Phillies Bats Return To Silence In South Florida

GAME RECAP: Marlins Silence Phillies 6-0

A couple of regulars returning from injury helped the Marlins finally have some answers for Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. Marcell Ozuna and Justin Bour were back in the lineup, and the two contributed at the plate in Miami's 6-0 win over Philadelphia at Marlins Park on Wednesday night. Ozuna had a double and a single and scored twice, while Bour singled and had a productive out that helped set up a run in the second inning. Backed with some early support, Andrew Cashner tossed 5 1/3 strong innings and collected his first victory since being acquired by the Marlins from the Padres in late July. "It's a different feeling, for sure, and you forget what it looks like," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Bour and Ozuna returning. "J.B. has been out so long. It just changes things around." Bour was making his first start since July 2, when he sustained a right ankle sprain, and Ozuna had been out since Aug. 31 with a bruised left wrist. "Honestly, you can't ask for much better," Bour said. "I was able to go out there and put together some quality at-bats and just help the team." Martin Prado and Christian Yelich added back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh inning to break open a six-run lead. The Marlins' 10th shutout of the season snapped their five-game losing streak and moved them closer to .500 (69-71) as they look to make a late charge and chip away in the National League Wild Card chase. Miami sits five games behind St. Louis for the second spot. Hellickson was 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts against the Marlins this year before he allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with one strikeout in six innings. "He threw OK. Just wasn't as sharp as he has been most of the year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, giving him 3,021 in his MLB career, which moves him into 26th place all-time, ahead of Rafael Palmeiro (3,020), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Just like Tuesday night, the Phillies opened the game with their first two batters reaching base. However, that's where the similarities ended. While both scored Tuesday to help lift the Phils to a 4-3 win, this time both Cesar Hernandez, who singled, and Aaron Altherr, who reached on a fielder's choice, were stranded. The Phils entered Tuesday with only 46 runs scored in the first inning, the lowest total in the Major Leagues. "It's frustrating," Mackanin said. "We've been going through that for quite a while. We just need to be better at it. The categories in hitting, we're at the bottom: slugging, doubles, hits, runs. There's your story right there."
• Left-handed reliever Patrick Schuster made his Phillies debut in the seventh inning, facing three batters, two of them lefties. After walking the first batter he faced on four pitches, Schuster settled down to retire left-handed Dee Gordon and Ichiro. Getting out left-handed batters is likely the role Schuster will have in Philadelphia's bullpen. "He's funky," Mackanin said. "I asked [catcher A.J. Ellis] what it looked like from behind the plate. He said, '[Schuster] could be tough on lefties.' It boils down to throwing strikes. I'm happy I got to see him. Down the stretch, I'm going to try to see him a little bit more. We need a situational lefty."
• The Eastern League named Reading outfielder Dylan Cozens, the Phillies' No. 7 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, as the league MVP on Wednesday. The 22-year-old Cozens hit .276 with 40 homers and 125 RBIs. He also scored 106 runs and had a .591 slugging percentage. Cozens led all Minor League players in homers and RBIs this season, and is just the second Phillies Minor League player since 1963 to reach 40-plus home runs. Ryan Howard accomplished the feat with 46 homers in 2004. In addition, first baseman Rhys Hoskins was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year, while Dusty Wathan earned Manager of the Year honors. Hoskins hit .281 with 38 homers and 116 RBIs.

NEXT GAME:

Alec Asher takes the mound in the opener of a four-game series at Washington on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Called up on Tuesday, Asher is making his first big league start of the season after going 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts last season with the Phillies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Costly Mistakes – Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson had pretty much owned the Marlins' lineup until a 6-0 loss in Wednesday night's series finale at Marlins Park. Hellickson was 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA over four starts against Miami this season. He had allowed just 19 hits and six runs over 25 1/3 innings while striking out 17. But Wednesday was a different story. Hellickson gave up nine hits over six innings, allowing four runs (three earned). He struck out just one. The Marlins managed to salvage one of the three games in the series, scoring a run in each of the first two innings to put the pressure on a Phillies team struggling to score. In the first, Hellickson gave up a one-out triple to Ichiro Suzuki, who scored the first run of the game, and then yielded a leadoff double in the second inning to Marcell Ozuna, who also scored. "I made too many mistakes early in the count, especially the first couple of innings; one to Ichiro just a lazy changeup, and Ozuna the next inning, you can't give up extra-base hits to lead off innings," Hellickson said. In four previous starts in Miami, Hellickson was 0-0 with a 2.49 ERA, and over eight previous career starts, Hellickson was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA against the Fish. He struck out 33 and walked 12 in 48 innings. "You've just got to battle," Hellickson said. "Not every game's going to go how you want it. You've got to just keep grinding, keep making good pitches. Tonight was an example of that." He yielded single runs in the fifth and sixth innings against the team with which he has somewhat of a history. "It's my fifth start against them [this year]," he said. "So I have an idea what I want to do, they have an idea of what I want to do. I just left too many balls up there early in the game." But the Phillies didn't offer up any help offensively. They were shut out for the ninth time this season, and fourth over their last 15 games.

