Nice Competition To Round Out Rotation

PHILS PHACTS:

Who Will Be #5? – It finally feels like a new beginning. Phillies pitchers and catchers hold their first workout Thursday at Carpenter Complex in Clearwater, Fla., and for the first time in a long time there will be no speculation or predictions about when Phillies veterans will be traded. Jimmy Rollins is more than a year removed from Philadelphia. Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and Jake Diekman got traded last summer. Cliff Lee's contract expired. Only Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz remain from the 2008 World Series championship team, and they are in the final year of their contracts. This spring truly will be about the future: young players trying to establish themselves and prospects trying to live up to the hype and make their big league debuts before the end of the season. The Phillies have seven prospects in MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list. Six of them will be in spring camp. But Spring Training will be more than young players getting the opportunity to play. The Phillies have jobs up for grabs, too. Perhaps the most interesting battle will be for the team's No. 5 starter. The Phillies could use a good one. Eight pitchers no longer with the Phillies posted a combined 5.21 ERA in 97 starts last season. Holdovers David Buchanan (6.99 ERA in 15 starts), Severino Gonzalez (7.92 ERA in seven starts) and Alec Asher (9.31 ERA in seven starts) also struggled. Those 11 pitchers had a combined 5.70 ERA in 126 starts (77.8 percent of their games). Remove Hamels from the equation, and 10 Phillies pitchers posted a combined 6.19 ERA in 106 starts (65.4 percent of their games). That's right: a 6.19 ERA. The Phillies believe they will have better starting pitching in 2016. They believe veterans Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton have more upside than recently departed veterans Aaron Harang (4.86 ERA in 29 starts) and Jerome Williams (5.80 ERA in 33 appearances). They believe Aaron Nola (3.59 ERA in 13 starts) and Jerad Eickhoff (2.65 ERA in eight starts) can improve upon their rookie seasons. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has said Hellickson, Morton, Nola and Eickhoff are heavy favorites for the first four jobs. So who's got No. 5? Right-hander Vincent Velasquez is the favorite. He was the key piece in the Ken Giles trade in December. The Phillies would love to see him assert himself in Spring Training and win the job outright. But if Velasquez is not ready, left-hander Brett Oberholtzer would be next in line. He has a 3.94 ERA in 45 appearances (42 starts) over the past three seasons with Houston. He is out of options, which means he should find a spot on the pitching staff somewhere. Left-hander Adam Morgan had a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts last season. He could push Velasquez and Oberholtzer. Top prospects Jake Thompson, Mark Appel and Zach Eflin will be in camp, but each is expected to open the season in Triple-A. Buchanan, Asher and Gonzalez also will be in camp, but they would really have to outpitch Velasquez, Oberholtzer and Morgan to win a job. "I hope they all do pitch well," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. "It puts us in the position where we have to make tough decisions about who's in the rotation, who's in the bullpen and who's in Triple-A. But that's baseball. That was part of the goal, to bring in players -- young, veteran, groundball types, fly ball types, strike-throwing types, etc. -- a good mix that will allow us to create a competition that will build out a rotation, a bullpen and five guys in Triple-A who will provide depth for us." Having a competent starter in the No. 5 spot could help tremendously. Consider for a moment that Hamels (3.64 ERA in 20 starts), Morgan, Nola and Eickhoff made a combined 56 starts last season. The Phillies went 28-28 in those games, despite scoring the fourth-fewest runs in baseball. "I think we should be competitive every night," Klentak said. "If you can pitch, you have a chance to win every night. And I think we've improved our pitching." Pitchers and catchers first workout: Feb. 18. First full-squad workout: Feb. 23. First Spring Training game: Blue Jays at Phillies, March 1 at 1:05 p.m. ET. Opening Day: Phillies at Reds, April 4 at 4:10 p.m.

Today In Phils History - In 1953, the Phillies completed a 4 team trade that eventually landed them Earl Torgeson from Milwaukee. The team parted ways with Bake McBride on this day in 1982. Cole Hamels appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2009. 5 years later, after sitting out the entire 2013 season, the Phillies signed Bobby Abreu to a minor league contract. And, finally, Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton was born on this day 150 years ago... happy birthday! 

