Phillies Swept For Second Series In A Row

GAME RECAP: Nationals Sweep Phillies 7-2

There was nothing on the field Wednesday night hiding the fact that the Nationals' 7-2 win over the Phillies was a matchup of one team's veteran ace and the other's youthful No. 5. Max Scherzer was dominant from the outset as he led the Nats to a three-game sweep of the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He pitched eight innings and struck out 11. The only runs he gave up came on a Tyler Goeddel two-run homer to left in the seventh. It was the 39th time in Scherzer's career he's struck out at least 10. The Nats considered removing him from the game after the seventh but Scherzer convinced them to leave him in the game for one more inning. "I know my pitch count, I know how I feel and I knew I was strong," Scherzer said. "And not only could I start the inning, but I knew I could finish the inning, too." Adam Morgan was effective early, needing only 65 pitches to get through five innings. But Washington torched him for four runs in the sixth. Home runs from Wilson Ramos and Danny Espinosa did the damage. The Nats tacked on one more after Daniel Murphy tripled and was driven home on a Ryan Zimmerman sac fly. Murphy couldn't be cooled off this series, reaching and scoring twice on Wednesday and finishing the series 6-for-12 with four RBIs and four extra-base hits -- just two fewer than the Phillies had as a team. "Adam Morgan, he seems like he's on the verge of getting through it, but then he makes mistakes," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Too many mistakes out over the plate, up in the zone." Philadelphia has now lost six straight and 10 of its last 12. With Wednesday's loss, the Phillies fell under .500 for the first time since they were 9-10 on April 24. They entered the series in third place in the NL East, 3 1/2 games back of Washington. The Nationals' sweep not only gives them breathing room over the Mets, but also knocked the Phillies into fourth place behind the Marlins. "We know where we need to go," Mackanin said. "We know we're not there. We'd like to be where the Cubs are with their young players."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies have put on a defensive spectacle this series, despite getting swept. Each night they turned in better plays than the last. Goeddel's throw to double off Bryce Harper on Monday. On Tuesday, Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis combined to turn "one of the best double plays you're ever going to see," according to Mackanin. But the Phils put a bow on their defensive performance in the series finale. Galvis first made an impressive sliding, over-the-shoulder grab in shallow center. David Lough followed with a diving catch to rob Scherzer in the fourth, and topped that off with a tumble in right field foul territory on a Jayson Werth pop in the seventh.
• Morgan needed only 65 pitches to get through the first five innings, allowing two of six baserunners to score. But Washington blew the game wide open in the sixth, its first two batters reaching before Ramos homered them in. Espinosa followed two batters later with a solo shot to make it 6-0. Morgan left having allowed six runs on nine hits, though he did strike out six. "He's got stuff. There's a lot of guys that have stuff," Mackanin said. "But in order to be successful, you can't make mistakes. You have to keep the ball down in the zone and hit the corners." "It's keeping the ball down," Morgan said. "It's a simple fix, but it's easier said than done." 
• "He's a kind of guy where you have to go in there because if you don't, he's gonna hit it. It was not intentional. I was trying to get in there to open up the outside of the plate." -- Morgan, on Murphy's reaction to being hit with the first pitch he saw Wednesday.
• With one down in the third, Murphy poked a Morgan fastball into shallow center. Galvis and Hernandez both gave chase, and Galvis made a spectacular, sliding, over-the-shoulder catch. He quickly got up and fired the ball to first, where he came within a replay review of a highlight-reel double play. But when the Phillies challenged the safe call at first, it was upheld upon further review. The review took 2 minutes, 15 seconds. Mackanin is 10-for-19 on challenges this season.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies host Milwaukee for four games at Citizens Bank Park beginning Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Jerad Eickhoff (2-7, 4.07 ERA) starts for the Phillies, opposing the Brewers' Chase Anderson (2-6, 5.00 ERA).

