Phillies Crushed In Colorado

GAME RECAP: Rockies Rock Phillies 11-2

National League Final Vote candidate Trevor Story launched his 20th and 21st home runs to tie the NL rookie record before the All-Star break, and his four RBIs led the Rockies to an 11-2 victory over the Phillies at Coors Field on Thursday night. Dave Kingman (1972) and Albert Pujols (2001) also hit 21 before the All-Star break as rookies. Story has three more games against the Phillies to eclipse that number. "It's good to see him swinging the bat," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He really hit those two balls tonight. He had a great at-bat with the walk. He's done that a few times here recently. Unbelievable first half. What a way to start the career." The Rockies jumped on the board early, scoring in four of Phillies starter Adam Morgan's five frames. Nolan Arenado hit an RBI double in the first and Mark Reynolds homered to lead off the second before Story hit a three-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the fifth. Colorado added five more in the seventh off Edubray Ramos on singles by DJ LeMahieu and Brandon Barnes and a three-run double by Reynolds. Rockies starter Chad Bettis had his best start and second quality start since May 17. He held the Phillies to two runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Ryan Howard homered off him to right-center in the second and drove in Maikel Franco two innings later on a single to left. "I think all-around it was a great team win," Bettis said. "Honestly, I think we got our offense back and for the most part did our job as a pitching staff. I think I could've been a little bit better in the sense of executing a couple pitches to Howard, but that's part of baseball."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Morgan hardly had an easy assignment, rejoining the rotation at Coors as the team skipped Aaron Nola's turn to give him a mental break. Morgan allowed nine hits, six runs and three homers in five innings. He has allowed 16 homers in 66 1/3 innings. His 2.17 home runs per nine inning rate is second in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings, behind only Kansas City's Chris Young (3.90 homers per nine innings). The Phillies optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the game. "Lately, it hasn't been fun," Morgan said. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself. And this break coming up, I feel like will be good. And also going down there and being able to work on things and not feel so much pressure ... like I said, it can only go up from here."
• Howard had one of his finest moments at Coors, hitting a two-out double to score two runs in the ninth inning in Game 4 of the 2009 NL Division Series. The hit tied the game as the Phillies took the lead one batter later. Howard homered in the second inning Thursday for his 369th career homer, moving him into 78th place on the all-time list with Ralph Kiner and Todd Helton.
• The Phillies are expected to activate right-hander Andrew Bailey from the disabled list Friday. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 23 with a strained left hamstring.
• Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard homered Thursday. He entered the series hitting .306 (44-for-144) with nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 31 RBIs and a .936 OPS in 36 career games, including the postseason, at Coors.
• Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon entered Thursday hitting .318 since coming off the DL on April 29.

NEXT GAME:

Rockies shortstop Trevor Story will know if he has made the National League All-Star team as the winner of the Final Vote a few hours before Friday night's game against the Phillies at Coors Field. Story entered Friday narrowly in third place behind the Pirates' Starling Marte and the Giants' Brandon Belt in a close race. Either way, Story will face Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (7-2, 3.34 ERA). Velasquez missed much of June because of a strained right biceps, but he has more wins this season than any Phillies pitcher had in 2015. Velasquez duels Rockies right-hander Jon Gray (5-4, 4.81). He is 3-0 with a 5.05 ERA at home, and it's his first time facing the Phillies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Back Up, Back Down – Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan emerged from Pete Mackanin's office nearly 40 minutes after the final out of Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field. Morgan had just been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but he also had a long talk with Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure about everything that has gone wrong this season and everything that needs to go right to have another opportunity to pitch with the Phillies. Morgan allowed nine hits, six runs and three home runs in five innings and fell to 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA. "It was the truth and I needed to hear it," Morgan said. "They shot me straight, which is all you can ask for as a player. My point of view right now is I can only go up from here." Morgan has allowed 16 home runs in 66 1/3 innings. His 2.17 home runs per nine innings average is second in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings, behind only Kansas City's Chris Young (3.90 homers per nine innings). It also is more than half a homer more than he averaged last season, when he went 5-7 with a more respectable 4.48 ERA in 16 starts. "I've been making a lot of mistakes," Morgan said. "I haven't been making any excuses, but I just need to get better." He also needs to clear his mind. "Lately, it hasn't been fun," Morgan said. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself. And this break coming up, I feel like will be good. And also going down there and being able to work on things and not feel so much pressure … like I said, it can only go up from here." Morgan's season has not gone according to plan. He pitched well in Spring Training, but narrowly lost the No. 5 starter's competition to Vince Velasquez, who is 7-2 with a 3.34 ERA. Morgan started the season in Triple-A, but joined the rotation in April when Charlie Morton suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. He struggled and got bumped to the bullpen late last month when Velasquez rejoined the rotation after spending some time on the disabled list. Morgan got the call to pitch in place of Aaron Nola, whose turn in the rotation got skipped Thursday in an effort to clear his mind after his own recent struggles. Morgan will join the IronPigs' rotation. He hopes to remain a starter, although he acknowledges he is open to anything if it means an opportunity in the big leagues. Morgan has some people rooting for him. In fact, Mackanin explained why he and McClure had such an unusually long postgame conversation with him. "Bob McClure and I really like this guy," Mackanin said. "We know he's a fighter. We know how much it means to him. He's sincere and dedicated and he's a very likable guy. We're trying to give him as much positive reinforcement, but at the same time let him know what he needs to do to become successful." Phillies right-hander Andrew Bailey is expected to be activated before Friday's game, taking Morgan's spot on the roster. He has been on the DL since late last month with a strained left hamstring.

