Howard Turns Back Clock Against Mets

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Mets 4-2

If the Phillies are serious about making a run at .500, and maybe even the National League Wild Card, they have to win series against teams like the Mets. They have an opportunity to do so following Saturday night's 4-2 victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard launched a solo homer in the second inning, and third baseman Maikel Franco slapped a single to left field with one out in the seventh to score Peter Bourjos from second base to give the Phillies (43-49) a one-run lead. Carlos Ruiz scored an insurance run on a wild pitch in the eighth as Jeanmar Gomez picked up his 25th save in the ninth. "It's good to win," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I didn't want to hear the Mets fans." The Mets had opportunities, putting the leadoff man on base five times in seven innings against Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, but they could not put together the big inning. Both Travis d'Arnaud and Jose Reyes logged sacrifice flies for New York, and Juan Lagares notched a double in his second straight start in center field.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Franco had been scuffling for much of the season, but he has caught fire the last few weeks. He is hitting .354 (29-for-82) with five doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 21 RBIs and a 1.119 OPS in his last 21 games. He is hitting .235 (26-for-80) with runners in scoring position this season. “I think he's better than what he was last year," Howard said. "I think getting that experience, every year you get a little more, and that makes you better. He's just really in a good, comfortable spot right now."
• Eickhoff might have been the Phillies' best starter in the first half of the season, although he allowed a career-high eight runs on July 9 in Colorado. But he returned to form against the Mets. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out three in six-plus innings. He also doubled and scored the game-tying run in the fifth. "He's not as sharp as I've seen him," Mackanin said. "He really wasn't that sharp, and he pitched well enough to win. Too many baserunners for my liking, but he got us into the seventh inning."
• "I know it was a good situation for me. I just wanted to put the ball in play, and something good happened for me and my team, too." -- Franco, on his game-winning hit against Hansel Robles.
• Howard hit his 370th career homer in the second inning, tying him with Gil Hodges for 77th place on the all-time home run list. Howard's 46 homers against the Mets are the most among active players. He also ranks fifth all-time behind Willie Stargell (60), Chipper Jones (49), Mike Schmidt (49) and Willie McCovey (48). Howard had been tied with Hank Aaron for fifth.
• Eickhoff nearly made a crucial play in the seventh thanks to a heads-up play on the mound. He fielded a Brandon Nimmo comebacker and caught d'Arnaud off of second base. But as d'Arnaud retreated, Eickhoff made a high throw that drew Freddy Galvis away from the bag. He got the tag down and umpires initially ruled d'Arnaud out at second. Mets manager Terry Collins challenged and replay officials overturned the call, giving the Mets runners at first and second. Collins is now 7-for-16 on challenges this season.
• Peter Bourjos is looking to extend his NL-leading 23-game on-base streak. He extended it Saturday night on a throwing error by Asdrubal Cabrera. Over the length of the streak, Bourjos is hitting .381 (32-84 AB) with 12 extra-base hits and 17 runs scored.
• Another obstacle for a pitcher's duel: The Phillies have found success against deGrom in the past. Although he has a 3.03 career ERA against them, Cody Asche and Freddy Galvis both own batting averages north of .400 against him and Ryan Howard has two home runs in 17 at-bats.
• Yoenis Cespedes has missed the first two games out of the All-Star break with a strained right quad. The Mets were hopeful he would be ready for Saturday's game and held out posting the lineup until only two hours before first pitch, awaiting the results of Cespedes' running drills. But Juan Lagares again filled in in center field for the second straight day. Manager Terry Collins still does not believe the quad will require a DL stint for Cespedes.

NEXT GAME:

Zach Eflin has bounced back from a disastrous debut to grow into one of the Phillies' most reliable starters heading into the second half of the season. But if you thought his last few starts have been good, just look at the Mets hurler he'll face in Sunday's finale. Jacob deGrom joins Bartolo Colon as the only Mets starter not bit by the injury bug in the season's first half. He's been particularly effective since bone spurs began to bother Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz. Over deGrom's last three starts, he's allowed only three runs in 20 innings. Each of Eflin's last three starts have gone down as quality ones. But even his more-than-respectable 2.57 ERA over that span looks gargantuan compared to deGrom's 1.35 mark. It may look like recipe for a Sunday afternoon pitcher's duel. But deGrom has to deal with a Phillies offense that is averaging over five runs a game over its last 10, while Eflin faces a Mets team that has clubbed 14 home runs in four games this season at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Franco On Fire – This is the Maikel Franco the Phillies expected. Franco hit a one-out single to left field in the seventh inning on Saturday night in a 4-2 victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The hit scored Peter Bourjos from second base to break a 2-2 tie. It also put the Phillies in position to win the series. "It's good to win," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I didn't want to hear the Mets fans." Franco has been swinging a hot bat since a slow start. He posted a disappointing .690 OPS through June 20, which put him among the bottom half of everyday third basemen. Franco has been on a tear since Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz told the team's young hitters to relax in a meeting before a three-game series in Minnesota on June 21. He is hitting .354 (29-for-82) with five doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 21 RBIs and a 1.119 OPS in his last 21 games. His OPS is third among all third basemen in that span, behind only Toronto's Josh Donaldson (1.190) and Arizona's Jake Lamb (1.172). Despite his slow start, Franco is tied for sixth among third basemen in home runs (18) and tied for fifth in RBIs (54). "I'm seeing pitches much better," Franco said. "Even today, my first three at-bats, I felt really good. I'm staying positive. Every at-bat is really important." Franco entered the season as the team's No. 3 hitter. He fell to sixth in the Phillies' lineup on June 18-19 against the D-backs. But he is back hitting in the middle, looking like a force that the team can build around. "I think he's better than what he was last year," Howard said. "I think getting that experience, every year you get a little more, and that makes you better. He's just really in a good, comfortable spot right now." If Franco had been hitting like this from the jump, he likely would have joined teammate Odubel Herrera at the All-Star Game earlier this week in San Diego. Maybe next year. "I can't control that," Franco said. "I want to be at the All-Star Game at every year, but right now I just feel more comfortable at home plate."

Slowing Down – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin announced the Phillies' rotation to open the second half last Sunday in Colorado. He said Jeremy Hellickson would start the second-half opener Friday against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park because he is the most experienced pitcher in the group. He chose Jerad Eickhoff to pitch Saturday, instead of Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez or Zach Eflin, because he might have been the Phillies' best pitcher in the first half. Eickhoff showed his ability to grind in Saturday's 4-2 victory over the Mets. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out three in six-plus innings, while also notching a pair of hits and scoring a run. The line score makes it look like Eickhoff had an easy night, but it was far from that. He allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base in five of seven innings. "He's not as sharp as I've seen him," Mackanin said. "He really wasn't that sharp, and he pitched well enough to win. Too many baserunners for my liking, but he got us into the seventh inning." "That was kind of frustrating," Eickhoff said. "I was starting in the stretch early on." But Eickhoff bounced back from arguably the worst start of his career July 9 in Colorado, where he allowed a career-high eight runs in 5 1/3 innings. "Deep breaths," Eickhoff said, asked how he worked out of his jams Saturday. "Just kind of focus on each pitch and not try to think too far ahead. Just focus on the now and not worrying about giving up two, three, four runs, instead of giving up just one. Just kind of slowed it down a little bit." It is no secret that Hellickson could be traded before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, and the Phillies are closely monitoring the workloads of Nola and Velasquez. Eickhoff could be the Phillies' lone starter to approach 200 innings before the end of the season as he establishes himself as the rotation's workhorse. He has a team-high 115 innings through 19 starts, a little more than six innings per start. "An innings eater, that's what I've always wanted to be," he said. He grinded through his start Saturday to keep him on pace of becoming just that.

Today In Phils History – Following the efforts of Boston, down 12-2 in the 8^th, to delay a game in 1894, the Phillies were given the win by forfeit causing the fans to riot against Boston and forcing them to be removed from the stadium under police escort. The longest game in Phillies history, 21 innings, occurred on this day in 1918 with neither team committing an error (MLB record) in the 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. 30 years later, Granny Hamner drove in 7 runs against the Cardinals with a single and 2 doubles. In 1984, with 8 strikeouts in the game, Steve Carlton surpasses the century mark for the 18^th straight season setting a new NL record and tying Walter Johnson’s MLB record. 4 years later, Rickey Jordan hit a 3 run homerun in his first MLB at bat (second MLB plate appearance) to help the Phillies defeat the Astros 10-4. In 2007, Aaron Rowand collected 3 doubles and a homerun against the Dodgers, 3 days after collecting 4 extra base hits in a game, to become the first player to have multiple 4 extra base hit games in the same month. The following season, the Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from Oakland for their World Series run. Finally, happy birthday to Deron Johnson (1938) and Bobby Thigpen (1963).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 43-49 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 54-50-1 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.