PHILS PHACTS:

Make Yourself Comfortable – Everybody expected this season to be Ryan Howard's last in Philadelphia. But Wednesday could have been the unofficial end of his run as the team's regular first baseman, a role he has held since his supplanted Jim Thome in July 2005. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin told Howard in a pregame meeting Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park that he will be benched the next three to four games to give Tommy Joseph an opportunity to play. Mackanin said Joseph could win the everyday job in that time. Mackanin called his meeting with Howard a "great conversation." Howard handled the news well. In fact, he approached Joseph afterward and told him to "kick some butt." "I told him, I get it," Howard said about his meeting with Mackanin. "I know where I am right now. You know, I understand. By no means am I trying to relinquish my job or anything, but you know, I've played the game long enough to know and understand." Joseph, in his first game with Howard officially benched, didn't reach base in the 7-2 loss to the Nationals. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. "You can only do so much," Joseph said. "You can only get one hit in one at bat. So I'm just going to continue to be prepared everyday. Obviously it's a good feeling when you know you're going to play." Joseph was appreciative of Howard's words of advice prior to the game. "It meant a lot. He didn't have to do that," Joseph said. "He came up to me, told me I was going to play the next three or four days. He filled me in on what Scherzer likes to do out there, then told me to go kick some butt. We've talked a little bit since then, too. He's been great. He's done so much for this team and the city. That's something he didn't have to do. For a guy like him to come up to me and tell me that, that means a lot." Howard, who is in the final season of a five-year, $125 million contract, is hitting .154 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and a .558 OPS in 158 plate appearances. He hit .101 in May, which is the seventh lowest batting average for any hitter with 75 or more plate appearances in any month since 1981. Meanwhile, Joseph is hitting .270 with three home runs, five RBIs and an .816 OPS in 40 plate appearances. Howard had started 37 of the team's 52 games, but had seen his playing time reduced recently. He said he believes he can improve offensively and recapture his role as the team's primary first baseman. But he certainly has no plans to quit, even if his struggles continue and he finishes the season as a bench player. "No, I'm not going to quit," Howard said. "That's not in the vocabulary. That's the easiest thing to do -- quit and give up when things are hard. You really see what you're made of when those things are not going the way you want them to go." Mackanin said he received no input from the front office about the matter. "We'll just give him three or four days off and start all over," Mackanin said. "See where it leads. We'll see what Tommy does in three or four days. That very well could extend that period of time to a week. It depends on how well he looks. … It's not really so much about Ryan. It's about seeing the younger guy who tore it up in Triple-A and came up here to make a good first impression. We want to get a look at him. As we know, this season is about the future. We're in the middle of a rebuilding process." Howard's contract expires at the end of the season, although he has a $25 million club option with a $10 million buyout. Officially, nobody has said the Phillies will take the buyout, but it is fait accompli. "I mean, the organization has been wanting to see younger players for the last three years," Howard said. "So, I mean, yeah, I get it." But Howard insists he can work out the mechanical flaws in his swing and avoid finishing his season as a bench player. "I'm going to do my best to keep that from happening," he said. "I'm not even going to try to think like that. Like I said, just work on me. Just try to get things together, support my teammates out there and then when I get the opportunity to go play, try to go do what I can." The possibility exists the Phillies could release the 36-year-old Howard at some point and just move on. But for now, that does not seem imminent. For now, the Phillies seem content to let Joseph play while the greatest first baseman in franchise history sits on the bench, trying to recapture some of the form that made him the 2006 National League Most Valuable Player and allowed him to anchor an offense that won one World Series, two National League pennants and five NL East championships from 2007-11. "I don't think anybody wants to answer questions like this," Howard said. "Anybody who has played the game, you play this game long enough, you're going to have ups and downs. Being in the situation where I am, that's where I am. That's the reality of it right now. … Hey, you can either sit there and just sulk about it or you can do something about it. The only thing I can do is do something about it."

