Well, You Can’t Win Them All…

GAME RECAP: Giants Outlast Phillies 3-2

Denard Span clapped his hands once in a brief display of celebration after slapping an eighth-inning single up the middle. As he would explain, he was pleased with being able to connect with a pitch despite being fooled. Two innings later, Span wasn't fooled at all, and what he proceeded to do merited an ovation. Span christened Thursday's 10th inning with a leadoff homer that lifted the Giants over the Phillies, 3-2. Having weathered a series of nagging injuries this season, Span went 7-for-15 with four runs scored in three games against the Phillies. He's also batting .347 (26-for-75) in his last 19 games. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I just want to try to build off of this," said Span, who broke a 2-2 tie against Phillies reliever Severino Gonzalez (0-2) with his fifth homer of the season. The outcome enabled the National League West-leading Giants to avoid being administered a three-game sweep by the Phillies, who mustered four hits off starter Matt Moore and five relievers. "I don't know, we just couldn't solve him for whatever reason," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Moore. "I thought we were going to after that first inning. … He kept pounding the strike zone. He pitched outside and inside. He kept mixing it up, threw some curveballs and changeups." Span also accounted for the Giants' first two runs by singling and scoring in the first inning and on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Phillies kept pace, as Aaron Altherr doubled home Cesar Hernandez in the first inning, before Freddy Galvis' bases-loaded fielder's-choice grounder delivered their second run in the sixth.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• It didn't take a crystal ball to see the foreshadowing of another short start from Velasquez after the 24-year-old righty needed 28 pitches to make it through the first inning. He joined Zach Eflin and Phil Klein in not making it past the fifth inning against the Giants. Although Velasquez pitched well, allowing only two runs on three hits and striking out six, the Phillies only had one fresh relief arm and could have used a day of rest with six more to play until an off-day. Velasquez hasn't pitched past the sixth inning in all but two starts this season. "It was tough. I had to push myself and at least get to five innings," Velasquez said. "So I've got to work on some things in the bullpen, utilizing my two-seam, locating my two-seam. My secondary pitches are just kind of brutal right now. So I've got to sharpen up a lot of stuff before my next start."
• Thanks to three straight starts of five innings or fewer, the Phillies bullpen has had plenty of chances to shine this series. After Luis Garcia allowed two runs in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game, no Phillies reliever allowed a run until Gonzalez gifted a fastball over the plate to Span that landed in the right-field seats to give the Giants a decisive lead. In Wednesday's 12-inning affair, Phillies relievers pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball in a streak of 14 innings without allowing a run. A depleted 'pen added four more scoreless innings Thursday before Gonzalez's fateful fastball.
• Mackanin announced after the game that the Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson will make his Major League debut against the Padres on Saturday at Petco Park. Thompson is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 70 prospect in baseball. In 21 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, the 22-year-old right-hander is 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA. The Phillies also optioned Elvis Araujo back to Triple-A, though not to create room for Thompson. A corresponding move will be announced before his start Saturday. Taking Araujo's place will be closer Jeanmar Gomez, returning from the paternity list.
• After Velasquez issued his second free pass of the day to Pagan in the third, the Giants left fielder tried to swipe second base as Hunter Pence struck out swinging. At first glance, the Giants had narrowly avoided a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play. But the Phillies challenged, the call was overturned and Pagan was ruled out at second to end the inning. The review took 1 minute, 14 seconds and was Mackanin's 18th successful challenge on 31 attempts. In the seventh inning, the Giants challenged a ruling which declared that Altherr was safe as he dove into first base on a pickoff attempt. A video review confirmed that the call on the field stands.
• Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph were the Phillies' best hitters during the month of July. The two combined to hit .331 (54-for-163) during the month with six doubles, two triples and six home runs.
• Maikel Franco hasn't homered in the five games he's played in Petco Park, going just 1-for-20 (.050) with a double in San Diego in his career.
• Wil Myers, who has cooled off since his torrid June, has hit .364/.364/1.000 in 11 at-bats vs. Hellickson, including two home runs.

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson makes his first start for the Phillies since Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, matching up with San Diego's Christian Friedrich on Friday. Hellickson's name was all over the trade market with many teams searching for starting pitchers, but Philadelphia ended up holding onto the 29-year-old righty, who has posted a 3.70 ERA in 131 1/3 innings this season. In his past seven starts, Hellickson has 2.27 ERA with 28 strikeouts and six walks. The Phillies are 6-1 in those games. Friedrich, meanwhile, is coming off of his best start in more than a month. He limited the Reds to just one run over six innings thanks to a lively fastball and good spin on his breaking ball. "I thought he was as good as he's been since he's been with us," Padres manager Andy Green said about his outing.

