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.

Frenchie Goes Deep After Hoff’s Early Exit

GAME RECAP: Braves Edge Phillies 2-1

A 24-minute rain delay cut Jerad Eickhoff's impressive start short on Sunday at Turner Field, and the Phillies ultimately paid the price, as Jeff Francoeur's two-run homer in the seventh inning propelled the Braves to a 2-1 win and a series split. "It was nice," said Francoeur about his homer. "I got a pitch up in the zone. I put a couple good swings on the first few. The first one, if I'm in Philly, I've got a homer. But this was a good win for us. When you have an opportunity to split the series, you want to, but especially when you've got [Joel] De La Cruz going 50 pitches." Eickhoff picked up right where he left off in his start against the Marlins on Tuesday, allowing no runners to reach base until Jace Peterson broke up the right-hander's perfect outing with a leadoff single in the fourth inning. Eickhoff didn't allow the base hit to deter him, however, as he retired five of the next six batters he faced before the rain delay in the middle of the sixth ended his day after just 51 pitches. "It was definitely unfortunate," Eickhoff said. "I was looking to get right back out there. I had some quick innings. I think I had a relatively low pitch count. It was frustrating. But you can only control what you can control." With Eickhoff out of the game, Atlanta took advantage. Nick Markakis reached base on a one-out single in the seventh before Francoeur hit his seventh home run of the season in the ensuing at-bat to give his team a 2-0 lead. Jimmy Paredes led off the top of the eighth with his third homer of the year, but the Braves held on to improve to 5-8 vs. Philadelphia this year.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• With his two-run homer on Sunday, Francoeur notched his fourth home run in his previous 45 at-bats. The blast marked his only hit of the contest, as the outfielder is batting just .196 (9-for-46) with 19 strikeouts over his past 14 games. Despite his average, though, Francoeur's recent knack for the long ball and his leadership skills could still make him a possible trade target before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. "[It was] a big hit," said Peterson about Francoeur's homer. "He's a guy who comes to the clubhouse every day the same guy. He keeps the energy up, and we know in those situations he's the guy we want at the plate. He's down 0-2 there, [Andrew Bailey] leaves one over the middle and Frenchy was able to poke it out."
• The Phillies managed just five hits against the Braves, and it was a rough week for the middle of their lineup. Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph batted 2-3-4 for most of the four-game series, but they hit a combined .149 (7-for-47) with two home runs and six RBIs. They were a combined 2-for-11 on Sunday.
• Phillies right-hander Bailey allowed the two-run homer to Francoeur in the seventh. Bailey has a 10.43 ERA (17 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings) in his last 15 appearances after posting a 3.06 ERA in his first 18. "I'm battling some things, obviously," Bailey said. "I felt like I made some good pitches that inning. It's just kind of the way it's going for me right now. Clearly, I'm struggling. It's frustrating to be going through this, especially when Eick's start gets cut short. They needed me to step up and throw a zero. There's nothing to do but keep working and grinding it out. Got to finish strong for sure."
• "I thought it was more important to get him out of there and not take any chances. He sat for a half an hour. You know, the rest of the pitchers have a job to do. They've got to do their job. They're getting paid. It's as simple as that." -- Mackanin, on the decision to pull Eickhoff following the rain delay.
• The Phillies went 4-6 on their road trip through Pittsburgh, Miami and Atlanta. They hit just .151 (13-for-86) with runners in scoring position.
• Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp is quietly putting up some of the better numbers among catchers in baseball. He entered Sunday with a .797 OPS, which ranked fourth among 21 qualified catchers. Giants catcher Buster Posey ranked third (.803 OPS).
• The Giants are happy to leave July behind. They entered Sunday with a 10-13 mark in July, making it their worst month of the season.
• Giants infielder Eduardo Nunez went 2-for-5 with two runs and a stolen base Saturday in his first start with his new team. Since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920, the only other Giants to drive in two runs and steal a base in their first start for the Giants are Johnny Vergez (1931 at Philadelphia) and Fran Healy (1971 vs. Cubs).

NEXT GAME:

The last time Giants ace Madison Bumgarner faced the Phillies, he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in a loss at AT&T Park in June. Bumgarner (10-6, 2.09 ERA) hopes for better results Tuesday night against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, where the teams open a three-game series. Bumgarner is 4-3 with a 3.27 ERA in eight career starts against the Phillies. He faces Phillies rookie Zach Eflin (3-4, 4.23 ERA). Eflin allowed seven runs in five innings last week in a loss to the Marlins in Miami, but he had a 2.08 ERA in his previous seven starts, including a shutout on July 22 against the Pirates.