Still Learning – Adam Morgan was good in Wednesday night's 7-2 Phillies loss to the Nationals. Until he wasn't. It's like manager Pete Mackanin's favorite turn of phrase, a broken record. He's used it to describe the Phils' lackluster offense and outstanding bullpen throughout the season. Both have been about as reliable as Morgan looking strong before losing his touch. On Wednesday, Morgan needed only 65 pitches to make it through five innings. He allowed two runs and scattered a few hits, but he was in line for his third quality start had he made it through the sixth unscathed. He did not. The Nationals homered twice and tagged him for four runs in the inning. Morgan left after six, surrendering six runs on nine hits. "He looks like he's on the verge," Mackanin said. "But he just can't finish the hitters off." Morgan has a 1.71 ERA in the first three innings of his starts this season. But that number balloons to 15.81 in innings three through six. Entering Wednesday's game, opponents had been 9-for-23 in their third plate appearance in a game against Morgan. The Nationals went 4-for-9 and scored four of their runs their third time through the order. "He's got stuff. There's a lot of guys that have stuff," Mackanin said. "But in order to be successful, you can't make mistakes. You have to keep the ball down in the zone and hit the corners. "That's how you become a good Major League pitcher. He's got the stuff to do that, the instinct to do it. But this is a result-oriented business, especially here." The results have not been pretty for the 26-year-old lefty. The six runs on Wednesday raised his season ERA to 7.07. The only quality starts he's recorded have come against a Braves offense that is scoring the fewest runs in baseball. In starts against any other team, Morgan has a 9.93 ERA. Morgan has pinpointed what's going wrong. He's leaving a couple pitches up every start, and they're coming back to bite him. "It's keeping the ball down," Morgan said. "It's a simple fix, but it's easier said than done."

Another Roster Shuffle – The Phillies acquired utility man Jimmy Paredes on Wednesday from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. The 27-year-old was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Monday. To make room for Paredes on the 40-man roster, the Phillies transferred Charlie Morton from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Paredes made his Phillies debut during Wednesday night's 7-2 loss to the Nationals, striking out as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning. To clear room on the 25-man, the club designated Emmanuel Burriss for assignment. Paredes could see the field more than Burriss because of the Phillies' need for offense. "He's a better hitter than some of the guys we have," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. "I haven't seen him recently. He's pretty aggressive. I think he hit .275 one year for Houston. He was [Baltimore's] DH for quite a while there." Paredes hit .286 in 168 at-bats during 2011, his rookie season, with Houston. The most at-bats he has had in a season came in 2015, when he acted as the Orioles' designated hitter for much of the year. He hit .275 with 10 home runs in 363 at-bats. Toronto claimed Paredes off waivers from the Orioles earlier this season. The Phillies reportedly also put a claim in, but because Toronto is an American League team, it had priority. In 15 at-bats with Toronto, he hit .267 with a .886 on-base plus slugging percentage. Over his career, Paredes has a .667 on-base plus slugging percentage. Although Paredes can play all over the field and hit from both sides of the plate, the most likely source of playing time will come in the outfield against right-handers. In his career, Paredes has an OPS 200 points higher against righties (.705) than lefties (.511). Another potential offensive upgrade in the outfield is due back soon, too. Cody Asche's rehab is progressing and Mackanin expects him back soon, but doesn't have an exact timeline. When he returns, Mackanin said he'll likely exclusively roam left field. Burriss acted primarily as a bench bat and utility backup before being DFA'd. He collected only four hits in 33 at-bats (.121). "One of the hardest guys I've ever had to send out was Burriss," Mackanin said. "He's an outstanding teammate. Just a great guy. Always upbeat. Billingual. Pulled for everybody. Knew his role and accepted it. Just hated to see him go. But had to do it."