A Little Rest – Maikel Franco was not in the Phillies' starting lineup on Wednesday night at Marlins Park. The 24-year-old slugging third baseman, a cornerstone of Philadelphia's rebuilding process, needed a break perhaps physically as well as mentally. Franco jammed his wrist swinging the bat during his second plate appearance in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins. He didn't take batting practice before Wednesday's game, but remained available for pinch-hit duty, according to Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. It's the first game Franco has not started since late July. Andres Blanco, who was activated on Friday from the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left index finger, took Franco's place at third base. Blanco was originally placed on the DL on July 25 and hadn't played since. It marked Blanco's 29th start this season, and 10th at third base. He started 13 games at second base, five at shortstop and one at first base. "I'm just going to back off, just to let this settle down on his hand and to give him a blow, because he's obviously pressing, getting a little frustrated," Mackanin said of Franco's day off. Franco is 0-for-8 over the first two games of the road trip in Miami, and has gone hitless in five of his last eight games. Struggling during the recent stretch, Franco is hitting just .182 in his last 33 at-bats. He's still the power hitter the Phils are looking for at the hot corner. Franco leads the team with 22 homers, 73 RBIs, 44 extra-base hits and 212 total bases. He's the first Phillies third baseman to hit 20 homers in one season since Scott Rolen (25) in 2001. However, things have not been going well lately. Franco hasn't hit a home run since Aug. 18, and he has just one RBI in his last 14 games, with an extra-base hit in just one of those games.

Today In Phils History – Former Phillies Joe Oeschger stuck out 3 Phillies on 9 pitches in 1921 while with the Braves but the Phillies storm back in the 9^th with 8 runs to win the game. 5 years later, for the 3^rd time in his career, Cy Williams hit a two out game winning grand slam. In 1954, Richie Ashburn fouled off 14 full count pitches before earning the walk against the Reds. In 1963, Warren Spahn reached the 20 win mark in a win over the Phillies for the 13^th time in his career and, in the process, set the record for the oldest pitcher to reach the milestone (43). Juan Samuel hit his 7^th career leadoff homerun in 1987 setting a new franchise record. With his debut in 1996, Calvin Maduro became the 1^st native of Aruba to pitch in MLB. 2 years later, 3 different Phillies (Rico Brogna, Kevin Sefcik, and Bobby Estalella) hit 2 homeruns against the Mets with Marlon Anderson also going deep during the contest in his 1^st MLB at bat and setting a new team record for homeruns in a single game (7). The Phillies beat the nationals 5-3 in 2009 with all of their runs coming from solo homeruns to set a new franchise mark. 4 years later, Cole Hamels surrendered 2 hits over 8 innings with both being homeruns by the Braves Evan Gattis (the 1^st traveling a CBP record 486 feet). Other notable debuts on this day include Jason Grimsley (1989), Kim Batiste (1991), and Marlon Byrd (2002).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 62-77 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 62-50-0 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 Powers Phillies To Victory

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 6-3

Tyler Anderson wasn't long for this one. In the Phillies' 6-3 win Saturday night, the Rockies' rookie left-hander hit Maikel Franco the at-bat after the third baseman gave Philadelphia an early lead with a three-run homer and subsequent exuberant trot. Tempers flared. Benches cleared. Bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected. After Franco came around to score, the Rockies had more fireworks to contribute by way of the long ball. Franco didn't believe Anderson plunked him on purpose. But given the situation, he wasn't surprised to see the benches clear and his team come to his defense, either. "I know the team had to protect me," Franco said. "They had to respond, too. … I didn't expect the ball to be coming because I didn't do anything wrong, just run my bases. This moment, you just have to get mad a little bit." Anderson and Weiss each said they thought home-plate umpire Eric Cooper's decision was quick, but they also saw Cooper's side. "Obviously, I put that guy [Cooper] in a tough situation, because he hit a home run the at-bat before, but I was not going to intentionally hit the guy in the shin," Anderson said. "A little quick, but I put him in a bad spot, too." Down four runs in the sixth, Colorado knocked Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff out after 5 2/3 innings with a pair of dingers. Daniel Descalso mashed a two-run blast, while Tony Wolters added a solo shot -- the third straight plate appearance he reached safely in to start the game. The win gives the Phillies three straight victories for the first time since early July -- a streak the Rockies snapped during the teams' series in Colorado. A sweep Sunday would be their first since taking three from the Braves during that streak. The Rockies are trending in an opposite direction, dropping their eighth game of their last 10 to fall five below .500 for the first time since July 23. "It's really good to win a series against this lineup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This whole lineup is a good lineup. All you have to do is look at their batting averages. We're doing a heck of a job beating these guys the first two games."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Franco took his time rounding the bases after putting a three-spot on the scoreboard in the first inning with his 21st blast of the season. The next pitch Franco saw from Anderson in the fourth was a fastball to the knee. Franco stared down Anderson, who had words for him and home-plate umpire Eric Cooper, and took first after the benches and bullpens cleared. A Carlos Ruiz walk pushed Franco to second, where he hustled home on Freddy Galvis' single to give the Phillies their fourth six run of the evening. The Phillies' third baseman had a hand (and knee) in all four.
• The sixth inning has not treated Eickhoff well. The three runs Colorado plated off him in the inning upped his sixth-inning ERA this season to an astronomical 12.71. Eickhoff's struggles the third time through the order have plagued him all season, often turning a potential gem into a mess heading into the seventh. Thanks to some uncharacteristic run support, Eickhoff's scheduled sixth-inning implosion cost him only ERA points, not a win. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff isn't so sure either. Despite the gaudy numbers, he doesn't believe it's any sort of a trend. He attributed his struggles in the sixth his last start to an inability to locate, while Saturday, he believed he lost the touch on his curveball. "It just comes down to getting that curveball over," Eickhoff said. "I got it over the first inning maybe, but if the hitters can eliminate that, especially being lefties, you know, it's a big weapon for me. If I'm not throwing that with consistency, they can just put that in the back of their mind, or eliminate it, really."
• Andres Blanco is still more than a week away from removing the pin from his fractured left index finger. Mackanin said the tentative date for that is Aug. 22, but once it is out, it shouldn't take Blanco much more than a week to be ready for action again. Mackanin anticipates Blanco's return around the first week of September.
• The Phillies moved Jeremy Hellickson's next start back to let him rest his sore back and also get a better look at it. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, Mackanin said Hellickson's next start will tentatively come Saturday against the Cardinals. They'll know for certain after Hellickson goes through more tests Saturday. "He seems to be improved and ready to go," Mackanin said. "But we're going to double-check tomorrow." Hellickson said Friday that although he still had some soreness, he expected to make his next start.
• Mackanin also officially named Adam Morgan as Sunday's starting pitcher, filling in for Eflin. Morgan was scratched from his start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and will be recalled prior to Sunday's game. The Phillies will send down a reliever after Saturday's game to clear a roster spot for the left-hander.