PHILS PHACTS:

Looking For Depth – After using his bullpen for seven innings on Wednesday and four on Tuesday, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was counting on a little help in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Giants from Vince Velasquez -- the only starter of the past three games to open the season in the Phillies' rotation. But Velasquez lasted no longer than his two predecessors, Zach Eflin on Tuesday and Phil Klein on Wednesday, needing 93 pitches to make it through five innings. Velasquez's five were better than Eflin or Klein's, allowing only two runs compared to six and four, respectively. But another inefficient outing from Velasquez again put the weight on the shoulders of a beleaguered bullpen. "It was tough. I had to push myself and at least get to five innings," Velasquez said. "We used a lot of pitchers last night, and starting out with [28] pitches in the first inning doesn't help. So I just had to make my pitches and manage to get through five." Nearing the end of his start, Mackanin and head trainer Scott Sheridan paid Velasquez a visit on the mound to check a blister on his middle finger. Mackanin said if not for the blister, Velasquez would have possibly stayed in longer than five innings, likely to take the load off a depleted bullpen, as Velasquez was already at 93 pitches. Even the supposed fresh arms in the 'pen weren't so. The two relievers called up the last two days, Michael Mariot and Elvis Araujo, had each pitched for Triple-A Lehigh Valley the day prior to getting the call. Severino Gonzalez, the one reliever who had a day or more of rest, was the one to serve up Denard Span's go-ahead solo home run in the 10th. For Velasquez, it is becoming all too much of a trend to not make it deep in games. Only twice this season has he made it past the sixth inning -- his 16-strikeout shutout of the Padres in his second start with the Phillies and a seven-inning, one-run performance in his first start out of the All-Star break. Take out those, and also the start he left injured after a third of an inning, and Velasquez is averaging just over 5 1/3 innings per start this season. "He is a power pitcher, but the thing I like about him is he uses all of his pitches," Mackanin said. "He uses two-seamers, he'll throw his changeup, he'll mix in his breaking ball. And I think it is tough for him because he can blow people away with 95-plus. I think he has a tendency to try to pitch too much instead of trying to establish that fastball early." Velasquez next faces his hometown team, the Dodgers, in his hometown of Los Angeles. He has walked at least two in each of his last six starts, including three Thursday. "I'd like to minimize my walks," Velasquez said. "I know I am probably leading the team in walks right now, which is kind of bad, actually really bad. "So I've got to work on some things in the bullpen, utilizing my two-seam, locating my two-seam. My secondary pitches are just kind of brutal right now. So I've got to sharpen up a lot of stuff before my next start because the Dodgers are an ecstatic team. Those guys just rake." But at only 24 years old and in his first full season in a Major League rotation, Velasquez's inability to pitch deep into games is only disappointing, not concerning, to Mackanin. "He's pitching very well," Mackanin said. "But he's just not locating as well as he's going to in the future."

Debut Scheduled – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin put an end to the speculation. The organization's top pitching prospect, Jake Thompson, will make his Major League debut on Saturday in San Diego, the skipper announced after the Phillies' 3-2 loss to the Giants on Thursday. Starting Saturday, Thompson won't slot into Aaron Nola's temporarily vacated rotation spot. Mackanin said that the debut date is to give other starters extra rest but that pitching coach Bob McClure is who determines the rotation order. "I know he's got Major League stuff, and I'm anxious to see him perform. We'll find out Saturday," Mackanin said. "I don't know what to expect. Eflin had a shaky debut but we really like him, obviously. So we're anxious to see him." The Phillies also optioned Elvis Araujo back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Thursday's game to accommodate Jeanmar Gomez's return from the paternity list. A corresponding move to make room on the 25-man roster for Thompson will be announced prior to his start on Saturday. The Phillies are only carrying four starters on the 25-man roster, so an extra bullpen arm will likely be sent down. In his last seven starts at Triple-A, Thompson has allowed more than one run in only one of them -- a five-run blip on an otherwise dominant statline. In 21 starts with Lehigh Valley this season, the 22-year-old right-hander is 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA. In addition to being ranked as the Phillies' top pitching prospect by MLBPipeline.com, Thompson is the club's No. 5 overall prospect and ranked as the No. 70 prospect in baseball.