All Star Game Voting Update – The first National League All-Star voting update was released Wednesday and no Phillies made the cut despite a surprising 26-26 start. But come July 12, Petco Park shouldn't be void of Phillies. Prior to the season, many figured Maikel Franco to be the lone Phillies representative for the National League squad, but others have made themselves worthy of consideration. Odubel Herrera ranks near the top of many hitting leaderboards. His .425 on-base percentage ranks fifth in baseball and his 34 walks rank fourth in the National League. Herrera also leads the team in wins above replacement, with 2.2. Since being moved to the top of the order on April 20, Herrera has been a sparkplug for the offense. In that time, he's hit .341 and scored a team-high 23 runs. However, for Herrera to crack the top 15 in National League outfielders, he'll have to overtake at least the Giants' Angel Pagan, who ranks 15th with 155,507 votes. Pagan, by comparison, has a lower average (.275), on-base percentage (.338) and slugging percentage (.383). Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times. Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply, with a maximum of up to five messages and no purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info. Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 87th All-Star Game, in San Diego, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Today In Phils History – In many ways this is the day of the homer for the Phillies. It starts in 1928 when Cy Williams and Johnny Schulte both hit pinch-hit home runs setting a team record and tying the MLB record. In 1945, Vince DiMaggio hit a pinch his grand slam but, like in the 1928 contest, the Phillies could hold on. 4 years later, the Phillies turned things up a notch in the 8^th inning against the Reds hitting 5 bombs in the inning including 2 by catcher Andy Seminick (Del Ennis, Schoolboy Rowe, and Willie Jones accounted for the other 3) which tied the MLB record for a single inning (and the 26 total bases recorded in the inning set the new MLB standard). 40 years later, the Phillies were on the receiving end of what would be a pivotal trade when they sent Chris James to the Padres for Randy Ready and John Kruk. The homeruns continued in 2002 when pitcher Robert Person contributed 2 longballs and earned the win against the Expos. And, finally, on the same night that Antonio Bastardo made his major league debut, Rual Ibanez celebrated his 37^th birthday in style by going deep twice (the first being the 200^th of his career) in a win against the Padres.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 26-27 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 51-49-0 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!

Final Roster Spots On The Line For Phillies Hopefuls

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Game Called Due To Rain

Thursday evening's contest between the Braves and Phillies at ESPN's Wide World of Sports complex was rained out. The game was called with no score in the top of the fourth inning, with one out for the Phillies. Braves right-hander Matt Wisler allowed two hits and walked two in 3 1/3 innings, while Philadelphia's Adam Morgan allowed two hits, walked one and struck out two in three innings.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (0-1, 1.29 ERA) faces the Blue Jays on Friday at Bright House Field at 6:35 p.m. ET. It is the third of three consecutive night games. The Phillies on Wednesday named Hellickson their Opening Day starter for April 4 in Cincinnati.

PHILS PHACTS:

Competition Down To The Wire – This changes nothing for Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan. Morgan pitched three scoreless innings Thursday night against the Braves in a Grapefruit League game at Champion Stadium. He had been scheduled to pitch five or six, except a strong storm whipped through the area and eventually cancelled the contest. Morgan allowed two hits, one walk and struck out two. He stranded a runner at third in the first inning and runners at the corners in the third inning. He has pitched better this spring, but his effort Thursday or the fact he had his night cut short because of rain should not affect his candidacy to be the Phillies' No. 5 starter. "Nothing to change my mind about him still being in the hunt," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said afterward. Morgan is competing with right-hander Vince Velasquez for the final spot in the rotation. Velasquez has a 3.21 ERA in four Grapefruit League appearances (three starts). He has allowed 13 hits, six runs (five earned runs), four walks and has struck out 16 in 14 innings. He also allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings in a Minor League game. Morgan has a 1.50 ERA in four Grapefruit League starts. He has allowed six hits, two runs, three walks and has struck out four in 12 innings. He also threw five scoreless innings in a Minor League game. "Even though I felt like I was kind of struggling a little bit getting the ball down, I felt like I was making the right adjustments," Morgan said. "But you can't control Mother Nature. It's definitely a bummer, because I want to showcase what I have." "He was OK, just OK," Mackanin said. "He pitched out of trouble. He was fine. He threw some of those cutters he was working on. If anything, he might have been overthrowing."