Bullpen Boost – The Phillies have at least a couple of roster moves coming this weekend. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before Thursday night's 11-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field that he expects right-hander Andrew Bailey to be activated from the 15-day disabled list before Friday night's game. Bailey has been on the DL since June 23 with a strained left hamstring. Left-hander Daniel Stumpf is expected to be activated Sunday. He is finishing an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug that first gained notoriety with East German athletes in the 1960s. "I don't think the players, I don't think they're going to be standoff-ish to him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He said he didn't know he was taking anything, so you've got to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's not like he knew that he was cheating on purpose. I don't see any issues there. Maybe I'm wrong." Asked if he feels for a player that will lose his job to Stumpf, knowing he tested positive for PEDs, Mackanin said, "Once again, I have to assume that he didn't know anything. If I knew for a fact that he consciously did that … I wouldn't be happy with it. But I give him the benefit of the doubt."

Where’s Kevin Millar? – Carlos Ruiz loves the cowboy lifestyle. He owns a ranch with horses and cattle back in his native Panama, and anybody that has seen his Instagram account (carlos_ruiz_rios) has seen his affinity for horses and cowboy attire. That passion prompted him to purchase cowboy hats for the Phillies to wear on their trip Wednesday from Philadelphia to Denver. Teammates posted numerous photos of their getups to social media. "It was a great day," Ruiz said before Thursday's 11-2 loss against the Rockies at Coors Field. "We played real good baseball [in a 4-3 victory over Atlanta]. It was a hell of a game. Then everybody was happy wearing the cowboy hats. It was something different. We try to get everybody to relax, you know? Everybody enjoyed it." Ruiz got a cowboy hat during the team's recent trip to Arizona, which triggered the idea to have everybody wear them. "Other guys were saying that they liked it," Ruiz said. Ruiz asked Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan if he should buy one for everybody. Morgan said yes. Ruiz later approached manager Pete Mackanin to see if he would wear one. "I don't like clown hats," Mackanin said. "I don't want that stuff." But cowboy hats are cool, so he agreed to wear one. Ruiz also asked Mackanin about relaxing the dress code for the flight. Team personnel have to wear dress shirts and dress pants when flying, but, hey, cowboys wear jeans, right? So Mackanin gave everybody the OK to wear jeans, tying the ensemble together nicely. Of course, it was just a normal outfit for Ruiz, who occasionally rides horses in the offseason. "When I retire, I'll have plenty of time to do that every day," Ruiz said.

