Hellickson And Phillies Shut Down Nationals

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blank Nationals 3-0

What a difference nearly two weeks makes for Jeremy Hellickson. On April 15, the Nationals hit him hard, scoring six runs over three innings in Philadelphia. Hellickson was virtually unhittable in a 3-0 victory Wednesday at Nationals Park. The Phillies have won four of their last five games in the nation's capital. "[Hellickson] was sharp tonight," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "Some of the guys were complaining about some of the calls. Hellickson was painting tonight, changing speeds. He had a very good night. I don't want to say it was us because you don't want to discredit what he did tonight." Hellickson went seven innings, allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts. The Nationals had runners in scoring position twice in the game. Their biggest chance to score off Hellickson came in the second inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Jose Lobaton hit into a double play to end the threat. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez, meanwhile, lost his first game of the season. He gave up two runs -- one earned -- in 6 1/3 innings. The Phillies took the lead in the sixth, when Odubel Herrera scored on a sacrifice fly by Darin Ruf. An inning later, Philadelphia added a run on an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon, whose high throw home permitted Cesar Hernandez to score. In the eighth, Carlos Ruiz knocked a solo homer off left-hander Sammy Solis. "People have asked me what my goal is for this year with the type of team we have," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "My goal is to play .500 and then we'll go from there depending on what transpires. But the thing I'm real happy about, especially after starting 0-4 … I've got a pretty good selection of pitchers that I feel comfortable with. That's the reason we're 11-10. The pitching has been outstanding."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies lost one of their only two veteran starters for the season this week, when Charlie Morton tore his left hamstring. Hellickson was the other. He stepped up against the Nationals, posting his best start of the season following two starts in which he allowed 10 runs in just 7 1/3 innings. "It [stinks] losing Charlie," Hellickson said. "He was a great pitcher and even better in here. Everyone loved him, so that's a tough loss for us. We'll all continue battling. But, yeah, the last two starts were all I really needed for motivation tonight."
• Herrera singled to center field in the sixth inning to reach base safely in 18 consecutive games, which ties a career high. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Ruf to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. "I'm the first one facing the starting pitcher," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "That gives me a sense of responsibility. The more pitches I see, the more pitches whoever is batting behind me sees. It is great to feel I am doing a good job. Things are working out for me. I really like that."
• Carlos Ruiz has three home runs in 34 at-bats this season. He had two homers in 284 at-bats in 2015.
• "[Jeanmar] Gomez is 6-for-6 in saves, and he looks like he's been doing it his whole career. If he maintains what he's doing right now … he might be our closer next year." – Mackanin.
• The Phillies have won four out of their last five games against the Nationals at Nationals Park.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (1-2, 4.50 ERA) starts in the series finale against the Nationals at 4:05 p.m. ET Thursday at Nationals Park. Nola surrendered a career-high seven runs in just five innings April 16 in a loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, but Nola rebounded in his last start, allowing one run in seven frames last weekend in Milwaukee.

PHILS PHACTS:

Hellickson Returns To Form – The Phillies acquired Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton in the offseason because they believed they needed a couple veterans to stabilize a rotation of talented, but inexperienced starters. The Phillies learned on Wednesday they lost Morton for the season with a torn left hamstring. It seemed fitting that Hellickson turned in his best effort of the season a few hours later in a3-0 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park, where he allowed two hits, three walks and struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings to improve to 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA. "It [stinks] losing Charlie," Hellickson said. "He was a great pitcher and even better in here. Everyone loved him, so that's a tough loss for us. We'll all continue battling. But, yeah, the last two starts were all I really needed for motivation tonight." Hellickson permitted 17 hits and 10 runs in 7 1/3 innings over his last two starts, which included an outing April 15 against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Hellickson surrendered six runs in just three innings that night. "I think I was 0-1 a lot more than I have been," Hellickson said about Wednesday's success. "Then just going after guys in general. The last couple games, I've been working way too hard in the early innings and pretty much throwing everything I had. So I was just getting ahead and getting some early outs in the early innings." The victory improved the Phillies to 11-10. It is the first time the Phillies have had a winning record this late in a season since May 4, 2014, when they were 15-14. "We all believe in each other," Hellickson said. "I felt like we were going to compete from Game 1. I don't think this really surprised any of us." The Phillies will need Hellickson to keep pitching well moving forward. They still need a veteran in that rotation to show these young pitchers the way. "He really bounced back, especially after the news about Morton," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's good to see him pitch that well. He was outstanding."