Today In Phils History – In 1921, the Phillies lost (to the Pirates) the 1^st MLB game ever covered by a play by play announcer as Harold Arlin called the game for KDKA out of Pittsburgh. 6 years later, Cy Williams hit for the cycle in 4 at bats against Pittsburgh. In 1975, the Phillies started a game against the Cubs with the 1^st 8 batters hitting safely against Bill Bonham and finished the inning with 10 runs on 10 hits including 2 homeruns (the won the game 13-5). That same day the Phillies acquired John Vukovich from the Reds. 4 years later, during a loss to the Pirates (John Milner hit a grand slam off Tug McGraw in the 9^th), Pete Rose collected his 2,427^th single breaking Honus Wagner’s NL record. In 1987, during a blowout loss to the Mets, OF Glenn Wilson durned in the best pitching performance of the night for the Phillies when he completed the 9^th inning without surrendering a hit or walk while striking out a batter. In 2000, the Phillies bid farewell to Mickey Morandini as they traded him to Toronto. 5 years later, Bob Boone was inducted in the Phillies Wall of Fame. Finally, 2 years ago, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins started in their 887^th career game together setting a new MLB record for games started by a 1B/2B/SS combo (the Dodgers’ Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Bill Russell previously held the record). In the same game, Antonio Bastardo struck out 6 in 2 innings of work (7 batters faced) for the 2^nd time that season.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 50-60 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 51-48-0 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.

Pithing Remains Top Of Mind For Phillies

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Astros Edge Phillies 2-1

After wriggling out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning by allowing just one run, Astros pitchers shut down the Phillies en route to a 2-1 win on Wednesday night at Osceola County Stadium. Astros starter Michael Feliz gave up three walks, one hit and one run in the first inning and got a strikeout of Freddy Galvis to strand the bases loaded. That began a stretch in which he sent down 10 batters in a row through the fourth inning. The run the Phillies scored in the first inning came on an RBI single by Cedric Hunter. Preston Tucker tied the game in the fifth inning when he shot an RBI single to right field, and the Astros took a 2-1 lead later in the inning when Colby Rasmus grounded out to second base. The Astros had five hits -- Jason Castro with three and Tucker with two. Phillies starter Charlie Morton threw 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs and (none earned) and four hits while striking out five hitters. Astros reliever James Hoyt continued his solid spring by throwing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Left-handed reliever Daniel Stumpf fanned both batters he faced Wednesday and now has made three straight scoreless appearances. Stumpf, a Rule 5 draft pick, seems to be on the verge of locking up a bullpen role. "He's making it a little easier after tonight," Mackanin said the club's looming decision. "He threw some real sharp sliders and a couple good changeups. Went right after them, and he made a good impression tonight."
• The Phillies reassigned catcher Gabriel Lino to Minor League camp before Wednesday's game. Lino, 22, went hitless in eight at-bats over six Grapefruit League games. The Phillies now have 47 players in Major League camp.
• Outfielder Odubel Herrera (bruised finger) was a last-minute addition to Wednesday's travel roster and took batting practice but didn't play. Mackanin said Herrera will probably play Thursday if he has no pain.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies once again hit the road Thursday, this time heading to Champion Stadium to face the Braves at 6:05 p.m. ET. Left-hander Adam Morgan, who is battling righty Vince Velasquez for the fifth starter's spot, makes his fifth Grapefruit League start. He hasn't allowed a run in his last three starts and has a 2.00 ERA this spring.

PHILS PHACTS:

Hellickson To Open Season – Jeremy Hellickson is the Phillies' Opening Day starter, manager Pete Mackanin announced Wednesday. Right-hander Aaron Nola will start the second game of the season and the April 11 home opener against the Padres. "Hellickson has experience, he's been pitching really well, so we'd like him to be the Opening Day starter," Mackanin said. Hellickson, who turns 29 on April 8, has allowed one run in seven Grapefruit League innings in his first camp with the Phillies after being acquired from the D-backs in November. Hellickson has said in the past how honored he'd be to receive the Opening Day nod in his seventh Major League season. "I've been a part of five Opening Days now, and just the atmosphere -- standing on the line, seeing everything, how Opening Day goes down -- you kind of just think, 'Hopefully I can pitch one of these game sometime in my career,'" Hellickson said. "It's exciting, that's for sure." Mackanin said Charlie Morton will follow Hellickson and Nola, while Jerad Eickhoff appears to have the edge for the No. 4 spot. Left-hander Adam Morgan and righty Vince Velasquez are still battling for the fifth spot. Although the Phillies previously floated the idea of using a six-man rotation, Mackanin said Wednesday that is no longer under consideration because of roster constraints. 

With two spring starts remaining, Hellickson is gearing up for what he hopes will be a successful season as he approaches free agency. The right-hander won the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year Award, and he had a 3.10 ERA in '12, but he's posted a 4.86 ERA over the past three seasons with the Rays and D-backs.

Hellickson freely admitted free agency has crept into his mind, but he's looking more so at this season as a chance to make his mark. "It's definitely an opportunity," Hellickson said. "I couldn't ask for a better situation to come into. You know, from top to bottom here, this organization is awesome. And all of the guys that I've got to meet so far, we've had a lot of fun so far. So we're all just excited for the season to get started."

