Triple The Fun In San Diego

GAME RECAP: Phillies Stun Padres 6-5

Tommy Joseph's pinch-hit RBI in the top of the seventh inning pushed the Phillies to a 6-5 win over the Padres, in a Sunday rubber match in which Maikel Franco started the first triple play in Petco Park history. Philadelphia tallied 14 hits for the sixth time this season, with seven coming in the fourth inning against San Diego starter Jarred Cosart. "It's a beautiful thing, huh?" Franco said about the triple play. "Oh, I like it." Jerad Eickhoff allowed only five hits over his six innings, but two of those hits were of the home run variety, accounting for three of the four earned runs the right-hander surrendered. Eickhoff struck out five batters without issuing a walk on 98 pitches. Cosart threw five innings and allowed five earned runs. Most of the damage came when he allowed five consecutive two-out hits in the fourth inning, but Odubel Herrera also homered against him in the first. The 26-year-old may take solace in the fact that he didn't walk a batter for the first time this season, but he still surrendered 10 hits. "I don't remember the last game I have not walked somebody," Cosart said after the game. "I really can't tell you that off the top of my head. We'd talked about this being a process when I got over here. There's a lot of stuff that [pitching coach Darren] Balsley and I wanted to accomplish. "No. 1 was learning how to utilize the cut on my fastball, and for the most part I think I'm in a pretty good comfort zone with that right now."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Phillies right-hander Edubray Ramos found himself in trouble in the seventh inning when he walked Derek Norris and Jose Rondon to start the inning. But then Jabari Blash hit a grounder to Phillies third baseman Franco, who stepped on third base to begin the 5-4-3 triple play, the Phillies' first since Aug. 23, 2009, when Eric Bruntlett had an unassisted triple play against the Mets at Citi Field. "I've told these guys a couple of times: I thought I would hit into one before I would be on the successful end of one," first baseman Joseph said. "That's pretty awesome, needless to say."
• The Phillies' seven hits in the fourth inning, scoring four runs were their most hits in a single inning since July 31, 2015, when they had seven in the fifth inning against Atlanta. It spotted Eickhoff a 5-1 lead. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz each got hits in the inning. The veterans have been hitting the ball better recently, despite limited playing time. "That's why Howie's playing," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Like I said, I tell everybody, you want to play you've got to hit. Howie's swinging the bat well. So is Chooch."
• "If they ask me to I would because I really owe them one." -- Ramos, on if he owes Franco, Hernandez and Joseph dinner for bailing him out of a jam in the seventh with their triple play.
• The triple play turned by the Phillies in the seventh inning was the first in Petco Park history and the 32nd in Phillies history.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies face a former friend in Monday night's series opener against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at 10:10 p.m. ET. It will be their first time facing Chase Utley since they traded him to Los Angeles in August 2015. Utley is the greatest second baseman in franchise history, having played for the Phillies from 2003-15. Taking the mound for the Phillies will be Zack Eflin whom the Phillies received from the Dodgers as part of the Jimmy Rollins trade in December 2014.

PHILS PHACTS:

Triple Play! – Maikel Franco summed up those 4.6 seconds in the seventh inning Sunday at Petco Park perfectly. "It's a beautiful thing, huh?" he said with a big smile. "Oh, I like it." Franco, Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph turned the 32nd triple play in franchise history in a 6-5 victory over the Padres at Petco Park, and it came at a critical point in the game, too. Phillies right-hander Edubray Ramos had walked Derek Norris and Jose Rondon to start the inning when Jabari Blash hit a ground ball to Franco, who caught the ball and quickly stepped on third base before throwing to Hernandez at second. Hernandez took the throw on the bag and threw to Joseph at first to complete the team's first triple play since Aug. 23, 2009, when Eric Bruntlett turned a game-ending unassisted triple play against the Mets at Citi Field. It was the Phillies' first 5-4-3 triple play since April 21, 2007, when Abraham Nunez, Chase Utley and Wes Helms turned one in Cincinnati. "Yeah, as soon as he hit the ball, I knew because it was close to the base," Franco said, thinking he had a shot at a triple play. "I just thought I'd go to second. After that, whatever happens happens." It took Franco 1.01 seconds to catch the ball, step on third and throw to Hernandez, according to Statcast™. It took Hernandez 0.5 seconds to catch Franco's throw and throw to Joseph. Hernandez's throw clocked at 70.2 mph. Blash hit the bag 4.69 seconds after he hit the ball, arriving just a tad after the throw. "I didn't know if he was going to throw to second or first, but I always go there just to be ready," Hernandez said. "Every time there's a ground ball to third base, I go to second. It's my instinct." Joseph said he thought Franco would step on third base and throw to first, but he certainly is glad he got greedy and tried for three. "I've told these guys a couple of times: I thought I would hit into one before I would be on the successful end of one," Joseph said. "That's pretty awesome, needless to say. Maik just knew what he was doing, which is what you're supposed to do as an infielder. Be heads-up. Know the play. We had a good runner to do it on. It all worked out. It was a heck of a play. Fun to be a part of." Franco, Hernandez, Joseph and Ramos said they had never been part of a triple play before. "It was exciting," Hernandez said. "That's pretty cool," Franco said. "It helped the team. First and second, nobody out. To get out of that is a beautiful thing for me and my team." Nobody was happier than Ramos, who got bailed out of a big jam. "It really, really helped me," he said. "If they ask me to (buy them dinner) I would because I really owe them one."

