Another Series, Another Loss

GAME RECAP: Braves Bash Phillies 8-4

Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp came up big Friday night in an 8-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. They went a combined 5-for-8 with five RBIs, which included Kemp's three-run home run in the fifth inning to tie the game and a couple of clutch hits in the ninth against Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez to give the Braves the lead for good. After Ender Inciarte and Adonis Garcia started the ninth with singles, Freeman doubled to score Inciarte to give the Braves the lead. Kemp followed with a single to score Garcia for an insurance run before Atlanta tacked on two more for good measure. "Those guys, they're hitting, man," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "They're getting good at-bats, too. Matt, he hit the homer, but that add-on run was just a good piece of hitting. He's just an RBI guy. Some guys have a knack for driving runs in. He and Freddy drive runs in. They love those situations. Ender, big hit leading an inning off. The top of the lineup guys just keep doing it." Gomez has been one of the Phillies' better stories this season, transitioning from middle reliever to closer. But he has an 11.57 ERA (nine earned runs in seven innings) in eight appearances since August 14. "I feel really good," Gomez said. "My velocity is the same and my pitches are moving. I threw a lot of good pitches." "You don't really think you're gonna score four in the ninth off of one of the best closers in the game," Freeman added. "It was nice for us to do that." Joel De La Cruz allowed four runs over five innings for the Braves while Jeremy Hellickson went six innings and also allowed four runs. "The guys give me a four-run lead, that's got to stand," Hellickson said. "For me to make that mistake in that situation definitely overshadows the rest of the game. It doesn't really matter what I did in the other 17 outs. Guys give me a 4-0 lead we have to win that game."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Howard and manager Pete Mackanin talked before the game about comments Mackanin made earlier this week about Howard's playing time. Howard said they cleared the air and then continued his strong second half with a 2-for-4 performance. He doubled to score the team's first run in the first inning.
• A.J. Ellis hit a three-run home run to right field in the second inning to hand the Phillies an early 4-0 lead. It was Ellis' first homer since joining the Phillies last week in a trade with the Dodgers. Ellis, who had two RBIs in his Phillies' debut last weekend against the Mets, has five RBIs in three games. He later doubled in the ninth inning. "It felt good to get us a lead there, some separation," Ellis said. "Felt good about our team there with Helli going. Give the Braves credit. They battled back."
• "We've got to bunch hits together. When we jump out quick like that and score four runs, it looks like a good sign, but we just didn't add on. We couldn't bunch hits together. The offense is an issue. We've got to improve." -- Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, on the team's offensive struggles.
• Howard's .957 OPS is the 11th best among National League players since June 22 (minimum 100 plate appearances).
• The Phillies challenged a play at first base in the seventh inning. They thought David Hernandez might have picked off Inciarte, but replay quickly showed Inciarte beat the throw. The replay official in New York confirmed the call.
• Franco ventured so far away from the second base bag in the eighth that Galvis motioned at him to get back even as he was taking a 99-mph fastball in the dirt. Braves catcher Tyler Flowers saw the same and fired to second. Franco barely skedaddled back in time. The Braves challenged and the call was upheld.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (8-6, 4.21 ERA) pitches the second game of a three-game series. The Phillies are monitoring Velasquez's innings, so it is unclear how many more starts he will make in 2016. But he certainly hopes to build upon last weekend's start against the Mets at Citi Field, when he allowed one run in five innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Howard Stay Hot – Ryan Howard said everything is cool with Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. "I don't think we were ever not cool," Howard told MLB.com on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Howard and Mackanin felt the need to clear the air in a meeting before an 8-4 loss to the Braves. Howard then went 2-for-4 with a double in the first inning that scored the game's first run. A potential issue between Howard and Mackanin first surfaced Wednesday, when Howard expressed his frustrations after Mackanin said he planned to play Howard less in the final month of the season, which is expected to be Howard's last in a Phillies' uniform. The Phillies have a $23 million club option for Howard for 2017, but they are expected to take a $10 million buyout instead. Howard told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I think there comes a time when there needs to be more dialogue and more of an understanding of, 'Why now?' Now, when you've got three weeks left in the season? Why now? I'm going out and hitting and playing better and all of sudden it's another wrinkle." Howard seemed particularly perturbed that Mackanin addressed his playing time with the media before talking to him. Plus, he is hitting .304 (28-for-92) with five doubles, nine home runs, 21 RBIs and a .992 OPS in 32 games since July 3. "I wouldn't say I was frustrated," Howard said on Friday. "I was just speaking my truth." Said Mackanin: "He's going to get more playing time than he thinks. It's a matter of getting [Tommy] Joseph a few more at-bats against right-handers down the stretch." There is a delicate balance to be struck here. On one hand, Howard is not returning in 2017 so the Phillies prefer to play Joseph more because he is expected to be the team's first baseman in 2017. But on the other hand, Howard is the greatest first baseman in franchise history and the only remaining member from the 2008 World Series championship team. It could be bad form to have an iconic player like Howard leave the organization with a bad taste in his mouth. "I don't want him to leave here on a bad note," Mackanin said. "He deserves respect."