THE BEGINNING:

With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

For The Phillies, No News Is Good News…

PHILS PHACTS:

No news coming out of the Phillies front office… I guess the holiday started early this year.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phillies Overpowered By Mets’ Onslaught

GAME RECAP: Mets Crush Phillies 16-7

No deficit is too large for the new-look Mets to overcome. No offensive benchmarks are too ostentatious. David Wright homered in his first game since April and wound up being a footnote in the Mets' 16-7 win over the Phillies on Monday, which featured a franchise record eight home runs and 15 extra-base hits at Citizens Bank Park. Wright, who had not played since April 14 due to a career-threatening spinal condition, homered off Adam Morgan on his first swing back from the disabled list. That sparked a torrent of offense from a Mets team that has scored in clumps throughout its three-city road trip, using two Wilmer Flores homers and a half-dozen others to pick up Jacob deGrom after his worst start of the season. "It's incredible to be a part of," Wright said. "We just know that we're going to win the game. That's the type of confidence that you can't tell somebody to have, that you can't force upon somebody. You just have to get good at winning. And this team is getting good at winning." The Mets spared no Phillies pitcher, plating five of their runs off Morgan, four off Hector Nevis, another five off Justin De Fratus and two off Adam Loewen. It all made a distant memory of Philadelphia's early offensive outburst, which Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown highlighted with three-run homers off deGrom. "You should win most games like this," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Very disappointing, but I want to put it behind us. It's one game. It's a loss. You knock out a guy like deGrom, one of the best pitchers in the league … I'd just like to talk about that. I don't want to talk about the bad." Had Sean Gilmartin not delivered 3 1/3 shutout innings in relief of deGrom, the Mets may have been in a quandary despite all the offense. Instead, the Rule 5 pick's performance allowed them to coast through the middle innings without burning anyone else in their bullpen.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Howard hit a three-run homer to left in the first, Cameron Rupp crushed a solo homer into the visitors' bullpen in the second and Brown hit a three-run homer to right in the third to hand the Phillies a 7-2 lead. That should be enough to win most nights, but it was not nearly enough on this one. "It was crazy," Brown said of the 11 combined homers. "The ball was jumping for sure. It was hot, humid. Especially in this ballpark the ball is going to fly. A crazy night for sure. You're up 7-2 and lose a tough one."
• Phillies pitchers had not suffered a nightmare like this since a 19-3 loss to the Orioles on June 16 in Baltimore, where they allowed eight home runs. Jeff Francoeur pitched the final two innings that night as the Phillies fell one homer short of tying the franchise record of nine homers allowed in a game, which happened against the Reds on Sept. 4, 1999. On Monday night, Morgan allowed four homers, Neris allowed two, De Fratus allowed one and Loewen allowed one. "It doesn't make me feel any better," said Morgan, asked about every other pitcher giving up home runs, including deGrom. "Seeing other guys do poorly shouldn't make anybody feel better."
• One of the night's other bizarre moments occurred in the bottom of the first inning, when deGrom issued a five-pitch walk to Cesar Hernandez. He, Hernandez and home-plate umpire Tom Hallion all seemed to lose track of the count, shortly after Hallion ruled that Hernandez's dribbler down the first-base line was a foul ball off his foot. Replays indicated that the ball appeared to be fair, but the Mets could not challenge.
• "The best thing to do is own up to it. It was embarrassing. It's not what we wanted to see, but put it behind us and move on." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies allowing eight home runs.
• The 11 combined homers tied a National League single-game record, one shy of the big league record of 12.
• The Phillies set a franchise record by allowing 15 extra-base hits, breaking the previous mark of 13 allowed on June 8, 2004, at the White Sox.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams believed he had turned a corner following his first three starts in August, in which he posted a 1.50 ERA. But then Williams allowed eight runs in just 1 2/3 innings Thursday against the Marlins to drop him to 4-9 with a 6.10 ERA. Noah Syndergaard will look to win his first career road game when the Mets resume their series with the Phillies at 7:05 p.m. ET Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Syndergaard is 7-1 with a 1.82 ERA at Citi Field this season, but 0-5 with a 5.05 ERA on the road.