Turning Back The Clock – Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz figure to have a little less than two months remaining in their Phillies careers. Both are in the final year of multiyear contracts, and although they have club options for 2017 the Phillies are expected to take buyouts on both deals. But while the end in Philadelphia is likely coming for the pair, they have been hitting the ball well recently, including Sunday in a 6-5 victory over the Padres at Petco Park. Howard singled to center to begin a seven-hit, four-run fourth inning to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead. Ruiz went 3-for-4, which included a RBI in the fourth. Howard is hitting .311 (19-for-61) with four doubles, six home runs, 10 RBIs and a 1.026 OPS in 23 games since June 23. Ruiz is hitting .362 (17-for-48) with two doubles, five RBIs and an .878 OPS in 14 games since June 23. "We both want to be able to go somewhere and play beyond this year," Howard said. "We've got to try to make the most of what we can while we're still here. … I just keep doing my work. I've been doing this thing for 12 years, playing for 12 years. You figure out how to play the game. That's the game of baseball. Things come in waves. You have good waves and you have bad waves." The recent good wave has not changed Howard's feelings about the future. He said he always planned to play beyond this season. Ruiz does, too. "For whatever reason everybody else thinks I'm done playing," Howard said. "I know I can still play. I know I'm still capable of it. This year one bad month and you're done. For me it's about not having the opportunity to rectify the one bad month.” Howard hit .101 with a .421 OPS in May. He hit .140 with a .585 OPS in June, but he hit .250 with a .793 OPS before entering August. "Everybody looks at May and says I can't play anymore," Howard said. "I know I can play and I still want to play in the future. That's where my mindset is. Now it's just taking advantage of the opportunities I get and put it in play for next year." Said Ruiz: "I'm trying to keep myself ready for when I get the opportunity to play. I'm happy with the way I feel right now. I hope it continues that way and I finish the season strong. My body feels great. I feel strong. I don't have any soreness. I would like to play as many years as I can. We'll see what happens."

Fixing The Enigma – Cesar Hernandez is having the best season of his career, but he remains an enigma to the Phillies. The second baseman entered Sunday's series finale against the Padres at Pecto Park hitting .292 with 11 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 27 RBIs and a .727 OPS in 405 plate appearances. He has hit .362 with an .877 OPS since Phillies manager Pete Mackanin benched him two games in Minnesota in June. "He could be a hell of a player," Mackanin said after Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Padres. But Mackanin's praise came at the end of an answer to a question that has been asked repeatedly this season: Why does Hernandez keep making so many mental mistakes on the field? He got caught stealing third base in the seventh inning Saturday, which befuddled Macakanin and coaches because the Phillies trailed by four at the time. "I have no idea why he went," Mackanin said. In fact, a couple of Hernandez's teammates approached Hernandez after the game and told him that it was not a smart time to run. "I know this situation wasn't ideal," Hernandez said Sunday through an interpreter. "But I'm learning. I'm trying to get better. It's a learning process for me. But I really thought I could have stolen that base. I just wanted to go to third so if there was a deep fly ball I could have scored a run." Hernandez has stolen 11 bases this season, but he has been caught eight times. His 57.9 stolen base percentage is 46th out of 48 qualified basestealers. He also has been picked off once and made four other outs on the bases. The 13 outs on the bases, plus other head-scratching decisions on the field, are why Hernandez's future with the Phillies is not secure. The Phillies' top prospect J.P. Crawford could be the team's everyday shortstop as early as next season, which means Freddy Galvis could compete with Hernandez for regular playing time in 2017 and beyond. Galvis is not the offensive player that Hernandez is, but Phillies coaches love his defense, instincts and leadership qualities in the clubhouse. Second base prospects like Scott Kingery also are moving up through the system. "Cesar is in a rut where he's making too many mental mistakes," Mackanin said. "We've got to keep working with him and talking to him about it. He's got so much talent. We have to corral it and figure out a way to get him on track. That's the one thing he's missing right now. He needs to be a little smarter on the bases, and all-around baseball." Hernandez seems to recognize this, although discussions about focus and concentration with Phillies coaches have not stuck. "It's something I definitely want to get better at," Hernandez said. "I'm going to keep working to learn. It's concentration."