NEXT GAME:

Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65 ERA) gets the nod to fill the injured Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation in the series finale at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. The last time Morgan was on a Major League mound, it was July 7 in Colorado, allowing six runs over five innings to the Rockies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Bad Inning(s) – Numbers don't lie. And they don't tell a pretty story for Jerad Eickhoff after the fifth inning. Albeit in a 6-3 Phillies win, the Rockies again signed their name to the list of teams to torch Eickhoff the third time around the order. They had done so once already, scoring six of their eight runs off Eickhoff in the sixth inning of his start at Coors Field in July. The first five innings Saturday were hardly easy for Eickhoff. He allowed six hits and nine baserunners but stranded them all. David Dahl doubled with one out the sixth, and he was not stranded. Daniel Descalso homered the next at-bat and Tony Wolters followed two batters later with a solo shot of his own. After a triple by pitcher Chris Rusin, Eickhoff's night was over, in the sixth, again. With the two outs recorded in the inning Saturday, Eickhoff has now pitched 17 total sixth innings this season. In those, he has allowed 24 runs. Over 119 1/3 total innings pitched in the first through fifth frame, Eickhoff has allowed a combined 34 runs. His sixth-inning ERA climbed to 12.71. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff knows what the numbers say, but he doesn't see any trend. To him, it's a different malfunction each time. On Saturday, he said he lost his touch on the curveball. The start prior, in which he completed the sixth, but not before allowing three Padres runs, he pointed to a single mistake pitch on a two-run Ryan Schimpf home run. Even dating back to his Minor League days, Eickhoff said it was the early innings, not the late ones, that gave him trouble. "It's just kind of how trends happen," Eickhoff said, emphasizing their randomness. "It's not anything concerning for me." While Eickhoff may not have an explanation for the consistent sixth-inning struggles, there was an easy one for Saturday's. With temperatures north of 90 degrees and a heat index of 105 at first pitch, Eickhoff (and everyone else) was dripping with sweat. He had command of his curve in the first, but it evaporated as the game continued. A curveball may be the pitch most affected by a slick hand: having to grip the seams, flick the wrist to get the ball spinning, all while commanding it with precision -- ideally. It had been "a while" since Eickhoff pitched in hot and humid conditions comparable to Saturday, and he didn't shy away from admitting its effects. "I felt like I had it early on," Eickhoff said. "But as the game went on and the more I sweat, the moisture kept building. I couldn't throw it like I wanted to. It's just a part of the game. I've got to adjust to it and I wasn't able to do that.”

Season Over? – Zach Eflin's first Major League season could be over. In addition to the patellar tendinopathy in both his knees that put him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, an MRI on Friday revealed Eflin also has a stress fracture in his right foot. "I would say it's unlikely he'll be back this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I can't commit to that 100 percent, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll be back." Eflin has dealt with knee issues for years, but the pain in his foot was a more recent occurrence. Eflin said the foot began to bother him a couple weeks ago and asked for it to be examined when he was getting an MRI on his knees. In both cases, Eflin and the Phillies are waiting for more detailed results and will likely seek a second opinion. With no knowledge of his current situation, it would be difficult to diagnose Eflin with any sort of injury. He strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. His foot is no game of Russian nesting dolls. There is no walking boot, medical tape or other treatment beneath the leather cowboy boot on his right foot. "When I walk on the outside of it, I feel it, but I'm fine," Eflin said. "Obviously I could pitch through it. But it's just not really ideal." If this is the end of Eflin's rookie season, he'll finish with a 3-5 record and 5.54 ERA. It did have its bright spots, though, including a complete-game shutout of the Pirates and a seven-start run without allowing more than three earned runs.

