Mad Max Trumped The Hoff

GAME RECAP: Nats Edge Phils 3-2

Once again Max Scherzer flirted with history, carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning as he delivered another dominant start against the Phillies on Tuesday night. He overmatched the Phillies for eight innings, striking out 11 to lead the Nationals to a 3-2 victory. "I think when he goes out there, we're pretty pumped," Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper said. "Being able to see him do what he does, every five days he has an opportunity to go out there and throw a perfect game or a no-no. That just goes to show how hard he works and how he goes about it. Lot of fun to watch, lot of fun to play behind, and just an absolute machine.” It was Washington's eighth consecutive victory over Philadelphia; the Nationals have won 13 of their last 15 games at Citizens Bank Park. Scherzer did not surrender a hit until the sixth inning, when Freddy Galvis lined a leadoff double off the wall in right field. Philadelphia got on the board in the seventh on a two-run homer from Ryan Howard, who had struggled mightily against Scherzer in his career. "We need to improve our plate discipline. We're just not getting hits," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It plays into anybody's strengths who can change speeds." "I knew I needed to change it up and really start hitting my offspeed early in those first at-bats," Scherzer said, "because it just seemed like they were going to be very aggressive on that first-pitch fastball." Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff entered the game with a 9.91 ERA from the sixth inning and later this season, so his day was done following the sixth after a quality start in which he allowed three runs and struck out four. "I know [Scherzer's] a tough pitcher, so I know I've got to be on point with my stuff as well," Eickhoff said. "Try to keep our guys getting into the dugout and [getting] the bats. He pitched a great game. You know that going in, so it's a challenge."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• In the fourth inning, Trea Turner ripped a single into right and Danny Espinosa came flying around third, despite it being a hard-hit ball right to Aaron Altherr. Altherr came up firing, and his throw beat Espinosa to the plate by almost 10 feet. But instead of trying to dodge the tag or give himself up, the 6-foot, 206-pound Espinosa came barreling full speed into the stocky, 6-foot-2, 260-pound Rupp. Rupp won, holding onto the ball and getting Espinosa out. The play raised some eyebrows in the Phillies dugout, with catcher A.J. Ellis bringing up rule 7.13, which essentially states that a runner cannot deviate from his path to the plate to initiate contact with the catcher. The catcher, until he receives the ball, must give the runner a clear path. The consensus among the Phillies seemed to be that Rupp provided the path and that Espinosa chose to ram Rupp anyway. "You're going to have people that can say Espinosa could have gone to the inside, but I mean, it's baseball, man," Howard said. "You can't change every single thing about it. Ruppy's a big guy. He took the hit. I mean, actually, I think he liked it." "Yeah, it brought me back to my football days," Rupp said. "I thought it was ironic that Tim Tebow's trying out for baseball and I'm taking hits at the plate on the same day."
• Howard planted a ball in the left-field seats in the seventh to give the Phillies their runs and third hit off Scherzer and make it a 3-2 game. It was his 20th homer in just 276 at-bats this season. Howard is averaging a home run every 13.8 at-bats this year, which is his best rate since 2009, when he averaged a homer every 13.7 at-bats. "It's cool," Howard said. "It just goes to show, just keep trying to [plug] away and just keep swinging and doing what you do. Even though it's a lot less at-bats, hopefully, it shows something." Mackanin had played Howard over Tommy Joseph because "a lot of people don't have good numbers against [Scherzer] anyway. Lefties at least hit him better."
• It initially appeared as though Turner was thrown out on his steal in the seventh inning. The Nationals challenged the play, however, and the call was overturned.
• For the ninth time in his 61 starts since he joined the Nationals before the start of the 2015 season, Scherzer carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He has done so more times than anyone else in the Majors during that span, almost 15 percent of his starts. Scherzer did not finish the feat, but still managed to give the Nationals eight strong innings. He also reached double-digit strikeouts for the 12th time this season, the most in the Majors and setting a Nationals record. "I'm sure everybody on the team was thinking [no-hitter], because they've seen it before," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. 

