Phillies Edge Indians In Repeat Performance

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Indians 4-3

The Phillies have not had a view like this in five years. They beat the Indians on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, 4-3, to improve to 14-10. It is the first time they have been four games over .500 since the end of the 2011 season, when they finished 102-60. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis led the way with three RBIs. "If you said that before Spring Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said when asked if the Phillies expected to play this well in April. "But I think we had a good team in Spring Training. We played pretty good." Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. But his biggest at-bat came up just short as he ripped a line drive to right field with runners on second and third and two outs in the ninth. Phillies right fielder Peter Bourjos ran back and made a leaping catch to end the game. "Thank God for Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez said.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Galvis hit a two-run home run in the first inning, then he came through again in the seventh inning. He hit a bloop single on the right-field line to score David Lough from second base to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Galvis had been 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position this season before that game-winning hit. "I think that's part of the game," Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men in scoring position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not to lose your confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to come and go. I'm really happy it happened today."
• Bourjos broke hard to the right-field wall to make a spectacular game-winning catch in the ninth inning. Bourjos has been struggling offensively, but he proved his worth again defensively. Meanwhile, Gomez is 8-for-8 in save opportunities. "I expect to go out there and play good defense," Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I take a lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing the defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon."
• Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in a career-high 21 consecutive games. He singled to center field in the first inning to extend the streak. He finished April with a .462 on-base percentage, which is the highest OBP for a Phillies player in April since Aaron Rowand posted a .462 OBP in April 2007.
• Herrera tried to score from third on a ball that bounced a few feet from home plate in the fifth inning. Indians catcher Roberto Perez picked up the ball and tagged out Herrera to end the frame. The Phillies challenged, but replay confirmed the call. It was the second time a Phillies baserunner made an out in the inning, with both runners being called out between third and home. Bourjos broke for home on a ground ball to third base. He got tagged out trying to get back to third. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he had no problem with Herrera breaking home on the play.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (3-1, 1.78 ERA) pitches Sunday's series finale at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez has struck out 33 and walked just six batters in 25 1/3 innings this season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Defense Seals It – Peter Bourjos froze momentarily before he broke toward the right-field wall in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis had just hit a rocket to right with runners on second and third and two outs. If the ball had fallen both runners would have scored and the Indians would have taken a one-run lead. But Bourjos, whom the Phillies acquired in December because they loved his defense, got a good read on the ball. At the last possible moment he turned, leapt and outstretched his glove to make a spectacular game-ending catch in the Phillies' 4-3 win. "Thank God for Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez said. The almost miraculous catch helped the Phillies finish April at 14-10, making it the first time they have been four games over .500 since they finished the 2011 season at 102-60. "I broke on it and I froze just to make sure it wasn't a topspin," Bourjos said. "A couple steps into it I realized I had a pretty good bead on it, and as long as I had enough room to catch it I would." Bourjos is hitting .164 (11-for-67) with five doubles, one triple, three RBIs, two walks, 22 strikeouts and a .457 OPS in 22 games. Clearly, he needs to be much better offensively. But the Phillies' front office thinks Bourjos' defense has been beneficial to a young pitching staff that has been surprisingly successful the first month of the season. "I expect to go out there and play good defense," Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I take a lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing the defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon." Gomez praised Bourjos afterward, although he deserves plenty of credit for his own performance. He has been one of the team's biggest surprises this month, opening April as a middle reliever and finishing it as the closer. Gomez is 8-for-8 in save opportunities, establishing himself to the point that he picked out his entrance music for the ninth inning. He certainly flipped the script from Jonathan Papelbon's selection of Meek Mill's "Bout That Life" and Ken Giles' selection of Avenged Sevenfold's "Hail to the King." Gomez for the first time entered to Julissa's "El Gran Yo Soy," which is a religious ballad. "It's Christian music, talking about God," Gomez said. After the catch Bourjos made Saturday, there is no reason to change it.