Today In Phils History – While staying in Ventnor, NJ recovering from a series of illnesses in 1913, club President William Locke died of a heart attack. The Phillies finally put an end to their 30 inning scoreless streak on this day in 1942. 10 year later, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones ended his NL record for 3B streak of 62 games without committing an error. The Phillies lost their 17^th straight game on this day in 1961 which was also the 11^th straight game during which the opposing pitcher recorded a complete game. 20 year later, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #300 off of New York’s Mike Scott. The following season, Pete Rose moved passed Hank Aaron on the all-time at bat list with 12,365. 2 year later, Juan Samuel stole his 56^th base of the year breaking Sherry Magee’s franchise record. 6 years ago, R. A. Dickey held the Phillies to only 1 hit which was recorded by opposing pitcher Cole Hamels in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Mets. Finally, happy birthday to Juan Pierre who was born on this day in 1977.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 55-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 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.

Phillies Late Rally Caps Mound Dominance

GAME RECAP: Phils Gut Fish 4-0

If the Marlins don't want Jeremy Hellickson after what they have seen from him recently, they might never want him. Hellickson pitched six scoreless innings Monday night in a 4-0 victory over the Marlins at Marlins Park. Hellickson could be traded before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, and Miami is one of his top pursuers. Scouts from the Blue Jays, Giants, Orioles and Pirates were among a handful of teams that watched him pitch his latest gem. Hellickson has been impressive lately. He has allowed one run in 14 innings in two starts in the past week against Miami, which fell into a tie with the Mets for the second National League Wild Card spot. "He's not going anywhere," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp bellowed afterward in the visitors' clubhouse. "I hope not," Hellickson added. "We saw this guy a few days ago. The other day I looked up and I think he had 66 pitches after five innings. Tonight, I look up he's got 63 after five," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Hellickson. "It tells me we really didn't make an adjustment to him at all. That was a little disappointing. I thought we'd be better with him." With Wei-Yin Chen on the disabled list, Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosart pitched five scoreless innings in his return to the Majors, but their offense could not get anything going even with Hellickson out of the game. Cosart, who was 0-1 with a 7.98 ERA in three April starts before he was sent down, said his success on Monday stemmed from a new delivery he worked on in the Minors. He now starts his windup in a stretch position, which simplified his delivery. "It feels good. I feel healthy," Cosart said. "I feel like I had a pretty good idea of what all my pitches were doing tonight. [JT Realmuto] and I were on the same page. I had some really good defensive plays behind me."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Ten of the Phillies' 11 outs from the fifth through the eighth innings came on strikeouts. In fact, they had runners on second and third with no outs in the seventh only to have Cody Asche, Peter Bourjos and Ryan Howard strike out. But after Cesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera struck out to start the eighth, Maikel Franco walked and Tommy Joseph doubled to score Franco to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Philadelphia added three insurance runs in the ninth off A.J. Ramos. "After the seventh inning after we didn't score, I didn't think we had a chance to win this game," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I just thought that their bullpen -- we were in trouble. Joseph's big hit off of [Fernando Rodney], who's tough to hit, that was huge, obviously."
• Hellickson has not only allowed just one run in his last 14 innings, but he also has a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts. So it isn't like he just started to pitch well. Hellickson is scheduled to make one more start before the Trade Deadline, but one wonders if he will get there. "It doesn't bother me," Hellickson said about his name circulating in trade rumors. "Once I'm in this locker room -- obviously you still see it on TV and stuff -- my focus was on helping us win today. Now, it's on to the next start, so I definitely, like I told you guys, I see it and read about it, but it's been like this for a few years now, so it's pretty easy to go out there right now." 
• "Man, was I pumped. When I was getting into second, I was like, 'Oh, Maik is going to score. This is great.' Of course, the helmet came off, too. That was going to happen no matter what." -- Joseph, on Franco scoring from first base on his double to left-center field in the eighth.
• Cody Asche snapped an 0-for-26 slump with a single to right field in the fifth inning. It was the Phillies' longest hitless streak since Ryan Howard went 0-for-35 last season.
• Pinch-hitting for Fernando Rodney with two outs in the eighth, Ichiro Suzuki grounded out weakly to pitcher Hector Neris. Ichiro still sits at 2,996 career hits and needs just four more to become the 30th player in MLB history with 3,000.
• The Phillies announced Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf has been returned to the Royals' organization. The Phillies designated Stumpf for assignment last week. He sandwiched a 10.80 ERA in seven appearances with an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a steroid designed by East Germany in the 1960s.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-11, 3.98 ERA) pitches the second of a three-game series at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday against the Marlins at Marlins Park. He had a 3.30 ERA through July 4, but he is 0-2 with an 8.27 ERA in his last three starts. Eickhoff thought he did not throw his curveball enough in his last outing last week against the Marlins, so it will be interesting to see if he goes to his "out" pitch more frequently this time.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rising Stock – Phillies general manager Matt Klentak will want to keep his cell phone charger nearby. Klentak should be getting plenty of calls, texts and emails in the next few days about Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who pitched another gem on Monday night in a 4-0 victory over the Marlins at Marlins Park. Hellickson, who is the Phillies' player most likely to be traded before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, allowed just one hit and one walk and struck out one in six scoreless innings. He has permitted just one run in 14 innings in his last two starts, both of which came against the Marlins. "He's not going anywhere," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp bellowed afterward in the visitors' clubhouse. "I hope not," Hellickson added. But Hellickson might be pitching too well to stay. He has a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts, and contending teams could use him. "I feel really good," Hellickson said. "I think the [All-Star] break really helped. I was feeling really good, feeling strong and like I said, the ball's down and not missing too many spots right now." Ironically, the Marlins have been one of Hellickson's top pursuers. What makes their chase particularly ironic is the Marlins fell into a tie with the Mets for the second National League Wild Card spot. If they miss the postseason by a game or two, they might regret not pulling the trigger earlier on Hellickson, if they do so at all. But it isn't like the Marlins are the only team interested. The Orioles, Blue Jays, Giants and Pirates were among a handful of teams that had scouts in attendance. "It doesn't bother me," Hellickson said about his name constantly circulating in trade rumors. "Like I told you before, once I'm in this locker room -- obviously you still see it on TV and stuff -- my focus was on helping us win today. Now, it's on to the next start, so I definitely, like I told you guys, I see it and read about it, but it's been like this for a few years now, so it's pretty easy to go out there right now." Hellickson is a free agent following the season and is unlikely to be re-signed, which is why the Phillies are likely to trade him. But they have also said publicly they will not give anybody away. If Hellickson is going to help a contender, even for a couple of months, the Phillies want something of value in return. "At this point, I don't want to lose him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I wish he could stay here. He's that solid for us. He's been like that the whole year." But other teams are seeing that, too. And with the Trade Deadline less than a week away, teams short on starting pitching might get the itch to finally strike a deal.