PHILS PHACTS:

Not Adding Up – The Phillies accomplished something pretty remarkable in the past 18 days. They scored seven runs in the first three innings against Dodgers ace Zack Greinke on Aug. 6. Greinke entered the game with a 1.41 ERA, nearly three-quarters of a run better than any pitcher in Major League Baseball. The Phillies then scored seven runs in 2 2/3 innings Monday night against Mets pitcher Jacob deGrom, who entered the night with a 1.98 ERA, which was second in baseball only to Greinke. But two dominant offensive performances against two of the best pitchers in baseball is not the remarkable part. The remarkable part is the Phillies lost both games. They lost to the Dodgers on Aug. 6, 10-8. They lost Monday night to the Mets, 16-7, as the Phillies and Mets tied a National League record with a combined 11 home runs. "It's tough," Phillies right-hander Justin De Fratus said. "We did that to Greinke. We did that to deGrom, two of the best pitchers in the National League, if not all of baseball." De Fratus exhaled before he continued his thought. "Everybody knows you've got to shut it down," he said. "We know we've got to put zeros up there, especially when we're putting up so many runs against such quality pitchers. We had them by the throat and just couldn't keep the ball in the yard. That's the biggest thing right there. Like I said, the same thing happened with Greinke. It's definitely frustrating for all of us. It's just been a frustrating year on all accounts." Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin had little to say about the pitching other than the obvious. "The pitchers who pitched tonight are more disappointed than anybody," Mackanin said. "They feel terrible. It had to break some kind of record." Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan had the best start of his career last week against the high-powered Blue Jays, but the Mets knocked him out after just 3 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs and four home runs. Hector Neris allowed four runs and two home runs in 1 1/3 innings. De Fratus allowed five runs and one home run in two innings. Adam Loewen allowed two runs and one home run in two innings. It wasted a great offensive performance from the Phillies. Ryan Howard ripped a three-run home run to left field in the first inning. Cameron Rupp crushed a solo home into the visitors' bullpen in center field in the second. Domonic Brown hit a three-run home run over the right-field wall in the third. The three homers handed the Phillies a 7-2 lead and shortly thereafter they knocked deGrom from the game in the shortest and worst start of his career. But the Mets began their assault in the fourth with a pair of homers. "It doesn't make me feel any better," said Morgan, when asked about every other pitcher giving up home runs, including deGrom. "Seeing other guys do poorly shouldn't make anybody feel better."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 50-75. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 52-63-0 on this day.

Keep Watching The Phillies’ Young Talent

GAME RECAP: No Game, No Fanfare

Hey Pete, I bet you the Phillies finish in past place this season!

Nice not having seen the Phillies take a loss this week… yet!

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies don't have much history facing Fernandez, but one player who has enjoyed success off him is Freddy Galvis, who is 3-for-6. Chase Utley, who's on the DL, is 2-for-9.
• The Marlins and Phillies will meet for their third series this year, and second in Philadelphia. Miami holds a 4-2 advantage in the season series.
• Dee Gordon, Miami's All-Star second baseman, is not expected to go on the disabled list. The Marlins are aiming to reinstate third baseman Martin Prado (right shoulder) from the DL, and he's a candidate to be a short-term option at second beginning Friday.

NEXT GAME:

After the All-Star break, the club returns home to open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday night. Left-hander Adam Morgan makes his fourth career start as he squares off against the Marlins' Jose Fernandez. Morgan is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in his rookie season. The Marlins' ace, who made both of his first-half starts in Miami, will open the second half against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Fernandez already has regained his old form, notching wins in each of his first two starts back from Tommy John surgery. While the hard-throwing right-hander has dominated at Marlins Park (14-0, 1.17 ERA) in his career, he has been vulnerable on the road, where he is 4-8 with a 3.93 ERA. He is 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA in his career in Philadelphia. The Phillies are starting the series off with rookie Adam Morgan, who is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in three starts. The lefty has 12 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings, and this will be his second home start. He's lost back-to-back decisions on the road after opening his career with a 5 2/3-innings win over the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park on June 21.

PHILS PHACTS:

“Highlights” From The First Half – It has not been pretty, but it has been interesting. The Phillies left Spring Training in April knowing they would struggle, but they never expected the struggles to be like this. The franchise is on pace for its first 100-loss season since 1961, thanks to an offense that lacks power, a rotation rarely lasts six innings and a farm system that is only now recovering after years of unlucky Drafts. But the action on the field has been almost overshadowed by the action off of it. Ryne Sandberg unexpectedly resigned on June 26, and just three days later, owner John Middleton introduced Andy MacPhail as the next team president. The rebuilding might take longer than anticipated, but there are plenty of things to watch in the second half. The Phillies are hoping to see more good things from Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis and the team's other young players, a contingent which is expected to include top pitching prospect Aaron Nola. A solid finish from the kids will have the front office and fans feeling better about where the organization is headed. FIVE KEY DEVELOPMENTS: 1. Andy in charge. Everybody finally knows who will lead the organization going forward. MacPhail is highly regarded and has an impressive resume. He will use the next few months to evaluate all aspects of the club, including trades, the front office and the performance of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. 2. The manager steps down. Sandberg must have seen the writing on the wall, because he cited the imminent arrival of a new team president as one reason he decided to walk away from the job he worked so hard to obtain. Pete Mackanin has handled himself well as Sandberg's replacement. 3. Maikel movin' up. Franco got promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 15, and so far, he has lived up to the hype. The Phillies had been desperate for a No. 3 hitter, and he has filled the role nicely. 4. The future infield? The Phils hope Franco, Hernandez and Galvis continue to hit in the second half. Franco is entrenched at third base, but with top prospect J.P. Crawford a year or two away, Hernandez and Galvis could be playing to be the future second baseman. 5. Rotation problems. Cliff Lee's left elbow never healed, which hurt the rotation's chances immediately. But other than Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang, the rotation has had more issues than anticipated. FIVE STORYLINES TO WATCH: 1. Trade 'em all. Are the Phillies going to trade Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and others? They have every reason to trade them, but the club has been unable to make a deal. The bet here is that the Phils and contending teams will reach agreements about Hamels and Papelbon before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. 2. What about Chase and Ryan? It will be more difficult to trade Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Amaro already has said Hernandez will be the team's No. 1 second baseman when Utley returns from the DL. How will Mackanin use Utley and Howard in the second half? 3. Welcome, Aaron. Nola is the organization's top pitching prospect, and fans have been clamoring for him since April. He should be promoted before the end of the month. Scouts do not see Nola as more than a mid-rotation arm, but let's be honest, the Phillies could use a good No. 3 right now. 4. Outfield, help! The Phillies' outfield has been one of the least productive in baseball. They would love to see some pop from Cody Asche and Domonic Brown in the second half. Time is running short on Brown, who has not produced consistently since the first half of the 2013 season. The Phils love Asche, but they need to see more from him. 5. Is Kenny ready? Assuming Papelbon gets his wish, Ken Giles will move into the closer's role. Is he ready for the job? Can he handle the pressure? He has pitched well this season, but closing is a whole different animal. FIRST-HALF AWARDS: MVP: Franco. The rookie has lived up to expectations, giving the Phillies a No. 3 hitter. Cy Young Award: Papelbon. It is likely that somebody else will be the team's best arm in the second half, though. Rookie: Franco. It will be interesting to see how pitchers adjust to him in the second half. Top reliever: Papelbon. Giles is poised to step into the closer's role when and if Papelbon is traded. PLAYERS TO WATCH IN SECOND HALF: Nola: The top pitching prospect should be in the big leagues before the end of the month. Utley: What will happen to the iconic second baseman once he returns from the DL? Hamels: Every time he takes the hill, it could be his last start in a Phils uniform.

That’s One Way To End A Game – Phillies prospect Brian Pointer won the Eastern League All-Star Game with a home run in the 11th round of a shootout-style derby. The Double-A Reading right fielder went 1-for-3 with a walk as the Eastern and Western Divisions finished tied, 4-4, after nine innings. Instead of continuing into extras, the two sides engaged in a new-age home run derby, with three batters on each side taking turns at whacking the ball out of Hadlock Field in Portland, Maine. Outside of a blast off the right-field wall by Brock Stassi, the first 21 attempts failed to get particularly close to leaving the park. Pointer popped up all three of his inital tries. But his fourth attempt was perfect and the lefty lifted a long fly into the right-field seats. "That was just pretty awesome," Pointer told MiLB.com after the derby ended. "Just to see it go out, ending this whole thing with a little bit of a saga at the end, I'm pretty much speechless right now. I'm just happy that we won it and happy to walk it off." Before the derby standoff, the East jumped out to an early lead, posting four runs in the first two innings with the help of Mets No. 2 prospect Brandon Nimmo, who doubled and scored as part of a three-run second inning. The West responded with one run in the third and then a three-spot in the seventh to tie the contest. Tigers No. 27 prospect Wynton Bernard helped out with an RBI triple and then scored on a single by Indians prospect Anthony Gallas. Neither side scored again, leading to the first-ever Derby tiebreaker. "That was crazy," Pointer said to MiLB.com. "This was my first All-Star Game and to have a home run derby to walk it off, it's pretty unusual and pretty cool."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 29-62. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance so far this season, this could end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 58-47-0 on this day.