NEXT GAME:

Adam Morgan starts Wednesday's series finale at 7:05 p.m. ET as the Phillies look to avoid being swept for the first time since losing four to the D-backs in mid-June. The Phils have lost their last eight to the Nationals, and 13 of their last 15 against them at Citizens Bank Park. Morgan gave up one run over six innings to the Cardinals two starts ago, but allowed six Mets to score over five innings his most recent start.

PHILS PHACTS:

Howard Still Has Something Left – Ryan Howard hit his 20th homer of the season in Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. It is the 11th time Howard has hit 20 or more homers in a season, so the accomplishment in and of itself is not unusual. But considering that he has spent the 2016 campaign in a reserve role, it is noteworthy that he has hit 20 in just 276 at-bats. "It's cool," Howard said. "It just goes to show, just keep trying to [plug] away and just keep swinging and doing what you do. Even though it's a lot less at-bats, hopefully, it shows something." Howard is averaging a home run every 13.8 at-bats this season, his best rate since 2009, when he averaged a homer every 13.7 at-bats. He averaged a homer every 23.2 at-bats the previous three seasons. Howard is hitting .196 with 20 homers, 45 RBIs and a .692 OPS, but he has hit .299 with nine homers, 20 RBIs and a .992 OPS in 87 at-bats since July 3. Howard was 1-for-20 with 13 strikeouts in his career against Nationals ace Max Scherzer before hitting the two-run homer to left in the seventh. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin had played Howard over Tommy Joseph because "a lot of people don't have good numbers against [Scherzer] anyway. Lefties at least hit him better." "Felt good, but I was able to make the adjustment," Howard said. "Sometimes I think it's just being a little bit too quick, but I just try to slow everything down and relax and see the ball."

Planning For September – Ryan Howard got a start on Tuesday vs. Washington's Max Scherzer, but after this, his name will appear less frequently on the lineup card. "I'll play [Howard] today, then tomorrow [Tommy] Joseph," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Then I'll lean on Joseph a bit more the rest of the way. I want to see him more." The decision was not passed down the organizational chain; Mackanin said it was his alone. "It makes sense to see Joseph as much as possible," he said. "I don't want to happen to him what happened to [Darin] Ruf, where we didn't have opportunities to get him at-bats." Joseph, now 250 at-bats into his big league career, has cooled as Major League pitchers have adjusted to him. Meanwhile, Howard had performed so well since the All-Star break that rumors of a waiver deal began to swirl. In 72 at-bats since the halfway point, Howard has hit .306, with seven home runs. That, combined with Joseph's .247 average over that span and his sub-.300 on-base percentage on the season, led to an uptick in playing time for the 36-year-old. Joseph got the occasional start against right-handers, but his role had devolved; that will no longer be the case. "I'm not going to strictly play Joseph," Mackanin said, "but I'd like to get him as many at-bats as possible through the end of the season. "He's got a good approach. He's got some deficiencies. He's hitting .240- or .250-something. The league has started pitching to some weaknesses, and .250's not what we're looking for. But it's his first year, and he's got power."

Goeddel Remains In Reserve Role – Manager Pete Mackanin and the Phillies plan to use September's expanded rosters to get an extended look at some of their young players, but outfielder Tyler Goeddel won't be one of them. "I've seen enough of Goeddel to know -- we kept him this long, we're going to keep him and see where we go next year with him," Mackanin said. "I don't feel a need to play him." If the Phillies did not see a future for Goeddel -- a Rule 5 pick -- in the organization, they could have returned him to the Rays, but the 23-year-old apparently showed enough back in May to stick. Goeddel started all 22 games he played in May, posting a .794 OPS in 79 plate appearances. In the nearly three months since, he has started exactly as many games as he did that month. He's hardly thrived in the reserve role. In 111 plate appearances since June 1, his season OPS has decreased more than 100 points, and he's recorded only 13 hits -- four for extra bases -- in 100 at-bats. So Jimmy Paredes again started in left field on Tuesday -- not for Mackanin to get an extended look, but to insert some semblance of a power threat into the lineup. "Paredes, he's an extra player," Mackanin said. "That's why we got him, to try to get some offense into the lineup. He's been swinging the bat pretty well, [and Peter] Bourjos is coming off a wrist injury. We're just trying to get Paredes as many at-bats as possible to see if he can help us win a few games." The biggest chunk of Paredes' playing time has come since Aug. 1. His 10 games started is only two fewer than the 12 he started in the two months after the Phillies acquired him. He's hit .244 with a pair of home runs in August, and struck out 13 times in 45 at-bats.