Velasquez Solid, Joseph Goes Deep, And Goeddel Saves The Game

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 5-3

Tommy Joseph emerged from a recent funk to deliver a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning and lift the Phillies over the Rockies, 5-3, at Coors Field on Friday night. Joseph's 455-foot shot came off lefty Jake McGee, who let the two runners he inherited from effective starter Jon Gray and two others score in his fourth appearance since his return from missing three weeks with a left knee injury. Gray fanned eight in 6 1/3 innings. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said of his homer. McGee, who entered because manager Walt Weiss watched Gray's leadoff four-pitch walk and saw fatigue signs, had increased the use of the slider since coming off the disabled list. But for much of his career he has thrown the fastball around 95 percent of the time. "Most of my career, I've got to stick with my fastball and not get beat with a secondary pitch," McGee said. "My slider, in that situation, lost the game and kind of spoiled Gray's good outing." The Joseph homer made a winner of Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez, who gave up eight hits but held the Rockies to two runs in six innings. The Phillies prevailed on a night when Rockies All-Star right fielder Carlos Gonzalez had three hits, including a double, and Trevor Story drove in two runs.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Joseph might be getting his mojo back after struggling since a hot start. His pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh was the Phillies' first pinch-hit homer of the season and Joseph's first pinch-hit of his career. He had been 0-for-7 in pinch-hitting opportunities. He is 6-for-12 in his last four games. "To feel like you did something for the team, it feels pretty good," Joseph said.
• Tyler Goeddel replaced Cody Asche in left field in the eighth inning and it paid off with a game-saving catch. The Rockies had a runner on second with two outs when DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted in from his position and made the diving catch. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there."
• "I'll take it. Everyone has their ups and downs. You're not going to be perfect all the way through." -- Velasquez, speaking about his first half. He finished 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA.
• Joseph's homer traveled a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing Maikel Franco's 449-foot homer, which he hit Monday. It is the Phillies' longest homer since Cameron Rupp's 461-foot long ball on Aug. 24, 2015.
• The Phillies announced outfielder Aaron Altherr began a rehab assignment Friday with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. He is recovering from a torn tendon in his left wrist. The team also announced right-hander Andrew Bailey had been activated from the 15-day disabled list. Bailey had been sidelined with a strained left hamstring.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-9, 3.30 ERA) makes his final start before the All-Star break on Saturday night at 8:40 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Coors Field. Eickhoff is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA in his last seven starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rule 5 Dive – Tyler Goeddel is trying to make his mark this season, but the opportunities at times have been scarce. He made the most of his chance Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. He pinch-hit in the top of the eighth inning for Phillies left fielder Cody Asche and remained in the game. He then made a lead-saving catch with a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the inning when Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted from his spot in left to make a spectacular diving catch to end the threat. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there." Not bad for a converted third baseman, who started playing the outfield last year. "I love selling out, making those plays," Goeddel said. "That's the best part of playing the outfield." The Phillies selected Goeddel with the first overall pick in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. He is hitting .221 with three doubles, three triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 59 games, although his playing time has been reduced recently due to the torrid hitting of Peter Bourjos and Asche. "It's been fun, really fun," Goeddel said of his first half. "A learning experience, for sure. At the start of the year I was getting my feet wet. It took a little bit of time, but the more I played, the more I felt comfortable. Any way you can contribute up here is awesome. Whatever my role is I want to help the team win. I think this first half I feel like I've helped out quite a bit. Hopefully I'll continue to improve as the season goes on and continue to make some plays."

Regaining Form – Tommy Joseph never felt it. He crushed a pinch-hit, three-run home run to left field in the seventh inning Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. It was the Phillies' first pinch-hit home run of the season, and the first pinch-hit of Joseph's career. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said. It came at a huge moment of the game. The Phillies' offense had been quiet since arriving in Colorado, but had just scored its first run in the seventh to cut the Rockies' lead to 2-1. Joseph stepped into the batter's box and three pitches later mashed a 1-1 breaking ball against Rockies left-hander Jake McGee a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing the 448-foot blast Maikel Franco hit Monday at Citizens Bank Park. "Thanks to him," said Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez, who picked up his eighth win of the season. Joseph might be finding his mojo again. He hit .323 (21-for-65) with two doubles, seven home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS in the first 21 games of his big league career. He played so well Phillies manager Pete Mackanin officially put Ryan Howard into a bench role. But since homering twice against the Nationals on June 10, Joseph hit just .114 (8-for-70) with three doubles, one home run, three RBIs and a .325 OPS in 19 games. "It was quite a funk," Joseph said. But following the towering homer Friday, Joseph is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with one double, two home runs, five RBIs and a 1.622 OPS in his last four games. Joseph said adjustments he has made recently have helped. Some helpful words from teammates have been beneficial, too. "Creating movement with the legs," Joseph said. "I got away from that." He is back at it and Friday it might have helped him crush a ball a country mile.