Thriving At The Top – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin made a couple noticeable changes to his lineup a week ago. Mackanin put Odubel Herrera in the leadoff spot and placed his pitcher eighth. The former has received less attention than the latter because hitting the pitcher eighth is unusual and its effectiveness is debatable, but moving Herrera to the top spot might have sparked the Phillies' offense. Herrera singled and scored the Phillies' first run Wednesday night in a 3-0 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. The Phillies can sweep the first-place Nationals with a victory in the series finale Thursday. "I do like leading off," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I don't mind hitting first, second or third. But I really like to lead off." The Phillies are 5-1 and averaging 5.33 runs per game since Herrera moved to the top spot in the Phillies' lineup. They were 6-9 and averaging 2.47 runs per game when they tried Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Emmanuel Burriss there. "I'm the first one facing the starting pitcher," Herrera said. "That gives me a sense of responsibility. The more pitches I see, the more pitches whoever is batting behind me sees. It is great to feel I am doing a good job. Things are working out for me. I really like that." Added Mackanin: "He's been a catalyst." Herrera is batting .364 (8-for-22) with one home run, three RBIs, seven walks, two stolen bases, eight runs scored and a 1.000 OPS over his last six games. He has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games, which ties a career high. Herrera worked a one-out walk to load the bases in the seventh and walked again in the ninth. They were his 20th and 21st free passes, which ranks second in the Majors. "He knows how to hit," Mackanin said. "He decided he was going to stop expanding the strike zone. I think he does occasionally, but he's a smart hitter, and he really enjoys the fact that he's walking. You don't see many guys clap and get excited when they walk, but this guy, he's fun to be around."

Morton Is Mortal – Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton's season is finished. The Phillies announced Wednesday that he will have surgery on his torn left hamstring Monday in Philadelphia. Morton, 32, will need six-to-eight months to recover, which means he will miss the remainder of the year. "I feel bad for him and for us because he was starting to throw really well," manager Pete Mackanin said before Wednesday's game against the Nationals at Nationals Park. "It's a shame." Triple-A Lehigh Valley left-hander Adam Morgan will take Morton's spot in the Phillies' rotation on Friday against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park, although the team has made no official announcement. Morton's season-ending injury leaves the Phillies without one of the two veterans they acquired in the offseason to stabilize the rotation, making everybody in the rotation 29 years old or younger. But the Phillies think they have enough arms to cover themselves the rest of the season. They know they will need more starters. They already are monitoring Vince Velasquez's workload. "One of the big goals of the offseason was building more pitching depth in the organization beyond the five guys we had here," assistant general manager Ned Rice said. "We have guys with Major League experience in Lehigh and Reading. We have prospects who are younger, working their way up and doing well, so I think we feel good about being able to get through the year. We have a lot of guys who could be pretty exciting. We just feel bad for Charlie." Morton's injury leaves Jeremy Hellickson (29), Aaron Nola (23), Jerad Eickhoff (25), Velasquez (24) and Morgan (26) in the rotation. The Phillies have not had a 29-or-under rotation since 2004, when they had Eric Milton (28), Brett Myers (23), Kevin Millwood (29), Randy Wolf (27) and Vicente Padilla (26). "I think we're covered," Mackanin said. "As the season goes along, you'll see more guys who are maybe beginning their Triple-A careers now. They'll be 70, 80, 100 innings in and you'll feel better about them," Rice said. "We even have a couple of guys in Double-A with Major League experience in [Alec] Asher and Severino Gonzalez. I don't think we're starved for experience. We feel OK depth wise." Morton injured himself Saturday running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The Phillies placed him on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, and he received a MRI exam on Monday in Philadelphia. Mackanin said on Tuesday the MRI results were worse than anticipated. The injury is a blow for a few reasons. First, Morton pitched relatively well. He went 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in four starts. Second, they hoped he would eat up plenty of innings, allowing the team's pitching prospects more developmental time in the Minor Leagues. Third, Morton would have been a trade chip before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. That will not happen now, and it seems likely Morton will be elsewhere next season. The Phillies and Morton have a $9.5 million mutual option for 2017, which includes a $1 million buyout. Morton forfeits the buyout if he declines his half of the option. Phillies physician Steven Cohen will perform the surgery.

A Unique Deal For Franco – Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has been heating up the past few days. Entering Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Nationals, Franco had hit .444 (8-for-18) with one double, three home runs and nine RBIs in his last four games. He went 1-for-3 with a walk from the third spot in the lineup. There could be many reasons for that, but one reason might be that he is more relaxed on the field. Franco recently signed a $4.35 million brand contract with Fantex, which will receive 10 percent of Franco's future earnings on and off the field. In the future, Fantex expects to sell shares of Franco "stock" to public investors. In this case, those investors will see a profit if Franco earns more than $43.5 million in his career. MLB and the MLBPA each have approved agreements like this in the past. Notably, Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney agreed to a $3.34 million deal with Fantex last year. "It feels great," Franco said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I'm able to play baseball in a calmer way now. I'm more relaxed now when I take the field because it brings stability." "Maikel is really excited about working with Fantex," Franco's agent Ryan Royster wrote in a text message. "This deal allows him to invest in himself and his future and frees him to focus on his performance and helping his team win ballgames. … Maikel, his family and myself (BTI Sports ) are all on board with this decision." Essentially, Franco is taking a payday before he is eligible for salary arbitration and free agency in exchange for a potential windfall in the future. It is possible that the deal could affect the way Franco approaches future contract talks. In other words, if Franco already has $4.35 million in earnings, he might be less apt to take a contract extension that would guarantee security but could limit his earnings potential if he becomes a star. Clearly, Franco values the financial security the Fantex deal could bring. "It was definitely part of it," Franco said. "It's an important factor that I took into account. My lawyer and I decided that it would be a good deal for us, and we agreed to do [it]. Obviously, I feel comfortable. Now, I can take care of my family. Everything is good. Now, I just can play baseball."

