him as a professional athlete. "I think grit and
determination is a real important lesson to learn, especially at a young
age," Asche said. "Things might not always go the way you want them.
But I think if you stick to who you are, you have high character and you do the
right things, then things can work out for you in the end." Asche went on
to answer questions about life as a professional ballplayer, ranging from how
hard it is to hit a baseball to what it's like to take a pie in the face after
a walk-off win. He and the rest of the auditorium then partook in singing a
rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and enthusiastically
dancing to "YMCA" before the kids had to return to their respective
classrooms. With the echo in the air, the applause and cheers the kids had
directed at Asche seemed to mimic the one he hears at the park each day. Aside
from a select few, nearly every student in attendance was either wearing
Phillies gear or at the very least something red, including Liam and Katie
Petersen, who both donned No. 25 Asche jerseys. When asked why he supported
Asche and the Phillies, Liam Petersen gave an unsurprising answer. "They
show a lot of grit," he said. "They don't give up."
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the
NL east at 22-45. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance
this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All
time, the Phillies are 42-55-0 on this day.