Today In Phils History – In 1898, Red Donahue threw the 2^nd no hitter in franchise history. When Gavvy Cravath was named as, the recently fired, Jack Coombs replacement at the helm in 1919 the players staged a near mutiny. 5 year later, the Phillies split a 26 inning double header against Cincinnati without committing a single error. In 1934, Euel Moore became the only member of the Chickasaw Nation to appear in MLB pitching the Phillies to victory. Schoolboy Rowe, being the last player to enter the All Star game for the NL in 1947 became the first player to appear in the mid-summer classic for both leagues. 5 years later, Curt Simmons leads the NL to victory in the All Star game in front of his home crowd. In 1992, hits his 3^rd pinch hit homerun of the year tying the Phillies rookie record. During a rain delay in Colorado in 2007, the entire Phillies bench assisted the ground crew in covering the field during the windy storm the karma from which helped in their victory once the game resumed. 4 years later, Juan Perez struck out the side in the 10^th inning on 9 pitches becoming the first player to achieve the extra inning feat since 1923.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 40-47 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-51-0 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.

Offense Backs Rookie Eflin’s CG Effort

GAME RECAP: Phillies Dominate Braves 5-1

What in the world has gotten into the Phillies' offense? They continued to hit the ball in Tuesday night's 5-1 victory over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Peter Bourjos, Cody Asche, Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph each homered as the Phillies' offense has been one of the best in baseball the past couple weeks, averaging 5.93 runs per game in their last 14 after averaging 3.11 runs in their first 71. The Phillies, who have won nine of their last 12 games, can sweep the Braves with a victory on Wednesday afternoon. "I feel like we were all kind of cold at the same time, now we're hot at the same time, which makes it fun," Bourjos said. "And we're putting up a lot of runs. We're putting together good at-bats, and we're hitting balls hard even when we're down in counts. We're just battling back." Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz allowed five runs in 5 2/3 innings as Ender Inciarte homered in the seventh, the only run the Braves scored against Phillies rookie Zach Eflin, who threw a complete game for the first win of his career. Atlanta has lost 10 of its last 14. "I've said it all along: Eflin is my favorite pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Bourjos has been on fire lately. He is hitting .464 (32-for-69) with five doubles, three triples, three home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.260 OPS in 22 games since June 11, when he was batting .192 with a .501 OPS. Mackanin credited Bourjos' current streak for the Phillies' offensive revival. The Phillies have hit 22 home runs in their last 14 games after knocking 60 in their first 71. Their 0.85 home runs per game average through June 20 ranked 28th, while their 1.57 homers per game average since then ranks fourth. "I just feel a lot more comfortable and obviously more confident with everything that I'm doing," Bourjos said. "I'm allowing the ball to get deeper and not over-swinging, and I think that breeds confidence in the fact that I'm not scared to get to two strikes where before I didn't want to get to two strikes because I felt like I was going to chase."
• Eflin has been earning his paycheck since his big league debut in Toronto on June 14, when he allowed nine runs in just 2 2/3 innings. He has a 2.03 ERA in his last four starts, including his complete game against the Braves. Eflin allowed one run on six hits and struck out six to earn his first big league win. He is the first Phillies starter to throw a complete game for his first big league win since Mike Williams pitched one against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on July 5, 1992. He is the first Phillies rookie to throw a complete game since Vance Worley on July 26, 2011, against the Giants. "I threw that last pitch and I was just shaking, thanking God for the opportunity to be out there," Eflin said.
• "It's very encouraging to see those. [Aaron] Nola is [24]. [Jerad] Eickhoff, he's the old man. He's [25] I believe. Eflin, he looks like he has the confidence he needs to pitch up here. We just have a lot of good young pitchers. It's fun to watch. They're going to have their ups and downs, but it takes a while to get really established here and feel comfortable." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies' rotation, which features four starters in their mid-to-early 20s.
• Odubel Herrera, in his second at-bat since being named an All-Star, grounded a ball to third baseman Adonis Garcia, which he couldn't handle. As Herrera took his lead off first, Foltynewicz threw over. Although Herrera was initially ruled safe on his dive back to the bag, the Braves challenged and the call was overturned. Snitker is now 8-for-15 on challenges this season.
• This is the final game of a homestand that has treated the Phillies well. They opened it by taking two of three from the defending champion Royals and another in the opener of their series vs. Atlanta.
• Nick Markakis is the only Braves hitter with much history against Hellickson. In 37 career at-bats, Markakis is hitting .243 with two home runs off the Phils' righty.
• The Braves do not believe Teheran's right thigh infection is serious. They hope he will be able to make a start this weekend in Chicago.