Huge Potential – The Phillies will have one heck of a story if Simon Muzziotti makes the big leagues. They signed the 17-year-old outfielder from Venezuela to a $750,000 bonus Friday. Muzziotti comes to the Phillies in a very unusual way. He was a free agent, despite the fact the Red Sox paid him a $300,000 bonus last summer and despite the fact he hit .317 in 17 games this summer for the Red Sox in the Dominican Summer League. Muzziotti became a free agent again recently only because Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for trying to circumvent the rules during the previous international signing period. The Red Sox were not permitted to sign players for more than $300,000 during the 2015-16 signing period because they exceeded their bonus pool in the 2014-15 signing period. But the Red Sox instead made package deals, essentially paying a group of players $300,000 each only to have a few of those players funnel much of their bonus to the most valuable player in the group. Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for their actions, which included making the players they signed free agents. Only $450,000 of Muzziotti's bonus counted against the Phillies' signing pool of $5,610,800. They had purposely not spent their entire signing pool just in the event something unexpected came their way. Muzziotti did. One scout told MLB.com last summer that Muzziotti compared to a young Jacoby Ellsbury. Muzziotti had been clocked at 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard dash. The Phillies previously agreed to terms with five other international players: right-hander Francisco Morales ($720,000 signing bonus), shortstop Brayan Gonzalez ($900,000), shortstop Nicolas Torres ($665,000), catcher Juan Aparicio ($475,000) and shortstop Jose Tortolero ($450,000).

Lessons Learned – The moment remains embedded in Phillies manager Pete Mackanin's memory. It was May 4, 1980. Mackanin was a bench player with the Twins. He was hitting .231, and at the age of 28, he was battling to stay in the big leagues, where he had appeared in 73 games the three previous seasons -- combined. "I am in the outfield, shagging fly balls, and [manager] Gene [Mauch] walks up and says, 'Pete, when you are trying to move the runner from second to third, a deep fly ball to right-center or center will get it done. Don't sacrifice an at-bat with a ground ball to the right side. "I told him, 'I have to stop hitting .230,' and he says, 'You're going to hit .270, .275 when it's all over. He walks away and I'm thinking, 'Dang, he thinks I can hit. It's little things like that that makes a difference. A guy with his stature in the game believes in me and I start thinking, 'Maybe I am a better hitter.'" Mackanin hit .271 his final 79 games that season, finishing at .266. Another year with the Twins and his big league playing career was over. More than 35 years later, however, Mackanin, 24 days shy of his 65th birthday, is enjoying his first season as a non-interim big league manager, and those moments with Mauch are with him every day. It has helped Mackanin handle the challenges of managing a big league team, especially a young team like the Phillies, where the ups can be way up and the downs way down. This is a team that opened the season 25-19, lost 19 of its next 24 and went into Friday having won 10 of the past 14. Mackanin has a driving desire to win. He can be as frustrated as the next guy when a hit-and-run is missed or an outfielder throws to the wrong base. But he maintains a calm exterior. It's what he learned from Mauch. "Gene would have a meeting when things weren't going well and you were thinking he's going to yell and scream, but it was just the opposite," Mackanin said. "I played for Billy Martin [as a rookie] in Texas, and you hear a lot of stories about Billy. Some of them are true. But with Billy, the only time he would yell and scream at [players] was when we were winning. When we were losing, he was looking for a way to pick everybody up." Over the years, Mackanin had plenty of opportunities to test that method, just not in the big leagues. He coached in the Majors and Minors and had a short stint as a pro scout with the Yankees, and he managed 14 seasons in the Minors with a composite 985-914 record. Mackanin even went 27-26 with the Pirates' affiliate in the Rookie level Gulf Coast League in 2006 after finishing the previous season as the interim manager of the big league club. He wanted to remain in the game, so at the age of 54, the former ballplayer welcomed the chance to take on the Minor League team. That, as much as anything, underscores that Mackanin is a baseball lifer. Even when he felt jilted, he never felt bitter. Like so many people in the game, Mackanin had a strong desire to be a big league manager, but he finally gave up that dream nine years ago. He had that interim opportunity with the Pirates when they fired Lloyd McClendon with a 55-81 record and 26 games remaining in 2005. Pittsburgh won 12 of the final 26 games with Mackanin in charge, but when it came time to hire a manager for '06, the Pirates went with Jim Tracy, who had managed the Dodgers the previous five seasons. A coach with the Reds when Jerry Narron was fired after a 31-51 start to 2007, Mackanin took over as the interim manager, saw the team go 41-39, but then Cincinnati hired Dusty Baker, a veteran of 14 years managing the Giants and Cubs. Mackanin did get interviews for managerial jobs with the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Astros and D-backs, but he wasn't hired. "I remember one question in Boston: 'You're 60 years old, why do you think you would get an opportunity to manage?'" Mackanin said with a smile. "I said, 'I don't want to introduce age into this decision. I don't think it is fair to take advantage of the youth and inexperience of the other candidates." Bobby Valentine got the job. Mackanin got the message. "I was at ease with everything," he said. "I still loved the game and wanted to be part of it, but I knew my time had passed [to be a manager]." Well, he thought his time had passed. Mackanin did take a coaching job with the Phillies, and when he was dismissed after the 2012 season, he became a scout with the Yankees. When Ryne Sandberg became the Phillies' manager, he hired Mackanin to be the third-base coach, and it was Mackanin who assumed the interim managerial job when Sandberg stepped down. He never thought he would be managing the team on a full-time basis in 2016. But he is. "I'm happy," Mackanin said. "I'm not out to prove anything. If I was 50, I would probably be a lot more anxious about things, but I turn 65 the first of August, and I'm managing in the big leagues. I am just doing what I have always done." Mackanin is doing the things he learned from those days, playing for the likes of Mauch and Martin.