Today In Phils History – It was on this day in 1903 when 12 people were killed and over 200 injured when a section of walkway that hung over the street behind the Baker Bowl collapsed. Gavvy Cravath hit 4 doubles and collected 8 RBI against the Reds on this day in 1915. Despite the Phillies scoring 11 total runs, it was a different story in 1922 when the Pirates recorded 46 total hits in a double header sweep. In 1954, Granny Hamner, Danny Schell, and Herm Wehmeier each tripled in the 8^th inning to tie the NL record and beat the Cubs. 2 years later, Ted Kazanski hit and inside the park grand slam against the Giants at the Polo Grounds. Rick Wise threw a complete game 1 hitter against the Dodgers in 1968 with the lone Phillies run coming off the bat of Dick Allen who homered in the 8^th. 20 years later, the Phillies and Cubs started the 1^st night game in Wrigley Field history only to have the game rained out in the bottom of the 4^th erasing Phil Bradley’s name from the history books as the 1^st to record a hit. In 1997, Mark Lieter surrendered Mark McGwire’s 1^st NL homerun (364^th overall). The Phillies lost a few players on this day including Bo Diaz (1985), Mariano Duncan (1995), and Gregg Jefferies (1998). Finally, the team has also honored a couple of players on this day as Granny Hamner was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (the precursor to the Wall of Fame) in 1987 and inducted Juan Samuel into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2008.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 52-61 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-62-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

deGrom And Mets Dominate Phillies In 1 Hit Effort

GAME RECAP: Mets Silence Phillies 5-0

The Mets arrived in Philadelphia closer in the National League East standings to the fourth-place Phillies than the first-place Nationals, desperate for a series win. Jacob deGrom delivered just that in a 5-0 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies' lone hit came off the bat of deGrom's counterpart, Zach Eflin, who ripped a single up the middle in the third. But for the eight batters prior and 19 batters after, deGrom didn't allow another base knock. He became the first Mets pitcher to toss a one-hit shutout since R.A. Dickey struck out 13 Orioles on June 18, 2012. Before Sunday, there had been four one-hit shutouts in which the opposing pitcher had the only hit in Mets history. The most recent also came against Philadelphia, when Cole Hamels singled off Dickey in a 1-0 Mets win on Aug. 13, 2010. "Probably since we came out of Spring Training [deGrom has been building to this]," Mets manager Terry Collins said. "There was all that concern about his velocity early, but he's just gotten a little stronger and a little stronger. … You saw better command today and probably the best sinker he had all year." It was the first time the Phillies have been held to one hit since Sept. 15, 2015, when the Nationals' Stephen Strasburg silenced them with 14 strikeouts. deGrom didn't quite match Strasburg, punching out seven Phillies, but flirted with a Greg Maddux -- a complete game on fewer than 100 pitches -- ultimately recording his first career complete game on 105 pitches. "Command of his pitches, changed speeds, worked fast, he did everything you want your pitchers to do," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of deGrom. Mackanin opened the second half by remarking that his team is shooting for an NL Wild Card spot, but the series loss to the Mets drops them seven back in that race. "It's gonna be important," Collins said. "We know going to Chicago, it's going to be a dogfight there. Same thing in Miami. … Just continue on."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Eflin, the Phillies' rookie right-hander, had his fifth straight quality start on Sunday, giving up three runs on five hits in six innings. The five hits were the most Eflin has allowed since his forgettable MLB debut in Toronto (eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings), and three of those hits went for extra bases. Eflin limited the damage by getting Neil Walker to ground out with the bases loaded to end the fifth. "He didn't have his 'A' game, but he gave us a chance to win," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. "He was a little bit up in the zone, fell behind some hitters, and when he went up 0-2, he couldn't put them away."
• Phillies All-Star Odubel Herrera has enjoyed success this season while facing the Marlins, batting .364 (8-for-23).
• Miami slugger Giancarlo Stanton is just 1-for-18 (.056) with a home run and 12 strikeouts this season against the Phillies. Lifetime at Citizens Bank Park, he has 10 homers in 39 games.
• The Marlins gave center fielder Marcell Ozuna a breather on Sunday at St. Louis. Ozuna, who started for the NL in the All-Star Game, has two home runs and four RBIs vs. Philadelphia.