PHILS PHACTS:

Things Happen – The Phillies packed their bags for their flight to Philadelphia on Sunday evening with almost everybody secure they would be at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday. But some players had to wonder. The Phillies lost Sunday to the Braves at Turner Field, 2-1, to fall to 48-59. They have players that could help contending teams in the final two months of the season, and Monday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline is fast approaching. So far, the Phillies have not struck a single deal, but they have been talking to numerous teams about numerous possibilities. The Phillies and Rangers have been in serious talks about Vince Velasquez, although sources told MLB.com that a deal is unlikely. Velasquez is not going to let trade rumors ruin his day off Monday. "I'll be on the golf course," he said. "But I'll have my phone with me." MLB Network's Jon Paul Morosi reported Sunday that the Orioles and Giants remain frontrunners for Jeremy Hellickson. Other teams are also interested. "I think we will make some changes," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, "but I haven't talked with [general manager] Matt [Klentak] about it. We've touched on it briefly, but I haven't talked specifically. I'm sure tomorrow I'll talk with him about that and see what he has in mind. "We have to wait for the Trade Deadline to pass. Then I think he'll be willing to do some things out of necessity." Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez figured to have some value. Peter Bourjos could have been traded this month, but a stint on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder scuttled those chances. Others, like Carlos Ruiz and David Hernandez, are available. "I'm trying not to think about it," Ruiz said. "I'm doing my best to help this team win. Whatever happens, happens. Maybe I'll stay here, who knows?" Ruiz has full no-trade rights, so he could reject any deal. But he also would love to compete for another World Series ring, something that will not happen this season in Philadelphia. "I would like to taste the playoffs again," Ruiz said. Velasquez, Hellickson and other Phillies will learn their fate no later than 4 p.m. on Monday.

A Bruised Target – For those contenders out there in need of starting pitching, Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said his right hand felt better Sunday morning. He bruised the palm of his hand when he got jammed on a pitch while batting in the fifth inning in Saturday's 9-5 victory over the Braves at Turner Field. Hellickson had trouble gripping his curveball in the sixth inning and eventually had to leave the game, making it the first time since June 4 that he didn't pitch at least six innings. "I'll be all right," Hellickson said. Hellickson said the rest between starts should have him ready to go before his next outing, which is scheduled for Friday against the Padres at Petco Park. Of course, he could be pitching somewhere else by then. The non-waiver Trade Deadline is at 4 p.m. ET Monday, and MLB Network's Jon Paul Morosi reported Sunday afternoon that the Orioles and Giants remain among the top contenders for Hellickson. Baltimore and San Francisco have been following the Phillies for some time. But other teams like the Blue Jays, Tigers and Marlins have scouted Hellickson's starts in recent weeks, too.

Today In Phils History – In 1950, Curt Simmons became the 1^st MLB player drafted into military service as he would be deployed to Korea. 3 years later, Warren Spahn 1 hits the Phillies with Richie Ashburn recording the only hit of the day. In a complete game effort, Robin Roberts earned his 200^th career win on this day in 1958. In 1966, Dick Allen hit a walk off inside the park homerun against the Astros as Jim Wynn broke his arm and was knocked unconscious when he crashed into the wall trying to make the play. 5 years later, the Phillies eventually lost the game against the Cardinals when it was resumed on September 7^th after having been delayed 3 times by rain, postponed, and stretched to 13 innings. The following season, the Phillies dropped the 1^st game of a double header in the 18^th inning against the Mets at Shea Stadium but won the second game despite Steve Carlton’s scoreless streak coming to an end at 30 innings (the first game was over 2.5 hours while the second was less than 2 hours). In 1996, Scott Rolen doubled in his 2^nd at bat in his MLB debut in the 1^st game of a double header against the Cardinals. Desi Relaford also made his MLB debut that day. Despite surrendering a hit to the first batter he faces, Randy Wolf still retired 3 Cubs on 3 pitches on this day in 2004. Finally, happy birthday to Gregg Jeffries (1967), Greg Gross (1952), and Pete Mackanin (1951).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 48-59 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 63-42-0 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.