Today In Phils History – On Wally Post’s 20^th birthday, Phillies phans harassed Boston manager Billy Southworth in 1949 for not including Robin Roberts and Ken Heintzelman on the All Star roster. 4 years later, Robin Roberts was pulled in the 8^th inning ending a streak of 28 straight complete games dating back to August of the previous season. In 1967, Dick Allen hit a monster homerun over the 40 foot high center field wall at Connie Mack Stadium. 20 years later, with his 513^th career homerun, Mike Schmidt passed Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks for 11^th all time. Ricky Bottalico represented the Phillies well as their lone representative in the 1996 All Star Game at the Vet by pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Lastly, this is the day when newly acquired Joe Blanton made his Phillies debut in 2008.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 41-47 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.

Phillies Simply Looked Overmatched

GAME RECAP: Nationals Shutout Phillies 8-0

Tanner Roark kept the Phillies off the board on Saturday, and the Nationals' offense did the rest, as Washington routed Philadelphia, 8-0, at Nationals Park. Roark was the game's star, throwing seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out seven. The Phillies threatened in the second and third, but after that Roark cruised to his best outing since April. Meanwhile, Washington's lineup went to town against Philadelphia starter Aaron Nola. The Nationals scored four runs in the second inning off Nola on a smattering of singles. Roark's squeeze bunt scored a run and he later came around on Bryce Harper's single for a 4-0 lead. "The play of the game is when [Roark] got that two-strike bunt down that kind of opened the gates," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "I think guys were more excited about that than anything." Washington chased Nola from the game with two outs in the fourth inning. "Nola just didn't look in sync," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "There was something about his rhythm that just didn't look right. He didn't make that many bad pitches, but he didn't look like he was in sync." Washington added three more runs in the fifth off relievers Elvis Araujo and Andrew Bailey and another one in the eighth off Hector Neris. Clint Robinson and Michael Taylor had three hits apiece for the Nationals, and Anthony Rendon and Stephen Drew both drove in two runs. Overall, six different Washington players drove in runs. With Sammy Solis pitching for the Nationals in the eighth inning, Daniel Murphy let a runner reach base on a defensive miscue and cost the team a potential double play one batter later with a bobble on a routine roller. But the second baseman redeemed himself soon after, when he made a diving stop of a hard-hit grounder and threw out Cody Asche to end the inning. Blake Treinen finished the game for Washington with a 1-2-3 ninth.

PHILS PHACTS:

• All of the damage against Nola came during the second inning, when the Nationals strung together four hits and ended up with four runs. Nola hit Ramos with a pitch to begin the inning, then gave up a single to Robinson and, after a Rendon fielder's choice, another single to Drew. Roark drove in a run with a squeeze bunt, and Taylor and Bryce Harper added RBI singles to cap off the rally. Nola finally escaped the inning but was pulled with two outs in the fourth, having allowed seven hits and four runs. "I felt pretty wild with all my pitches," Nola said. "My curveball was hanging a lot. They put some good swings on those, especially when I had two strikes. It was too much in the zone. And my fastball, my two-seamer was running too much. I couldn't really control it much. And just getting behind guys really hurt me today." 
• The Phillies' best run-scoring opportunity came in the second inning, when Asche singled and Cameron Rupp doubled to lead off the inning. But Roark buckled down and fanned Cesar Hernandez, Nola and Peter Bourjos consecutively, holding Philadelphia off the board. The Phillies never got a better chance the rest of the way. "That second inning kind of set the tone for us," Mackanin said. "Second and third nobody out, and he struck out the side. We just didn't hit."
• "You've been seeing my lineups. I've been dipsy-doodling every day. Is that a word?" -- Mackanin, on trying to figure out the Phillies' optimal lineup.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will send lefty Adam Morgan to the mound on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET, as they seek to avoid a sweep against the Nationals. Morgan has struggled this year, recording a 6.70 ERA in 42 2/3 innings. But he earned a quality start on Monday against the Cubs, pitching six innings and allowing three runs in a 6-4 Phillies loss.