Today In Phils History – In 1894, Billy Hamilton (the original Billy Hamilton) stole 7 bases in an 8 inning win over Washington. With rumors of a fix swirling in 1920, Cubs pitcher Claude Hendrix is scratched from his scheduled start in favor of former Phillie Pete Alexander who subsequently lost the game 3-0. The Phillies chartered their 1^st flight on this day in 1950 flying from St. Louis to Boston (a 1t experience for many players) and prompting a call to TWA head Howard Hughes after experiencing significant turbulence during a thunderstorm. 6 years later, with starting pitcher Harvey Haddix having to withdraw due to back spasms, infielder Granny Hamner steps in as an emergency starter and goes 4 1/3 innings giving up 4 runs and 9 hits which taking the loss (he also made 2 other relief appearances that season and took the loss both times). Despite a career 594-510-1 records and 3 division titles, the Phillies fired manager Danny Ozark on this day in 1979 and replaced him with former pitcher and minor league and scouting director Dallas Green. In 2006, in the 4^th inning of a game against the Nationals at RFK Stadium, Ryan Howard connected for his 49^th homerun of the season breaking the franchise single season record previously held by Mike Schmidt. The following season, Kane Davis became the 28^th pitcher used by the Phillies that season setting a new team record. In 2011, Cliff Lee became the 3^rd pitcher in MLB history to have 2 consecutive months during which he had 5+ wins, 0 losses, and an ERA under 0.50. 2 years later, the Phillies traded away John McDonald and Michael Young in 2 separate transactions. John Mayberry Jr. met the same fate on this day the following season. Finally, happy 58^th birthday Von Hayes!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-72 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-61-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Power Their Way To A Win

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Braves 7-5

The Phillies entered Thursday having lost nine of their past 13 games, while their offense had not scored more than four runs in a game since the All-Star break. But in a 7-5 win over the Braves at Turner Field, the Phillies snapped their recent run-scoring drought, registering a five-run first inning and three homers. Matt Wisler put Atlanta in a first-inning hole when he allowed a three-run home run to Maikel Franco. Tommy Joseph followed with a solo shot, marking the fourth time this year the Phillies have hit back-to-back homers. Two more batters reached base before Wisler recorded the first out of the game on his 27th pitch. "That's what you kind of like to have," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "When 3-4-5 come up, you hope the other team gets nervous." The Braves right-hander settled in after that, retiring 13 of the next 15 batters. But after giving up a two-out single to Joseph in the fifth, Aaron Altherr hit a two-run homer to give Philadelphia a 7-0 lead. Aaron Nola held Atlanta scoreless until the fifth, when Freddie Freeman sparked a three-run inning with an RBI double. The Braves tallied a run in the sixth and ninth innings, but it wasn't enough, as they fell to 3-7 against the Phillies this year. "It's just hard when you get down," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "The biggest pitch was the two-run homer [Wisler] gave up. You can live with the five [runs in the first inning] and then he settled in, but that was huge right there I thought. Five is doable with all of the at-bats we had left."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Phillies expected Altherr to be an everyday outfielder this season, but he tore a tendon in his left wrist in March. He rejoined the Phillies on Thursday and in his first game back, he singled and scored in the first, hit a two-run homer in the fifth and singled in the seventh. "Definitely, especially sitting around thinking about how that first game's going to be being back," Altherr said, asked if this was the perfect season debut. "For it to be like that it was definitely special." 
• Nola continues to search for consistency. He has a 9.82 ERA in his last eight starts after allowing three runs in five innings against the Braves, finding himself in trouble much of the night. In three of his first four innings he retired the first two batters he faced before putting runners on base. Odubel Herrera then lost a ball in the lights to start the fifth, which led to a three-run inning. Still, Nola picked up his first win since June 5. "He's not the same guy," Mackanin said. "He's just struggling with command once again. He's not dotting his fastball like he normally does. His curveball is erratic. He needs to get back on track." 
• "I played golf with him last year in the spring when he wasn't even on the radar. God, can he hit a driver. They're real high and they just carry. It's unbelievable. So I knew he had power. Then, when you watch him take BP, the sound that the ball makes coming off his bat is different than the other guys'." -- Mackanin, on Joseph's homer to center in the first.
• Franco is on pace to hit 29 home runs. If he can hit 30, he would be the first Phillies third baseman to hit 30 or more homers in a season since Scott Rolen hit 31 in 1998.
• Wisler's rough first inning concluded with a double play that was awarded after the Braves successfully challenged that shortstop Erick Aybar tagged Carlos Ruiz before stepping on the second-base bag to record a force out. Ruiz would not have been forced to third base had Aybar first stepped on the bag before applying the quick tag.
• The Braves were not as fortunate in the eighth inning when they unsuccessfully challenged Garcia's throw beat Cody Asche to first base. The original safe call was confirmed, resulting in an infield single. 