Offense Comes Alive To Complete Sweep

GAME RECAP: Phillies Sweep Braves 4-3

The Phillies and Braves traded punches Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, but Freddy Galvis delivered the final blow in the Phillies' 4-3 win. His shot into the right-field seats gave the Phils their first lead of the game after playing catch-up for the first seven innings. Atlanta took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, but Galvis got the last word as the Phillies swept the Braves to go 5-1 on their six-game homestand. "What can you say about Freddy?" Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He needed a couple of hits. He got them, and the home run was obviously huge." Jeremy Hellickson and Tyrell Jenkins traded and evaded jams, as each starter put runners in scoring position in three innings apiece, but both also exited the game with just one earned run each -- and without factoring into the decision. Jenkins, filling in for Julio Teheran, was lifted after only 64 pitches and 4 2/3 innings in his first MLB start. He'd yet to allow a run when manager Brian Snitker pulled him, but Ian Krol immediately allowed an Odubel Herrera RBI double to score his inherited runner and tie the game at 1. "He did a great job stretching the game that far," Snitker said. "I kind of felt it would be unfair to him in that last matchup when he was on his last legs." Hellickson continued to increase his trade value in what was likely his second-to-last home start before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Despite walking a pair in the third and surrendering four hits, Hellickson made it through six innings, allowing only one earned run.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Maikel Franco became the first Phillie to homer in four consecutive games since Ryan Howard did so in September 2012, taking Braves reliever Chris Withrow deep in the sixth inning. Franco has a chance to tie the record for most consecutive games with a home run on Thursday. Four different Phillies have hit homers in five straight games, and Chase Utley did so twice during the 2008 season. 
• Hellickson provided the Phillies with a reliable right arm for the entire first half of the season, and his start Wednesday was no different. Hellickson gave up just two runs (one earned) and had two separate stretches where he retired seven batters in a row. In his final four starts heading into the All-Star break, Hellickson posted a 2.16 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He could be valuable trade piece for the Phillies by the end of the month, but for now, Mackanin is happy to have the 29-year-old in his rotation. "He's really stabilized our rotation," Mackanin said. "He gives you a good six, seven innings sometimes. He throws strikes, and he's done a hell of a job for us."
• Since Francoeur debuted in 2005, it has been no secret to Major League baserunners that he has a cannon for an arm. Francoeur entered the game leading all MLB outfielders in assists over the last 11 seasons with 117. (Teammate Nick Markakis is second with 100). He added his 118th in the fifth inning. Phillies third-base coach Juan Samuel waved Galvis home on a Cesar Hernandez single to left field. But Francoeur fired a rocket to the plate and A.J. Pierzynski applied the tag on a halfhearted slide from Galvis. Hernandez did come around to score that inning for the Phillies' first run, but Francoeur's throw cost the Phils a chance to take the lead. Jenkins, who was backing up home on the play, waited on the top step of the Braves' dugout for his left fielder as he came off the field. "That was the first time I'd seen Frenchy really put something on it and throw a guy out," Jenkins said. "But no one else was surprised but me." Possibly the person who should have been the least shocked was Samuel. He was Francoeur's third-base and outfield coach in his season with the Phillies. Now Francoeur has some bragging rights over his former coach. "I was pumped when [Galvis] did go," Francoeur said. "Even better now because Juan Samuel, I can hold that over his head for a long time." "A lot of really good things today," Snitker added. "It's a shame, you fight like hell to win a game like that. The guys, you talk about leaving it on the field, they did. Frenchy's play, Adonis coming up big. It's a tough one to lose."
• Phillies rookie Tommy Joseph is coming off a strong series against Atlanta. The first baseman went 5-for-11 and had hits in all three games against the Braves. He had entered the series in an 0-for-18 slump.
• Thursday's game will be the first of seven meetings between the Phillies and Rockies this season. They'll reconvene in Philadelphia from Aug. 12-14 after this four-game set in Denver. The Rockies won the season series against the Phillies, 5-2, last season.
• Bettis has had success against the Phillies in his career. Bettis has a 1.69 ERA in five games (three starts) against the Phillies, his best mark against any team he's faced at least three times. In 21 1/3 innings against Philadelphia, Bettis has struck out 17 batters and walked just one.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies and Rockies start a four-game series Thursday that will carry both teams into the All-Star break. Adam Morgan is making a spot start for Philadelphia. It will be the 12th start of the season for the left-hander who was moved to the bullpen late last month. Morgan is 1-6 this season with a 6.31 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Morgan is starting in place of Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, who will throw a simulated game in Colorado and will return to the rotation after the All-Star break. Nola has been hit hard in his last five outings, going 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA. Morgan will be opposed by Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis. Bettis has a 5.31 ERA away from Coors Field this season, but is 2-2 with a 6.69 ERA in seven home starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

