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.

Phillies Take Another Series

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Marlins 4-2

Jeremy Hellickson, changing speeds and overcoming a rough first inning, kept the Phillies in position to rally like they've done so often this season. Cameron Rupp's two-run single was enough cushion for Philadelphia to claim a 4-2 win over the Marlins on Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Andres Blanco delivered an RBI double in the Phillies' three-run third inning off Tom Koehler. Able to erase a two-run deficit in the first, Philadelphia took two of three in the series, while Miami capped its road trip at 3-4. "This is a division that's going to be tough to win," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "You just can't afford to give games away. Today, felt like one we just let get away from us." Koehler struggled finding the strike zone early, but he was able to give the Marlins seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna each had first-inning RBI doubles off Hellickson, who had a stretch of retiring 11 straight in his six-inning start. The Phillies pitching capitalized on three double plays. Tyler Goeddel connected on his first Major League home run, a drive to center in the eighth off Jose Urena to add insurance. "I didn't feel anything when I hit it," Goeddel said. "It was one of those." The Phillies kept Giancarlo Stanton in check all series, as the Miami slugger went hitless in 10 at-bats with nine strikeouts. "It's not like we can sit here and blame everything on Giancarlo because he's in slump," Mattingly said. "That's just not right. We've talked about being a team all year long. Again, we get two in the first and don't show up after that. He's one of eight guys going to the plate."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies' third-inning rally, which plated all three of their runs, culminated on a two-RBI single up the middle from Rupp. The Phils' catcher had missed the last three games with an injured left ankle from Saturday's game-ending collision with the Reds' Eugenio Suarez. Manager Pete Mackanin thought he might give Rupp an extra day to rest before Thursday's off-day, but his decision to return Rupp to the starting lineup paid off. "I told [Mackanin] I was good-to-go," Rupp said. "I came in, felt good this morning. He said, 'You're in there, then.'"
• It took an inning for Hellickson to get into his groove, but once he was there, he didn't stop. Three Marlins reached base in the first, scoring two runs on doubles from Yelich and Ozuna. Over the next five innings, though, Hellickson allowed only three to reach. He promptly erased two with a pair of 6-4-3 double plays and stranded Yelich on first with his third strikeout of Giancarlo Stanton to end his day. Hellickson struck out four and left the game holding a 3-2 lead. "He continues to throw an outstanding changeup," Mackanin said. "He's changing speeds, and he's been spotting his fastball very well. I think that's what you call pitching."
• On the seventh pitch of his second-inning at-bat, Maikel Franco softly bounced a ball to third. He hustled down the line, but first-base umpire Joe West called him out. After a 45-second review, replay officials overturned the call and Franco was safe at first. The Phillies improved to 7-for-14 in challenges this season.
• Ichiro Suzuki had a pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, giving him 2,950 hits in his big league career. The 42-year-old is now 50 shy of 3,000.

NEXT GAME:

After an off-day, the Phils host the Braves for a three-game weekend series beginning at 7:05 p.m. on Friday. Aaron Nola (3-2, 2.89 ERA) starts against Matt Wisler (1-3, 3.14 ERA).

PHILS PHACTS:

First Blast – Tyler Goeddel barreled the eighth-inning pitch he launched over the left-center field wall so well, he didn't even feel it leave his bat. The ball landed in the seats 428 feet away from home plate, per Statcast™, as Goeddel jogged toward first in his first Major League homer trot during Wednesday's4-2 win over the Marlins. "I was looking for a fastball and got one," Goeddel said. "I got some air on it for the first time in a while." Goeddel, the Phillies' Rule 5 Draft pick, has been streaking since the calendar turned to May. But he's only now starting to show some pop. Goeddel's first extra-base hit came on May 8. Last Friday, he tripled for the first time. On Monday, Goeddel added another double in a three-hit performance. Finally, in his 25th game, he got his first home run. "It felt really good to get it out of the way," Goeddel said. Despite going hitless in Tuesday's contest, Goeddel has collected a hit in seven of his last nine games. The 23-year-old is hitting .325 (13-for-40) in May. When he returned to the dugout, Goeddel got the same silent treatment teammate Tommy Joseph did after he knocked his first big league shot on Tuesday. "I was staring at everyone," Goeddel said. "I was like, 'I know what you're doing. You're doing the same thing as yesterday.' But it was awesome to be a part of that."