Flexibility Considered – If Emmanuel Burriss stands a chance to make the Phillies' Opening Day roster, he must be flexible. He thinks he can be. "I consider myself a super-utility [man] anyway," Burriss said before Thursday night's Grapefruit League game against the Braves at Champion Stadium. Burriss, 31, started the game in center field as the Phillies try to figure out if he can play the outfield well enough to warrant a roster spot. Injuries to Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche have the Phillies looking at Darnell Sweeney and non-roster invitees Cedric Hunter, David Lough, Ryan Jackson and Burriss for the final two bench jobs. Hunter, Burriss and Lough might be the favorites. "You know as an extra guy in the National League you want versatility, so I want to get a good look at him to see if he can play in the outfield," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Burriss. "I know he plays solid defense in the infield, anywhere he plays." But Burriss also has helped himself offensively, entering the night hitting .323 (10-for-31) with three doubles, one triple, two RBIs, two walks, six strikeouts and an .866 OPS. "I feel good," Burriss said. "I think just to be the type of player I am, moving around the entire field has never been a big problem for me. I've been getting the reps in since I've been in professional baseball. Even though I haven't been out there in games, I've been getting the work in. I feel really confident." Burriss hasn't started a game in the outfield in the big leagues. He has started only 13 games there in his Minor League career. But he entered Thursday having played five games there this spring. "When I talked to Pete in the offseason, we talked about really displaying some versatility," Burriss said. "I think it would be tense if I wasn't prepared. I don't think anybody is really pressing, because I think everybody came into camp prepared. I don't think anybody has really taken their names out of the ranks." Burriss, who has hit .245 with a .578 OPS in parts of six seasons with the Giants and Nationals, certainly hasn't. He has a chance to win a job with a little more than a week to go before Opening Day.

Phillies Feeling Fine – The Phillies are sweating the small stuff this spring, because they know they have little room for error. So Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is fining his players 50 cents at a time for those little mistakes on the field. "If you don't get a bunt down, everyone pays 50 cents," Mackanin said before Thursday night's rained out Grapefruit League game against the Braves at Champion Stadium. "If you don't hustle, everyone pays 50 cents. If you miss a cutoff man, everyone pays 50 cents. "It's a way to be picky about little things, like you made it into second base, but you should've slid. You hit a double, but you coasted into second when you should've come around hard in case the guy bobbles the ball. Fifty cents. It allows me to be a real [jerk] about things like that. What, are you going to complain about 50 cents?" So how much is in the pot at this point? "We're closing in on $1,000," Mackanin said. He said the proceeds likely will go to the Baseball Assistance Team. "When I announce the fines and this week you have $2.50, a half-dozen players get on that guy," Mackanin said. "Not meanly, but like, 'Come on, don't do that anymore.'"

Waiting Game – Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera has not played since March 12 because of a bruised left middle finger, but he made the trip Thursday because Mackanin hoped to have him pinch-hit at some point. "We'd like to get him in as soon as I can," Mackanin said before the rainout. "He said he feels fine today. So I'll give him one more day, maybe one at-bat." Herrera could be in the starting lineup Friday against the Blue Jays in Clearwater. "He's a pretty natural hitter," Mackanin said. "Within a week, he should get that timing down, I think."