The Not So Secret Ingredient – The suddenly slugging Phillies found a fitting way to cap their three-game sweep of the Braves. Freddy Galvis smacked a game-winning, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth on Wednesday afternoon for a 4-3 Phillies win. With Maikel Franco representing the tying run on third base, Galvis got a 2-2, 99-mph fastball from Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino over the heart of the plate and did not miss. "He gave me a good pitch to hit," Galvis said of his line drive which ended up a few rows back in the right-field seats. "I was thinking, 'I'll try to put a good swing on the ball,' and it was a homer." Galvis' homer -- his eighth of the season, a new career high -- sent the Phillies to their eighth win in nine games, capping a 5-1 homestand and marking their fourth sweep of the season. The common theme of the Phillies' last four games has been the long ball. During their four-game winning streak, the Phillies have hit 11 homers, with at least two in each game. Franco has homered in each one of those four games, and his solo shot on Wednesday tied the game in the sixth inning. "If that's what we are, then I'll take it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said when he was asked about his team's home-run-hitting ways. "It's a lot easier to manage when you can sit back and wait for two-run, three-run home runs. It's just because the guys are swinging the bats better. They're taking better approaches. They started doing that in Minnesota on our last road trip, and they carried it over to the homestand." The Phillies' low-water mark of the season came during their last road trip, when a stretch against the Twins and Giants had them 13 games under .500. But they've responded well, going 9-2 in their last 11 games with an offense that is scoring 5 1/2 runs per game. After the offense struggled for much of the month of June, the Phillies are getting production everywhere in the lineup. Seven different players homered in the last four games, and Philadelphia outscored opponents, 30-17, during its final homestand of the first half. "I choose to believe we're the team that has played during the last two weeks," Mackanin said. "I know we had such a bad month of June, and I kept wondering why we weren't better knowing we had the chance to be better, and now we're swinging the bat better."

Four In A Row – Maikel Franco went the opposite way for his fourth homer in as many games on Wednesday. The Phillies' third baseman hit a solo shot off of Braves reliever Chris Withrow in the sixth inning of the Phillies' 4-3 win. Franco has now homered in four consecutive games, becoming the first Phillie to accomplish that feat since Ryan Howard did so from Sept. 19-22, 2012. "I'm just really comfortable at home plate," said Franco, who now has 17 home runs this season. "I see the pitches much better, and I try to see the ball and turn that into contact."' Franco, who is in his second full Major League season, is hitting .262 with a .799 OPS heading into the Phillies' final series of the first half. Those numbers are up from .235 and .706 on June 23. Franco's hot bat has been a big part of the Phillies' turnaround in the last two weeks. The Phillies are 9-2 in their last 11 games, and Franco is hitting .395 with 1.237 OPS, five homers and 12 RBIs in that span. "I'm not changing my approach," he said. "I'm still doing the same thing, I haven't changed anything. But I'm seeing the ball much better, and I'll take a walk. That's what I want to see, a really good pitch to hit and then put some contact on it." Franco saw the ball well in the eighth inning on Wednesday when he drew a leadoff walk. It led to Franco scoring on Freddy Galvis' two-out, two-run homer which proved to be the game-winner. "I think if you were a betting man, you wouldn't have bet he took a walk, because he's trying to tie the game up," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "But that's a great sign." The Phillies' record for consecutive games with a home run is five, which has been accomplished five times, including twice by Chase Utley in the 2008 season. Bobby Abreu, Mike Schmidt and Dick Allen have also homered in five straight games for Philadelphia. Franco will have his chance to tie that mark on Thursday in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Morgan Gets The Nod – Adam Morgan will take the mound Thursday for the Phillies when they open their final series of the first half in Denver. Morgan, a left-hander, will make a spot start against the Rockies in place of Aaron Nola. The Phillies announced earlier in the week Nola would skip his final start before the All-Star break. Morgan has made 11 starts this season, but he was moved to the bullpen last month when righty Vince Velasquez was activated from the disabled list. The 26-year-old has a 6.31 ERA in 13 appearances totalling 61 1/3 innings. He last pitched on Saturday, when he allowed one run over three innings of relief against the Royals in a game started by Nola. Nola, in his second year in the Majors, has hit a wall in the last month. The young right-hander is 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts and has not lasted longer than five innings in any of those outings. He started the season with a 2.65 ERA through his first 12 starts, but his season mark has risen to 4.69 since June 5. Nola will pitch a simulated game in Colorado before the Phillies head into the All-Star break.