Changing Things Up – Had Maikel Franco not lost a foul pop in the gray Philadelphia skies, Jeremy Hellickson may have escaped the first inning unscathed. But the ball fell to the ground, mere feet away from the Phillies' third baseman, and the Marlins proceeded to get Hellickson for two runs the remainder of the inning. But that would be all Hellickson and the Phils' bullpen would surrender for the next eight frames in a 4-2 win on Wednesday afternoon. "[Hellickson] pitched outstanding the rest of the way," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He really mixed his pitches well and gave us a quality start." The 29-year-old right-hander, the elder statesman in Philadelphia's young rotation, allowed only three more Marlins to reach base in the final five innings he pitched. Mackanin lifted Hellickson for a pinch-hitter in the sixth, but when he was pulled, Hellickson had retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced. Two singles were erased on ensuing double plays. "I just took a while to adjust to the zone," Hellickson said. "I wasn't getting ahead of guys." In his last start, Hellickson relied on what he said was his best changeup to go seven innings and permit two unearned runs. On Wednesday, it was command of his fastball that allowed him to mix his pitches and keep the Marlins off balance. Hellickson used three different pitches to record his four strikeouts. With Christian Yelich on second in the first inning, he got Giancarlo Stanton swinging on a change. Stanton whiffed three more times, two coming against Hellickson sliders out of the zone low and away. Hellickson also used a curveball to get opposing starter Tom Koehler swinging. "He continues to throw an outstanding changeup," Mackanin said. "He's changing speeds and he's been spotting his fastball very well. I think that's what you call pitching." Wednesday's outing lowered Hellickson's ERA to 3.99 -- a mark he hasn't finished a season with since 2012. In the four starts he hasn't given up a home run in, his ERA is just 0.69. While his change is transforming back into the out-pitch it had been in his early years in Tampa Bay, Hellickson now is a five-pitch guy who can keep opponents off balance. He rotates a four- and two-seam fastball, mixes in curves and sliders, and finishes them with his low-80s change. According to PITCHf/x, Hellickson's changeup this season has been at its best since 2012, when he was still a Tampa Bay Ray. From 2011-12, when the pitch was rated the highest, Hellickson posted ERAs of 2.95 and 3.10, respectively. "It's probably my best pitch," Hellickson said of his change. "But my fastball command's making it a lot better right now."

Today In Phils History – It all comes down to homeruns and pitchers today as we first look back at 1980 when Johnny Bench hit his 12^th and final homerun off of Steve Carlton, the most he had given up to any batter in his career. Speaking of players toward the end of their career, in 2011 Jason Giambi, 40 years old at the time, hit 3 home runs and account for all of scoring during the game as the Rockies shutout the Phillies 7-0. He became the second oldest player behind Stan Musial (41 in 1962) to hit 3 homeruns in a game. From age to youth… on this day three years ago, Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth off Reds closer Aroldis Chapman for the 3-2 win. It was the first time the Phillies ended a game with consecutive home runs since 1922. As for the pitchers of the day, you couldn’t ask for two more contradicting personalities to share a birthday in Curt Simmons (1929) and Turk Wendell (1967).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 24-17 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 45-57-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Brewers Avoid The Sweep Against Off Eickhoff