Ruf Future – Nobody hit left-handed pitchers better in baseball last season than Nelson Cruz and Darin Ruf. Both posted a 1.107 OPS against lefties. The Phillies often mentioned Ruf's prowess against them, but after he hit just .158 in 31 games this season they optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he remained until the Phillies recalled him Friday. "That was tough," Ruf said before the team's series opener against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. "It kind of opens your mind. I told myself some days, 'Man, I led Major League Baseball in OPS against left-handed pitching last year and I can't find a job.' I'm thinking to myself, 'Why is that?' You just have to remind yourself it's a long process. Hopefully if I take care of business [in Triple-A] I'll be back and maybe in an expanded role beyond that. You've just got to stay positive and take advantage of the at-bats you're getting there." Ruf hit .294 with 18 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 65 RBIs and an .885 OPS with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, so he earned the promotion. But Ruf also could have wondered if he had fallen out of favor with some people in the organization, which is why the offense-starved Phillies never recalled him earlier. Ruf's future with the Phillies should be interesting to watch. He posted a combined .946 OPS against lefties from 2012-15, but became a forgotten man as Tommy Joseph flourished as his replacement at first base. Joseph figures to be the team's first baseman next season. Ruf is out of options. The Phillies could choose to keep him on the 40-man roster, but if they put him on outright waivers and he clears before the Dec. 2 tender date he can elect to become a Minor League free agent. If that happened it would not be surprising to see Ruf move on. But if the Phillies tender him a contract and later decide to put him on outright waivers and he clears, they can keep him in the organization. Of course, he could not be optioned to the Minor Leagues once the season starts. "No idea," Ruf said, asked if he knows where he'll be in six months. "You never know in this game. Find a fit with a good team and hopefully things will work out.” Japan could be an option, but Ruf prefers to play in the big leagues. "I think I can help this team in some sort of role," he said. "It's just if they have a role that they see me succeeding in and helping them in." The Phillies also recalled right-hander Colton Murray and left-hander Patrick Schuster from Triple-A. They also activated infielder Andres Blanco from the disabled list. He had been sidelined with a broken left index finger.

Phillies Stand Up – It's harder for him to watch baseball now. It reminds him of how good he used to be. How fast he used to throw. "Now my fastball is my offspeed pitch," Colby Atkinson said from a suite overlooking Friday's Phillies-Braves game at Citizens Bank Park before cracking a smile. Atkinson, now 17, was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2013. A patient at Nemours Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Atkinson was one of about a dozen pediatric cancer patients from the Philadelphia area invited to take part in the Phillies' contribution to Major League Baseball's Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. It's part of MLB's partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, for which it has raised nearly $40 million. Atkinson instead now prefers to watch football. He's the only student on the coaching staff at Smyrna (Del.) High School. Baseball, however, is Atkinson's passion. It's what he grew up playing. And it was part of his coping method when he first got his diagnosis and began undergoing treatment. That, and poking fun at his mom. "How he deals with stress is through humor," said Virginia Atkinson, his mother and the donor who provided his bone marrow transplant. "A lot of time at my expense." "I'm a momma's boy," Colby jokes. Part of Atkinson's physical therapy routine was playing catch at the hospital. Exactly one year and one day after receiving his bone marrow transplant, he was back on the diamond, showing off a nasty curveball. On Friday, he stepped foot onto a bigger diamond -- the one at Citizens Bank Park. Atkinson greeted Phillies players and participated in pregame ceremonies to raise awareness of pediatric cancer. Although Atkinson was the recipient of these awareness events, he and his mother have also used baseball as a tool to raise awareness. Only four percent of cancer research funding, Virginia points out, goes to treating childhood cancers. Cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States for children 15 and under. An estimated 250,000 people 20 or under are newly diagnosed each year. So now Smyrna-Clayton Little League sells "Go Gold" shirts. It also hosts a hit-a-thon every June to raise money, and every player, coach and umpire wears a gold ribbon either on their hat or jersey. Gold was displayed prominently at Citizens Bank Park and around the league on Friday. Where breast cancer has pink and prostate cancer has blue, pediatric cancer's color is gold. One fan was doused in metallic gold body paint, holding a sign supporting childhood cancer victims. Dozens of players across the game sported gold wristbands. Every jersey was accented with a gold ribbon. Just like at Smyrna-Clayton games.