Minor Monthly Awards – The Phillies announced their Minor League Players of the Month for June on Wednesday. Rhys Hoskins (Double-A Reading) was the Hitter of the Month, as he hit .351 with a 1.198 OPS, 13 homers and 33 RBIs in 27 games. Triple-A Lehigh Valley was home to the other honorees. Righty Jake Thompson was the Pitcher of the Month as he went 3-0 with an 0.76 ERA in five starts. Meanwhile, shortstop and Phillies' top prospect, J.P. Crawford, was the organization's Fielder of the Month with only two errors in 26 games.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies walked 6 straight New York hitters in 1909 to set a new, albeit briefly held, MLB record. In 1920, in a truly rare feat, the Phillies Mack Wheat bunts into a triple play. There was an odd occurrence during the Phillies 5-1 loss to the Dodgers in 1931 when Fred Brickell, advancing on a single by Chuck Klein, was knocked out when he ran into the 3B and called out despite Manager Burt Shotton pulling his foot onto the bag (coach’s interference). When Richie Ashburn entered the game in 1950 no one expected that game to be the first of 730 consecutive games played, a streak that would last until the 1955 opener. An All Star Game legend was born on this day in 1964 when OF Johnny Callison hit a 2 run homerun with 2 outs in the 9^th inning to secure the 7-4 win for the NL at Shea Stadium. 1977 saw the Phillies finish out their longest undefeated homestand in franchise history following consecutive 4 game sweeps of Pittsburgh and New York. Kevin Stocker picked a heck of a game in which to make his MLB debut in 1993 when Mitch Williams blew the 2 run lead in the 9th leading to a 20 inning marathon which saw the Phillies fall behind in what would be the final inning only to have Lenny Dykstra hit a walk off double. And, finally, it was on this day 12 years ago when Bobby Abreu became the 1^st player selected for the NL All Star team by the fans in the “final vote” selection process.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 40-46 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 31-70-0 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.

Herrera Hits And Rupp Drives Them In

GAME RECAP: Phillies Outlast Braves 7-4

Cameron Rupp's three-run double proved to be the decisive blow the Phillies needed to fight off a Braves comeback attempt and claim a 7-4, 10-inning win on Thursday night at Turner Field. "They're better than their record, and I'm glad we kind of got them while they're down right now, because they're going to be better than their record right now," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of the 8-25 Braves. Odubel Herrera capped his four-hit night by leading off the 10th inning with a triple against Braves reliever Jason Grilli, who exited with runners at the corners and one out. Ian Krol entered the game and struck out Darin Ruf before walking Freddy Galvis to load the bases ahead of Rupp's three-run double. The Phillies chased Aaron Blair during a three-run fourth inning and seemed to be in prime position with Vince Velasquez entering the seventh with a 4-0 lead. But after surrendering just two hits through the first six innings, Velasquez surrendered three hits and a walk, including a three-run double by Gordon Beckham, before exiting the game with no outs in Atlanta's game-tying four-run inning. Atlanta has now lost 17 of its first 19 home games. The Phillies went 13-6 while playing 16 of their past 19 games on the road. "It would be great if we'd win the game," Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Comebacks are great, but if you don't win the game, it doesn't much matter."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Jeff Francoeur resurrected his career last year in Philadelphia, and he took advantage of the chance to damage his former team when he capped the Braves' four-run seventh with a game-tying single off right-hander David Hernandez, who replaced Velasquez. Freddie Freeman and Pierzynski notched singles ahead of Beckham's three-run double, while Kelly Johnson walked in between them.
• With his leadoff triple to start the Phillies' 10th-inning rally, Herrera tied his career high with four hits. He also drew a walk in his first plate appearance. Herrera scored what would be the decisive run on Rupp's bases-clearing double in the 10th, and he scored on Maikel Franco's first-inning sacrifice fly. The center fielder also produced a two-out fourth-inning infield single that enabled Velasquez to score from second base when Johnson made an errant flip over Freeman. "I'm gonna go out on a limb: He's a good hitter," Mackanin said. "This guy, he's a potential batting champion at some point. He just has a knack for it."
• Pierzynski played in his 2,000th game, becoming the eighth active player and 10th catcher to reach this milestone.
• Velasquez did not tally a plate appearance at the Minor League level. With a pair of singles on Thursday night, he is now 4-for-14 at the plate this season.