GAME RECAP: Brewers Beat Phillies 8-5

Wily Peralta finally delivered a quality start, and the Brewers rewarded their struggling Opening Day starter with a go-ahead, six-run rally for an 8-5 win over the Phillies on Sunday at Miller Park. Peralta surrendered four runs (three earned) on seven hits in his first six-inning outing this season, and he notched his first victory thanks to a 10-batter, six-run outburst in the sixth that turned a 4-2 Brewers deficit into an 8-4 lead. Scooter Gennett and Alex Presley homered in the frame, the biggest single-inning rally for Milwaukee this season. Relievers Michael Blazek, Tyler Thornburg and Jeremy Jeffress preserved the lead, Jeffress rebounded from a two-homer outing the night before by recording his sixth save in as many chances. "We've been swinging it pretty good, and as starters, we have to step up and try to go deep," said Peralta, well aware that Brewers starting pitchers own baseball's highest ERA. "Every time we go out there, we have to step up and give us a quality start." Most of the damage came against Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff, who hit an RBI single in the second for an early lead. But he was charged with seven earned runs on nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. "I don't know what happened to Eickhoff," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "They just kind of all together seemed to know what was coming. They hit him pretty hard, which is hard to figure."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Entering the game, Eickhoff had allowed only two extra-base hits on curveballs in his 11-start career. He gave up three Sunday: Ryan Braun's solo homer in the fourth and doubles from Nieuwenhuis and Villar in the sixth, when the Brewers scored six runs to take an 8-4 lead. Opponents had hit .081 (6-for-74) with a .108 slugging percentage against Eickhoff's curveball before Sunday. Eickhoff, who struck out all seven batters on breaking balls, surrendered a career-high seven runs to fall to 1-3 with a 4.07 ERA. "Yeah, he's got a good curveball,' Counsell said. "He really has command of his curveball. He can throw it for strikes when he wants, and he bounces it when he gets ahead in the count. We did a nice job as the game went on, knowing what he was going to and getting pitches to hit." 
• Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera singled in the third to reach base safely in 16 consecutive games. Franco then singled to score Herrera as the pair has rejuvenated the Phillies' offense. The Phillies have averaged 6.25 runs per game in the past four games after averaging 2.5 runs per game in their first 15.
• The Phillies lost a challenge in the seventh inning, when Freddy Galvis was caught stealing second base. They thought Galvis' foot beat the tag from Gennett. But after a three-minute review, the play stood as called.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies have a day off Monday before they open a three-game series at 7:05 p.m. ET Tuesday against the Nationals at Nationals Park. Right-hander Vince Velasquez hopes to bounce back after the Mets scored five runs (two earned) in 4 1/3 innings against him last week in Philadelphia. Velasquez struck out 25 batters in 15 scoreless innings in his first two starts this season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Breaking Bad – It is easy to see why Jerad Eickhoff is filled with confidence every time he throws his curveball. Eickhoff had allowed only two extra-base hits on curveballs in 11 career starts before Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Brewers at Miller Park: a double to Marcell Ozuna on Aug. 21, 2015, and a double to Melvin Upton on April 13. Opponents had hit a feeble .081 (6-for-74) with a .108 slugging percentage against the pitch. "If I get beat on my curveball, I'll live with it," Eickhoff said. It looked like history would repeat itself Sunday. Eickhoff struck out seven batters through five innings, with each strikeout coming on a curveball. The only blip came in the fourth when Ryan Braun hit a solo home run on a 1-2 curve. Eickhoff carried a 4-2 lead into the sixth, a frame that proved disastrous. Eickhoff did not finish the inning when five runs scored on him. He allowed a career-high seven runs in 5 1/3 frames. "They just kind of all together seemed to know what was coming," manager Pete Mackanin said. "They hit him pretty hard, which is hard to figure." Eickhoff allowed a solo homer to Scooter Gennett on a first-pitch changeup in the sixth to make it 4-3. Braun followed with a single on a 3-2 fastball and Chris Carter doubled on a 1-1 fastball to put runners on second and third with no outs. Eickhoff then threw Kirk Nieuwenhuis two breaking balls for strikes. Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp put down the sign for a 0-2 fastball, but Eickhoff shook him off. Rupp called for another breaking ball. "He was confident in the pitch he wanted to throw," Rupp said. Nieuwenhuis ripped a 0-2 breaking ball down the first-base line. It deflected off Ryan Howard's glove to allow two runs to score and give Milwaukee a 5-4 lead. "I faced him with the Mets before, and in my mind, I was thinking, 'I'm going to get him with that,'" Eickhoff said about the curveball. "Even though it's 0-2, I was confident I would get him with that third one, but I left it up just a little bit." Get the curveball down and Eickhoff loves his chances there. "I think he wanted to bounce it and let him swing over the top of it," Rupp said. "It happens. He makes a mistake, and that's supposed to happen when you make a mistake. You've got to pay for it. It hadn't really happened to him the first three starts. With him and his confidence in his curveball, I had no problem with it." Two batters later, Jonathan Villar hit a 3-2 curveball for a double to score Nieuwenhuis to give Milwaukee a 6-4 lead. "Eick had a little hiccup there," Mackanin said. "Well, you know, they have a game plan and what they're trying to do ... I can't explain it. There's not an exact formula for anything, really. We have a book on hitters, but [stuff] happens." Eickhoff will be back Saturday against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park, and he will be back throwing his curveball. Why wouldn't he? It's his moneymaker. "Your confidence saying they're not going to hit this, no way," Eickhoff said. "But a big league hitter can hit a poorly located pitch no matter what it is, so I could have been a little better from that end."