Today In Phils History – Grover Cleveland Alexander won both ends of a double header against the Dodgers on this day in 1917 only walking 1 on the day. 3 years later, George Smith loses for the 1^st of what would be 14 consecutive losses against the Dodgers tying a MLB record. In 1957, the Phillies beat the Dodgers in what would be the last MLB game to be played in Jersey City, NJ. Steve Carlton threw his 8^th shutout of the year in 1972 tying a team record. 5 years later, the Phillies extended their home winning streak to a franchise record of 16 games. In 2002, following a Marlon Anderson strikeout, the Expos turned a triple play against the Phillies for the final such play in Montreal history. Notable debuts on this day include Dick Allen (1963), Grant Jackson (1965), Gavin Floyd (2004), Shane Victorino (2005), and Miguel Gonzalez (2014). Finally, happy 29^th birthday to Domonic Brown.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-74 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-64-0 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.

Hard Hitters Taking A Break

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

The Phillies took the day off to recover from the discomfort incurred by the Cardinals on Sunday.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• After homering in 14 consecutive games, the Phillies had their streak snapped on Sunday.
• Thompson is the No. 67 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. He has struggled in his first three starts and has not thrown more than five innings in any of them.
• Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.91 ERA) faces White Sox right-hander James Shields (5-15, 5.98 ERA) on Wednesday night.

NEXT GAME:

The last time the Phillies visited U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox were a year away from winning their last World Series, while the Phillies were four years away from winning their last World Series. The teams open a two-game series Tuesday night, their first on the south side of Chicago since 2004. White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (3-8, 4.26 ERA) faces Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson (1-2, 8.79 ERA) in the series opener. Rodon has been on a roll this month, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts. He has walked five and struck out 16 in 18 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Hitting It Hard – The only thing Cameron Rupp knows is that he has hit the ball hard. Rupp does not know the velocity of the baseball as it leaves his bat. He does not particularly care that he is 39th out of more than 300 hitters in average exit velocity at 92.1 mph, according to Statcast™. But he likes to know that his average exit velocity confirms what he is feeling at the plate -- he is making solid contact more often than not. "There's no need to change anything if I'm hitting the ball hard," Rupp said. Major League Baseball's Statcast™ system is in its second full season, and more and more players are becoming aware of the numbers as they appear on TV and online in stories. Sports Illustrated just featured one about Statcast™, reporting that Tampa Bay Rays players are told on the first day of Spring Training that they are measured by exit velocity, not batting average. "It's a term they use exclusively, like nothing else matters," a Rays player told SI. It also reported these interesting tidbits: In 2014, the Mets' front office chose Lucas Duda over Ike Davis as the club's first baseman largely because Duda had a far better exit velocity. One front office reportedly balked at trying to acquire Royals closer Wade Davis before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline because it noticed a drop in the spin rate on his pitches. Davis landed on the disabled list with an elbow injury a short time later, although he is pitching again. Teams clearly are using the information, including the Phillies. "If there is information available to us that can help to improve our decision making, then we will absolutely incorporate it," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. "Exit velocity data certainly falls into that category. Is it powerful? Yes. Are we using it? Absolutely. But is it the only thing we're looking at? Of course not." Tommy Joseph is 62nd in the Majors with an average exit velocity at 91.3 mph. "I do check on it," Joseph said. "It's not so much a number for me. It's a number that I look at for other players around the league, just to see how they're doing it to try to put the swings together -- 'OK, what makes him that good of a player?' I think that's how anybody is. Any big left-handed hitter is going to look at other big left-handed hitters. Guys like me, I'm going to look at Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado." A friend recently told Joseph that his stats page at MLB.com broke down his hitting zone based on his average exit velocity. Naturally, he hopped online to look. "The down-and-away one was pretty low," Joseph said with a smile. "The ones out of the strike zone weren't real high, either. That stuff didn't surprise me, but it was neat to know. Like, 'OK, I handle a pitch there really well. But maybe there the contact isn't as hard.' So from that perspective it tells you, 'OK, here's an adjustment I need to make, because I'm not making as solid contact as consistently in that area.' I love those stats." Ryan Howard makes more hard contact than anybody else on the Phillies. He is 33rd in the Majors with an average exit velocity at 92.5 mph. Of course, he is hitting .198 with 19 home runs, 43 RBIs and a .697 OPS in 286 plate appearances, so hard contact has not translated into consistent success. But Howard has hit .312 with eight homers, 18 RBIs and a 1.021 OPS in 81 plate appearances since July 1. Other things might be at play for Howard's recent improvement. First, those hard-hit balls are finally falling. His batting average on balls in play was .150 before July 1. It is .348 since. Second, Howard is making more contact. His strikeout rate has dropped from 31.7 percent before July 1 to 28.4 percent after July 1. Put more hard hit balls in play and those balls have a chance to find a piece of turf in the outfield. Howard is also hitting line drives 25.9 percent of the time he puts the ball in play since July 1, compared to 21.8 percent beforehand. "If you're hitting balls hard and you don't really have a lot to show for it because balls aren't falling, yeah, I guess you're trying to find a positive out of it," Howard said. "If you're making hard outs, hopefully they start finding their way through. That's what you want to do: make solid contact. It's not like I hit it and I say, 'Hey, what's that velocity?'" Of course, no player asks that question. But they do know when they crush one. And that is when Rupp pays closer attention to the Statcast™ numbers. "When they say how far they go," he said with a laugh, "I want to know how far my homers went."