NEXT GAME:

Positioning in the National League East is at stake when the Marlins open a four-game series at the Phillies on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Miami is in the thick of the NL Wild Card race and aiming to gain ground on the division-leading Nationals, while Philadelphia hopes to climb into Wild Card contention. The Marlins will turn to ace Jose Fernandez to kick off the four-game set. The Phillies counter with promising right-hander Aaron Nola, who will make just his second start of the month. Fernandez, starting for the first time since Tuesday's All-Star Game, has been among the hottest pitchers in the NL. In his last 11 starts, the hard-throwing right-hander is 8-2 with a 1.71 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings. Nola, who last pitched on July 2 against the Royals, is 0-4 since his last win on June 5. At home, he is 2-6 with a 5.28 ERA.

PHILS PHACTS:

Resuscitated Quality Start – Zach Eflin had a good idea of Jacob deGrom's mindset Sunday. "Outings like that, they feed off momentum," said Eflin, who threw a complete game against the Braves earlier in the month. Eflin was the only Phillie that was able to disrupt deGrom in their 5-0 loss to the Mets on Sunday. The 22-year-old's third-inning single was his team's only hit of the afternoon, as deGrom was dominant in his first career complete game. Eflin, meanwhile, could not find his groove, but he didn't let that stop him from turning in his fifth consecutive quality start. The Phillies' right-hander made his fair share of mistakes -- leaving balls up in the zone and not finishing once he got ahead in counts. But Eflin never allowed more than one run in an inning, yielding three earned on five hits in six frames. "I think I did a good job of limiting the damage when I needed to, but I know I left some balls up that shouldn't have been up," he said. "I didn't have my best stuff today, but I was able to battle." Eflin now has a 2.56 ERA in his last six starts following a lousy debut in which he gave up eight earned runs to the Blue Jays in 2 2/3 innings on June 14. The five hits he allowed on Sunday were the most since his debut, and Eflin struggled both when he was up in the count and when there were two outs. Three of the Mets' five hits off Eflin were RBI extra-base hits with two outs. Juan Lagares got the scoring started with an RBI triple in the second, and Curtis Granderson made it 2-0 with a towering solo homer in the third. Both hitters turned 0-2 counts into full counts before driving in a run. "He made some mistakes," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Eflin. "One of the things we have to address as a group is when we get hitters 0-2 or get ahead of hitters, we have to be able to put them away. We were having trouble doing that. The 0-2 count to Granderson went to 3-2, and he hit a home run off a mistake up in the zone." A Jose Reyes double made it 3-0 in the fifth inning, and Eflin followed it with back-to-back walks. A loss of command is rare for the rookie, who had given just two free passes in his previous 27 innings entering Sunday. But with the bases loaded, Eflin buckled down and got Neil Walker to ground out to end the threat. Eflin went back out and threw a 1-2-3 sixth inning to ensure a quality start. Eflin was not the star or his best self on Sunday, but he still showed why the Phillies hope he can be part of the rotation for the foreseeable future. "He's 22 years old in his first year at the big league level, and I really like him," Mackanin said. "He has a great future ahead of him. ... He made a few more mistakes than he probably should have, but he pitched a quality start."

I Got It! – Neil Walker popped up in the fourth inning of the Mets' 5-0 win over the Phillies on Sunday afternoon, sending the ball floating in between third base and shortstop. So, both Maikel Franco and Freddy Galvis went for it. But which one of them caught it? They're so accomplished at mimicking each other that it's nearly impossible to tell which one of them actually intended to reel in the ball. Franco, because he looked more at the ready? Or Galvis, who could've been sandbagging? Well, you have a 50-50 shot at guessing. This isn't a trick question, either. One of them caught it, and Walker was retired for the first out of the inning. The answer... Galvis, very casually. But honestly, it could've gone either way.

Today In Phils History – Despite surrendering 21 hits, the Phillies pulled off an 11 inning win over the Cubs in 1912 when Gavvy Cravath stole home as part of a double steal. A decade later, 11 year old Bob “Tuffy Reds” Cotter caught a foul ball and kept it rather than throwing it back which was common practice at the time resulting in him being arrests and sent to jail from which he was freed the next morning by a judge who stated that he was “following his most natural instincts” resulting in the Phillies becoming the 1^st team with an official policy allowing fans to keep foul balls. In 1943, The Giants and Phillies strand a combined 30 base runners to set a new MLB record. In the 2^nd game of a double header against St. Louis in 1954, the Phillies took a 8-1 lead in the 5^th when the Cardinals began stalling in the hopes of preventing the game from becoming official before the Sunday curfew which was frowned upon by the umpires who declared the game a Phillies victory by forfeit. Despite being in 1^st place at the time, Phillies GM Paul “The Pope” Owens fired Pat Corrales and took over the managerial duties, for the 2^nd time, for the remainder of the 1983 season.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 43-50 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 49-61-0 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 Crushed In Colorado