Two For One – The Phillies placed Charlie Morton on the 15-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained left hamstring. The Phillies recalled right-hander Luis Garcia from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Morton's spot on the 25-man roster. Garcia is expected to help the bullpen through this week's three-game series against the Nationals at Nationals Park, but Triple-A left-hander Adam Morgan is expected to take Morton's spot in the rotation Friday night against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Garcia allowed one hit in a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 8-5 loss to the Brewers. "He was certainly going to miss at least the next start, if not the next two," general manager Matt Klentak said about Morton. Morgan is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts with Lehigh Valley. He lost the Spring Training battle to be the team's No. 5 starter to Vince Velasquez. Top prospects like Mark Appel (3-0, 1.62 ERA in three starts) have pitched well, but the Phillies want to give their younger prospects more time to develop in the Minor Leagues. "The whole Triple-A staff has been doing a really nice job," Klentak said. "We're fortunate that we do have -- whether Charlie is out for a couple of starts or longer -- we do have options within the organization. We're comfortable with that." Morton, who was injured running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt, will receive an MRI on his hamstring Monday. Morton, who has been on the disabled list in seven of the previous eight seasons, entered Saturday 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in three starts, although he had allowed just one run in 12 2/3 innings in his last two outings. He allowed seven hits, six walks and struck out 13 batters in that two-start stretch against the Padres and Nationals. "Frustrated," Morton said about the injury.

Let The Voting Begin – The Phillies have not had two position players named to the National League All-Star team since 2011, when Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino made the squad. But the Phillies could have two at the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard, if Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera keep hitting like they have through the first three weeks of the season. Major League Baseball announced its All-Star Game ballots Sunday, and that pair is the Phillies' best bet to play in the Midsummer Classic in July in San Diego at Petco Park. Franco is emerging as one of the best third basemen in the NL. He has homered three times in the past two games and is batting .299 with two doubles, five home runs, 12 RBIs and an .890 OPS, which ranks 18th among all NL players. Franco's OPS also ranks third among NL third basemen. Only Colorado's Nolan Arenado (.984 OPS) and Cincinnati's Eugenio Suarez (.963 OPS) have been better. Herrera is looking more and more like an incredible find in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. He is hitting .283 with one double, one triple, two home runs, eight RBIs, 17 walks, four stolen bases and an .875 OPS, which ranks 20th among all NL players. Herrera's OPS puts him 10th among NL outfielders and third among NL center fielders. From June 7, 2015, through Saturday, Herrera is hitting .322 with an .850 OPS in 417 plate appearances. Also on the ballot for the Phillies are catcher Carlos Ruiz, first baseman Ryan Howard, second baseman Cesar Hernandez, shortstop Freddy Galvis, left fielder Cody Asche and right fielder Peter Bourjos. Browsing the ballot: The other side: Why is David Ortiz retiring again? The Red Sox designated hitter is batting .286 with eight doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .992 OPS in 16 games. Tip of the cap: Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich is having a crazy good start. He is hitting .396 with seven doubles, one home run, five RBIs, 15 walks and a 1.113 OPS in 16 games. His OPS ranks fourth in the NL. A rising star: Have you seen Tyler White's numbers? The Astros' first baseman is hitting .298 with four doubles, five home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.001 OPS in 17 games. His OPS ranks sixth in the American League and 14th in the Majors. Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times. Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info. Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 87th All-Star Game will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Today In Phils History – Today is one of opposites as on one side of the mound we have Steve Carlton’s dominant shutout performance over the Giants in 1972 allowing just 1 hit and striking out a then franchise record for left handers with 14 while on the other side we have Chan Ho Park giving up 2 homeruns to the Marlins setting the Major League mark of allowing at least one homerun in each of the first 16 games of the season. Another pair of opposites come first in 1904 when Phillie Frank Roth and two members of the Brooklyn home team, in a move by the NYPD Commissioner to test the validity of a new city blue law, are arrested two pitches into a game on the charge of playing an organized sport on Sunday. 74 years later, the Phillies, and baseball as a whole, receive a bit of jovial relief when The Phillie Phanatic made his debut in 1978. It is not surprising which one has stood the test of time.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 9-10 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 37-50-2 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. Let the rebuild begin!

Can MacKanin and Franco Carry Spring Success Into The Regular Season?