Today In Phils History – The Phillies made the mistake of hitting the ball to Pittsburgh’s Fred Clarke in 1910 as he recorded 4 OF assists in the game. Irish Meusel hit an inside the park grand slam in 1918 but it wasn’t enough as the Phillies lost to the Reds. In addition to the Cardinals turning a triple play against the Phillies in 1947, Joe Medwick also hit his final (205^th) homerun of his career after angrily yelling at the Phillies dugout that he was going to hit the next pitch out. 20 years later, the Phillies lost Dick Allen for the season when he cut his hand on the broken headlight of his car. An oddity occurred in 1992 when the Cearwater Phillies beat the Winter Haven Red Sox 1-0 without either team collecting a hit. Scott Rolen tied a team and MLB record on this day in 1999 when he struck out 5 times against the Padres. A decade later, the Phillies Eric Brunlett turned an unassisted triple play against the Mets off a Jeff Francoeur line drive. Finally, happy birthday to two players who had short tenues with the Phillies, Julio Franco (1958) and Bobby Estalella (1974).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 58-67 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 36-60-0 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 Rally To Take Final Game From Dodgers

GAME RECAP: Phillies Edge Dodgers 5-4

For the second time in eight days, the Dodgers took a lead into the seventh inning, primed to complete a sweep of the Phillies, but left without one -- victims of the long ball. This time, Maikel Franco had the clutch hit, following in Freddy Galvis' footsteps from last Wednesday in Los Angeles. Franco followed a Galvis single Thursday by rocketing a fastball over the wall in straightaway center to give the Phillies a 5-4 win. "[It felt] very good, very good," Franco said. "It was a fastball right down the middle, and I put a lot of contact on it. I just tried to put it in play." It was Galvis' three-run shot in the seventh last week -- also off Grant Dayton -- that propelled the Phils over the sweep-seeking Dodgers. "That's a game that leaves a sour taste in your mouth," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "We got on [Jerad] Eickhoff early … then he settled in. We got a homer late, but couldn't get anything going against the bullpen." Roberts said the decision to let Dayton face the right-handed-hitting Franco came down to a numbers game. Did he want to let the lefty Dayton face Franco or have a right-hander face Ryan Howard, who has heavier platoon splits? "You've got two of the three where you like the matchup," Roberts said. "The other one, you've got one out of three. So it's kind of like, I'll take my chances on the odds." Eickhoff navigated two Dodgers blasts and completed six innings, becoming the first Phillies starter to do so in nine games. The loss was just the Dodgers' fourth in their past 11 games. Over that stretch, they've gone from two down in the National League West to overtake first place from the Giants, though the loss drops their lead to a half-game as San Francisco defeated the Mets late Thursday.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Eickhoff's night did not start out well, as the first three Dodgers who came to the plate scored. But to the bullpen's relief, Eickhoff didn't let that result in a short outing. Eickhoff's line was by no means spectacular (four earned runs, seven hits, eight strikeouts and two walks in six innings), but he gave the Phillies a chance and relievers some necessary rest. 
• Howard continued his recent power surge Thursday, blasting his 19th homer of the season in the fourth inning. The solo shot accounted for Howard's fifth homer and 13th RBI of the month, and Thursday marked just his ninth game in August. He just looks like he's seeing the ball a lot better," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Howard. "He's made some adjustments to his swing path, and he's more spread out than he has been, kind of reverting back to the way he used to hit." 
• Phillies first baseman and St. Louis-area native Ryan Howard has feasted against Cardinals pitching during his career. In 68 career games, Howard has hit .335/.437/.661 with 23 homers and 69 RBIs.
• Brandon Moss will carry a seven-game hitting streak into the series. Moss has nine hits, including four homers, in the first six games of the Cardinals' road trip and ranks second on the team with 25 two-out RBIs. Randal Grichuk has hit safely in six games since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis and has tallied seven extra-base hits during that span.
• Cardinals reliever Kevin Siegrist is expected to be available again after being held out of the team's last series due to left arm soreness. Siegrist last pitched Sunday, when he was pulled while facing his third batter after experiencing a dead arm feeling. He has made 50 appearances, most of them as the team's setup man.