Blanco Lands On DL – J.P. Crawford's time has not come yet. The Phillies placed utility infielder Andres Blanco on the 15-day disabled list on Monday because of a broken left index finger. He is scheduled to have surgery on Wednesday and is expected to miss at least a month. The team recalled Triple-A Lehigh Valley infielder Taylor Featherston to take Blanco's spot on the 25-man roster. It makes sense that the Phillies replaced a utility infielder with a utility infielder, but the Phillies also could have promoted Crawford, who MLBPipeline.com ranks as the third-best prospect in baseball. Crawford could be the Phillies' Opening Day shortstop in 2017, so he would be expected to play every day, which would move Freddy Galvis or Cesar Hernandez into a utility role. But it appears Crawford's name never came up in conversations. "None," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about whether Crawford got any consideration. "No talk about him." The Phillies promoted Crawford from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 20. He started very slowly, but he has hit .320 with seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 21 RBIs and an .817 OPS in his past 38 games. He has walked 14 times and struck out 22 times. It will be surprising if Crawford is not promoted at some point this season, particularly once rosters expand in September. But in the meantime, Featherston will try to fill the void left by Blanco. It will not be easy. Blanco is not only versatile defensively, but he can hit, too. He batted .271 with a .767 OPS in 168 plate appearances. Featherston hit .162 with a .459 OPS in 169 plate appearances last season with the Angels. "That's a shame," Mackanin said about Blanco, who broke the finger on Sunday in Pittsburgh when Gregory Polanco's spikes hit it at third base. "He was one of our best players." The Phillies promoted second baseman Scott Kingery from Class A Clearwater to Double-A Reading and promoted second baseman Jesmuel Valentin from Reading to Lehigh Valley. The Phillies selected Kingery in the second round of the 2015 Draft. He hit .293 with a .770 OPS in 420 plate appearances with the Treshers. Valentin batted .276 with a .745 OPS in 388 plate appearances for Reading. The Phillies acquired him and right-hander Victor Arano from the Dodgers in August 2014 for Roberto Hernandez.

Altherr Set To Return – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr remains on track to rejoin the Phillies on Thursday. The team announced on Monday that Altherr had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Altherr tore a tendon in his left wrist in March, and the Phillies are hoping to give him a good look over the final two months of the season as they assess their outfield situation for 2017 and beyond. "It's easier to get a look at a guy for two months than a September callup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You look at Tommy Joseph, how he started so quickly and then all of a sudden he faded. But then he made adjustments and came back. That's the important thing to see. Anybody can get off to a hot start and fade and never do anything the rest of his season. Two months is a good indication of where he may fit into for next year." But where will Altherr play? Odubel Herrera is locked into center field. Cody Asche has been getting the bulk of playing time in left field lately, while Peter Bourjos has been playing in right field. But Asche entered Monday's 4-0 win over the Marlins at Marlins Park hitless in his last 25 at-bats. And Bourjos, who appeared to be a non-waiver Trade Deadline candidate, has been in a slump. He has hit .140 (7-for-50) with a .370 OPS over his last 12 games after batting .447 (34-for-76) with a 1.218 OPS in 24 games from June 12-July 7. "I don't know why, but he's missing good pitches to hit," Mackanin said about Asche. "He's getting a lot of good pitches to hit, and he's fouling them off. He's not hitting them. He has to start hitting. With Altherr in the picture, that's going to make it tougher for everybody to play. [Tyler Goeddel] hasn't been playing much. Asche was playing quite a bit because he was swinging the bat so well. Bourjos was hitting first, but he's not hitting. So here we go. We're trying to find out as much as we can about Altherr. Everybody competes. It's a competition for jobs."