Freddy Comes Through – Maybe Freddy Galvis deserved one. After he hit a two-run home run in the first inning Saturday night in a 4-3 victory over the Indians at Citizens Bank Park, he dropped a bloop single down the right-field line in the seventh inning to score the game-winning run to help the Phillies improve to 14-10. The Phillies are four games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season, when they finished 102-60. "If you said that before Spring Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said after being asked if the Phillies expected to play this well in April. "But I think we had a good team in Spring Training. We played pretty good." Galvis' two-run homer to right field in the first handed the Phillies a 2-0 lead, but he needed that hit in the seventh just as much as the Phillies needed it. He had been just 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. "I think that's part of the game," Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men in scoring position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not to lose your confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to come and go. I'm really happy it happened today." Galvis has hit .264 (14-for-53) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and a .794 OPS in the past 13 games. He has had some big hits in that stretch, including his only previous hit with a runner in scoring position on April 17, when he handed Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon his first loss and blown save of the season in a walk-off victory. That one was memorable because it happened against Papelbon and the Nationals. But Saturday night's hit was big for an entirely different reason: it capped off a solid month for a team that entered the season with low expectations. "Big night for Freddy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

Bullpen Swap – Phillies right-hander Dalier Hinojosa never expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list. But he still cannot grip a baseball because of a bruised right hand, so the Phillies put him there before Saturday night's game against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Hinojosa said he hopes to rejoin the team when he is eligible to be activated May 14. In the meantime, the Phillies recalled right-hander Colton Murray from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "I thought it was going to be something simple," Hinojosa said through the Phillies' interpreter. "The X-ray was negative. I don't have a fracture, so I thought it'd be a matter of two or three days to be back. But that's not the case." A batted ball struck Hinojosa's pitching hand Thursday against the Nationals at Nationals Park. "It hit me so hard that it still bothers me," Hinojosa said. "I cannot throw my changeup, my splitter." His injury is a blow to the bullpen. Hinojosa is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and eight strikeouts in 10 appearances this season. After allowing four hits and two runs in just one-third of an inning in his season debut on April 6 in Cincinnati, he has allowed just six hits, two runs and three walks in 10 2/3 innings. In his past nine appearances, Hinojosa has a 1.69 ERA and opponents have hit just .171 against him. "It came to the point where it was going to take a few days longer than we expected," manager Pete Mackanin said about Hinojosa's recovery time. "We didn't want to go short for four or five more days. It just made sense to do it now." Murray, who made his Major League debut for the Phillies in September, is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings for the IronPigs. He posted a 5.87 ERA in eight appearances last season with the Phillies.

Preparing For A Big First Pitch – It was Cameron Rupp's first Major League Opening Day on April 6, 2015. It was also Kathi Rupp's -- at least as a mother of a big leaguer. As Kathi and the rest of the Rupp clan took their seats at Citizens Bank Park, they got a group text from Cameron. It read, "Here we go." "It was just a very emotional moment because you know your child's dream came true," Kathi said a little over a year later. "The tears couldn't stop." Now, a week before Mother's Day, the Phillies chose Kathi as the mom they will honor in an annual pregame ceremony. Each year, the Phillies choose a mother of a player to honor on the Sunday home game closest to Mother's Day. Last year, it was Darin Ruf's mom, Mary. Before that, Domonic Brown's mother, Rosemary Joseph Woods, was the honoree. On Sunday, Kathi will throw out the first pitch to Cameron -- just like she always imagined. "When Cameron made it to the big leagues, I had it in the back of my mind, 'Wouldn't it be cool for me to throw a first pitch to Cameron?'" she said. "Never ever did I think this day would come." "It's pretty special," Cameron added. "How many people get to say their mom has thrown a first pitch to them?" A mother throwing a first pitch to the son she helped raise into a Major League ballplayer may seem like a story coming full circle with a perfect ending. But the journey is hardly over. It's a goal of Cameron's parents to see him play in all 30 Major League stadiums. They've already checked a few off the list, including Citizens Bank Park, Chase Field and Citi Field. Kathi said they travel from their Texas home about once a month to see their son play. In May, they're headed to Chicago to see him and the Phillies at Wrigley Field. Once they've checked off all 30, they plan on framing the ticket stubs together. "They both support me more than I can ever ask for," Cameron said. "I can't thank them enough… Them willing to be everywhere I am is pretty cool."