NEXT GAME:

As they meet in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Friday, both the Cardinals and the Phillies are expected to feature starters seeking bounce-back performances. Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright is eager to erase any lingering memory of his most recent outing, which lasted a career-low two innings. Wainwright allowed seven runs to the Cubs, which came on the heels of a performance in which he surrendered six runs. Wainwright, who is one victory away from his eighth 10-win season, is winless in his past five starts. His season ERA has crept back up to 4.72, and he recently declared this "the worst season of my career." He'll have a chance to begin turning that around against the Phillies, against whom he is 6-2 with a 2.72 ERA in 13 career appearances. Wainwright will be matched up against Adam Morgan. A left-hander, Morgan was forced out of his start Sunday after being hit on the left forearm by a comebacker. X-rays came back negative, and stiffness subsided enough for Morgan to retake the mound Friday. Morgan's last start was his first since returning from Triple-A, and he allowed two runs on five hits in three-plus innings. When Morgan faced the Cardinals earlier this season, he gave up three runs in a four-inning appearance.

PHILS PHACTS:

Battling Hoff – Jerad Eickhoff's night started with the first three batters he faced crossing home plate. It ended with him walking off the mound celebrating a strikeout. Eickhoff wasn't at his best, but he settled in after a rough first inning and gave the Phillies what they needed in their 5-4 win over the Dodgers: six innings and a chance. Entering Thursday, no Phillies starter in the past eight games had lasted at least six innings -- including Eickhoff in his last outing. He bucked the trend against Los Angeles. Eickhoff rebounded to throw six frames, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts. Just three batters into the game, he had surrendered three hits, the third of which was a three-run homer by Justin Turner on a fly ball that just cleared the wall down the left-field line. With the bases clear, Eickhoff reset his strategy. "At that point, it doesn't become about anything other than getting as deep in the game as I can," he said. "The bullpen has been taxed the last couple of days, so I wanted to take it as deep as I could." The righty retired the next eight batters he faced, and the only other run the Dodgers got off him came on a solo Yasmani Grandal homer in the fourth. Eickhoff's eight strikeouts marked the sixth time he's hit that mark this season. A handful of them came on his curveball, which kept Dodgers hitters guessing. "He's got a bulldog mentality," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Eickhoff. "He means business when he goes out there. When he has good fastball command, he's really good. Tonight, it wasn't the greatest, but he threw an awful lot of good curveballs." Eickhoff got pinch-hitter Rob Segedin to swing and miss to end the top half of the sixth with two runners on. He excitedly strolled to the dugout after the last pitch, yelling into his glove. In a conventional three innings afterward, Phillies relievers put up a trio of scoreless frames, and the offense rallied for a victory. "From where it started and me having to battle, I was trying to keep us in the game any way I could," Eickhoff said. "That's all I was worried about."

Howard’s Resurgence – When Ryan Howard is swinging the bat well, it can "make a world of difference," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Thursday. A surging Howard played a big role in the Phillies' come-from-behind, 5-4 win over the Dodgers. The 36-year-old first baseman hit his fifth homer in nine games, and his bat played a role in Maikel Franco's go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning. Franco crushed a pitch off Dodgers lefty Grant Dayton, who Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts wanted in the game to face the left-handed-hitting Howard, the next hitter. It was the 22nd homer of the year for Franco, who entered the game with a slugging percentage 100 points higher against lefties than right-handers this season. "It's huge, when you have that presence in the lineup swinging the bat like he is," Mackanin said of Howard. Franco's home run was a shot to straightaway center field and also scored Freddy Galvis, who led off the frame with a single. "[It felt] very good, very good," Franco said. "It was a fastball right down the middle, and I put a lot of contact on it. I just tried to put it in play." When Franco and Howard are both swinging the bat well, it gives the Phillies a formidable 1-2 punch in the middle of their order. While both batters have had their share of ups and downs this season, Howard has heated up in the past two months, especially in August. In nine games this month, Howard is hitting .419 with five homers, 13 RBIs and a whopping 1.422 OPS. While his average is only .198 for the season, he's raised it 58 points in 91 at-bats since June 21. "Yeah, I had a bad month," Howard said. "I've been doing this for 12, 13 years, whatever. You're going to have good days, you're going to have bad days. You just got to stick with it." Howard has been platooning with Tommy Joseph for a good portion of the season. But lately Howard has stayed in games against lefty relievers due to his hot bat. Mackanin said that would have been the case again on Thursday regardless of what Franco did in the seventh inning. "He just looks like he's seeing the ball a lot better," Mackanin said of Howard. "He's made some adjustments to his swing path, and he's more spread out than he has been, kind of reverting back to the way he used to hit."

Today In Phils History – Jimmie Foxx made his 1^st appearance as a starting pitcher on this day in 1945 allowing only 1 run on 1 hit in his first 6 innings before yielding 3 hits with 2 out in the 7^th. In 1969, the Cardinals’ Bob Gibson struck out Dick Allen 4 times (a MLB record 7^th time that season which Allen had struck out 4 times). Mike Schmidt was the 1^st batter of the game for the Phillies in 1978 and subsequently hit the only leadoff homerun of his career. In 1996, the Phillies parted ways with Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams. With the bases loaded against the Astros in 2005, Todd Pratt hit into an around the horn triple play. On this day a decade ago, the Phillies acquired Jamie Moyer from Seattle.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 57-65 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 53-47-2 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.