Today In Phils History – During a homeplate collision in 1911, where he held on to the ball to prevent the double steal, Catcher/Manager Red Dooin suffered a broken leg. In 1948, Eddie Sawyer was hired as manager replacing Dusty Cooke. Milt Thompson, Von Hayes, and Mike Schmidt hit back to back to back home runs against Atlanta in 1987. The following year, Mike Schmidt appeared in his 2,155^th game at 3B setting a new NL record. The Phillies bid farewell to Curt Schilling on this day in 2000 receiving 4 players in return from Arizona for the ace. In his MLB debut, future Phillie John Lannan hit Chase Utley breaking his hand and hit the next batter, Ryan Howard, making him only the 5^th player in MLB history to have been ejected from his debut. 5 years ago, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hit homeruns in the same game for the 40^th time in their careers breaking the record previously held by Mike Scshmidt and Greg Luzinski.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 46-55 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 50-53-0 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.

Pirates Steal Series As Injuries Mount For Phillies

GAME RECAP: Pirates Finish Phillies 5-4

Rookie Adam Frazier couldn't have picked a better time to knock his first Major League home run that nearly reached the Allegheny River. His pinch-hit solo shot to the top of the right-field bleachers broke a tie in the bottom of the seventh inning, leading the Pirates to a 5-4 series win over the Phillies on Sunday at PNC Park. "I figured [right-hander Edubray Ramos] was coming back with a fastball after just missing with two off-speed pitches," Fraizer said. "I got my hands to it and got the barrel out in front." The Pirates overcame a 4-2 Phillies lead in the sixth, courtesy of Matt Joyce's two-run shot to center field, tying it 4. The Bucs have now won four straight series at PNC Park, while the Phillies have gone 4-11 against the Pirates at PNC Park since 2012. Jameson Taillon gave up four runs on eight hits in his six innings with a career-high seven strikeouts. He has gone three straight starts without registering a walk. "He made some mistakes and he paid for them, but he kept us in the game and he really didn't fold or go away," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "He stayed on the aggression throughout the outing." Pittsburgh's bullpen worked a scoreless three innings to preserve the one-run lead and eventual win. "We had opportunities the whole series. Especially today's game included, we need some big hits to score," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. With runners on the corners in the seventh, Neftali Feliz whiffed Odubel Herrera with a 97-mph fastball to keep the score tied. Herrera, who went 7-for-13 in the series, tacked on two RBIs on a groundout in the third inning and a solo shot in the sixth.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• In the bottom of the eighth inning, the game was delayed for one hour, 32 minutes, due to rain.
• Phillies third baseman Andres Blanco homered to center field in the first inning, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead. He later broke his left index finger and is likely headed to the disabled list, so Maikel Franco replaced him at third base, batting third. Franco sat out Saturday's game after being hit in the wrist by Gerrit Cole's pitch on Friday. He hit a single in the eighth inning.
• "It's just a matter of finishing at-bats. You've gotta finish 0-2 counts." -- Phillies starter Vince Velasquez, on giving up the lead in the sixth inning.
• In the third inning, the Phillies claimed Gregory Polanco had interfered while sliding into second base to break up a double play on David Freese's grounder to third base. The Phillies challenged, and the call was overturned, with the Phillies getting the double play.
• In the eighth inning, the Pirates challenged the call ruling Tommy Joseph safe at first base. The call on the field was confirmed: Joseph reached base safely, though Franco was out at second.
• Hellickson (7-7, 3.84) was excellent against the Marlins on Wednesday, allowing just one run on five hits and no walks while striking out eight in a 4-1 Phillies win. He has allowed one earned run in four of his past five starts, going 3-1 in that time.
• The 2.40 ERA Cosart has in his career against the Phillies is his best versus any team against which he has made at least three starts.
• Despite sitting well over .500 for the season, the Marlins have struggled playing against their own division. Miami is a combined 29-11 against the National League Central and West divisions but was only 20-27 against East teams. The Marlins have split 10 games with the Phillies so far in 2016.

NEXT GAME:

After a three-day reprieve away from each other, the Phillies and Marlins reconvene Monday at Marlins Park. The National League East division rivals will play for the fifth, sixth and seventh times over a 10-day span -- and for the 11th, 12th and 13th times over the first four months of the regular season. The familiarity, though, won't be as heightened as it would have been if Wei-Yin Chen wasn't a day-before scratch as the Marlins starter. After Chen missed his regular bullpen session on Saturday because of an undisclosed issue, Jarred Cosart will be called up as the fill-in starter. Chen faced Jeremy Hellickson five days prior in Philadelphia, and a rematch was supposed to occur Monday. Cosart had a 4.09 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A New Orleans after an early-season demotion from the Majors. Cosart (0-1, 7.98 ERA) allowed 13 earned runs on 16 hits in 14 2/3 innings upon making the Marlins' Opening Day roster.

PHILS PHACTS:

Blanco Out – Exacerbating a 5-4 loss to the Pirates on Sunday, third baseman Andres Blanco fractured his left index finger and is likely headed to the disabled list. As Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco tried to steal third base in the fifth inning, Blanco took a throw from catcher Carlos Ruiz and made a move to tag Polanco with his left glove hand. Blanco's hand was crunched between the spikes of Polanco's left cleat and the bag. Manager Pete Mackanin said Blanco's finger took four stitches and will be re-examined before they determine if surgery is needed to further clean up the wound. Not only do the Phillies lose a quality player, but the injury comes at a bad time, with the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline looming. "That's gonna hurt us, because we always could rely on him to play solid defense, come up with big hits for us," Mackanin said. "Plays anywhere, anywhere we put him he plays solid defense. Great guy to have around. "Hopefully it will be shorter than we think it might be. It's definitely a blow," Mackanin said. Maikel Franco, who took a pitch off his left wrist on Friday and sat out Saturday, took Blanco's place in the fifth inning. Third baseman Taylor Featherston, who is already on the 40-man roster, was not in Triple-A Lehigh Valley's lineup on Sunday against Louisville, and is a potential callup to replace Blanco. Before his injury, Blanco sent a solo shot to center field off Jameson Taillon in the first inning, putting the Phillies ahead, 1-0. Blanco has hit .271 this season with 21 RBIs.