Today In Phils History – What most phans will remember about this day is when Randy Ready turned a triple play off the Padres Tony Gwynn in 1991. However, there are a few other moments worth remembering including the debut of Del Ennis in 1946, Shortstop Ralph Miller and pitcher Lee Meadows providing the franchise with the first multi-slam game in team history in 1921, and the Phillies having their game protest granted in 1917 which they would later win in on September 12^th against Boston. Okay, so maybe nothing tops the triple play.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 11-10 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 39-49-0 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!

Phillies Avoid The Sweep In Extra Innings

GAME RECAP: Phillies Nab Nationals 3-2

Forget Bryce Harper for a moment. How about Freddy Galvis' heroics? After Harper ripped a solo home run to right-center in the top of the 10th inning Sunday afternoon to give the Nationals a one-run lead, the Phillies rallied to score twice in the bottom of the 10th in a 3-2 victory, ending Washington's seven-game winning streak. Peter Bourjos doubled and scored on pinch-hitter Andres Blanco's two-out single to left to tie it. And Blanco scored from second on Galvis' double to left field to win the game. "That's what the doctor ordered," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It was nice to salvage a win out of the series after not swinging the bats well. It was great. Guys stepped up in the 10th and came through for us. It was great to see, a lot of fun - that one inning." Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon blew his first save of the season. "We're in first place and we won the [hard-fought] series, man. You know?" Papelbon said. Charlie Morton allowed one run and struck out six over six innings for the Phillies. Carlos Ruiz drove in the Phillies' first run with a second-inning home run.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Harper has homered in six consecutive games at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, tying a Major League record held by Ernie Banks for Phillies' opponents. Harper has also homered in four consecutive games overall, which is a career high. "It's a pleasure to even be in the same sentence as Ernie Banks," Harper said. "At the end of the day, you want to win ballgames. Like I said, a series win is a series win. We take this into Miami and keep it going, hopefully." 
• Bourjos hit a one-out double into the left-field corner in the 10th to give the Phillies' a little life against Papelbon, who is the Phillies' all-time saves leader. After pinch-hitter Cedric Hunter flied out to center for the second out, Blanco laced a single to left field to score Bourjos to tie the game. "That ball was smoked to left," Bourjos said of Blanco's hit. "I just tried to get a good jump and run as fast as I can."
• Galvis' game-winning double was the third walk-off hit of his career. He is 3-for-3 with one double, one home run, one walk and two RBIs against Papelbon since the Phillies traded him to the Nationals last July. It also was the first time a Phillies leadoff hitter reached based since the first inning Wednesday against San Diego. They had been 0-for-19 since. "I played behind him for three years," Galvis said of Papelbon. "So I know the way he pitches, and maybe a little about what the ball does. He got the split and the fastball. I know he likes to throw the fastball. I think he threw me four, five fastballs so I was ready for it."
• "Personally, I like Pap. He is the villain; closers are villains to visiting teams. I like the guy, but it's good to beat any closer. I'm happy about that." -- Mackanin, on if beating Papelbon is a little sweeter.
• Papelbon is 1-2 with a 12.27 ERA and two blown saves in four appearances against the Phillies since they traded him to Washington.
• Despite playing 10 innings, the Phillies had fewer than 10 hits in a game for the 13th consecutive game. It is their longest streak without double-digit hits to start a season since at least 1913, according to Baseball Reference.
• Harper appeared to hit a two-out double in the first inning, narrowly beating a throw to second from Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera. But the Phillies challenged the call from second-base umpire Joe West. Replay showed Harper slid past the bag as Galvis applied the tag and the call was overturned.
• The Nationals lost a challenge in the sixth, when Galvis threw out Harper at first base. The call stood. It was a big play because the Nationals had a runner on third, and he would have scored to give Washington the lead.
• The Phillies won another challenge in the eighth, when Maikel Franco's throw to first pulled Darin Ruf off first base. The call was overturned as replay showed Ruf tagged Chris Heisey for the out.
• The Nationals finally had a replay go their way in the ninth, when the Phillies challenged Herrera being called out at first base. Replay showed Drew's throw beat Herrera to the bag.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies open a three-game series Monday night against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park at 7:05 p.m. ET. Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 1.50) faces Mets right-handerNoah Syndergaard (1-0, 0.69 ERA). The Phillies took two of three from the Mets in a weekend series in New York earlier this month.