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Phillies Tie Blue Jays 4-4

Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada is rounding into form after opening Spring Training with a lower back injury. He pitched 3 2/3 innings Friday night in a 4-4 tie with the Phillies in a Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field. Estrada, who made his second Grapefruit League start, allowed two hits, one run, two walks and struck out six. He allowed the run in the third inning when Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco hit his eighth home run of Spring Training. Franco leads the Majors in homers this spring. "Hurry up and get to April," Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said about Franco's latest homer. "I don't think he'll stop, but hurry up and get here." "I felt good," Estrada said after throwing 59 pitches, 39 strikes. "I still have to catch up a little bit, my body felt pretty good, it's just a comfort level that I need to get to. It's not quite there yet, especially early on, and I felt the same way the first time out ... but the more pitches I threw, the better I felt." Blue Jays first baseman Casey Kotchman hit a two-run homer to right field in the fourth inning against Hellickson, who was recently named the Phillies' Opening Day starter. Blue Jays outfielder Darrell Ceciliani belted a solo shot -- his third home run of the spring -- off Daniel Stumpf in the sixth inning. The Phillies tied the game with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh against left-hander Brett Cecil, with outfielder Peter Bourjos delivering a two-run homer.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Bourjos hit a two-run home run off the tiki bar in left field in the seventh. It was his second homer of the spring.
• Left-hander Daniel Stumpf allowed a solo homer to Darrell Ceciliani in the sixth. Stumpf is a Rule 5 Draft pick and is fighting for a bullpen job. He has a 4.35 ERA in eight appearances.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies are using Saturday afternoon's game against the Tigers at Bright House Field to get a longer look at some of their relief pitchers in camp. Left-hander James Russell (0-0, 2.25 ERA) will start. A slew of relievers are expected to follow. Russell is in camp as a non-roster invitee and has a chance to win one of the final jobs in the Phillies' bullpen. 

PHILS PHACTS:

Herrera Returns – The Phillies are breathing a little easier about their outfield situation. Odubel Herrera played Friday night in his first Grapefruit League game since March 12 because of a bruised left middle finger. He went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in a 4-4 tie with the Blue Jays at Bright House Field, but made a nice catch at the center-field wall in the first inning. Still, Herrera needs to get his timing down at the plate before Opening Day on April 4. "I felt fine," Herrera said through an interpreter. "The swings that I made were perfectly OK. They didn't hurt. I was a little behind in timing. That's the only thing I have to admit." Herrera's return to form is important. He hit .297 with 30 doubles, three triples, eight home runs, 41 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a .762 OPS in 537 plate appearances last season as a rookie. He hit .326 with an .834 OPS from May 29 through the end of the season. The Phillies have nobody to replace his bat in the lineup. The projected Opening Day outfield is Herrera, Peter Bourjos and Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel. Cedric Hunter, David Lough and Emmanuel Burriss seem to be the top candidates to take two bench jobs as outfielders. The Phillies are shorthanded following injuries to Aaron Altherr and Cody Asche. "I believe that as time goes by I'm going to get better," Herrera said. "I still have one week until the season, so I'm good." Herrera said he hopes to play in as many games as possible before Opening Day to ensure he is ready.