NEXT GAME:

Vince Velasquez (8-2, 3.34 ERA) faces the Braves in the second game of a four-game series Friday at Turner Field at 7:35 p.m. ET. He is 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts since returning from the disabled list in June because of a strained right biceps.

PHILS PHACTS:

Altherr Returns – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr finally has his shot. The team activated him from the 60-day disabled list before Thursday's 7-5 victory over the Braves at Turner Field. He hit fifth and went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, giving him a nice start in what is expected to be an important audition over the Phillies' final 58 games. "Definitely," said Altherr, asked if it was the perfect season debut. "Especially sitting around thinking about how that first game's going to be being back. For it to be like that, it was definitely special." Altherr opened Spring Training as a projected everyday outfielder, but he tore a tendon in his left wrist in March, which required surgery. After a lengthy recovery spent mostly in Clearwater, Fla., Altherr rejoined the Phillies ready to prove he should be part of the Phillies' future plans in the outfield. "I just want to see him play," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before the game. "We want to see him play as much as possible. So if he stays healthy, I'm going to keep running him out there. That's what this year is all about. We're finding out about the guys that are here. He is potentially an important part, so we want to see what he does. I'm anxious to see what he does." Cody Asche and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel will continue to play in left field, although Asche continues to receive the bulk of the playing time. He has started 42 of the last 51 games in left field, but he has hit .094 (5-for-53) in his last 17 games. "As I said earlier in the season, this is a very big year for Cody to prove that he can be part of the future and he needs to step it up," Mackanin said. "Goeddel needs to play. I need to play Goeddel. I have to come to a conclusion so I can speak intelligently at the end of the year about what I think, if Cody fits in, if Goeddel fits in, if [Jimmy] Paredes fits in. But Asche and Goeddel, we have to know. I don't want to go into Spring Training next year wondering. "After two or three years of opportunities that should give you a pretty good indication whether a guy fits or not. However, there's two months left in the season and anything can happen. So I'm not discounting anybody." And things could become even more complicated in terms of playing time, both in the outfield and infield, if Triple-A shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Nick Williams are promoted at some point. Mackanin said the two prospects are "on the radar, but nothing has been determined on whether they're coming or not. They don't want to send up a guy that might not be ready." About the only thing certain is that Altherr will play a lot. He missed too much time not to play. The Phillies placed Peter Bourjos on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder to make room for Altherr on the 25-man roster.