PHILS PHACTS:

Galvis’ Streak Continues – There must be something about Freddy Galvis and closers. He hit a two-out double to the left-field wall against Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon in the 10th inning Sunday to score Andres Blanco from second base in the Phillies' 3-2 walk-off victory at Citizens Bank Park. Galvis pulled to a stop at second as Blanco crossed home plate. He lifted the helmet from his head, looked toward the Phillies' dugout and slammed it into the dirt in a moment of celebration. His teammates mobbed him seconds later. "I was just waiting to see if Jayson Werth could get to that one," Galvis said. "Thank God he didn't get it." If only Galvis could face Papelbon more frequently. He is 3-for-3 with one double, one home run, one walk and two RBIs against him since the Phillies traded him to the Nationals last July. Galvis homered against Papelbon on Sept. 14 to give him his first blown save with the Nationals. He singled against Papelbon on Sept. 26 and then walked on four pitches against him on Sept. 27, when Papelbon suffered a five-run meltdown in a game made infamous when he grabbed teammate Bryce Harper by the neck in the dugout. "I played behind him for three years," Galvis said about Papelbon. "So I know the way he pitches and maybe a little about what the ball does. He's got the split and the fastball. I know he likes to throw the fastball. I think he threw me four, five fastballs so I was ready for it." Galvis hit a 1-2 fastball to left, giving the Phillies their first hit in the leadoff spot since the first inning Wednesday against San Diego. A one-out double from Peter Bourjos, who scored on Blanco's two-out single to left to tie the game, set up Galvis' dramatic at-bat. Papelbon made it clear afterward that blowing the game will not ruin him. "We're in first place and we won the [well-fought] series, man. You know?" he said. Papelbon is 1-2 with a 12.27 ERA and two blown saves in four appearances against the Phillies since they traded him. "They're just another team for me," he said. "I'm going out there trying to do the same [things] I am against any other team. Makes no difference to me." The game made a difference for Galvis. It was the third walkoff hit of his career. He had another memorable one May 19, 2013, when he homered against Reds closer Aroldis Chapman. "I just try to get focused a little bit more," Galvis said about facing closers. "I know the situation. I just want to concentrate and try to put the ball in play. I had a lot of fastballs to hit today. He threw me fastballs and I put a good swing on that one." Galvis is hitting .222 (10-for-45) with two doubles, one home run, four RBIs and a .583 OPS in 13 games this season. He is 4-for-12 in his last three games. "I think it's something to maybe get me going," he said.

Setting The Table – As Andres Blanco crossed home plate to score the winning run in the Phillies' 3-2 walk-off win over the Nationals on Sunday afternoon, he looked back over his shoulder and expected to see Freddy Galvis close behind him. But instead, Galvis was on second base -- or at least near it -- awaiting his teammates, who had begun rushing out of the first-base dugout to celebrate behind the bag. "I thought he hit a home run," Blanco said. The ball landed at the foot of the wall in the left-field corner. Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth picked up the ball and tossed it toward the infield. Even though Galvis didn't put it over the wall, the game was over. Not 20 minutes later, Galvis and Blanco were celebrating together in the locker room. "Nobody got down today," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "The guys are just playing inning by inning, and when it's a one-run game, there's no reason to be down. Guys just stepped up in the 10th inning. It was great to see." The offense had been among the worst in baseball through the first 12 games -- and through the first nine innings on Sunday. Philadelphia's one run over the first nine innings came on a Carlos Ruiz solo homer. But something clicked in the 10th inning -- after Bryce Harper hit a home run to give the Nationals a 2-1 lead in the top half of the inning -- against former Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon. It was Papelbon's second appearance at Citizens Bank Park and fourth against the Phillies since the team traded him in July of last season. He's twice blown a save and three times given up go-ahead or game-tying runs. Galvis and Blanco were at the heart of all three. In his first game back in Philadelphia, Galvis homered off him to tie the game. In Washington two weeks later, Galvis walked and Blanco homered right after. "I think we're familiar with him," Mackanin said. "We know he's the villain and we know he means business." For a moment, it seemed as though the Phillies would again rely on the long ball for their offense. On Papelbon's third pitch of the 10th inning, Ruiz hit a ball to deep center that the entire dugout thought was gone. But Matt den Dekker caught it near the warning track, and then the real rally started. Peter Bourjos doubled down the left-field line, and Cedric Hunter popped out to center for the second out. Without there being two outs, Bourjos doesn't know if he would have scored on Blanco's line drive to left. "That ball was smoked to left," Bourjos said. "I just tried to get a good jump and run as fast as I can. You obviously know with two outs, you're going to be sent." Because there were two outs, he didn't have to worry about getting doubled off if Werth caught it. Mackanin thought the Phillies were fortunate to have Bourjos on second. "I don't think anybody else would have scored except for him," Mackanin said. "And that was still close." Then, with Blanco standing on second, Galvis poked a high-and-outside 95 mph heater over Werth's head in left. For the third time, Galvis and Blanco had toppled their teammate-turned-rival.