Hanging Around – Phillies general manager Matt Klentak first approached Pete Mackanin this week about a new contract. Negotiations, if they can be called that, moved briskly. "He wanted to give me a few days to read [the contract] and make sure everything was in there that I liked," Mackanin said Friday afternoon at Bright House Field. "I only needed about 10 seconds. I said I'm good without reading it." The Phillies announced Friday that Mackanin agreed to a two-year contract that carries him through the 2017 season. The deal includes a 2018 club option. Mackanin, 64, had been working on a one-year contract with a 2017 club option, which he signed in September after replacing Ryne Sandberg, who quit in June. "This contract rewards a manager who has been in baseball for 47 years and has earned this opportunity," Klentak said. "Pete and I have developed a very strong working relationship over the last five months, and I'm absolutely confident that he's the right person to lead this organization as we grow forward." It says something that Klentak tore up Mackanin's old deal and handed him a new one before he had the opportunity to watch him manage in the regular season. The Phillies signed Mackanin to his original contract in part because they did not want to immediately burden Klentak with a lengthy managerial search. Many believed Mackanin could be one and done. After all, GMs often like to have their own manager in the dugout. Klentak also could have simply picked up Mackanin's original option through 2017 and evaluated him from there. "We could have," Klentak said, "but I thought he earned this. We wanted to make sure it's clear that the one-year deal he signed before it's done, it's ripped up. This is a commitment we're making to the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, at least through the 2017 season. This is a clean start between Pete and I. What happened before, that is done." Mackanin got that clean start because Klentak immediately took to him. "I had never met Pete until the beginning of the [organizational] meetings my second day on the job," Klentak said. "We spent the offseason, we talked a lot. At times he was in Philadelphia we'd get together. We spent a lot of time on the phone talking baseball philosophy, baseball strategy, players we either had acquired or were considering acquiring, talking about the way Pete was going to run Spring Training and our relationship has evolved over time. ... What I wanted to see was how that played in a real life setting here in Spring Training with a camp full of players. Really, Pete couldn't have shown me anything more. He and I are very much aligned on the culture and the environment that we're trying to build. So we could have waited into April, or into May, or whenever, to make the decision, but I didn't really see any sense in waiting." Mackanin has been a good fit for a rebuilding team full of young players. He has an easygoing personality, which makes him approachable and relatable to players. He communicates well, which had been an issue with Sandberg. But Mackanin can be firm when needed, too. "I'm going to be who I am," he said. "I feel I have the right amount of discipline and the right amount of energy and the right approach to handle it, especially the younger players. So far up until this point in time I think everybody is on board. In fact, I know everybody is on board. Things have gone extremely smoothly this spring. I don't want to look at it as if I have the hammer, but there are times when you have to lay down the law. And there are times you have to encourage and pat them on the back. That's what managing is. Managing is more than X's and O's during the game." Mackanin served as an interim manager with the Pirates (2005) and Reds ('07), but he never got the full-time gig until Phillies president Andy MacPhail signed him to the deal in September. Mackanin often said he had given up the dream of being a full-time manager until the Phillies made it happen. "I couldn't be more grateful," Mackanin said. "This is a great opportunity. Now that I'm the captain of the ship, I want to keep the guys pointed in the right direction. So this is a great day, a great moment for me, and especially for my wife who has hung around with me for 40 years. I think she's very deserving of this opportunity."

Out Clauses Approaching – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has a new contract, so the only thing left this spring is, well, to finalize the 25-man roster. The biggest battle remains the No. 5 starter, which is between right-hander Vince Velasquez and left-hander Adam Morgan. But there are bullpen and bench jobs at stake, too. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak, Mackanin and others are talking regularly about how the roster could look come Opening Day on April 4. "We have some decisions coming up in the next week, and we know it," Klentak said. "We talk about communication. I think the important thing is, whichever way we end up going as we break camp, it's going to be something that's been talked about for weeks among many people. There will not be any surprises." The Phillies will have to make a few decisions within the next few days. Right-hander Edward Mujica has an out clause for Saturday. Right-hander Ernesto Frieri has an out clause for Thursday. Other veteran relievers in camp have out clauses during the season: Andrew Bailey (May 1) and James Russell (June 1). If the Phillies do not add Mujica to the 25-man roster by the end of the day Saturday, he can request his release. The Phillies have 48 hours to add him to the roster at that point, but it looks like Mujica has a strong line on a job anyway. He allowed one run in 1 1/3 innings in Friday night's 4-4 tie with the Blue Jays at Bright House Field. Mujica has a 2.45 ERA in six appearances. He has allowed four hits, two runs, two walks with five strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings. "I feel pretty good, my arm, my body," Mujica said. "I don't know anything yet. There's some nerves because this is the first time in my career I'm in this situation. This spring I've tried to show them what I can do. They know what I can do, whatever situation in the bullpen. I'm healthy and ready to go." Frieri's status is not nearly as certain. He has a 7.94 ERA in five appearances. He has allowed eight hits, six runs (five earned), two walks and has struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. "We have to submit the rosters by that Sunday, the day before the opener," Klentak said. "We'll take as long as we need to make the right decisions."

Focusing On Small Ball – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin had his team successfully execute three squeezes in four games recently. He said the Phillies need to do those things to compete with more potent offensive teams. So he had to like what he saw in the seventh inning when Freddy Galvis scored from second base on an infield single from Cesar Hernandez. The run tied the game, 4-4.

Today In Phils History - Phillies manager Red Dooin had to intercept federal marshalls on this day in 1914 to convince them to serve catch Bill Killefer with a summons (stemming from a federal league case over his services) at the team hotel after the exhibition double header. 70 years later, the Phillies parted ways with the playoff hero from the previous season as Gary Matthews was sent to the Cubs. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-7-3 (15-7-3 if you include the exhibition game against the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!