Nola’s Mixed Results – Perhaps the 'W' next to Aaron Nola's name in the box score will help. He grinded through five innings Thursday night in a 7-5 victory over the Braves at Turner Field, allowing eight hits, three runs, three walks, one hit batter and striking out five in five innings. He threw 95 pitches, extending the first, second and fourth innings after he had retired each of the two batters he faced. Still, he got his first win since June 5. "It has been a while," Nola said. Pitchers these days are not judged by wins because so much in a game is out of a starting pitcher's hands. But while wins are not a true measuring stick of a pitcher's worth, pitchers still like to see a good record next to their name. So maybe this will get Nola moving in the right direction again because he has not looked like himself for some time, including Thursday. Atlanta entered the game with the worst offense in baseball, averaging 3.43 runs per game, but the Braves reached base 12 times against Nola. "Fairly OK," he said, assessing his performance. Nola has a 9.82 ERA in eight starts since he beat the Brewers on June 5. He struggled so much in June and July that the Phillies skipped his final start before the All-Star break. The Phillies breathed a sigh of relief July 18, when he pitched six scoreless innings against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. But Nola has allowed 14 hits, nine runs and five walks in nine innings in two starts since. "He's not the same guy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's just struggling with command once again. He's not dotting his fastball like he normally does. His curveball is erratic. He needs to get back on track." "I feel like I have the command for the most part, but there's some areas I still need to get better at and work to get better at," Nola said.

Mid-Season Prospect Rankings – The Phillies entered the season with one of the top farm systems in baseball, and that has not changed. MLB.com's midseason Top 100 prospect list, released Thursday, includes five Phillies: shortstop J.P. Crawford (third overall), outfielder Mickey Moniak (34th), outfielder Nick Williams (62nd), catcher Jorge Alfaro (72nd) and right-hander Jake Thompson (73rd). Only the Astros (seven) and Pirates (six) have more players in the top 100. The Phillies had seven players in the preseason top 100, but right-hander Mark Appel, outfielder Cornelius Randolph and outfielder Roman Quinn dropped out because of injuries. Moniak, whom the Phillies selected with the first overall pick in the 2016 Draft, joined. The ranking of baseball's top prospects is completed by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis and Mike Rosenbaum, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. Only players with rookie status are eligible for the list. The rankings follow the Collective Bargaining Agreement guidelines for which players fall under the international pool money rules: Players who were at least 23 years old when they signed and played in leagues deemed to be professional (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Cuba) are not eligible. Interestingly, 16 prospects in the Phillies' top 30 joined the organization since the Phillies officially began their rebuilding process following the 2014 season. Nine of the 16 joined via trade: Williams (ranked third in the organization), Alfaro (fourth), Thompson (fifth), Appel (11th), right-hander Nick Pivetta (18th), right-hander Thomas Eshelman (19th), right-hander Ben Lively (24th), right-handerJimmy Cordero (26th) and right-hander Alberto Tirado (30th). Six came in the last two Drafts: Moniak (second), Randolph (sixth), right-hander Kevin Gowdy (10th), second baseman Scott Kingery (14th), third baseman Cole Stobbe (15th) and left-hander JoJo Romero (25th). One joined as an amateur free agent: outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz (21st).

Today In Phils History – It was Orlando Cepeda’s 1^st career homerun in 1961 that led the Giants to a victory over the Phillies who would go on to lose the next 22 consecutive games. 4 years later, the Phillies Ray Culp threw a 2 hit shutout against the Pirates while the two teams combined for 26 strikeouts. In 1974, Steve Carlton tossed a 2 hitter while Mike Schmidt connected for 2 homeruns against the Pirates. A decade later, Juan Samuel and Von Hayes became the 1st players in MLB history to hit back to back homeruns in the first 2 at bats of the game. 4 years later, Cubs pitcher Rick Sutcliffe stole home against the Phillies. The following season, in 1989, the Phillies retired Steve Carlton’s uniform number 32. In 2002, the Phillies parted ways with former Rookie of the Year Scott Rolen as they traded him to the Cardinals for Placido Planco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin. 5 years later, Antonio Alfonseca recorded a strikeout on a single pitch after entering the game for the injured Ryan Madson. In 2009, the Phillies obtained Cliff Lee from the Indians. The following season, the Phillies acquired Roy Oswalt from the Astros. Finally, happy anniversary to Todd Pratt (1992) and Ricky Bottalico (1994) who made their MLB debuts with the Phillies on this day.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 47-57 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 55-50-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Avoid Sweep In Extra Innings