NEXT GAME:

After playing 16 of their past 19 games on the road, the Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park on Friday to begin a nine-game homestand with a three-game set against the Reds. Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to throw the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET.

PHILS PHACTS:

What Happened During The 7^th Inning Stretch? – For the first six innings of the Phillies' 7-4, 10-inning win over the Braves, Vince Velasquez was in complete control. After pounding the zone with his fastball for six scoreless innings, Velasquez stumbled in the seventh when he shied away from throwing his fastball. "He just changed his whole approach," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Earlier, he started throwing some soft, off-speed secondary stuff. I would have rather he went right after the hitters in that seventh inning, and he just threw too many off-speed pitches. But he's going through a learning experience. This is pitching in the big leagues, and he's going to make mistakes." The Phillies gave Velasquez a 4-0 cushion heading into the seventh. After Freddie Freeman led off the frame with a single to center, Velasquez walked Kelly Johnson and gave up another single to A.J. Pierzynski to load the bases with no outs for Gordon Beckham. "I just started slipping," Velasquez said. Velasquez decided he wanted to throw a curveball to Beckham, who was 0-for-2 up to that point. The result: a bases-clearing double to left-center to make it a 4-3 contest. "Beckham was pretty much late on all my fastballs, and I don't know why I threw that pitch in the first place," Velasquez said. "... I always challenge guys, and why I was passive and threw that off-speed was my doing, and I take full responsibility for that." The Braves tied the game at 4 after Jeff Francoeur's RBI single off David Hernandez, who relieved Velasquez after the three-run double. But the Phillies rallied back in extra innings as Cameron Rupp put them back on top, 7-4, with a bases-clearing double.