Red Hot Phillies Take A Break From The Heat

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

The Phillies earned their day off yesterday.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Phillies infielder Cesar Hernandez enters Tuesday's series opener with a 21-game on-base streak. He's the third Phillies player this season to reach base in 20 more straight games.
• The series win over the Phillies was the Dodgers' fifth in their last six. Combined with the Giants' recent struggles, Los Angeles has rallied from 6 1/2 games back to within one of the division lead.
• The Dodgers took two of three from the Phillies when they met in Los Angeles last week, winning the first two before losing to Jeremy Hellickson in the series finale. 

NEXT GAME:

By now, the Phillies and Dodgers should be pretty familiar with each other. At least they're about to be, with a three-game series starting in Philadelphia on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Only one series separates their three games in Los Angeles and the Dodgers' upcoming visit to Philadelphia. Vince Velasquez doesn't get a break from his hometown team. The Pomona, Calif., native pitched in front of more than 100 friends and family at Dodger Stadium in his start Tuesday. Velasquez didn't exactly put on a show, as he allowed nine runs -- a career-high -- and exited with just one out in the fifth. Tuesday's series opener is a rematch of Velasquez and Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda exactly one week later. In their last matchup, Maeda walked a batter for the first time in three starts. He walked two, giving him just three over his past six. Over that stretch, Maeda is averaging less than a walk per nine innings and has a 35:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The game will also be Chase Utley's first at Citizens Bank Park since the Phillies traded him last August. He recently admitted that his return "might be a bit emotional."

PHILS PHACTS:

Utley Returns – It is unlikely Chase Utley will shed a tear as he steps into the batter's box Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Expressing his feelings is not his style. In fact, standing and chatting inside the Dodgers' dugout last week at Dodger Stadium, Utley only allowed that his first trip to Philadelphia since the Phillies traded him last August "might be a bit emotional." There should be more than a few standing ovations and a few tips of the cap as the Phillies and Dodgers play a three-game series this week. In preparation for a week of Utley memories, here are eight of Utley's greatest moments with the Phils: 1. Utley's first hit: April 24, 2003: In his first career start in his second career game, Utley hit a grand slam against Colorado's Aaron Cook in the third inning at Veterans Stadium. It was the first of Utley's five grand slams with the Phillies. 2. The Streak: June 23- Aug. 3, 2006: Utley had a 35-game hitting streak, which is tied for the 11th longest in baseball history. 3. The Speech: Oct. 31, 2008: The tightlipped Utley gave one of the most memorable speeches in Philadelphia history following the team's World Series championship parade. He announced to the crowd at Citizens Bank Park that the Phillies were "world champions" -- only he inserted an expletive in the middle to accentuate the exuberance of a fan base that had not enjoyed a championship from one of its professional sports teams in 25 years. Utley still hears the famous line from that famous speech. "I hear it here at this stadium," Utley said at Dodger Stadium. "There are Phillies fans all over the country. I see at last one or two Phillies jerseys every game, to be honest, and occasionally they say that statement. That was a good time back in 2008, for sure." 4. Beat the Mets, beat the Mets: Aug. 30, 2007: Utley tormented the Mets in his career, but this one sticks out because it contributed to the Mets' collapse as the Phillies won their first National League East title since 1993. The Phils trailed the Mets by one run in the ninth, but with the game tied, Utley ripped a single against Mets closer Billy Wagner to right field to score Tadahito Iguchi from second base. It was the fourth of Utley's five walk-off hits with Philadelphia. 5. Game 1 of 2009 World Series: Oct. 28, 2009: Many Phillies fans remember Game 1 of the 2009 World Series for Cliff Lee's excellence, but Utley hit two home runs in the 6-1 victory. Utley hit five home runs in the series, matching Reggie Jackson for the most in a single Fall Classic. 6. Game 1 of 2008 World Series: Oct. 22, 2008: Utley hit a two-run home run in the first inning against Rays left-hander Scott Kazmir to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead. It was the perfect start to the series for the Phils, who would win their first World Series title in 28 years. 7. "Chase Utley, you are the man!": Aug. 9, 2006: Utley made plenty of hustle plays in his Phillies career, but this one is immortalized because of Harry Kalas' call. Utley stood on second base when Ryan Howard chopped a ball into the air. Braves pitcher Macay McBride caught the ball and tossed it to first baseman Scott Thorman. Meanwhile, Utley never stopped running and scored from second on a ball that never left the infield. The best part of the play besides Utley's hustle and Kalas' call? Charlie Manuel smiling as he kept looking into the dugout as if to say, "Can you believe he just did that?" 8. Utley outsmarts the Rays: Oct. 29, 2008: In a decisive Game 5, the Phillies and Rays were tied in the seventh inning at 3. Jason Bartlett stood on second base when Akinori Iwamura hit a ground ball up the middle. Utley fielded the ball with his momentum carrying him toward left field. He had no play at first, but he pump-faked a throw there anyway. The fake convinced Rays third-base coach Tom Foley to send Bartlett home. But Utley threw a one-hopper to Carlos Ruiz, who applied the tag for the out to end the inning. It was vintage Utley, always thinking one step ahead of the action on the field.