GAME RECAP: Phillies Edge Mets 5-4

Once the Phillies managed to stop the Mets' home run barrage on Wednesday, all they needed was a well-placed hit. Peter Bourjos obliged with a walk-off infield single in the 11th inning at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night, leading Philadelphia to a 5-4 win to avoid a series sweep. "You want a winning record at home and play .500 on the road," manager Pete Mackanin said. "But we're happy to go 5-5 on this homestand. It's great to salvage a win from these guys, as well as they've been swinging the bats." The Phillies began their winning rally when Freddy Galvis doubled sharply to right field with one out. Mets reliever Hansel Robles intentionally walked the next batter, advanced both runners on a wild pitch, then got pinch-hitter Emmanuel Burriss to fly out. But Bourjos, batting ninth in the lineup, followed with a soft grounder that handcuffed David Wright at third base, forcing him to throw off his back leg. Bourjos beat the throw to first base with relative ease, allowing the winning run to score. "He's one of the fastest guys in the game, so I knew just catch and release," said Wright, who just missed catching a foul pop on the first pitch of Bourjos' at-bat. "I was able to make a good throw, just not nearly in time." It was enough to upend the Mets, who for much of the night seemed bent on keeping Citizens Bank Park their home away from home. Twenty-eight of the Mets' 37 runs this series came via the homer, and Wednesday's finale was not much different. Consecutive fifth-inning long balls from Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda gave the Mets a temporary lead against Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson, who received a no-decision. So did Mets counterpart Bartolo Colon, who was in line to pass Pedro Martinez with his 220th career win before Bourjos laced an RBI single off Addison Reed in the seventh, tying the game and ultimately sending it to extra innings. The Phillies had done their earlier damage off Colon on Galvis' two-run homer and a David Lough sacrifice fly. "You get a little greedy, you win the first two you want to win the third," Wright said. "But series wins, that's the name of the game. At least we can take that out of here."

PHILS PHACTS:

• After Hellickson was lifted with one out in the fifth inning,Hector Neris took over and proceeded to throw a career-high 2 2/3 scoreless innings in long relief, striking out six. Neris has been the most reliable arm in the Phillies' bullpen, having yet to allow a run in eight appearances this season. "From his last two outings in the spring, [Neris] started showing real good command and poise," Mackanin said. "Even through the early part of this season, he's been doing that every time. The numbers speak for themselves." Those numbers? Neris has struck out 15 while walking only two. He's inherited five runners and stranded them all. The rest of the Phillies' bullpen got the job done, too, totaling 6 2/3 innings without allowing a run and striking out 11. "They were executing pitches," Mets catcher Travis d'Arnaud said. "Not only their fastballs, but their offspeed. You've just got to tip your cap and move on."
• Lough has played in all three games since being recalled on Monday, and has at least one hit in all three. He went 2-for-3 with a single, double and sacrifice fly on Wednesday, providing Philadelphia with a much-needed offensive spark. His sac fly briefly gave the Phillies their first lead of the series, and he also scored his first run. "People think it's a huge difference between Triple-A and the big leagues," Lough said. "It's really not. ... It's just about getting comfortable down there, then coming up here and trying to help the team win."
• "The chances of getting him out on that play are pretty impossible." -- Wright, on Bourjos' game-winning infield hit.
• Wednesday marked the first time since June 1, 1979, that the Phillies had anyone but a pitcher bat ninth in the starting lineup, playing in a National League stadium. The last position player to do so was shortstop Bud Harrelson, who went 1-for-3, with Steve Carlton batting eighth.

NEXT GAME:

Philadelphia gets its first day off since April 5, the day after Opening Day in Cincinnati, on Thursday before beginning a three-game weekend set in Milwaukee on Friday at 8:10 p.m. ET. Aaron Nola will pitch, looking to get back on track after allowing seven runs in five innings to the Nationals on Saturday.