NEXT GAME:

It won't be the first Major League appearance for Tyrell Jenkins, but it will be his first start when he takes the mound at 1:05 ET on Wednesday against the Phillies. Jenkins (0-1, 5.79 ERA) is making a spot start, filling in for Julio Teheran, who was sent back to Atlanta for treatment on an ingrown hair on his right thigh. The 23-year-old righty will face the Phillies' Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 4.06 ERA) in the finale of a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park. Jenkins, who was called up on June 16, has made four relief appearances -- all but one for two innings or more. In 14 games (nine starts) for Triple-A Gwinnett, Jenkins went 6-3 with a 2.91 ERA over 65 innings. MLBPipeline.com ranks him as the Braves' No. 7 prospect. Hellickson, a likely mover at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, has been boosting his stock over his last few starts. He has allowed one earned run in each of his last two starts and has a 2.37 ERA over his last three.

PHILS PHACTS:

Eflin’s Stellar Start – Zach Eflin said he felt completely confident as he stepped onto the mound in the ninth inning on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The moment finally overcame him 11 pitches later when he sealed a 5-1 victory over the Braves. "I threw that last pitch and I was just shaking, thanking God for the opportunity to be out there," Eflin said. Eflin needed just 92 pitches to throw a complete game for the first win of his big league career. He is the first Phillies pitcher to record a complete game for his first big league win since Mike Williams on July 5, 1992, against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. He is also the first Phillies rookie to toss a complete game since Vance Worley on July 26, 2011, against the Giants at Citizens Bank Park. "I've said it all along: Eflin is my favorite pitcher," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. It has been an impressive turnaround for Eflin, who is just five starts into his big league career. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) in just 2 2/3 innings in his big league debut on June 14 in Toronto. Since then, Eflin has gradually improved. He has a 2.03 ERA in his last four starts. "A lot more," Eflin said when asked how much more comfortable he feels since Toronto. "I learned a lot after that outing, unfortunately. But that was a good thing at the same time." Eflin worked quickly and efficiently on Tuesday, benefitting from four double plays. The game lasted just two hours and eight minutes, making it the Phillies' quickest game since Sept. 27, 2013, when they played the Braves in just 2:07. "I was really just trying to stay ahead, attack with my sinker and get weak contact," Eflin said. "We rolled a lot of double plays, which was huge. When you have guys like Freddy [Galvis] and Cesar [Hernandez] up the middle, it helps a lot." Eflin is scheduled to pitch on Sunday in Colorado, the Phillies' final game before the All-Star break. He hopes to carry more good feelings into the second half. It is a big one for him and the rest of the Phillies' young staff, which includes Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez. They are trying to establish themselves heading into 2017. But Eflin can worry about those things later. On Tuesday, he just needed to savor the moment. "I think it's a pretty cool way to get your first win," Eflin said. "It's pretty exciting."