GAME RECAP: Rockies Rock Phillies 11-2

National League Final Vote candidate Trevor Story launched his 20th and 21st home runs to tie the NL rookie record before the All-Star break, and his four RBIs led the Rockies to an 11-2 victory over the Phillies at Coors Field on Thursday night. Dave Kingman (1972) and Albert Pujols (2001) also hit 21 before the All-Star break as rookies. Story has three more games against the Phillies to eclipse that number. "It's good to see him swinging the bat," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "He really hit those two balls tonight. He had a great at-bat with the walk. He's done that a few times here recently. Unbelievable first half. What a way to start the career." The Rockies jumped on the board early, scoring in four of Phillies starter Adam Morgan's five frames. Nolan Arenado hit an RBI double in the first and Mark Reynolds homered to lead off the second before Story hit a three-run homer in the third and a solo shot in the fifth. Colorado added five more in the seventh off Edubray Ramos on singles by DJ LeMahieu and Brandon Barnes and a three-run double by Reynolds. Rockies starter Chad Bettis had his best start and second quality start since May 17. He held the Phillies to two runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Ryan Howard homered off him to right-center in the second and drove in Maikel Franco two innings later on a single to left. "I think all-around it was a great team win," Bettis said. "Honestly, I think we got our offense back and for the most part did our job as a pitching staff. I think I could've been a little bit better in the sense of executing a couple pitches to Howard, but that's part of baseball."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Morgan hardly had an easy assignment, rejoining the rotation at Coors as the team skipped Aaron Nola's turn to give him a mental break. Morgan allowed nine hits, six runs and three homers in five innings. He has allowed 16 homers in 66 1/3 innings. His 2.17 home runs per nine inning rate is second in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings, behind only Kansas City's Chris Young (3.90 homers per nine innings). The Phillies optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after the game. "Lately, it hasn't been fun," Morgan said. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself. And this break coming up, I feel like will be good. And also going down there and being able to work on things and not feel so much pressure ... like I said, it can only go up from here."
• Howard had one of his finest moments at Coors, hitting a two-out double to score two runs in the ninth inning in Game 4 of the 2009 NL Division Series. The hit tied the game as the Phillies took the lead one batter later. Howard homered in the second inning Thursday for his 369th career homer, moving him into 78th place on the all-time list with Ralph Kiner and Todd Helton.
• The Phillies are expected to activate right-hander Andrew Bailey from the disabled list Friday. He has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 23 with a strained left hamstring.
• Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard homered Thursday. He entered the series hitting .306 (44-for-144) with nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 31 RBIs and a .936 OPS in 36 career games, including the postseason, at Coors.
• Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon entered Thursday hitting .318 since coming off the DL on April 29.

NEXT GAME:

Rockies shortstop Trevor Story will know if he has made the National League All-Star team as the winner of the Final Vote a few hours before Friday night's game against the Phillies at Coors Field. Story entered Friday narrowly in third place behind the Pirates' Starling Marte and the Giants' Brandon Belt in a close race. Either way, Story will face Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (7-2, 3.34 ERA). Velasquez missed much of June because of a strained right biceps, but he has more wins this season than any Phillies pitcher had in 2015. Velasquez duels Rockies right-hander Jon Gray (5-4, 4.81). He is 3-0 with a 5.05 ERA at home, and it's his first time facing the Phillies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Back Up, Back Down – Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan emerged from Pete Mackanin's office nearly 40 minutes after the final out of Thursday's 11-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field. Morgan had just been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but he also had a long talk with Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure about everything that has gone wrong this season and everything that needs to go right to have another opportunity to pitch with the Phillies. Morgan allowed nine hits, six runs and three home runs in five innings and fell to 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA. "It was the truth and I needed to hear it," Morgan said. "They shot me straight, which is all you can ask for as a player. My point of view right now is I can only go up from here." Morgan has allowed 16 home runs in 66 1/3 innings. His 2.17 home runs per nine innings average is second in baseball among pitchers with at least 60 innings, behind only Kansas City's Chris Young (3.90 homers per nine innings). It also is more than half a homer more than he averaged last season, when he went 5-7 with a more respectable 4.48 ERA in 16 starts. "I've been making a lot of mistakes," Morgan said. "I haven't been making any excuses, but I just need to get better." He also needs to clear his mind. "Lately, it hasn't been fun," Morgan said. "I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself. And this break coming up, I feel like will be good. And also going down there and being able to work on things and not feel so much pressure … like I said, it can only go up from here." Morgan's season has not gone according to plan. He pitched well in Spring Training, but narrowly lost the No. 5 starter's competition to Vince Velasquez, who is 7-2 with a 3.34 ERA. Morgan started the season in Triple-A, but joined the rotation in April when Charlie Morton suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. He struggled and got bumped to the bullpen late last month when Velasquez rejoined the rotation after spending some time on the disabled list. Morgan got the call to pitch in place of Aaron Nola, whose turn in the rotation got skipped Thursday in an effort to clear his mind after his own recent struggles. Morgan will join the IronPigs' rotation. He hopes to remain a starter, although he acknowledges he is open to anything if it means an opportunity in the big leagues. Morgan has some people rooting for him. In fact, Mackanin explained why he and McClure had such an unusually long postgame conversation with him. "Bob McClure and I really like this guy," Mackanin said. "We know he's a fighter. We know how much it means to him. He's sincere and dedicated and he's a very likable guy. We're trying to give him as much positive reinforcement, but at the same time let him know what he needs to do to become successful." Phillies right-hander Andrew Bailey is expected to be activated before Friday's game, taking Morgan's spot on the roster. He has been on the DL since late last month with a strained left hamstring.