Precautionary Day Off – Getting hit by pitches has limited two Phillies players in their series with the Pirates. Maikel Franco was hit on the left wrist by Gerrit Cole on Friday, and did not play Saturday as a precaution, though X-rays came back negative. He entered Sunday's game in the fifth inning, replacing Andres Blanco at third base and batting third. Cameron Rupp was hit in the head with a pitch by Tyler Glasnow on Saturday, with the ball hitting the flap of his helmet and impacting his cheek. Rupp avoided any broken bones or a concussion, but both were out of Sunday's lineup as a precautionary measure. Franco fractured his wrist in the same place last season, but has been icing and wrapping the wrist to ease any soreness. "It's probably just precaution, because I think I'm available to play if needed," Rupp said. "You get hit in the head, you want to take a little more precaution than if it was another part of your body." Blanco was also hit in the sixth inning of Friday's game by Cole, and Arquimedes Caminero pegged Tommy Joseph in the seventh. Pitcher Aaron Nola was hit on his left knuckles by a Glasnow fastball on Saturday, but he continued to pitch. With so many Phillies players getting hit by pitches in the series, there's a question about whether the Phillies feel the need to retaliate -- though Zach Eflin did pop Andrew McCutchen in the lower back after Franco was hit Friday. "That's not for me to say," Rupp said. "[It's not good] to have two guys out of the lineup that are normally in there. But that's just something that whatever happens, happens." Rupp doesn't believe Glasnow did anything on purpose, as the ball can get away from everyone sometimes. But the Pirates are known for pitching inside, which can be dangerous if not done properly. "You play against these guys all during Spring Training," Rupp said. "They do the same thing there. They preach about pitching inside, which, like I said, is fine. But like I said, you've gotta be able to pitch inside. You've got to throw it in there and not hit guys."

Texas Pursuing A Phillies Pitcher (Again!) – The Rangers' search for a young controllable starter continues, leading up to the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Texas was linked Monday to Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez and Royals righty Edinson Volquez. MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported the Rangers' interest in Velasquez, while the Dallas Morning News reported the club's front-office inner circle watched Volquez on Sunday. Morosi reported the price to acquire Velasquez would be high. The Rangers have not commented on the reports. The 24-year-old is 8-2 with a 3.34 ERA in 17 starts for the Phils this season, striking out 103 batters in 91 2/3 innings. Velasquez is under team control through the 2021 season and was one of several pieces acquired by Philadelphia from Houston this offseason in the Ken Giles trade. The Rangers and Phillies are familiar with each other, as they pulled off a blockbuster before last season's deadline. Texas acquired left-hander Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations from Philadelphia for Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Alec Asher, Jerad Eickhoff and Matt Harrison. Volquez, 33, is 8-8 with a 4.56 ERA in 21 starts this season, but he has a 2.84 ERA in his last five starts. He has a $10 million mutual option for next season or a $3 million buyout. Volquez began his career with Texas before being traded to Cincinnati in 2007 for Josh Hamilton. He made his lone All-Star appearance the following season and has a 4.32 ERA in 12 years with the Rangers, Reds, Padres, Dodgers, Pirates and Royals. The Rangers have reportedly shown interest in several young controllable pitchers, including the White Sox Chris Sale and the Rays' trio of Chris Archer, Matt Moore and Jake Odorizzi. Although they'd be open to a rental, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said they'd prefer a longer-term option. "I think the only real change is I was hoping we wouldn't consider a rental," Daniels said Sunday. "In my mind, we are open to longterm controllable acquisitions like Cole [Hamels] and down the line. It's still not my preference, but I'd be open to it." 