The Lone All Star – Long before Phillies fans began to know Odubel Herrera as "El Torito," the energetic, perpetually smiling, always-clapping-after-a-walk, sometimes-flipping-his-bat-after-a-sac-fly Phillies center fielder, the organization used a couple scouting reports and a strong recommendation from one of their own to make him one of the best Rule 5 Draft picks in franchise history. "We feel like we're taking a shot on a prospect," Phillies professional scouting director Mike Ondo said after selecting Herrera with the eighth pick in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. The Phillies got much more than that. They got an All-Star and a key piece to their future. Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday that Herrera is the Phillies' lone representative at the All-Star Game presented by MasterCard at Petco Park at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 12 in San Diego. Herrera entered Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Braves ranked fourth among National League outfielders in on-base percentage (.389) and hits (92), seventh in batting average (.302) and 14th in OPS (.832). "He's a special guy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I call him a hit collector. I don't know how he does it sometimes. He looks so bad at one at-bat and then the next three gets hits." Herrera joins Dave Hollins and Shane Victorino as Phillies' Rule 5 Draft picks to make an All-Star team. "It feels great," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "To me, it is an honor to represent the Phillies, Venezuela and people in Latin America in the All-Star Game. I feel very proud of this moment because I want to show what I'm about and what the Phils are about." But before Herrera made the NL squad, the Phillies needed to sort through countless scouting reports of potential Rule 5 picks before settling on Herrera. They had seen him in the past as the Phillies combed through the Rangers' farm system for potential trades that involved Cole Hamels, as well as their scouts' normal runs through the Texas League, where Herrera won a batting title in 2014. Herrera continued to hit that winter in Venezuela. "There was some concern on our part that he wouldn't get to eight," Ondo said. But the Phillies got a little lucky that special assistant of player personnel Jorge Velandia managed Herrera's winter ball team. He got to know Herrera as a person, while watching him hit and play in the outfield. A look at Herrera in the outfield was huge because nobody else with the Phillies had seen him play there before. He came up through the Rangers' system as a second baseman, but his potential in the outfield immediately made him more attractive to the Phillies' front office. It is safe to say the Phillies might not have picked Herrera without Velandia's strong recommendation. "I'll be honest, we liked the player," Ondo said, "but a lot had to do with the outfield and knowing the person, knowing what you were getting in the player. That was a huge assist. We were real fortunate that Jorge was there to give us that information." Fans can vote for the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote until 4 p.m. ET on Friday. The winners, as chosen exclusively by online fan voting totals, will be announced during a Final Vote-themed telecast of "MLB Now" featuring commentary from political analyst Jeff Greenfield, live on MLB Network and MLB.com from 4-5 p.m. ET. MLB Network will provide extensive coverage across all of its studio programming during the Final Vote, including interviews with the candidates, frequent updates, heat maps indicating the cities where votes are being cast for each candidate, news on player and club campaigns and a running countdown clock leading up to the announcement. Baseball fans have cast nearly 600 million online votes for Final Vote candidates since the program's inception in 2002. In addition to MLB.com and the official club websites, fans can use their mobile devices to cast votes at MLB.com/vote or via text message. To receive the ballot, text the word "VOTE" to 89269. To vote for a specific player, fans can text their choice to 89269. EXAMPLE: Text "A3" to vote for AL Player 3 or "N3" to vote for NL Player 3. Message and data rates may apply. Text "STOP" to end and "HELP" for information. Mobile voting in Canada also is available and fans should text their choices to 101010. For the fifth consecutive year, the Final Vote will include social balloting, as Twitter support for the 10 candidates over the last six hours of balloting will count toward their vote totals. From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. ET on Friday, any tweet that includes a designated player hashtag will be tabulated as part of the official vote total used to determine the winners. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 87th All-Star Game, in San Diego, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Planning For The Trade Deadline – Phillies general manager Matt Klentak is making calls and taking calls as the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches. Klentak has some players that could help contending teams, most notably right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, closer Jeanmar Gomez and outfielder Peter Bourjos. But do not expect the fireworks of last summer, when the team traded Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Chase Utley, Jake Diekman and Ben Revere. If the Phillies make any moves, they will be more modest in nature. "Nothing hot right now," Klentak said before Tuesday night's 5-1 win over the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. "I don't know if we'll be super active. We certainly have players that other teams like, but I also like the fact that they're helping contribute to this team. We're in a good stretch right now, and we don't really want to pull the rug out. We'll just have to wait and see. We have almost 30 days. It's a long time. "I would say looking at this a month ago, if I was projecting forward, I would have guessed we'd be roughly in the spot we are in now. And a lot of trades don't take place until hours leading up to the Deadline. And I don't know why 2016 would be different than that." 

Injury Update – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr entered Spring Training as the projected Opening Day right fielder, but he tore a tendon in his left wrist in March. He is taking live batting practice in Clearwater, Fla., and he should be ready for a rehab assignment sometime within the next week or two. Altherr likely will need at least another month before he rejoins the team. Left-hander Daniel Stumpf is expected to rejoin the team on Sunday in Colorado. He is nearing the end of an 80-game suspension for testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, which is an anabolic steroid also known as Oral-Turinabol. The Phillies will need to make a move on their 40-man roster to accommodate Stumpf, who allowed three runs on one hit (a homer) with two walks in just two-thirds of an inning spanning three appearances for a 40.50 ERA. The Rule 5 Draft pick is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander Andrew Bailey, who is on the DL with a strained left hamstring, will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with Lehigh Valley. He is eligible to be activated on Friday.