Today In Phils History – First let’s begin with the long list of debuts on this day beginning with Red Dooin (1902), Lefty O’Doul (who hit 2 homeruns in his opening day debut in 1929), and Eddie Waitkus (1949) in the first half of the 20th century. The after 1950 crowd is varied as well beginning with Harry “Sparky” Anderson in 1957 (Jim Eisenreich was born two years later in 1959) followed by a small 60’s contingent in Rick Wise (1964), Bo Belinsky (1965), and Tito Francona (1967). Following the deluge of debuts we have a Hall of Fame matchup in 1970 (the same day Rico Brogna was born) when the young Mets flamethrower Nolan Ryan 1 hit (and 15 strikeouts) the Phillies in opposition to an aging Jim Bunning. However, what this day is best remembered for came in 1987 when Mike Schmidt sealed the win for the Phillies in the top of the ninth at Three Rivers Stadium with his 500^th career homerun… a Harry Kalas call that every Phillies phan knows by heart.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 6-7 this season putting them on pace to meet 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 39-46-0 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 Continue To Show Plenty Of Power

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Phillies Pound Pirates 15-12

The Phillies would love to have more of the offensive production they had in the fourth and fifth innings on Friday afternoon at Bright House Field. They had 10 hits and scored nine runs in the fourth in a 15-12 victory over the Pirates. The inning included a leadoff double from Cesar Hernandez, five consecutive singles, a suicide squeeze from pitcher Charlie Morton and a three-run homer from Maikel Franco to improve the Phillies to 12-5-2 this spring. The following inning, the Phils put up six more runs, highlighted by Ryan Howard's grand slam off of righty Trey Haley. "It's good to see the guys swing the bats well," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's not the regular season, but we need to stay positive and feel good about ourselves at the bat. I emphasized pitching and defense and running this spring -- and not hitting -- and we're hitting better than we expected. We're happy about that." The Pirates' bats were almost as loud. Morton allowed a two-run homer to Pedro Florimonin the second and a solo homer to Matt Joyce in the third. Jose Osuna hit a three-run shot against Dalier Hinojosa in the top of the ninth. Morton made his second Grapefruit League start and struggled against his former team. He allowed four hits, five runs, three walks and the two home runs with three strikeouts in four innings. Pirates starter Kyle Lobstein tossed three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit. He was relieved by Wilfredo Boscan, who allowed seven hits and eight runs in one-third of an inning in the fourth. Guido Knudson allowed three hits and one run in two-thirds of an inning. Haley, who came in next, surrendered six runs on four hits, including three homers. "I've been able to translate what we've been working on in the bullpens to the game," Lobstein said. "That always feels good."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Right-hander Charlie Morton allowed four hits, five runs, three walks and two home runs and struck out three in four innings in the Phillies' 15-12 win on Friday. "He was kind of all over the place," Mackanin said. "He didn't miss by a lot, but he didn't have location." "Maybe trying to be a little too fine," Morton said. Morton executed a suicide squeeze in the fourth inning to score a run.
• Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf struck out one in one scoreless innings. He has a 4.50 ERA this spring, although three of the four runs he has allowed in eight innings pitched came in the eighth inning Monday in Sarasota, Fla., vs. the Orioles.
• Right-hander Dalier Hinojosa, who pitching coach Bob McClure considers a candidate to close, allowed his first runs of the spring in the ninth. He surrendered three runs (two earned). He had previously thrown five scoreless innings.
• Left-hander Adam Morgan threw 59 pitches in five scoreless innings at the complex. Morgan is competing with Vince Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer to be the team's No. 5 starter.
• The Phillies optioned right-hander Jimmy Cordero to Double-A Reading after Friday's game. He allowed two hits and one run in two-thirds of an inning. It was his first appearance of the spring, because he had been sidelined with a sore right biceps. Cordero is the No. 17 prospect in the organization, according to MLBPipeline.com.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (0-0, 4.50 ERA) will start Saturday afternoon's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla., at 1:07 p.m. ET. The Phillies have made no announcement, but Hellickson or Aaron Nola will start Opening Day. At the moment, Hellickson is on schedule to make that start. Watch the game live on MLB.TV.

PHILS PHACTS:

Franco Goes Deep… Again! – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is thinking what a few other people are probably thinking. Pace yourself, Maikel Franco. "I don't want him to waste all of his home runs in the spring," Mackanin said, smiling. "He looks really good at the plate, aggressive, confident. I'm sure he's going to carry it into the season. It's a good guy to have in the middle of the line up right now." Franco hit a three-run home run to left field in the fourth inning Friday in a 15-12 victory over the Pirates in a Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field. Franco has hit seven home runs this spring, more than any other hitter in baseball. Thirteen players entered the day tied for second with four. "That's what I've been working on," Franco said about showing more power at the plate this season. The Phillies are first in the Grapefruit League with 117 runs. They are second with 28 home runs (Peter Bourjos and Cameron Rupp also homered against the Pirates). Nobody expects them to keep up this pace during the regular season, but it is an encouraging start nonetheless. It isn't just Franco, either. Ryan Howard hit a grand slam over the batter's eye in center field in the fifth inning. It was his second home run in two days. He also laced a pair of singles to finish 3-for-4 with five RBIs. "That wasn't windblown," Mackanin said of Howard's blast. "That was all him." "It felt good off the bat," Howard said. "I didn't know it was going to go there." Howard can appreciate good power as much as anybody. He said he expects big things from Franco this year. "The sky is the limit with Maikel, man," Howard said. "His ball gets small, really quick."