Congratulations Piazza and Griffey! – To punctuate close to an hour of combined speeches by this year's pair of inductees into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Ken Griffey Jr. turned around his cap to end the Sunday proceedings. Mike Piazza spoke to his Italian immigrant father, Vince, in his native language, thanking him and Italy for giving him his dad. There were more than 50,000 people sprawled out on the lawns far and away beyond the tented stage behind the Clark Sports Center decked out in Mets blue and Mariners teal, tying the second-largest turnout in induction history. And there were enough tears from the participants to easily fill a bucket. "The actual thing about talking in front of 50,000 wasn't bad," said Griffey, the son of Ken Griffey Sr., a two-time World Series winner with the Reds in 1975-76. "The thing is I made the mistake of looking down at my kids in the front row. I remember everybody saying, 'Don't look at your kids, don't look at your kids until you have to.' "Nope, not me. You know what they say when you're a kid? 'Don't do that, don't do that.' What do you do? You do it anyway." Griffey also said it wasn't his idea to don a cap in the style that was his signature during a 22-year career when he hit 630 homers for the Mariners, Reds and White Sox. He gave the credit (or blame) to now Hall of Fame contemporary Frank Thomas. Thomas had the inspiration when the group arrived at the grounds just before the ceremony began. Griffey acquiesced and said he had to get a Hall of Fame fitted model that belonged to one of his sons. "That really wasn't my idea," said Junior, the first No. 1 Draft pick ever inducted into the Hall. "That was from a guy who happened to play for Chicago and Oakland and cried the entire time through his speech. So him being a veteran of the Hall of Fame, I took his veteran leadership and decided to do it." As far as Piazza was concerned, he paced his speech accordingly and decided to leave loving thoughts to his family for last. Piazza praised Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, the man who urged the Dodgers to pick him in the 62nd round -- 1,390th overall -- in the 1988 Draft when he managed that ballclub. He sent his best wishes to Bobby Valentine, a Lasorda acolyte, who managed the Mets into a five-game loss to the Yankees in the 2000 Subway World Series. Piazza, who is the lowest-drafted player enshrined in Cooperstown, said he was moved by the fact that the current baseball team from Phoenixville High School -- where the right-handed slugger played as a teen -- made the four-hour trek from Pennsylvania for the festivities. He also showed a lot of love to Mets fans. "Any time I come to New York and see the fans, it's like coming home," Piazza said. "Their energy and the way they receive me has always given me adrenaline." Piazza's father may not have been as famous as the elder Griffey, but he was no less influential. To his father, whose friendship with Lasorda paved the way to Piazza hitting 427 homers in the Majors -- a record 396 of them as a catcher -- and into the Hall of Fame, Piazza translated the Italian: "I said, basically, 'Many thanks to Italy for giving me the gift of my father. Infinite thanks.' As I've said many times before, that was the one thing when I was a kid my father instilled in me." A love of baseball and Italy. "As a kid you don't think much of it," he added. "But when you get older you reconnect. He was a big fan of [Joe] DiMaggio. I was obviously paying my respects to Yogi [Berra] today. He was on my mind as well. One thing I'm very proud of is the great Italian-American ballplayers and Hall of Famers that are here." Griffey, of course, came from a different place and time. His father was a 29th-round selection by the Reds in the 1969 Draft and went on to play 19 seasons. His was a baseball family and that fact alone gave Griffey a foot up with his new team of Hall of Famers as far as any hazing might be concerned. "I had time to do some research and I have some information about these guys that they probably don't want out," he said with a glint in his eyes. Griffey's speech was heavily directed toward his family and many of the Mariners, whom he played with during his initial iteration from 1989-99. Griffey returned to Seattle to finish his career in 2009-10. Edgar Martinez, the Mariners' current hitting coach and a top designated hitter during the Griffey era, took the day off from the ballpark and was in the audience. Griffey gave him a shout out for election to the Hall. Martinez remains on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. The Mariners had a huge contingent of past and present executives at the ceremony and staged a private party for Griffey at the Fenimore Art Museum in town on Saturday night. Mets owners Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, were also at the festivities to honor Piazza. Griffey said he didn't get to spend too much time with his father this weekend. "This is the first time I saw him today," Griffey said. "He's been ripping and running around town just like everybody else in my family. When I saw him is when I got on the stage. We had a chance to talk [on the phone]. He just said, 'Just go out, have fun and enjoy yourself. I'm here for you.' And then he hung up. A typical dad thing." The crowd was not so atypical. It matched the 1999 induction of Robin Yount, George Brett and Nolan Ryan, but fell far short of the 80,000 that flooded the town for the 2007 deliverance of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. Each induction has its own tone and flavor. Last year, there was a decided Dominican feel to the throng of 45,000 as Pedro Martinez was among the four inductees. Montreal natives once waded out on these same fields, waving the white and red Canadian flag the years when Gary Carter and Andre Dawson were the only members of the now-defunct Expos to be inducted. But an element of all this is certain. It's one thing to play in front of a crowd of 50,000 and quite another to look out from the stage on that kind of assemblage and have to address it. "It was absolutely nerve-wracking," Piazza said. "It's not easy, but as a player you have to find a way to focus and get into your game mode. I was joking with Ken a little bit before we got on stage: 'Come on, we've got this, we've got this.' We were talking like we were going out to play. But nothing can prepare you for the emotions that you feel."

Today In Phils History – In 1924, George Harper hit an inside the park homerun at the Baker Bowl to seal the victory against Chicago. In the first game of a double header in 1948, Richie Ashburn hit into his only double play of the season setting a franchise record for fewest by a regular position player. 2 years later, the Phillies swept a double header in Chicago to take 1^st place in the league which they would hold on to for the remainder of the season. 30 years later, in 1980, Mike Schmidt hit 2 homeruns in the 1^st game of a double header against the Dodgers to set a new franchise record for career homeruns (261) passing Del Ennis. Ryan Madson had an interesting start I 2006 as in the 3^rd inning against Arizona he tied a MLB record by throwing 4 wild pitches (on top of hitting 2 batters and walking 5) but still only allowed 2 runs over 4 innings in the extra inning loss. It was on this day last year, in his final start as a Phillie, when Cole Hamels threw a no hitter against the Cubs. Finally, Happy 45^th Birthday to former Phillies closer Billy Wagner!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 45-55 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 43-59-0 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.