PHILS PHACTS:

Nola’s Off Day – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin and starter Aaron Nola agreed on how to describe the righty's outing on Saturday: "Out of sync." Nola lasted only 3 2/3 innings in an 8-0 loss to the Nationals at Nationals Park, giving up four runs on seven hits. "There was something about his rhythm that just didn't look right," Mackanin said. "He didn't make that many bad pitches, but he didn't look like he was in sync." Nola concurred, offering a laundry list of self-pointed criticisms of the outing. "I felt pretty wild with all my pitches," Nola said. "My curveball was hanging a lot. They put some good swings on those, especially when I had two strikes. It was too much in the zone. And my fastball, my two-seamer was running too much. I couldn't really control it much. And just getting behind guys really hurt me today. It made my pitch count jump up pretty quick, pretty high." Nola, a 23-year-old in his first full big league season, entered Saturday with a 2.65 ERA. But endured arguably his worst start of the season at Nationals Park. Most of the righty's problems came in the second inning, when he hit Wilson Ramos with a two-seam fastball that got away. Then, he allowed four singles, with an RBI squeeze bunt mixed in. By the time the inning was over, Nola and the Phillies trailed 4-0. Mackanin removed Nola with two outs in the fourth inning, following a Ben Revere double. The manager said he removed his pitcher out of concern over his pitch count, which ended up at 82 for the afternoon.

Today In Phils History – It was on this day in 1939 when Grover Cleveland Alexander attended the opening of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY as a member of the inaugural induction class. Also celebrating that day was Red Dooin who was born 60 years prior to that initial induction. 5 years later, the Phillies released another Hall of Famer in Chuck Klein. A decade later the Phillies where on the wrong end of Jim Wilson’s no hit effort. 3 years later in 1957 the Phillies saw another visiting player make some history as Stan Musial set the new NL record for consecutive games at 823. 2 year later, the Phillies were once again the victims of a no hit effort this time from Mike McCormick whose 5 inning effort stood up thanks to the game being called due to rain. Another oddity, on this day in 1987, for the second time that season, right fielder Glenn Wilson threw out Montreal pitcher Bryn Smith at first after an apparent single. 11 years later the Phillies honored Johnny Callison as he was inducted in the Phillies Wall of Fame. A decade after that, Brad Lidge, in the midst of a perfect season, became the 1st Phillie to start a season with 18 consecutive saves. 2 years later the mood was a little different as Joe Blanton allowed the 1^st 5 Boston batters to reach base and score including Daniel Nava who hit the first major league pitch he saw for a grand slam becoming the 4^th player in MLB history to do so. Lastly, it was 2 years ago today when Ken Giles made his major league debut with the Phillies.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 29-33 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 45-47-0 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!

Phillies Still Have Some Work To Do

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Red Sox Route Phillies 5-1

Home runs by Jackie Bradley Jr. and Xander Bogaerts helped the Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon at JetBlue Park. Knuckleballer Steven Wright, who is competing for a spot in the Red Sox's rotation, went 5 2/3 innings, giving up one run on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. "He certainly helped his cause today with a solid outing," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "I thought he did a nice job with his fastball and his curveball in the early innings to get back into some counts. And then he got a better feel for his knuckleball as the game went along. But to get him up over a 100 pitches here today, today was a good step for Steven." Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff exited after five-plus frames, allowing five runs on 11 hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Eickhoff was making just his second start because of a fractured right thumb earlier in spring. "He's rusty," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He made a lot of real good pitches with his curveball, but he didn't locate his fastball real well. He's behind everybody, so I'm not concerned about it. He did OK." Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia and Bogaerts -- Boston's 1-2-3 batters -- combined for seven hits, three runs and two RBIs. The Phillies opened the scoring in the first inning when Odubel Herrera, who went 3-for-3, reached on a one-out single and scored on Maikel Franco's double off the replica Green Monster in left-center field. Franco, who leads all Major Leaguers with eight home runs this spring, just missed another. The umpires, who convened to discuss the drive, let the on-field call stand. Boston went ahead in the bottom of the frame when Betts and Pedroia led off with doubles. David Ortiz's RBI groundout scored Pedroia to make it 2-1. The Sox added two more in the fourth on Bradley's two-out home run, scoring Ryan Hanigan, who had reached on a single. It was Bradley's third dinger of the spring. Bogaerts led off the fifth with his second long ball of the spring.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Vince Velasquez has an important start on Monday afternoon against the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m. ET in Dunedin, Fla. It can heard live exclusively on phillies.com. He is competing with left-hander Adam Morgan for the No. 5 spot in the Phillies' rotation, so Velasquez needs another strong showing to perhaps clinch it.