Predicting Power – If you didn't notice Maikel Franco last year, don't worry: You were hardly alone. Franco spent the first six weeks of the year in the Minors, then missed 45 of the final 48 games of the season due to a broken wrist. As the Phillies were in the midst of losing 99 games and names like Kris Bryant, Noah Syndergaard, Joc Pederson, Kyle Schwarber and Jung Ho Kang were dominating a historic National League Rookie of the Year Award class, Franco was somewhat lost in the shuffle. It's safe to say that's not going to happen again, and that was even before Franco smashed his Major League leading seventh homer of the spring on Friday afternoon in a wild 15-12 win over Pittsburgh in Clearwater, Fla. While we know not to put too much emphasis on spring blasts off Minor Leaguers like Guido Knudson, what Franco is doing isn't to be ignored, either. First and foremost, it's a pretty terrific sign that the wrist injury has healed, and that's important, because there were plenty of pre-injury signs last year that Franco had this in him -- even if few really saw it. For example, we can run Statcast™ data queries to identify the hitters who managed to barrel up the largest percentage of extremely likely hits. To define that, we set the parameters as being "batted balls over 100 mph, with a launch angle of between 10 and 25 degrees," (where zero is defined as being right back at the pitcher). The Major League batting average on those types of balls is .595, which is to say, you really, really want to be hitting balls like that. With a minimum of 20 tracked batted balls, the list of players who barreled their balls in that way last year is impressive: Percentage of batted balls 100-mph-plus at 10-25 degrees launch angle, 2015: 1. Miguel Sano, 16.7 percent; 2. Paul Goldschmidt, 14.9 percent; 3. Randal Grichuk, 14.5 percent; 4. Lucas Duda, 14.4 percent; 5. Chris Carter, 14.3 percent; 6. Justin Smoak, 14.2 percent; 7. Mike Trout, 14.0 percent; 8. Ryan Howard, 13.9 percent; 9. Yoenis Cespedes, 12.5 percent; 10. Giancarlo Stanton, 12.3 percent; 11. Pedro Alvarez, 12.3 percent; 12. Franco, 12.2 percent. That's an interesting combination of the game's biggest stars and guys who have trouble making contact but crush the ball when they can find it. But contact wasn't really Franco's issue; in a sport where the average strikeout percentage was 20.4 and several topped 30 percent, Franco's was just 15.4 percent. Of the 33 hitters with at least 300 plate appearances and a .490 slugging percentage, only three struck out less often than Franco: A.J. Pollock, Anthony Rizzo, David Ortiz. To take that to a somewhat unexpected extreme, what if we compared the 2015 stats of Franco and another 23-year-old Mid-Atlantic third baseman with a much higher profile, Manny Machado? Franco: .280/.343/.497 -- 7.8 K percent -- 15.5 BB percent -- 128 wRC+; Machado: .286/.359/.502 -- 9.8 K percent -- 15.6 BB percent -- 134 wRC+. (wRC+, or Weighted Runs Created Plus, is an all-inclusive offensive stat that is park-adjusted and sets 100 as league average, meaning it can be read as "Franco was 28 percent above average in 2015.") It's shockingly similar. Machado hit 35 homers to Franco's 14, but he also had more than twice as many plate appearances. Given a full season of playing time, could Franco match Machado's offensive output, even if he's not likely to bring the same elite defense? It's not out of the question. When Franco hit two homers off of Yovani Gallardo earlier in the week, he told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that because he knows he'll be in the lineup this season, he feels "more patient, more relaxed," than he had in previous springs. That might help explain the power we're seeing in Florida right now. But it's not like this was completely unexpected. After all, just because you didn't watch Franco excel last year, it's not like it didn't happen.

Expected In Pen On Opening Day – The Phillies feel better and better about David Hernandez's chances of being ready by Opening Day. He pitched a scoreless inning Friday in a Minor League game at Carpenter Complex. He also pitched an inning Tuesday, but has not appeared in a Grapefruit League game since March 1 because of right triceps tendinitis. He could pitch in a Grapefruit League game in the next two or three days. "His ability to open the season healthy is on track and is looking fine," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. Hernandez struck out two and got a flyout to center field. His fastball sat in the 92-94 mph range. He also threw his breaking ball and changeup. "I felt good," Hernandez said. "I was just trying to throw strikes. Next time, I'll try to hit more corners. My arm is definitely getting better. I have no discomfort when I'm pitching, just a little stiffness when I'm cooling down. I have no trouble getting loose and staying loose, and that's a good sign." Phillies utility infielder Andres Blanco caught Hernandez. Blanco is the team's emergency catcher, so they wanted to get him some work behind the plate. "I was happy to see him look healthy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