International Update – The Phillies have agreed to terms with at least six players: right-hander Francisco Morales ($720,000 signing bonus), shortstop Brayan Gonzalez ($900,000), shortstop Nicolas Torres ($665,000), outfielder Simon Muzziotti ($750,000), catcher Juan Aparicio ($475,000) and shortstop Jose Tortolero ($450,000). The Phillies issued one big bonus last summer to Dominican Republic outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz, who received $4 million. This summer, the Phillies spread around their money, being careful not to exceed their $5,610,800 bonus pool. "There are going to be times when we believe that's the right strategy," Klentak said about issuing a large signing bonus to one player. "In this particular class, we were best suited to spread it out among a number of players. What is important is that we get as many good players as we can in our system. You prefer good players that are athletic, athletic players that play up the middle, and let player development help that and see which one is developing into legitimate prospects."

Draft Update – The Phillies have signed 29 of 40 players selected in the 2016 Draft. They will exceed the allotted $13,405,200 in their bonus pool but by no more than five percent. That is significant because teams that exceed the pool by no more than five percent are taxed at a 75 percent rate on the overage, while a team that overspends by 5-10 percent pays a 75 percent tax, plus loses a first-round pick in next year's Draft. "That's a credit to our ownership that recognized the opportunity that we had with our Draft pool that allowed us the flexibility to maximize the value of it," Klentak said.

Today In Phils History – In 1893, Jack Boyle’s 6 hits weren’t enough to overcome Chicago in 11 innings as the Phillies lost 11-10. Of course, it could have been worse like in 1929 when the Phillies surrendered 10 runs in both the 1^st and 5^th innings against the Cardinals in route to a 28-6 loss. In 1950, Granny Hamner drew a bases loaded walk against New York which was the 4^th straight game in which the Phillies scored a run in such a manner. 30 years later, Steve Carlton breaks the MLB record for most strikeouts by a left handed pitcher surpassing Mickey Lolich (2,832). 6 years later in 1986, the Phillies tie a MLB record by recording 7 extra base hits in an inning during a win over the Reds. In 1989, Mike Schmidt received a pleasant surprise when he was selected by the fans as the NL’s starting 3B for the All Star game but declined the invitation as he had retired back on May 29^th. 20 years later, the Phillies beat the Reds 21-1 setting the mark for the largest margin of victory in team history thanks in part to Shane Victorino tying another franchise record with 5 runs scored in the game.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 39-46 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 41-64-0 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.

Bullpen Collapses Following Eflin’s Excellent Effort

GAME RECAP: Giants Edge Phillies 5-4

The Giants are riding their best 40-game stretch in 62 years. The Phillies have lost 10 of their last 11. Though the clubs appear to be heading in opposite directions, they crossed paths in extremely entertaining fashion Friday night at AT&T Park. San Francisco seemed to seal another victory with a four-run outburst in the seventh inning, which featured Brandon Belt's three-run double. But the Phillies scored twice in the eighth and loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs before the Giants finally emerged with a 5-4 triumph. The game ended with a replay review confirming that Giants third baseman Ramiro Pena threw out Tyler Goeddel at first base on an exceedingly close play. "Exciting game," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That game had just about everything. You look at Belt's hit and go, 'That won the game for us.' But those guys came back. Pena made a great play there to save us." Ultimately, the National League West-leading Giants recorded their 12th victory in their last 13 games and improved to 31-9 in their past 40 games -- their best 40-game span since going 33-7 in 1954 as the New York Giants. Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin, making his third Major League start, muted the Giants for six innings and bequeathed a 2-1 lead to Philadelphia's bullpen. The Giants quickly roused themselves in the seventh, as Trevor Brown and pinch-hitter Buster Posey singled. Following Denard Span's sacrifice bunt, Joe Panik walked to load the bases. Belt bashed an 0-1 pitch to right-center field, scoring all three baserunners. Angel Pagan's second RBI single of the game delivered Belt, putting the Giants on top, 5-2. Philadelphia made it a 5-4 game with two runs in the eighth inning, as Freddy Galvis rapped an RBI single and Peter Bourjos drew a bases-loaded walk, but San Francisco's bullpen held the lead to secure a win for Jake Peavy (4-6), who surrendered two runs and seven hits in seven innings. "We battled back. We had good at-bats the last couple innings," Goeddel said. "We were one hit away from winning the game."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Eflin, who is the Phillies' No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, took a step forward in a no-decision, allowing one unearned run in six innings. That run scored in the first on an infield hit by Pagan, and Eflin allowed just three hits the rest of the way. After allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his big league debut June 14 in Toronto, Eflin has a 1.54 ERA (two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings) in two starts since. "I'm learning from every outing," Eflin said, "making sure I fine-tune everything to make sure I'm able to put the best outing on the table." 
• The Phillies' bullpen had been pretty solid through the end of May, but the unit has struggled since. Severino Gonzalez and Elvis Araujo combined to allow four runs in the seventh inning on Friday as the Giants took a 5-2 lead. Philadelphia relievers have a 6.16 ERA since May 29.
• "I didn't think he'd use Posey in the seventh. I didn't think he'd use two guys for one move in the seventh." -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, expressing surprise that Bochy called on Posey to face Phillies lefty Araujo after just calling Jarrett Parker to the plate as a pinch-hitter.