PHILS PHACTS:

Getting His Swing Back – If the Phillies stand pat, it looks like Odubel Herrera, Peter Bourjos and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel will be in the starting lineup Opening Day on April 4 in Cincinnati against the Reds. Some combination of Cedric Hunter, David Lough and Emmanuel Burriss could round out the outfield. Herrera went 3-for-3 in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Red Sox at JetBlue Park. He is 5-for-10 with one double since missing nine games because of a bruised left middle finger. "I feel fine," Herrera said through the Phillies' translator. "I don't think it's an issue anymore. The more I play, the better I feel." But what about the rest of the outfield? Bourjos hit .200 with a .623 OPS in 225 plate appearances in 2015. He is batting .311 with a .948 OPS in 45 at-bats this spring. Goeddel has never played higher than Double-A. He has posted a .250 average with a .674 OPS in 52 at-bats. The Phillies have said they are not aggressively pursuing outfield help, despite injuries to Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche, and production concerns surrounding the others. But that could be because they figured players would become available before the end of the month. That is exactly what is happening. Yankees outfielder Chris Denorfia opted out of his contract. Some in the organization like him. David Murphy could opt out of his contract with the Red Sox on Sunday. The Indians released Will Venable. Other teams will be making moves in the next week, so the Phillies should have more options to choose from. But at least Herrera is hitting the ball well. "He's a freak," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's just a real different kind of hitter. He's got such great hand-eye coordination. It doesn't take him long to get on track."

Who’s On First? – Ruben Amaro Jr. tried to steer the conversation on Sunday from his Phillies past to his Red Sox present. Amaro is the Red Sox's first-base coach. His nearly seven seasons as Phillies general manager ended in September. "I'm proud of the things we did there," Amaro said Sunday morning at JetBlue Park, where the Phillies played the Red Sox in a Grapefruit League game. "The Phillies are the Phillies, and they have their own organization. I was fortunate to be a part of it. I'm on a new chapter now, and I'm loving what I'm doing. And I've kind of moved on. I mean, listen, I'm going to watch and see how those guys progress, obviously, but for me it's about moving my own baseball life forward." But one wonders how Phillies history might have changed with a hit here or a pitch there. The Phillies had the best record in the Majors in 2011. They won a franchise record 102 games with one of the best rotations in baseball history. But Chris Carpenter outdueled Roy Halladay in Game 5 of the National League Division Series, 1-0, ending the Phillies' season of high expectations with massive disappointment. If Cliff Lee held a four-run lead in Game 2, if Raul Ibanez or Chase Utley squared up a couple of warning-track fly outs a little more in Game 5, maybe the Phillies win the series and maybe they win the World Series. And maybe Amaro remains GM. "In '08, we ended up being the best team in baseball because we won the World Series, but I don't know if we were the best team in baseball," Amaro said. "When you get to the playoffs, it's about whether you can execute at that moment, whether you can make the pitch, whether you can get the big base hit. We did it in '08. We didn't do it in '09, '10 or '11. I'm every bit as proud of those teams. They were good friggin' teams. They were good teams." Everybody knows what happened next. The Phillies started their fall to the bottom of the NL standings the following season, and they finished with the worst record in baseball in 2015. The Phillies fired Amaro in September, replacing him with Matt Klentak in October. "It was clear that changes were going to be made," Amaro said. "That didn't stop me from trying to do my job. We continued do things the way we operate, and hopefully the Phillies will benefit from that." The Phillies' farm system jumped from one of the worst to one of the best in little over a year, specifically from the moment former Phillies president Pat Gillick gave Amaro permission to begin the rebuilding process following the 2014 season. Big reasons for the drastic improvement are the trades Amaro made before he lost his job. The biggest is the one that sent Cole Hamels and Jake Diekman to Texas in July for Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jerad Eickhoff and Alec Asher. Thompson, Williams and Alfaro are three of the top 100 prospects, according to MLBPipeline. Eickhoff, who started Sunday's game in Fort Myers, will open this season in the Phillies' rotation. The Phillies have been praised for that trade, although it remains to be seen how many of those players fulfill their potential. But it is a little ironic that the same guy that got criticized for being allergic to analytics might have made the trade that helps the Phillies return to the postseason in a couple of years. "We did that because we had good scouts," Amaro said. "Mike Ondo is a very, very good pro scouting director. We had people who know baseball and know players. I think we did that [trade] because of that." Members of the new Phillies' regime have said the analytics system was way more advanced than they had anticipated, based on nothing more than the world's outside perception of it. If that is true, then why did the Phillies try to seem so unanalytical at times? "We didn't think it was all that important for us to have to advertise what we were doing," Amaro said. "Why do we have to advertise what we do? Am I doing it to save my job or what? We were a little behind I think with some of the analytics. The reality of it is we won without the analytics. We had the best team in baseball without the analytics … a full analytics core. Could we have been better? Maybe. There's always ways to improve, but that's probably why I'm in a uniform now." Amaro said he is enjoying his new job. He lost 15-20 pounds since the fall, looking fitter than he has in years. His former employees noticed. "Damn, what happened, man?" Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa said, lifting up Amaro's blue batting practice pullover to reveal Amaro's thinner frame. "You look good." "I'm trying to be like you," Amaro said. Amaro chatted with a few of his former players on Sunday prior to Boston's 5-1 win. He is following Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez and others. He certainly will follow the progress of the prospects he acquired. "Like I said, I'm proud of the things we did there," Amaro said. "We had a lot of great years, a lot of fun, fun years. Obviously when there's change made there's a reason there's change. That's not stuff I can control. I'm enjoying what I'm doing now, and we'll see what happens after I get this opportunity and see how it goes."