A Different Look In The Outfield – The Phillies need another outfielder, don't they? Aaron Altherr will not return from left wrist surgery until July at the earliest, and Cody Asche could miss the beginning of the season because of a strained right oblique. Their injuries leave Odubel Herrera, Peter Bourjos and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel as the projected Opening Day outfield with some combination of Darnell Sweeney and non-roster invitees David Lough and Cedric Hunter as their fourth and fifth outfielders. But general manager Matt Klentak said Friday afternoon at Bright House Field that the Phillies are not aggressively pursuing outfield help. "We've got our ears open for opportunities, but I wouldn't characterize it as active," Klentak said. "This is the time of the year where most teams are starting to connect with each other to talk about different scenarios that are going to play out at the end of camp -- who is going to make the team, who may not. So those conversations have begun -- generally, anyway." So even if the Phillies are not frantically calling clubs for help, they have talked to teams about it and are watching the waiver wire. The Phillies have priority on the waiver wire through the end of April, so they could pick up somebody in the next couple of weeks. "I wouldn't say it's any more likely than it would be at any other position," Klentak said about an outfield acquisition. "But with Altherr obviously being out for an extended stretch, and with Asche not on the field, if there's a way for us to add depth, I think it's something we'll have to explore." Klentak said it is possible Asche could be ready by Opening Day, despite the fact that he has not played in a Grapefruit League game. But because of the nature of Asche's injury, the team also knows it must be careful with him. Herrera has not played since Saturday because of an injured right middle finger. He had X-rays recently, but they were negative. The Phillies said they do not think it is serious. Bourjos, who has a .645 OPS the previous four seasons, entered Friday hitting .333 (9-for-27) with three doubles, one triple, one RBI, three walks and eight strikeouts. Goeddel, who has not played higher than Double-A, had hit .250 (9-for-36) with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, four walks and nine strikeouts. Goeddel's play the rest of the month could factor into the Phillies' sense of urgency in finding outfield help. Herrera made the adjustment from Rule 5 pick to everyday outfielder last season. Can the Phillies expect Goeddel to make the same adjustments and play on an everyday basis? "[Goeddel] hasn't shown us anything that would suggest he can't do that," Klentak said. "We've been encouraged with, not even the results so much of his ABs, but sort of the way he's gone about it. He's got a very mature approach in the batter's box. I think that's something as we're projecting how he'll do in the big leagues this year; that's something that gives us some comfort. We think he can compete. He knows how to work a count. He's not afraid to hit the ball the other way. In fact, he often tends to hit the ball the other way. I think that lends itself to him having an easier adjustment. But we'll see."

Trimming The Roster – Carlos Ruiz has played a significant role in the Phillies' success for nearly a decade. They hope his presence in camp this spring influences the future, too. The Phillies on Friday optioned catcher Jorge Alfaro to Double-A Reading and reassigned catcher Andrew Knapp to Minor League camp. Alfaro is the No. 3 catching prospect in baseball and the No. 96 prospect overall. Knapp earned the Phils' Minor League Player of the Year Award in 2015, and he is ranked No. 9 among the team's prospects by MLBPipeline.com. Both need more time in the Minor Leagues before being ready to play in the big leagues. Each young backstop mentioned Ruiz's tutelage as one of their more positive experiences in camp. Ruiz, who is in the final year of his contract, is playing with Panama this week in the World Baseball Classic qualifier. "I took a lot from Chooch on the defensive side of stuff, like how to handle a pitching staff and how to get guys through innings, stuff like that," Knapp said. "I mean, every time I talk to Chooch, I'm always asking him, 'How do you do this?'" Alfaro said. "He's got a lot of experience, you know? It was awesome." Knapp hit .250 (4-for-16) with one double, one home run, four RBIs, four walks, three strikeouts and a .900 OPS in eight Grapefruit League games. Alfaro hit .294 (5-for-17) with two RBIs and a .588 OPS in six games. "I felt pretty comfortable in the box all camp," Knapp said. "That was a positive." Both are talented offensively. Phillies coaches raved about Alfaro's raw power earlier in camp, with Mike Schmidt saying Alfaro's build reminded him of former All-Star Dick Allen. But both catchers know they must improve defensively, too. "You have to be a good defender behind the plate," Alfaro said. "Hitting -- I don't really worry about too much, because I really want to be a good catcher. In the Minor Leagues, I want pitchers telling me they want me to catch them." Alfaro certainly has the tools to catch. After the Phils' 15-12 Friday win, manager Pete Mackanin said that Alfaro "has the best arm I've seen, maybe ever." One scout told Mackanin that he rated Alfaro's arm an 80 on a 20-80 scale, which he said he had never done before. Knapp said he wants to improve his game management. "It's situationally based," Knapp responded when asked what Ruiz told him about game management. "You have first and third with a big hitter on deck, what are you going to do? Stuff like that, kind of how the game flows. When pitchers are struggling, how do you work with them to get through the inning? Stuff like that." Of course, the question for both catchers is how close they feel they are to the big leagues. Knapp is expected to open the season in Triple-A, while Alfaro is expected to start in Double-A, because he missed most of last season with an ankle injury. If something should happen early this season to Ruiz or Cameron Rupp, veteran J.P. Arencibia is expected to get the call. But later in the season, who knows? And if both eventually make it either this year or beyond? Each also has the ability to play either first base or the outfield. "I always think that I want to be the best catcher wherever I play," Alfaro said. "It doesn't matter if it's Rookie league or Double-A. It doesn't matter if it's in the big leagues. It doesn't matter where I play. I just want to be the best. I never think how close I am. I never worry about that. They make the decisions. I'll just play hard wherever I go." And Alfaro will be asking plenty of questions along the way. "I like to learn," he said. "[Maikel] Franco, [Freddy] Galvis, Ruiz. I learned a lot from them. They helped my routine. They helped me a lot. They talked to me a lot. We always talk on the field, off the field. How to be professional, how to play the game, playing hard -- they always talk to me like that, like what you have to do to come here and stay here." "It's getting close," Knapp said about a potential big league arrival. "This is baseball. A lot of things happen. Injuries happen. I just have to be ready for the call."