Bullpen Boost – The Phillies have at least a couple of roster moves coming this weekend. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before Thursday night's 11-2 loss to the Rockies at Coors Field that he expects right-hander Andrew Bailey to be activated from the 15-day disabled list before Friday night's game. Bailey has been on the DL since June 23 with a strained left hamstring. Left-hander Daniel Stumpf is expected to be activated Sunday. He is finishing an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug that first gained notoriety with East German athletes in the 1960s. "I don't think the players, I don't think they're going to be standoff-ish to him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He said he didn't know he was taking anything, so you've got to give him the benefit of the doubt. It's not like he knew that he was cheating on purpose. I don't see any issues there. Maybe I'm wrong." Asked if he feels for a player that will lose his job to Stumpf, knowing he tested positive for PEDs, Mackanin said, "Once again, I have to assume that he didn't know anything. If I knew for a fact that he consciously did that … I wouldn't be happy with it. But I give him the benefit of the doubt."

Where’s Kevin Millar? – Carlos Ruiz loves the cowboy lifestyle. He owns a ranch with horses and cattle back in his native Panama, and anybody that has seen his Instagram account (carlos_ruiz_rios) has seen his affinity for horses and cowboy attire. That passion prompted him to purchase cowboy hats for the Phillies to wear on their trip Wednesday from Philadelphia to Denver. Teammates posted numerous photos of their getups to social media. "It was a great day," Ruiz said before Thursday's 11-2 loss against the Rockies at Coors Field. "We played real good baseball [in a 4-3 victory over Atlanta]. It was a hell of a game. Then everybody was happy wearing the cowboy hats. It was something different. We try to get everybody to relax, you know? Everybody enjoyed it." Ruiz got a cowboy hat during the team's recent trip to Arizona, which triggered the idea to have everybody wear them. "Other guys were saying that they liked it," Ruiz said. Ruiz asked Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan if he should buy one for everybody. Morgan said yes. Ruiz later approached manager Pete Mackanin to see if he would wear one. "I don't like clown hats," Mackanin said. "I don't want that stuff." But cowboy hats are cool, so he agreed to wear one. Ruiz also asked Mackanin about relaxing the dress code for the flight. Team personnel have to wear dress shirts and dress pants when flying, but, hey, cowboys wear jeans, right? So Mackanin gave everybody the OK to wear jeans, tying the ensemble together nicely. Of course, it was just a normal outfit for Ruiz, who occasionally rides horses in the offseason. "When I retire, I'll have plenty of time to do that every day," Ruiz said.

Today In Phils History – In 1898, Red Donahue threw the 2^nd no hitter in franchise history. When Gavvy Cravath was named as, the recently fired, Jack Coombs replacement at the helm in 1919 the players staged a near mutiny. 5 year later, the Phillies split a 26 inning double header against Cincinnati without committing a single error. In 1934, Euel Moore became the only member of the Chickasaw Nation to appear in MLB pitching the Phillies to victory. Schoolboy Rowe, being the last player to enter the All Star game for the NL in 1947 became the first player to appear in the mid-summer classic for both leagues. 5 years later, Curt Simmons leads the NL to victory in the All Star game in front of his home crowd. In 1992, hits his 3^rd pinch hit homerun of the year tying the Phillies rookie record. During a rain delay in Colorado in 2007, the entire Phillies bench assisted the ground crew in covering the field during the windy storm the karma from which helped in their victory once the game resumed. 4 years later, Juan Perez struck out the side in the 10^th inning on 9 pitches becoming the first player to achieve the extra inning feat since 1923.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 40-47 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-51-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Take The Day Off To Work

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday!

The Phillies actually seem like they are earning their days off so far this season.

PHILS PHACT:

• Left-hander James Russell cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He had an 18.69 ERA in seven appearances with the Phillies.