PHILS PHACTS:

Cleaning Up In The Nine Spot – In any other game Pete Mackanin has managed, and in any other game the Phillies have played since 1979, the pitcher's spot would have been up with two outs and the winning run on third base in the 11th inning. But because the lineup "just looks better" to Mackanin, with Peter Bourjos hitting ninth and Jeremy Hellickson -- the Phillies' starting pitcher in their 5-4 win over the Mets -- initially batting No. 8, it was Bourjos who came to the plate and sped down the first-base line, just beating the throw across the diamond from David Wright and allowing Freddy Galvis to score the winning run. "Looking at it now, it's pretty funny," said Bourjos, who also tied the game with a single in the seventh that ultimately forced extra innings. "He came through twice big for us," Mackanin said. "We're happy for that." The Phillies' right fielder entered Wednesday's game hitting .167 with an on-base-plus-slugging-percentage of .472. But he proceeded to go 2-for-5 with two RBIs, doubling his season total in one night. In the seventh, Bourjos went the other way to drive home David Lough. "It was nice to see him get those two hits, especially going to right field," Mackanin said. "[Hitting coach] Steve Henderson has been working with him on taking the ball up the middle and to the right side. It was nice to see that single to right field." It marked the first time since June 1, 1979, that the Phillies had anyone but a pitcher bat ninth in the starting lineup, playing in a National League stadium. The last position player to do so was shortstop Bud Harrelson, who went 1-for-3, with Steve Carlton batting eighth. Bourjos almost didn't get the opportunity for his 11th-inning heroics. After Galvis doubled, a wild pitch advanced him to third with one out. The Mets then began to walk Emmanuel Burriss -- pinch-hitting for Jeanmar Gomez in the spot ahead of Bourjos -- but two pitches into the intentional free pass, they changed course. Burriss attempted a squeeze play, with Galvis rushing home from third, but he bunted foul. "I would've liked to win a game with a squeeze," Mackanin said. The Phillies then had one more scare. Bourjos, now batting with two outs after Burriss flied out, hit a towering popup into foul territory behind third base. Wright chased it to the stands, where it looked like it would be uncatchable, but the wind brought it back within reach. The Mets' third baseman tumbled into the wall and was unable to make the grab. "I missed it by about six inches or so," Wright said. Two pitches later, the ball came right back to Wright, this time hard on the ground. He made a backhanded snag and quickly threw across his body in a hopeless attempt to beat the speedy Bourjos to first. Galvis scored, and the Phillies had won. Not long after, Galvis doused Bourjos with a energy drink bath. "I didn't feel comfortable until I touched the bag," Bourjos said. Mackanin said before the game he's never been a fan of hitting the pitcher eighth. But with Bourjos collecting two clutch hits from the No. 9 spot, Mackanin now has a decision on his hands. "It worked out tonight," he said. "We'll see. Like I said, once he starts swinging the bat better, like I know he can, then I probably won't do that. It just happened to fall into place tonight."

Bailey Back In The Majors – Before Andrew Bailey appeared in 10 games out of the Yankees' bullpen near the end of last season, the former All-Star closer hadn't pitched in a big league game since 2013. Bailey received something more than a September callup from the Phillies on Wednesday, as they purchased his contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and designated left-hander James Russell for assignment. "It's a big opportunity I've been looking forward to," Bailey said prior to Wednesday's 5-4, 11th-inning win over the Mets. Bailey was one of 24 relievers the Phillies had in Spring Training and one of 25 non-roster invitees, spanning all positions. A strong start and prior closing experience fueled speculation he could fill the Phillies' then-vacant closer's role. But allowing five runs in the final stretch led to him starting the season in Triple-A. "I do think going down to Triple-A helped me out," Bailey said. "Just being able to gain strength and momentum from Spring Training. I feel ready to go, ready to rock -- significantly better than Spring Training." In four relief appearances for the IronPigs, Bailey tossed five innings, allowing just one run and striking out 10. Meanwhile, Russell appeared in seven games for the Phillies, leaving the team with an 18.69 ERA and more walks (five) than strikeouts (four) in 4 1/3 innings. "Russell wasn't pitching the way he's capable of," manager Pete Mackanin said. "[Bailey] wasn't far off in spring. ... He's throwing pretty good. I haven't seen him [since he went to Triple-A], but his numbers, even though it's a small sample, they're OK." Mackanin said the Phillies plan on "seeing where he fits in," but Jeanmar Gomez will continue to work the ninth inning. Gomez pitched the 10th and 11th innings Wednesday, allowing no runs, one hit and striking out two. Bailey was available but did not see action.