Welcome To The Chooch Show – The home crowd was treated to The Chooch Show at Rod Carew Stadium on Thursday night. Playing in front of 11,744 spirited fans, Panama catcher Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz hit two home runs and collected four RBIs to lead his squad to a 9-2 win over France in the first round of the World Baseball Classic qualifier. After opening the game's scoring with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, Ruiz hit a solo moonshot in the third and then a two-run blast in the fifth. Panama is now set to host Colombia -- which defeated Spain, 9-2 -- at 9 p.m. ET on Friday. Spain will face France at 2 p.m. ET in an elimination game earlier in the day. In qualifier games played in Mexicali, Mexico, the hosts defeated the Czech Republic, 2-1, and Nicaragua walked off over Germany. The Czechs and Germans will meet in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday, and Mexico takes on Spain at 10:30 p.m. All qualifier action can be watched on MLB.com and www.worldbaseballclassic.com, or followed via MLB Gameday. Playing in his fourth WBC competition with Panama, Ruiz showed why he's been able to stay in the big leagues for a decade. "It's all about being positive," Ruiz said through a translator. "I believe I'm still a young player. I feel like a 26-year-old, not a 36-year-old. I'm proud to play with a team that has young players and such an experienced coaching staff -- especially guys I played with like [manager] Carlos Lee, [bench coach] Olmedo Saenz and [pitching coach] Lenin Picota." Once Lee saw Ruiz join Team Panama from Phillies Spring Training earlier this week, he had a feeling he would be doing some damage at the plate. "Honestly, that's the best shape I've ever seen him in," Lee said. "He's ready to go, and you can see it. He's taking good swings, taking good pitches. Two homers, that's not going to happen every day. But if you put yourself in a position to have good swings, good results can come out." While Ruiz stole the spotlight on Thursday night, Panama right-hander Paolo Espino pitched a perfect three innings, striking out four, to begin the contest. The Nationals farmhand only needed 33 pitches to get through his outing, so he'll be eligible to return to the mound on Saturday if Lee desires. Espino said everything was working well for him on the mound -- location, fastball command and his slider -- and that he only threw one changeup. By the time Lee made a pitching change, though, Panama had a four-run lead, so Espino was held back with the future in mind. Panama is guaranteed to play on Saturday, win or lose on Friday, and Espino would have been ineligible to pitch the rest of the qualifier had he surpassed 50 pitches. Naturally, Espino wanted to keep going deeper in the game but understood Lee's decision given the pitch limits. And on a night that belonged to Ruiz, perhaps it's no surprise that Espino chalked up his success to his catcher. "I think Carlos Ruiz makes a big difference for our pitching staff," Espino said through a translator. "I've known him for a long time, and he has a lot of experience. Today he called a great game, and I just tried to match him pitch for pitch, whatever he asked for." Panama broke open the game with a four-run sixth inning. Following Ruiz's two-run homer, Carlos Quiroz nearly went back-to-back, but his double bounced off the top of the wall in left field. No matter, as the next batter, shortstop Javier Guerra, went deep to right field to extend Panama's lead to seven runs. France didn't do itself any favors, committing three costly errors that led to three runs for Panama. In the second inning, on consecutive at-bats, shortstop Felix Brown booted a ball and left fielder Douglas Rodriguez dropped a routine fly. The miscues led to a sacrifice bunt and subsequently a two-run single by Eduardo Thomas. In the sixth inning, Norbert Jongerius dropped a fly ball in left field, allowing Luis Castillo to score. "We can't compete that way if we make errors," France manager Eric Gagne said. "We know we've got to play better defensively. Pitching was OK, but we can't make mistakes. We've got one guy who's affiliated, and he's in A ball, so we've got to make good plays. But there's a lot of positives. A lot of guys have probably never seen 90 mph in their life, so it's a good experience." France's first run came in the top of the fifth, when Frederic Hanvi roped a double down the left-field line to score Andy Paz. Jorge Hereaud drove home a second run in the ninth with a soft single to right field.

Today In Phils History - Unfortunately, the perfect game that Harry Coveleski threw on this day in 1909 was in an exhibition game against Trinity College in Durham, NC. 5 years later, the Phillies saw Babe Ruth for the first time as Baltimore's manager, trailing 6-0 in the sixth, called on Ruth to pitch the rest of the game when he allowed only 4 base runners as the Orioles game back to win 7-6. 13 years later, another Hall of Famer made his debut as Phillies Legend Richie Ashburn was born on this day in 1927. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have begun the spring with a 12-5-2 record (13-5-2 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!