Frenchy A Phillies Fan – Jeff Francoeur made the rounds Wednesday afternoon at Champion Stadium. He started in left field with a lengthy conversation with Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard. He moved toward the visitors' dugout, where he stopped and chatted with Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, coaches Larry Bowa and Juan Samuel, and catcher Cameron Rupp. He eventually made his way through the Phillies' pregame stretch, shaking hands or having a quick conversation with nearly every former teammate. "They'll have a big fan in me, I promise you that," Francoeur said. Francoeur signed a Minor League contract with the Braves just before Spring Training last month. He had hoped to re-sign with the Phillies, with whom he resurrected his career last season, but they expressed no interest over the offseason. Essentially, the Phillies' front office felt Francoeur had no place once the club claimed Peter Bourjos off waivers and selected Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel. But the Phillies arguably could use a veteran outfielder like Francoeur right now. Aaron Altherr will not play until July, at the earliest, following left wrist surgery, and Cody Asche seems likely to open the season on the disabled list because of a strained right oblique. It leaves the Phillies' Opening Day outfield as Odubel Herrera, Bourjos and Goeddel, with Darnell Sweeney and non-roster invitees Cedric Hunter, David Lough and Emmanuel Burriss competing for bench jobs. Herrera hasn't played since March 12 because of a bruised left middle finger. He had a chance to pinch-hit Wednesday. "I was wearing Odubel out," Francoeur said, laughing. "Good Lord, your finger? Are you kidding me? He said April 1. I said, 'You've already turned into that guy after one season?' He took it good." But even if the Phillies suddenly had interest in Francoeur, he might not be available. He has a good chance of making the Braves' Opening Day roster -- he has a March 28 out clause, so he should know soon -- not only because he has played well this spring, but because the Braves have loved what he brings to a clubhouse. A few folks in the Phillies' clubhouse Wednesday said they miss Francoeur's presence and leadership. He had a knack for getting along with everybody, and his energy proved contagious, which he illustrated Wednesday. "I've got no hard feelings," Francoeur said. "It's a new regime. They can do what they want. All those guys there, Pete, Larry, I loved them. They helped me out a lot last year. [Hitting coach Steve Henderson]. I've got nothing but love for those guys. … I definitely thought I would be coming back, but then, obviously, different stuff happened. But hopefully in the end it's all going to work out." But Francoeur also wants to set the record straight about one thing: He does not owe Maikel Franco a new suit. Francoeur last season told Franco he would buy him a suit if he hit 15 home runs. Franco fell one short because of an injury, but Franco said earlier this spring Frenchy still agreed to buy him one. "I think things got a little miscommunicated," Francoeur said. "I think what I'm going to do instead of a suit -- because he didn't hit 15, you've got to get 15 -- I'm going to get him a couple nice dress shirts. That's what I'm going to do, all right? I'll get him taken care of. I see him calling me out with the suit, and I'm like, you didn't hit 15, bro. The last time I checked, a bet is a bet. "I'll keep him happy. Especially with what he's doing this spring, I think he'll be able to afford his own suits anyway."