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson (4-6, 4.41 ERA) faces the Giants in the second game of this three-game series on Saturday night at AT&T Park. The right-hander has struggled lately, although after allowing three runs in the first inning last week against the D-backs, he pitched six scoreless innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Showing Promise – It sounds like Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin locked up at least a few more starts in the big leagues. The Phillies' No. 13 prospect allowed one unearned run in six innings Friday night in a 5-4 loss to the Giants at AT&T Park. After he allowed a run in the first inning, he gave up just three hits the rest of the way. And after allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his big league debut June 14 in Toronto, Eflin has a 1.54 ERA (two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings) in two starts since. "I'm learning from every outing," Eflin said, "making sure I fine-tune everything to make sure I'm able to put the best outing on the table." But does he deserve a longer look? "For me he does," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, "especially after that fiasco against Toronto. You've got to like that. He's 22 years old. A full house in San Francisco against a team that's won 30 out of their last 39 games, he did a [heck] of a job." Eflin seemed destined to remain in the Phillies' rotation anyway, even with right-hander Vince Velasquez expected to return next week. Mackanin has indicated left-hander Adam Morgan could be bumped from Monday's start against the D-backs, possibly moving to the bullpen. But Eflin's performance against the Giants, who have the best record in the Majors since May 10, probably clinched his spot. "I'm going out on the mound, and it's not really nerve-wracking," Eflin said. "I feel comfortable." The Phillies' bullpen coughed up the lead in the seventh inning as the Giants took a 5-2 lead. Severino Gonzalez started the seventh, which is usually David Hernandez's spot, but Hernandez has posted an 18.69 ERA in his last four appearances. Gonzalez allowed a leadoff single to Trevor Brown. The Giants sent pinch-hitter Jarrett Parker to the plate, but the Phillies call on left-hander Elvis Araujo. The Giants then countered with pinch-hitter Buster Posey. "Parker hits .326 against lefties, and I didn't think he'd use Posey in the seventh," Mackanin said about Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "I didn't think he'd use two guys for one move in the seventh." Posey hit a line drive to center field, which deflected off Odubel Herrera's glove. The ball probably should have been caught, and the inning went south from there as Araujo was charged with three of the four runs that scored. He has a 5.87 ERA in 27 appearances. The Phillies' bullpen has a 6.16 ERA since May 29.

Proceed With Caution – Vince Velasquez rejoined the Phillies on Friday at AT&T Park, and he is expected to start Monday in Arizona. But how will the right-hander be handled the rest of the season? Velasquez offered some insight before Friday night's series opener against the Giants, saying he and his agent, Scott Boras, have discussed a possible innings limit. Velasquez has been on the disabled list since June 9 because of a strained right biceps, but he made a successful rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Reading. The Phillies planned to be careful with Velasquez even before the injury. First, he has not pitched more than 124 2/3 innings in a season, so they never had any intentions of turning him loose. Second, the team had health concerns when they acquired him from Houston in a December trade. "The agents and I discussed it a little bit, but I don't know the definite answer, an exact amount of innings," Velasquez said. "I don't know, I'd want to say roughly like maybe 150 or something, maybe 160 tops. If there was a possible chance of being in a playoff run or something, I would love to help the guys out in relief because I've done that in the past." Boras has a history of watching closely over his young pitchers, most notably Matt Harvey, Stephen Strasburg and Jose Fernandez. "He was really on my butt about this injury thing," Velasquez said. "I mean, any injury you've got to take it very seriously. He was really strict on it. … We're all on the same page. I filled in everybody about what was going on. They're aware of my bullpens and how many throws I was doing." Velasquez said Boras and the Phillies are on the same page, too. But it is unclear whether Boras and the Phillies' front office have had an actual conversation regarding an innings limit for Velasquez. "I know it's obviously on our radar as well," Phillies president Andy MacPhail said. "I would say, philosophically, we're probably in the same ballpark." "All I know is I'm just going to keep pitching until they tell me to stop," Velasquez said. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Saturday that left-hander Adam Morgan, originally scheduled to start Monday in Arizona, would be available out of the bullpen Sunday.