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:

Working On A Few Things – Phillies outfielder Peter Bourjos had a big night Wednesday in a victory over the Mets, but he might be hard to find this weekend at Miller Park. Darin Ruf should be easier to spot. "This whole series, I might play Ruf, while Peter is kind of working on a different approach at the plate," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Bourjos, who had game-tying and game-winning hits Wednesday against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, entered the series against the Brewers hitting .191 (9-for-47) with five doubles, three RBIs and a .506 OPS in 15 games. "We're trying to get him moving to the ball instead of rotating around the ball," Mackanin said. "So we're going to work on that for maybe two or three days, because Ruf can help us offensively. But I can't afford to wait for a lefty, because we haven't seen really many lefties. I'm kind of forcing the issue." Ruf entered the series hitting .111 (3-for-18) with one double, one RBI and a .317 OPS in 12 games.

Today In Phils History – First, let us start with the most important celebration of the day as we wish former Phillies second baseman Mickey Morandini a happy 50^th birthday! The rest of the moments from this day in Phllies history all come down to the number 1… In 1905, a one on one between Giants' captain Dan McGann and Phillies catcher Fred Abbott leads to a riot at the Baker Bowl. Five years later, Earl Moore and Bert Humphries combine to 1-hit the Braves. Moore would repeat the feat by himself exactly 1 year later against the Giants. Slugger Gavvy Cravath hits his first home run of the 1914 season on this his way to a then record 19 homeruns all of which he hit at the Baker Bowl. In 1957, John Kennedy became the first African-American to play for the Phillies. Six year later, Art Mahaffey became the first Phillie to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. And, finally, just three years ago Jonathan Pettibone made his major league debut becoming the first player born in the 1990s to play for the Phillies.

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 46-40-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Dominated By The Mets During Batting Practice

GAME RECAP: Mets Crush Phillies 11-1

First was Michael Conforto, then Yoenis Cespedes. Two innings passed, and Neil Walker and Lucas Duda joined in. Curtis Granderson wanted to get in on the fun, too. By the end of the Mets' 11-1 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night, five Mets had put balls over the outfield walls of Citizens Bank Park, including two from Walker. "This is a really talented group," Walker said of a Mets team that has homered 17 times over the first five games of a road trip. "To watch it firsthand … these are the kind of things this team is capable of." Two pitchers entered Tuesday night having yet to allow a run in a start, but only the Mets' Logan Verrett escaped with that still intact. Verrett tossed six scoreless innings and has now led the Mets to wins in both of his spot starts in place of Jacob deGrom, who is expected to make his next scheduled start. Verrett also reached base twice and scored on Cespedes' third-inning home run. "I didn't feel as sharp as I did in my last start, so I really had to work for it today," Verrett said. "Early on, I was trying to overthrow a bit with my fastball. … A little bit later in the game, we started throwing some sliders in there, and that was really able to help me find my arm slot." Phillies starter Vince Velasquez lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his follow-up performance to his 16-strikeout shutout against the Padres last week -- but only two of the Mets' six dingers came against him. Thanks to a Ryan Howard error that allowed Verrett to reach in the third, only two of the five runs Velasquez allowed were earned, raising his season ERA from 0.00 to 0.93. "We didn't pitch well. We didn't hit well. We didn't play well tonight," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We got beat pretty bad. The Mets seemed to want it. There's not a whole lot to say."

PHILS PHACTS:

• As if the five runs the Mets scored against Velasquez weren't enough, New York continued to pile on against the Phillies' bullpen once Velasquez was pulled in the fifth. Brett Oberholtzer and James Russell combined to pitch three innings, in which they gave up four home runs, amounting to six runs. Philadelphia entered Tuesday with the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball (5.49). After the Mets massacre, their ERA is now 6.14.
• Verrett hit a routine ground ball to Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis in the third. Galvis threw to first, but Howard missed the catchable throw for an error. Velasquez retired the next two Mets, but Conforto singled and Cespedes homered on an 0-2 curveball. Velasquez regretted the pitch, wishing he had thrown a fastball. "Why I agreed to the pitch, I don't know why," Velasquez said. "Maybe it was just the heat of the moment and I just went with it. … Cespedes was just waiting on it the whole time. It's bad on my part. Bad pitching, bad execution. I take full responsibility for that."
• "We're just not having fun. All through spring we were having so much fun, in the dugout, outside the dugout. We need to stop being timid. We have to be a little more upright, be fun, start enjoying ourselves. I think we'll be all right." -- Velasquez, on the Phillies' offensive struggles.
• Tuesday marked the 15th straight game the Phillies weren't able to collect 10 hits, extending their franchise mark to begin a season. The last team to go this long into a season without a 10-hit game was the 1978 Mets. "Our hitters will come around, but we haven't been taking advantage of mistakes," Mackanin said. "I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's a lack of aggressiveness."

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (1-1, 4.30 ERA) pitches the series finale against the Mets on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed two earned runs in 11 2/3 innings in his first two starts before allowing five earned runs in three innings Friday against the Nationals.