A Different Sweet 16 – It's getting near time for the bell to ring on the regular season. The guys want to play, and most of them -- pitchers excluded -- want the regular season to begin yesterday. One good late-March distraction is the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Telecasts of its games -- and even those of the NIT and the women's tournament -- have been on clubhouse television monitors for days now, and more eyes will be focused on them between today and Opening Night. Hence, the time has come for our annual salute to Sweet 16 weekend. This year, we focus on the Phillies, the favorite team of New York Times baseball writer Tyler Kepner (when he was a young 'un, of course). The Tigers, Giants, Mets, Reds, Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs have been examined through the prism of 16 in previous years. So, you might be familiar with the process. To whet your appetite for ball, we present 16 facts -- or sets of facts -- involving the sweet number and, this time, the Fightin' Phils. 1. Hall of Famer Robin Roberts led the NL in allowing home runs (five times), triples (five times) and doubles (six times). That's 16. But in the 12 seasons involved (1949-60), Roberts won 226 games. Warren Spahn won 244 in the same period. 2. Grover Cleveland Alexander (aka Pete) led the National League in shutouts in 1916 with 16, a career and Phillies franchise high. 3. Phillies players have produced 16 games of seven RBIs, including two each by Cy Williams and Del Ennis and one, in 2002, by pitcher Robert Person. Person, of course, had 16 RBIs in his nine-year career. The franchise record for single-game RBIs is eight, shared by Mike Schmidt, Jayson Werth and the wonderful Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones. 4. Roberts led the NL in intentional walks in 1957 with 16. His personal high, 21, had come four years earlier. The big league record is 24. 5. The 16 highest single-season RBI totals in Phillies history are 130 or more. Ryan Howard is responsible for four of them 149 (2006), 146 ('08), 141 ('09) and 136 ('07). That's a nice four-year run. Chuck Klein has the highest total (170 in 1930) and two others (145 in '29 and 137 in '32). Schmidt didn't make the cut. His career high was 121 (1980). 6. Schmidt and Chuck Klein are the Phillies players who have hit four home runs on one game: Schmidt on April 17, 1976, at Wrigley Field (with the wind blowing out, needless to say), and Klein on July 10, 1936, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Schmidt's fourth homer broke a 15-15 tie in the 10th inning, and the Phils won, 18-16. But Klein is the lone Phillies players with 16 total bases in one game. Schmidt homered in the fifth, seventh, eighth and 10th innings. But back, back, back, back in the fourth, he singled. So his TBT (total bass total) was a franchise-record - still standing -- 17. 7. Steve Carlton, Curt Schilling and Cliff Lee had 16-strikeout games as Phillies. The franchise record belongs to Chris Short who fanned 18 in a 15-inning start against the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader that ended in an 18-inning scoreless tie on the second to last day of the 1965 season. Teammate Jim Bunning had struck out 10 in a nine-inning shutout in the first game. Three Phillies pitchers struck out 16 in 13 innings in the second game of the season-ending doubleheader the following day. Ray Culp had struck out merely six while winning a complete game in the first game. So the Phillies allowed two runs and struck out 53 in 49 innings in sweeping the last four games of the season at Shea Stadium. Payback (much delayed): Twenty-six years later, David Cone, pitching for the Mets, struck out 19 against the Phils on the last game of season, in Philadelphia. 8. From 2005-14, Chase Utley played regularly with the Phillies, averaging 134 games per sesason. In those years, he was hit by pitches an average of 16 times per season. Not an everyday player last season -- he started 87 games total for the Phils and Dodgers -- he nonetheless was hit 10 times. Utley figures to play less frequently this year. But he is all but guaranteed one hit by pitch. The Dodgers play the Mets from May 9-12 in L.A. Enough said. 9. Forty-eight (or three times 16) players have worn No. 16 for the Phillies, none so long as Luis Aguayo from 1980-88. Two of those 48, right-handed pitcher Ken Raffensberger (1946-47) and infielder George Jumonville ('41) had 16 characters in their baseball card names. Raffensberger pitched 16 innings in one start in '44, when he was wearing No. 15. Sixteen players wore No. 16 in a 14-year sequence, beginning in 1933. 10. Cookie Rojas wore No. 16 with the Phillies in the 1960s, when he and double-play partner Bobby Wine created the "Days of Wine and Rojas." 11. Jimmy Rollins hit 30 home runs, 20 triples and 38 doubles in 2007, when he won the NL MVP Award with the NL East champion Phillies. That's 88 extra-base hits. Granted this is a stretch, but 8 plus 8 equals 16. And Rollins deserves mention in this four-squared exercise. 12. The Phillies allowed 16 walks in their game against the Cardinals Sept. 13, 1974, which lasted 17 innings (four hours, 47 minutes, not including a one-hour, 41-minute rain delay in the 17th). After allowing 14 walks, 11 hits and only two runs in 16 innings, the Phils gave up five run in the 17th, when they issued two walks (one intentional). They lost, 7-3. The Cardinals had played 25 innings at Shea Stadium two nights earlier, and nine in New York on Sept. 12. 13. In a sequence of 26 seasons beginning in 1919, the Phillies placed eighth (or last) 16 times. Their seventh-place finishes numbered eight (or half of 16) times. And since 1958, they have placed last 16 more times. 14. Including the 99-loss team of 2015, the Phillies have had 16 teams with 99 of more losses. Ten Phils teams lost at least 100 games in a 20-year sequence (1923-42). 15. Ryne Sandberg put together the bulk of his Hall of Fame resume with the Cubs, of course, but the first of his 16 big league seasons came in 1981 with the Phillies. 16. Since Gene Mauch managed the Phillies (1960 through June 1968), the Phils have employed 16 skippers. They are chronologically: George Myatt, Bob Skinner, Frank Lucceshi, Paul Owens, Danny Ozark, Dallas Green, Pat Corrales, John Felski, Lee Elia, Nick Leyva, Jim Fregosi, Terry Francona, Larry Bowa, Charlie Manuel, Sandberg and Pete Mackanin.