Today In Phils History – Sherry Magee returned from his 36 game suspension on this day in 1911. Dick Allen didn’t get a chance to swing the bat on this day in 1968 as he was walked in all 5 of his plate appearances setting a team record and tying the NL record. The following season Rick Wise shutout Houston for the 4^th consecutive shutout for the Phillies. In 1977, the Phillies won the last of their 13 game winning streak. Tom Hume and Kent Tekulve combined to 1 hit the Pirates on this day in 1986. 10 years ago today, single A Clearwater pitcher Julio De La Cruz threw a no hitter against Sarasota walking only 1 during the contest. Finally, happy birthday to Willie Jones (1925) and Al Holland (1952).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 56-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 46-60-1 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.

Phillies Salvage Win Over Dodgers

GAME RECAP: Phillies Defeat Dodgers 6-2

The Dodgers' visit to first place was brief, as Freddy Galvis slugged a three-run homer and pinch-hitter Ryan Howard added a three-run double Wednesday in the Phillies' 6-2 win that snapped the Dodgers' four-game win streak and dropped them back into second place one day after catching the Giants. Rookie Dodgers reliever Grant Dayton allowed Galvis' seventh-inning homer to give the Phillies the lead, and Howard cleared the bases in the ninth off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen for the insurance runs. Galvis also homered Tuesday night. "Grant's been throwing the heck out of the baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of using the left-handed Dayton, who had not allowed a hit in his previous three appearances. "I'm swinging well and just trying to stick with it," said Howard, who has been playing in a reserve role most of the season. "It's a game of ups and downs. You have downs, and some point you're going to have ups." Dodgers starter Scott Kazmir (9-6), removed with a lead he protected from the first inning, took the loss. Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson left the game after five innings with back tightness. He retired the final 13 batters he faced and struck out seven. "There were some at-bats we probably should have run the count and stress him a little more," Roberts said of his offense's approach. "We had Hellickson on the ropes, yeah. We let him catch his breath and get a rhythm, and next thing you know, he's through the fifth inning." Hellickson, who allowed one run on three hits, was relieved by Tuesday callup Elvis Araujo, who hit Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager on the right wrist with a 91-mph fastball in the sixth inning but was the winning pitcher. X-rays on Seager were negative, and he said he expects to play Friday.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Galvis had not homered against a left-hander since Aug. 26, 2014, but he turned on a 2-2 fastball from Dodgers lefty Dayton for a three-run home run in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead. It snapped a streak of 305 consecutive plate appearances against a lefty without a home run. Galvis then preserved the lead in the eighth when he made a nice sliding catch and a strong throw to first with runners on first and second and two outs to end the inning. "I just tried to get a good at-bat," Galvis said. "I tried to put the ball in play. He was throwing everything away. He gave me a good pitch to hit. I put a good swing on it, and I hit a homer."
• It has been a bad week for the Phillies' rotation. They placed Aaron Nola on the disabled list on Aug. 3 and Zach Eflin on the DL on Tuesday only to watch Hellickson leave the game after the fifth inning because of tightness in his back. He had retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced before leaving the game. Hellickson said he will be OK, but if he cannot make his next start, the Phillies will need to find two new starters to pitch next week. "It's definitely not something I think will linger more than a couple days," Hellickson said. 
• Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games, dating to July 23.

NEXT GAME:

The Phils do not play Thursday, but they open a three-game series Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. Rookie right-hander Jake Thompson makes the second start of his career after getting hit hard in his big league debut over the weekend against the Padres.

PHILS PHACTS:

Seeking Consistency – If Freddy Galvis could hit more consistently, his future with the Phillies might be a no-brainer. He smacked a three-run home run to left field in the seventh inning of Wednesday afternoon's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. The homer against Dodgers left-hander Grant Dayton put the Phillies in front by one, and it also snapped Galvis' streak of 305 consecutive plate appearances without a homer against a lefty, which dated to Aug. 26, 2014, when he homered against Washington's Gio Gonzalez. "Wow, I can't even remember," Galvis said of his last homer against a lefty. "I think it was like three years ago. Two years ago?" Galvis later preserved the Phillies' one-run lead with runners on first and second and two outs in the eighth. Joc Pederson hit a hard ground ball to Galvis' right. The shortstop made a foot-first slide and backhanded the ball before standing up and making a strong throw to first get Pederson to end the inning. "We try to help each other," he said. "I made the play for [Hector] Neris and for the team. It was good." Galvis' solid defense has never been in question. His instincts on the field and leadership qualities in the clubhouse impress his manager and coaches, too. But Galvis' offense has been his shortcoming. He is hitting .231 with 18 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .627 OPS. Galvis' .618 OPS at shortstop entering Wednesday ranked 23rd out of 25 qualified shortstops, according to FanGraphs. Those numbers are noteworthy, as Phillies' prospect J.P. Crawford continues to play in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Crawford might not join the Phillies this season, even as a September callup, but the expectation is that Crawford will be the team's everyday shortstop at some point next season. Galvis said he is not following Crawford's progress. "I follow my daughter," he said. Galvis eventually could move to second base, where he played brilliant defense in place of Chase Utley in 2012 and '13. But Cesar Hernandez's recent offensive performance might make things a little more interesting heading into the offseason. Hernandez is hitting .285 with 11 doubles, eight triples, 27 RBIs and a .714 OPS, but he makes too many mental mistakes on the field for the coaching staff's liking. If Galvis can finish the season strong -- he has hit .294 with a .735 OPS against lefties since July 3 -- he could help his cause. "I don't want to conjecture too much," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Galvis' future with the Phillies, "but I like Freddy a lot. You cannot deny his ability at short defensively, and the guy's got 11 home runs and closing in on 50 RBIs. I'll take the sure-handed shortstop with good range that can drive in 50-plus runs and hit more than 10 home runs."

Leaving A Little Early – The Phillies hope Jeremy Hellickson's back is a little sore and nothing more. He left Wednesday afternoon's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium after the fifth inning because of tightness in his back, potentially leaving the Phillies with just three healthy starters. The team placed Aaron Nola on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 3 because of inflammation in his right elbow, replacing him with rookie Jake Thompson. They placed Zach Eflin on the DL on Tuesday because of sore knees. They have not named his replacement for Sunday's start against the Rockies. The Phillies will need a second starter Wednesday against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park if Hellickson can't pitch, but he said he expects to be OK. It helps that he is not scheduled to pitch again for a week because the Phillies do not play games Thursday or Monday. "It's definitely not something I think will linger more than a couple days," Hellickson said. Adam Morgan, David Buchanan and Phil Klein are candidates to take a spot or two in the rotation. Hellickson struggled a bit in the first inning Wednesday but cruised before he left the game, retiring 14 of the final 15 batters he faced. He said he tweaked the right side of his back on the second pitch against Dodgers second baseman Chase Utley in the fifth inning. "Then it just kind of tightened up on me," Hellickson said. "I tried to talk [manager Pete Mackanin] into letting me go back out, but it's probably a good thing he didn't let me." An injury to Hellickson is one of the risks the Phillies took when they did not trade him before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. He is a free agent after the season and has been pitching well, but the Phillies wanted talent commensurate with a compensatory pick in the 2017 Draft to trade him. They are expected to make Hellickson a qualifying offer after the season. If he rejects it and if he signs with another team, the Phillies receive an extra Draft pick. The risk is if Hellickson gets injured or struggles before the end of the season, surveys the landscape for free-agent starting pitching and accepts a one-year contract expected to be worth about $16.5 million. In that case, the Phillies get Hellickson on a very expensive one-year contract and no Draft pick. But it sounds like Hellickson should be OK. The Phillies certainly need him. "It's unfortunate," Hellickson said about the Phillies' recent rotation woes. "Nola did all he could to fight through that. Then Eflin, same thing. He'd been battling. Like I said, mine's not going to be any more than a little soreness tomorrow. Hopefully just a couple days of soreness. I can't see it being any longer than that."

Today In Phils History – The Phillies were certain to win the game on this day in 1910 up 9-0 heading into the 9^th inning but then they sent 13 batters to the plate and obliterated the Pirates by a score of 18-0. The scoreboard wasn’t as kind to the Phillies in 1931 as the Giants recorded 28 hits including 4 homeruns and 7 doubles as they defeated the Phillies 23-8. Phillies manager Ben Chapman is remembered for a variety of unpleasant reasons but one incident that is commonly overlooked happened on this day in 1947 when he mistakenly handed the umpires a lineup card from the previous day forcing Schoolboy Rowe to start for the second day in a row throwing two pitches and surrendering a double without warming up before being replaced by Charley Shanz. Despite Jim Command connecting for a grand slam for his first MLB hit in 1954, the Phillies lost to the Dodger in the 1^st game of a double header. Dick Allen’s homerun is the difference maker as the NL prevails at the 1967 All Star Game in Anaheim. 20 years later, Kent Tekulve made the 900^th appearance of his career setting a new MLB record by a pitcher who had never started a game. Phillies closer Heathcliffe Slocumb gets the win as the NL edges out the AL at the 1995 All Star Game in Arlington, Texas. A decade later, Bobby Abreu hit a record 41 homeruns (including 24 in the 1^st round) to win the All Star Homerun Derby in Detroit.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 53-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-36-0 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.