A Little Superstition – Superstitious or not, every Friday the 13th, we're probably all a little wary of any black cat that decides to cross our path. Naturally, though, if you want to know more about the holiday, Vin Scully will break it down for you. And while most people probably look at Friday the 13th as a silly superstition, don't say that to a ballplayer. After all, since the game of baseball began there have been bizarre tricks and routines players have been obsessively following in hopes of gaining an edge. Jack Glasscock, who played from 1879 to 1895, was nicknamed "Pebbly" for his habit of fastidiously inspecting the infield dirt. Jim Leyland famously refused to change his underwear during a Tigers winning streak in 2011. Mike Hargrove became known as the Human Rain Delay for his intricate pre at-bat routine. Richie Ashburn would sleep with his bat during a hot streak, while R.A. Dickey names them things like Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver. But while the utility of each of those beliefs is suspect, they still have nothing on these five truly superstitious Major Leaguers. Kevin Rhomberg: How Rhomberg ever appeared in 41 Major League games is a mystery. Not only would Rhomberg refuse to make right-handed turns because there are no right-handed turns on a baseball field, but should someone ever touch him, he would have to touch them back. It's how he earned the nickname "Touch Me, Touch Me" from teammate Mike Hargrove. It wouldn't end there though. Once others learned of his superstition, they were relentless: Rick Sutcliffe once reached under a bathroom stall to touch Rhomberg on the toe. Not knowing whom the culprit was, Rhomberg went around the clubhouse and touched each player. Brook Jacoby once told of tagging Rhomberg with a ball in the minors, then throwing it out of the stadium. Jacoby said that Rhomberg spent two hours looking for the ball before finding it. An umpire once halted play during a game in New York to tell Yankees players to stop touching Rhomberg. Rohn and Rhomberg were teammates in Venezuela for winter ball, and Rohn touched him one night, then ran off to the clubhouse to hide after his last at-bat. "He looked for me for two hours," Rohn recalled. "I was hiding under desks, in the shower, the bathroom. He couldn't find me." Of course, despite all this, Rhomberg was pretty successful at the plate. In 47 career at-bats, the left fielder hit .383/.423/.447. Mark Fidrych: No one represents superstition to fans quite like Fidrych. Coming up at the age of 21 with a lean, wiry body and long, wild hair that led to his nickname "Bird," Fidrych looked the part of the quirky Major Leaguer. And he lived up to it. While capturing the attention of baseball fans everywhere during a rookie campaign that saw him lead the league in ERA and shutouts (with a shocking 24), collecting the Rookie of the Year Award along the way, Fidrych also fascinated people with his on-field habits. He would smooth over the cleat marks on the mound, talk to the ball and ask the umpire for a new baseball after every hit. The starter explained: "That ball has a hit in it. I want that ball to get back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls. I want him to talk to the other balls. I want the other balls to beat him up. Maybe that'll smarten him up so when he comes out the next time, he'll pop up." Fidrych would also shake the hands of every teammate and umpire following his start, just as he did after his nationally televised outing against the Yankees on June 28, 1976. Unfortunately, injuries would spell doom for Fidrych. After pitching 250 1/3 innings in 1976, the Bird would throw only 162 more over parts of the next four seasons. Derek Holland: The man who will happily dress like he's in Dumb and Dumber. And grow the wispiest mustache this side of Snoopy's brother Spike. Is also a man with quite a few superstitions. Though he no longer drops $30 on fast food on the night before his starts, he does have a few other rituals. Namely: "Every night before I pitch, I have to play Nintendo hockey. Every night before I pitch, I have to watch the movie 'For The Love Of The Game,' the Kevin Costner movie. I watch the same part every time but never the whole movie. I've never seen the whole movie, and I never will until I retire. People tell me how it ends, but I don't care. I won't watch it until I retire. But I have to watch it every night before I pitch. It's what helps get me ready to pitch." Honestly, out of all the superstitions on this list, these sound like the most fun. Wade Boggs: While plenty of ballplayers have a favorite meal they like to have before a game, with Justin Verlander eating tacos before every start, no one was as fastidious as Wade Boggs. On his way to 3,010 hits and a Hall of Fame career, Boggs became known as the "Chicken Man" by eating up to one-and-a-half birds every day. As for how he got his start: "It started in '77. I had a Minor League budget and a growing family to feed. Chicken was cheap and I really felt better eating lighter food rather than a lot of heavy meat and gravy. Then I noticed my batting average going up. Ever since I've been a `chicketarian.'" It even led to Boggs getting his own chicken recipe book, "Fowl Tips," which is sadly and shockingly out of print. But Boggs' routine didn't end there. He would write the Hebrew symbol for life, "Chai," in the batter's box before every at-bat and made sure to take 117 ground balls during every infield practice. Which, hey, that strict regimen lead to five batting titles, 12 All-Star Games and a Hall of Fame plaque, so perhaps we should all start eating chicken. Turk Wendell: Of course, like Candyland, this list leads only one place: Turk Wendell. With the amount of free time that relievers have to develop new and ever-stranger habits, it's odd that there aren't more pitchers like him. During an 11-year career with the Cubs, Mets, Phillies and Rockies, Wendell was known for: Not just stepping over the foul lines, but leaping them; Wearing a necklace featuring the teeth from animals he had hunted; Never wearing socks. Because they were a waste of money; Chewing licorice on the mound; Brushing his teeth in the dugout between innings. (Which, given all the licorice, was probably a good idea); Signing a contract with the Mets worth a total of $9,999,999.99 in honor of his number: 99. Of course, it turns out that the real secret to Wendell's success wasn't any of this. It was honey.

Today In Phils History – Today is about wins but, unfortunately, more about losses. In 1902, the Phillies gave up a team record of 28 hits losing to Cincinnati by a score of 24-2. But at least they weren’t shut out. For that record we look at this day in 1960 when the Phillies tied the major league record by losing by a score of 1-0 for the third consecutive game. On that same day the Phillies traded away Ed Bouchee to the Cubs for Tony Taylor. Larry Anderson was also released on this day in 1986… he would return to the team later in his career. Despite the losses, today is also known for wins as in 1954 Robin Roberts followed a leadoff homerun by the Reds by shutting down the next 27 batters. Four years later, Roberts would beat Milwaukee 5-2 setting the franchise record for career wins (191).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 20-15 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 44-53-1 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!