Bailey Goes Down – Phillies right-hander Andrew Bailey thought he might need only a day or two. It turns out he will get much more time than that to rest his strained left hamstring. The Phillies on Friday placed him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Thursday. They recalled right-hander Edubray Ramos from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place. "They said they didn't have a couple days," Bailey said. "They couldn't wait around that long, I guess, so they wanted to make a move, which stinks. I think I would have been all right for tomorrow, but that's my opinion. It's not a move personally I like, but it's best for the team I guess. That's most important." Bailey has a 4.39 ERA in 26 2/3 innings. "We can't continue scramble to get through a game," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I don't want to use [Hector] Neris, [Jeanmar] Gomez and [David] Hernandez when I don't have to. He [Bailey] might be ready in three days, but we can't do that." Ramos, the Phillies' No. 28 prospect, went 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA in 38 2/3 innings split between Double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley. His first appearance will be his big league debut. The Phillies also announced that left-handed pitcher Daniel Stumpf is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment Friday with Class A Advanced Clearwater. He was suspended 80 games in April for violating the Minor League's performance-enhancing drug policy. Stumpf is eligible to rejoin the team July 10. "We want to keep him," Mackanin said. "He showed enough. When he's ready, he'll most likely come back."

Unlikely Journey – Edubray Ramos pitched so poorly in his professional baseball debut in Venezuela in 2010, he spent the next couple of years painting cars with his father and mopping up messes in warehouses. He has come a long way. The Phillies promoted Ramos to the big leagues Friday, when they placed right-hander Andrew Bailey on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring. Ramos, 23, is one of the first names folks in the organization mentioned as a potential closer after the Phillies traded Ken Giles to the Astros in December. Ramos, the Phillies' No. 28 prospect, has lived up to the hype this season, going a combined 2-1 with a 1.16 ERA and 10 saves in 26 appearances with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He struck out 41 and walked four in 38 2/3 innings. "I never imagined this," Ramos said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I was out of baseball. It was impossible for me to imagine this. It's a beautiful moment for me. I just want to take advantage of this opportunity." The Cardinals signed Ramos as an amateur free agent in 2010, but his few appearances in Venezuela did not go well. The Cardinals moved their academy to the Dominican Republic, but decided to leave Ramos behind. Ramos spent the next couple of seasons out of baseball, but after a successful tryout with the Phillies, he signed a contract in November 2012. He said he got no signing bonus, which will make him an amazing find if he pans out. "I didn't even think I would be able to come back and sign a professional contract," Ramos said. His fastball sits in the 93-96-mph range, but he also throws a changeup, slider and curveball. He said he worked to get stronger over the past few years, which helped him add velocity to his fastball. "When you're out of baseball, you realize how hard things can be," Ramos said. "So when I came back to baseball, I made sure I took advantage of the opportunity to stay in the game." Triple-A pitching coach Dave Lundquist told Ramos about his promotion. Teammate Edward Mujica translated the news. "I called my parents first," Ramos said. "Then I called my brothers. They know it's been tough for me sometimes. They've helped me through bad moments. They've been with me through the ups and downs. It's very special for them. I couldn't believe it. They couldn't believe it. But I'm here and it's happening. I'm glad it's real."

Today In Phils History – In an unlikely move, Rookie shortstop Bob Allen took the helm in 1890 as the last of three interim mangers to fill in for an ill Harry Wright. 60 years later, the Cubs Hank Sauer had a heck of a game against the Phillies hitting 2 homeruns and 2 doubles. Those who remember games at the Vet most likely remember the marker in the 600 level where, on this day, Willie Stargell’s homerun landed (he was the 1^st player to hit a homerun into the 600 level). In an unlucky streak, in 1989 the Mets tied a MLB record by recording no assists against the Phillies but still pulling off the 5-1 win.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 31-44 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 55-61-0 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. Let the rebuild begin!