Today In Phils History – It all started on this day in 1883 at Recreation Park and that first game was celebrated 100 years later with a carnival at JFK stadium, Steve Carlton appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Al Holland making his wheez kids debut for the Phillies. Also on this day, 20-year-old Johnny Lush pitched a no-hitter in Brooklyn while striking out 11 in 1906. 40 years later, the Phillies cut ties with Vince DiMaggio. In 1968, Gene Mauch was ejected from a game (not surprising) after pitcher John Boozer was said to have violated the new spitball rule by going to his mouth while on the mound between innings. Four years later, in the beginning of a dismal season, Dick Selma pitched the fifth straight complete game by a Phillies pitcher.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 14-10 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 45-43-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Things Got A Little Squirrelly (Again) Last Night

GAME RECAP: Cards Crush Phils 12-4

The best team in baseball played the worst team in baseball Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, and the final score reflected as much. The Cardinals (44-23) hit three home runs on their way to a 12-4 victory over the Phillies (23-46). Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong each hit two-run home runs in the second inning against Phillies right-hander Phillippe Aumont, who walked seven and lasted just four innings in his season debut and first Major League start. The scoring continued from there for St. Louis. "We catch some heat sometimes when we can't put up the big offensive numbers," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "But you know with a lineup like this it's going to happen. Are you going to be able to throw up 12 every night? No. But it's in there." The Phillies have lost 10 of their last 11 games and 22 of their last 27. "Tough," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Tough game. You know, not much going right out there tonight. Fell behind early, and with not swinging the bats, it's a tough combination. Yeah, right from the get-go it was a tough game."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Aumont simply could not find the strike zone, which has been an issue most of his career. He threw 104 pitches, and only 56 were strikes. He not only walked seven, but he also threw a wild pitch and threw behind Jon Jay in the second inning. "It was just a constant battle a little bit with myself," Aumont said. "That's what it's been my whole career. Just me, myself and I out there battling. Nobody else. Because when I execute my pitches, I get these guys out down there and up here. Just keep your chest high and keep working at it. The mental part is a big part of the game, and you've got to be strong at it."
• Howard always hits Cardinals pitching well, and his good fortune continued in the fifth inning with his three-run home run to right field. Howard has more home runs (21) and RBIs (64) against the Cardinals than against any other non-NL East team.
• Remember the squirrel that appeared at home plate in Game 4 of the 2011 National League Division Series between the Cardinals and Phillies at Busch Stadium? Cards fans turned it into their good-luck charm in their team's run to the World Series title. Another squirrel appeared in the top of the second inning Friday, crawling up the backstop behind home plate before trying to run across the wire down the right-field line. Except the squirrel slipped and fell a long way onto the Phillies' dugout and then jumped into the dugout, prompting players to scatter.
• Phillies starting pitchers have not earned a win in 24 consecutive games, which is a new franchise record. They set the previous record at 23 games from July 29-Aug. 20, 1961. The Phillies are 4-20 in their current stretch. The '61 Phillies went 0-23 in theirs.
• "Going forward, we're going to need some starting pitching to help us out so our bullpen guys who are quality bullpen pieces don't get abused out there." -- Sandberg, when asked about the organization's plan to bring No.2 prospect Aaron Nola along slowly. Sandberg then said he understood the strategy about being careful with young pitchers.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Aaron Harang starts Saturday night's 7:05 ET game. Harang has pitched much better than his 4-8 record indicates, but he has struggled recently with a pair of losses to Cincinnati and a loss earlier this week to Baltimore. John Lackey makes his 14th start of the season Saturday at 6:05 p.m. CT vs. the Phillies, trying to improve upon his 0-3 record with a 6.27 ERA as the visiting pitcher in 2015. He has been one of the most efficient pitchers in the NL this year, averaging 14.3 pitches per inning, the second fewest in the league.