Today In Phils History - The Phillies opened their spring training camp in Charlotte, NC on this day in 1919 as the city temporarily served as their preseason home due to travel restrictions at the end of World War I. In 1981, the Phillies made a surprise trade sending Bob Walk to the Braves in exchange for Gary Matthews who would prove his value during his 3 year tenure with the team. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-7-2 (15-7-2 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!

DR Updates And Spring Training Invites

PHILS PHACTS:

Adding Depth To The Competition – The Phillies on Wednesday announced they had signed five players to Minor League contracts with non-roster invitations to Spring Training. They signed infielders Emmanuel Burriss and Ryan Jackson and right-handers Frank Herrmann, Chris Leroux and Reinier Roibal. Burriss, 30, spent last season in the Nationals' system. He hit .279 with a .341 on-base percentage with Triple-A Syracuse. Burriss played five games for Washington. He has played 282 big league games, spending 2008-12 with the Giants. Burriss has a career .578 OPS in 806 plate appearances. Jackson, 27, appeared in 22 games last season with the Angels. He has 39 plate appearances in 42 games in parts of three seasons with the Cardinals and Angels. Herrmann, 31, has appeared in 95 big league games with the Indians, but none since 2012. He went 4-2 with a 3.76 ERA in 44 appearances last season with Triple-A Salt Lake and Indianapolis. Leroux, 31, spent the majority of last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Colorado Springs. He posted a 3.90 ERA in 85 1/3 innings. Leroux has a 6.03 ERA in 65 career appearances with the Marlins, Pirates and Yankees. Roibal, 26, had a 1.64 ERA in 31 games with Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He is 11-6 with a 2.62 ERA in his four-year Minor League career.

DR Updates – In the future, the Phillies imagine a hulking corner outfielder in the middle of their lineup, hitting home runs like Ryan Howard in his prime. But Jhailyn Ortiz is a long way away from the Majors. The Phillies signed Ortiz to a $4 million signing bonus in July. He is 6-foot-3, 240 pounds and strong. But Ortiz also is just 16, which means he is several years away from reaching Philadelphia. Phils player development director Joe Jordan recently visited the Dominican Republic and got another look at Ortiz, who MLB.com ranked as the eighth-best prospect in this year's international free-agent class. "I believe we saw a lot of what our scouts saw and liked," Jordan said. "He had a really good week. I really believe that the kid has a chance to be a good hitter. He's 16 years old, but he did some things that I thought were a little advanced. He had a good two-strike approach. He really hit some balls hard. "Balls just come off his bat differently than almost all of the kids down there. It was a very impressive week, but we've got a lot of work to do." Of course, handing a $4 million signing bonus to a 16-year-old kid is a considerable risk. But former Phillies president and general manager Pat Gillick frequently said teams cannot be afraid to take such risks. Can't win big without occasionally betting big. "We just need some time with him," Jordan said about Ortiz. "He can really throw. He's got an above-average arm. He's going to have accuracy. He's athletic for his size. Over the next couple years, we're going to reshape him a little bit, reshape his body. He's just a young kid that we've got to firm up, but he is athletic for his size. I saw a lot of good things." Alfaro ready to go: Catcher Jorge Alfaro is scheduled to leave Clearwater, Fla., this week and head home to Colombia for a few days before heading to Venezuela to play winter ball. The Phillies acquired Alfaro, 22, in July in the Cole Hamels trade. He is considered the Phils' No. 4 prospect and the No. 59 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Alfaro spent most of the season recovering from surgery on his left ankle, but he is ready to play. "He looks good," Jordan said. "He is ready to go. We need to get him on the field. He needs to play for a while and knock off some rust. Physically, he has everything you're looking for, but we need to see him play."

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.