Herrera Moves Up – Manager Pete Mackanin has insisted the Phillies need Odubel Herrera in the middle of their order because of the pop and hitting ability he provides. "He's probably our best hitter right now," Mackanin said before Monday's game, in which Herrera hit second. But he couldn't resist the urge to keep the hitter leading the National League in walks and pitches seen per plate appearance out of the leadoff spot for long. Mackanin had been clamoring to find a reliable leadoff hitter since the season started, experimenting with Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Emmanuel Burriss there, as well as considering David Lough but deciding against it. Finally, after drawing 14 walks in 15 games, including a streak of his last six (the longest for a Phillie since Michael Young in 2013), he found his name atop the lineup in Wednesday's 5-4, 11th-inning win over the Mets. He went 1-for-4 with another walk. "I'm trying to be more patient each at-bat," Herrera said. "And that's giving me a lot of good results, so I'm going to keep trying to do it." That success had led to him reaching base at the 14th-best clip in baseball, a .426 rate, heading into Wednesday's action. However, it took until No. 35 on the on-base percentage leaderboard to find a player with a worse batting average (which doesn't include walks) --Mark Teixeira, who had a .385 OBP and .200 average, compared to Herrera's .426 and .255 marks. Because of Herrera's consistency reaching base near the top of the lineup, he also leads the Phillies in runs scored, with five. Having him on base gives players hitting behind him, like Ryan Howard and Maikel Franco, more chances to drive him home. "That's what I'm looking for," Franco said. "Players get on base and in scoring position, you can drive them in. That's what you're looking for." "If he's on base, things can kind of change," Howard added. "If there's runners on first and second or second and third, or just if he's on first, things can change, too." Although the team appreciates his capacity for getting on base, the amount of pitches he sees in an at-bat could arguably be even more valuable -- especially to those hitting directly behind him. Herrera's 5.13 pitches-per-plate-appearance led baseball. Mike Napoli was a distant second, averaging 4.89. "I really want to establish myself in the MLB. I want to be respected," Herrera said. "I'm just seeing as many pitches as I can because I want to learn from those pitchers, too. I want to see what they're all about." Howard and Franco agreed that being able to see more more pitches from the dugout or on-deck circle allows them to be more aggressive once they step into the box. "A guy like Dubi will allow you to kind of see pitches," Howard said. "It helps you develop your plan a little bit more. ... If you're trying to see what this guy's slider's doing, how's his changeup, does it just float, does it sink, does it fade? Does he have a lot of bite on this pitch? What's he trying to do?" It took Herrera until Aug. 14 to draw his 14th walk last season. By that time, he had struck out 82 times; Herrera's whiffed 16 times this season. He wasn't issued a single free pass in Spring Training. Herrera, however, said he hasn't made any drastic changes to his approach. But the team is taking notice. "He's looking for pitches, and if he doesn't get it, then he's not swinging," Howard said. "He's definitely shown more patience and continues to mature as a hitter." "It's a game of adjustments," Mackanin said. "Who's going to make the adjustments? Instead of making the same outs the same way ... you like to see players realize that, 'Hey, I see what they're trying to do to me, and I'm not going to swing at that pitch anymore.' That's the maturation process."

Today In Phils History – Today is a bit of a mixed bag for the Phillies. It started off on a high note with pitcher Bill Duggleby hitting a homerun during his major league debut in 1898 and, most recently, Cliff Lee collected his 10^th 10 strikeout, no walk, performance as a Phillie (tying Curt Schilling’s record) in 2014, Chase Utley hitting a homerun in his 5^th consecutive game in 2008 (tying a team record), and Cole Hamels dominating the Reds with 15 strikeouts in 2007 (the Phillies also turned a triple play in that game). Today also saw Mike Schmidt connect for his 7^th homerun in four games in 1976 falling one short of Ralph Kiner’s record. And while Jim Bunning losing for the first time as a Phillies at Shea Stadium to the Mets in 1967 was bad enough all of these things are overshadowed by the fact that 50 years ago today the Phillies traded future Hall of Fame Pitcher Fergie Jenkins to the Cubs for Larry Jackson and Bob Buhl. But, lets end this one on a positive note, Happy Birthday to Blueclaws manager and former Phillies Gregg Legg who was born on this day in 1960.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 7-9 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 43-38-3 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!