PHILS PHACTS:

Battle On The Mound – It would have been a heck of a story if Phillippe Aumont had dominated the Cardinals in his 2015 debut. But this season has been anything but storybook for the Phillies. Making his first Major League start, Aumont buried the Phillies quickly in Friday's 12-4 loss at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed five hits, six runs, two home runs, walked seven, threw one wild pitch and threw behind one batter in four innings. He struck out three. He threw 104 pitches, just 56 for strikes. "I don't give up," Aumont said. "I'll keep working. I know I can do it. I've done it plenty of times." Aumont joined the Phillies in December 2009 as part of the Cliff Lee trade with Seattle. The Phillies moved him from the bullpen to the rotation the following spring, but after struggling as a starter in the Minors, he returned to the bullpen. He remained there, pitching sparingly in relief for the Phillies from 2012-14, but constant struggles with his command put him on thin ice entering Spring Training this year. He cleared waivers in March, and the Phillies outrighted him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. A short time later, Aumont returned to the rotation. He enjoyed some success early, but his struggles throwing strikes returned. He walked 25 batters in 26 innings in his last five starts before the Phillies called him up to replace Cole Hamels, who missed Friday's start because of tightness in his right hamstring. Hamels said Friday he will make his next scheduled start Wednesday against the Yankees in New York. Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong each hit two-run home runs against Aumont in the second, when he walked two batters. He walked two more in a scoreless third and two more in the fourth, when he allowed two more runs. "It's more so mentally," Aumont said about his struggles. "It's just mentally, blockage. You start getting in those situations, and you start nitpicking a little bit. Not doubting, but ... it has to be between the ears. I've done it plenty of times physically. It's frustrating to just be in that position, fighting it. "It was just a constant battle a little bit with myself. That's what it's been my whole career. Just me, myself and I out there battling. Nobody else. Because when I execute my pitches I get these guys out down there and up here. Just keep your chest high and keep working at it. The mental part is a big part of the game, and you've got to be strong at it." Right-hander Justin De Fratus replaced Aumont in the fifth. He allowed eight hits and six runs in two innings. He threw 58 pitches. The Phillies' bullpen has pitched 20 1/3 innings in the last four games. "That's a challenge, keeping the bullpen intact," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said.

Balance In The Middle Infield – Over the past 14 games, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has started catchers Carlos Ruiz and Cameron Rupp evenly. It makes sense. Ruiz's .573 OPS is 21st among 23 qualified catchers in baseball. Rupp's is .636. Could the same thing finally happen at second base with Chase Utley and Cesar Hernandez? Hernandez started at second base in Friday night's series opener against the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. He has started four of the last 13 games at second base, leading the team with a .328 on-base percentage over that span, and has a .631 OPS overall. Utley's .539 OPS is the lowest of 166 qualified hitters in baseball. The Phillies would like to see Hernandez play more, so they can determine if he is an option at second base going forward. Utley, meanwhile, has a $15 million option for 2016 that automatically vests if he reaches 500 plate appearances. He has 240. There is no question the Phillies prefer not to pay it, if Utley continues at his current pace. "I'm just taking that day to day," Sandberg said about second base. "I keep kind of waiting for Chase to hit a streak and really get it going in the other direction. To do that, you need a good series, a good week of at-bats. I'm kind of caught in between there. Cesar can also get in some games, possibly at shortstop, but I'm trying to do my best to get him in there. "I know Chase is working on some things. To give him the opportunity to get hot would be a plus for him, and to get playing time for Cesar would be a plus for Cesar."

Not Again – On a chilly night in October 2011, the Phillies and Cardinals squared off in a classic NLDS game. Roy Oswalt was on the hill for the visiting Phils and was handed a two-run lead before he ever had to take the mound. But in the later innings ... things took a turn. A squirrel ran across home plate as Oswalt was set to deliver a pitch to Skip Schumaker. The umpire called it a ball, despite pleas from Oswalt and then-manager Charlie Manuel for a "no-pitch." The Cardinals went on to win Game 4 ... and Game 5 ... and then the NLCS ... and eventually the World Series. This Rally Squirrel thing had legs. Fast forward to Friday night. Yadier Molina and the Cardinals have the best record and baseball and are visiting the Phillies (who don't). But, it would seem that the Cards didn't want to take any chances because they brought the Rally Squirrel with them. The Cards were already up 4-0 in the top of the second inning when the squirrel began to scale the net behind home plate. Eventually, it fell onto the top of the home dugout before throwing itself into a host of players. "When I saw it in my face I just brushed it away," said Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera, who was near where the squirrel jumped into the dugout. Suddenly it was 11-0. Just like that. Things eventually calmed down and the Cardinals never looked back, but Phillies fans will probably be seeing that squirrel in their nightmares for the next few days.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 23-46. 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 61-51-0 on this day.