PHILS PHACTS:

He Is Human After All – Vince Velasquez's first two starts showed everybody just how dominant he can be. His third start Tuesday night showed everybody he is not quite a superhero. "We're all human," Velasquez said following the Phillies' 11-1 loss to the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. "We make mistakes." Velasquez allowed five hits, five runs (two earned), and two home runs and struck out four in just 4 1/3 innings. He appeared to grab his left side as he left the mound in the fifth, but he said he is fine. "I'm good," Velasquez said. "It was a little itch, yeah. Just throw your arm up or something. Frustration, you want to throw your glove down, you know?" He began his Phillies' career with 25 strikeouts in 15 scoreless innings, joining Curt Schilling (2002), Nolan Ryan (1978) and Karl Spooner (1954) as the only pitchers in baseball history to strike out 25 batters in their first two starts of a season. He also joined Roger Clemens, Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer as the only pitchers in baseball history to throw a shutout with 16 or more strikeouts, zero walks and three or fewer hits, which he accomplished Thursday against San Diego. Velasquez had been the talk of the town, but the Mets, facing him the second time in 10 days, jumped on him early. David Wright hit a one-out double to left field in the first inning, and Michael Conforto followed with a two-run home run to right to make it 2-0. An error from Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard in the third inning proved costly. Conforto hit a two-out single to put two on. Yoenis Cespedes followed with a two-out, three-run home run to left field to make it 5-0. Conforto and Cespedes both hit 0-2 curveballs. "There's nothing wrong with the pitch selection," Velasquez said. "It's just bad location." Velasquez hung both pitches. He said he wanted to bury them, though he acknowledged that he wished he had thrown Cespedes an 0-2 fastball up in the strike zone instead. "Why I agreed to the pitch, I don't know why," Velasquez said. "Maybe it was just the heat of the moment and I just went with it. … Cespedes was just waiting on it the whole time. It's bad on my part. Bad pitching, bad execution. I take full responsibility for that." Velasquez, who said he battled a stomach bug Monday, makes his next start next Tuesday against the Nationals in D.C. He said he has a few things to work on. Perhaps the Phillies' offense will be hitting by then. The Phillies have scored three or fewer runs in nine consecutive games, their longest stretch since a nine-game drought in May 2011. The Phillies also have not had 10 hits in a game in their first 15 games. It is the longest stretch like that to start a season since the 1978 Mets. "We're just not having fun," Velasquez said. "All through spring we were having so much fun, in the dugout, outside the dugout. We need to stop being timid. We have to be a little more upright, be fun, start enjoying ourselves. I think we'll be all right. It's early. It shouldn't be any added pressure."

Prospect Heads To DL – After getting off to a torrid start with Double-A Reading, Phillies catching prospect Jorge Alfaro is headed to the seven-day disabled list with a strained right oblique, the team announced Tuesday. The 22-year-old backstop was named Eastern League Player of the Week on Monday. Before he landed on the DL, Alfaro had begun the season 18-for-36 (.500). Of those 18 hits, six went for extra bases (four doubles, one triple and one home run). Alfaro missed much of last season after getting surgery on a tendon in his left ankle. He returned at the end of 2015 and got four Gulf Coast League at-bats in his first appearances in the Phillies' organization. Alfaro is ranked as the Phillies' No. 6 prospect and No. 94 overall by MLBPipeline.com. He was acquired from the Rangers' organization as part of the trade that sent Cole Hamels to Texas. Outfielder Cody Asche sustained a strained right oblique near the beginning of Spring Training, and after a setback, he still has yet to resume baseball activities. Darin Ruf was out for close to two months with a left oblique injury in 2014, Chase Utley missed exactly a month in '13 and Carlos Ruiz just less than a month in '12. "The one thing about obliques is you can't really rush them," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said of Asche's injury last Wednesday.

Today In Phils History – One of the Phillies first stars debuted on this day in 1888 when Kid Gleason took the field. 60 years later, in a game known for a rather unique double play by Phillies catcher Andy Seminick, a star, Dick Sisler, and a legend, Richie Ashburn, put on the Phillies uniform for the first time. The following year, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones tied a major league record when he hit 4 consecutive doubles. Today is also know for the swapping of two unique bullpen arms when the Phillies traded away Al Holland to Pittsburgh for Kent Tekulve in 1985. However, with the exception of Ashburn’s debut, today is best known for the managerial milestones beginning in 1920 when manager Gavvy Cravath inserted himself as a pinch-hitter into a game against the New York Giants. His 3 run homerun scored the only runs of the game. The homerun also happened to be the 119^th of his career which stood as the major league record until it was broken the following season by Babe Ruth. 86 years later, it was a Phillies loss that handed Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson his 1,000th career victory.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 6-9 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 45-45-0 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!