Today In Phils History - I can't believe that it has already been 5 years since the famous Sports Illustrated cover featuring Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton hit the shelves. In the same vein, it doesn't seem possible that it has already been 16 years since Mickey Morandini returned for his second stint with the team. However, it is easy to believe that it has been 100 years since the Phillies completed a 7 game exhibition sweep of the Cubs.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-9-3 (15-9-3 if you include the exhibition game against the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

Will Rule 5 Selection Be A Difference Maker in 2016?

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies Select Goeddel With First Pick – The Phillies hope Tyler Goeddel is the next Shane Victorino, Odubel Herrera or Ender Inciarte. The Phils selected Goeddel with the first pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Pro scouting director Mike Ondo selected Victorino, Herrera and Inciarte in previous Rule 5 Drafts, and each of those players enjoyed success in the big leagues. Perhaps Goeddel can follow suit. The Phillies also selected left-hander Daniel Stumpf, who pitched last season in Kansas City's farm system. "This mirrors a lot what we tried to do last year with Herrera," Ondo said about Goeddel on Thursday morning at the Winter Meetings. "It's taking a chance on a prospect and adding him to the mix that we have. Trying to hit big on a player with a high ceiling. Goeddel excited us at the beginning of this whole process with his approach at the plate, the athleticism, the speed, the fact that he moved to the outfield this year and handled all three outfield positions. You have a baseball player here. He has instincts. He can steal bases. There's a lot of things to like about this player." Goeddel, 23, was the No. 24 prospect in Tampa Bay's farm system, and he slots in with the Phils at No. 19, according to MLBPipeline.com. The Rays selected him with the 47th overall pick in the 2011 Draft. He is the younger brother of Mets reliever Erik Goeddel. Tyler Goeddel moved from third base to the outfield last season and responded with the best offensive season of the career, hitting .279/.350/.433 with 17 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs, 72 RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 123 games at Double-A Montgomery. "There's power potential," Ondo said. "His home runs jumped this year. Especially the latter part of the season, he really started to climb. He hit 12 this year, which is a career high for him. There's strength in there. There's good approach and there's strength in the bat, and I like to think there's more power to come." The Phillies weren't the only team to like Goeddel. The Reds had the No. 2 pick in the Rule 5 Draft and hoped to select him. "[Goeddel's] ceiling in our mind wasn't as high as the five guys we protected," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics said. "And that's where it comes down to it. ... We have 40 spots. One through 40. Somebody's 41, somebody's 42, somebody's 43." Goeddel's arrival in Philadelphia makes it almost a certainty that free agent Jeff Francoeur will not return next season. If Goeddel makes the Opening Day roster, he will join a young and crowded outfield that includes Herrera, Peter Bourjos, Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche. Darnell Sweeney can also play outfield. Darin Ruf has experience in left. Stumpf, 24, went 5-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 42 games last season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He struck out 76 in 70 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .212 average. Stumpf held left-handers to a .167 average, but he is not viewed as a left-handed specialist. "We like the arm," Ondo said. "We like the aggressiveness, the approach he has. He handled left-handers real well this year. He's an aggressive reliever up to 94 [mph], and he's got a slider to get left-handers out." The Phils did not lose anybody in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, despite the fact that outfielder Carlos Tocci and right-hander Alberto Tirado were unprotected. They lost right-hander Manny Martinez in the Minor League phase to the White Sox. Martinez went 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA for Class A Lakewood.

THE BEGINNING:

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