Looking To Improve – Charlie Morton felt better physically and had his sinker working, but the Phillies' right-hander wasn't exactly thrilled with his outing Wednesday evening in his team's 2-1 loss to the Astros at Osceola County Stadium. Morton, whom manager Pete Mackanin announced earlier in the day would start the third game of the regular season, allowed two unearned runs in 5 1/3 innings -- but needed 94 pitches to get there. Morton said he felt like he had good stuff, but he still struggled to get ahead. Only 58 of his 94 pitches were for strikes. "The goal was to go out there for six ups; get into the sixth inning," Morton said. "And the way you do that is by getting outs, and you can't get to the sixth inning if you're not getting outs. When you see where we are in spring, that's a requirement. You have to be able to go out there and throw deeper into games." Morton's sinker was effective despite the high pitch count, as he recorded 10 of his 16 outs on the ground. He also struck out five and walked two. "There are a couple things execution-wise I hope to get a little sharper, but I feel like I'm in a good spot," Morton said.

Today In Phils History - It was a busy day for the Phillies on this day in 1984 as they first acquired Dave Bergman from the Giants and immediately flipped him (with Willie Hernandez) to the Tigers for John Wockenfuss and Glenn Wilson. The Phillies weren't as receptive to their players in 1995 as 1 day after Curt Schilling, Tommy Greene and Dave Hollins were spotted by the press at the Carpenter Complex, Phillies president Bill Giles announced that following instructions from the Office of the Commissioner, players would not be allowed to use team facilities during the baseball strike. Finally, in the only hiccup of his perfect 2008 season, Brad Lidge was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to March 21.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 14-7-2 (15-7-2 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!

Closer Comes Full Circle

PHILS PHACTS:

Coming Home – Andrew Bailey is 31, which means his earliest baseball memories as a kid in South Jersey include Veterans Stadium, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Curt Schilling and the 1993 National League champion Phillies. He will have the opportunity to play for his hometown team next year. The Phillies last week signed Bailey to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. He will compete for a bullpen job alongside recently acquired veterans like David Hernandez, Ernesto Frieri, Edward Mujica and James Russell; incumbents like Elvis Araujo, Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez, Dalier Hinojosa and Hector Neris; and Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf. "As a kid growing up in South Jersey, you dream of playing for the Phillies," Bailey said in an interview with MLB.com. "My whole family is a fan of the organization. It's awesome to hear from so many friends and family. The feedback has been tremendous. Everybody is super excited. I look forward to the opportunity to wear the pinstripes. It'll be good to get back home, back to South Jersey. I'm really looking forward to it." Bailey attended Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, N.J. The A's selected him in the sixth round of the 2006 Draft out of Wagner College. The Phillies selected immediately before the A's, taking left-hander Daniel Brauer from Northwestern. Brauer never played higher than Class A Advanced Clearwater. "I think I did a pre-Draft workout at Citizens Bank Park," Bailey said. "I don't know how far their interest went, but I think there was an opportunity there in the sense I was invited to a workout at least. It's an exciting time. I definitely can't wait." Bailey won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the A's in 2009, and he made the AL All-Star team in '09 and '10. But a shoulder injury has limited him to just 59 games in the previous four seasons, including 10 with the Yankees in 2015. Bailey posted a 1.80 ERA in 28 appearances in the Minor Leagues in 2015 before posting a 5.19 ERA with New York. Before injuries hit, he had a 2.07 ERA with 75 saves in 84 chances from 2009-11. "I'm coming off injuries and working my way back, so it's the opportunity I was looking for the most," he said. "The Phillies presented me with a great one and I hope to take full advantage of it." Bailey said he is healthy and he will have no restrictions when Spring Training opens in February. "The surgery I had was pretty much a reconstruction of the shoulder," Bailey said. "The surgeon gave me an 18-24 month timeframe to be 100 percent. The 18-month mark was Spring Training last year. I was able to go into camp and compete for a job. I came through healthy and ready to go. I worked my way back up and ended up getting called back to the big leagues, which was unbelievable. After that road, you wait so long to get back to what you want, I got a taste of it again, and I look forward to building off that month I had with the Yankees. "If I go into camp healthy and ready to go, hopefully it works out. I feel like I'm 100 percent ready to go."

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.

Franco’s Slam Keeps Dodgers From J-Rolling

GAME RECAP: Phillies Down Dodgers 6-2

Maikel Franco continues to give Phillies fans hope for the future. On a night the Phillies celebrated the return of franchise hits leader Jimmy Rollins, Franco hit a tiebreaking grand slam in the seventh inning of a 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Franco is the first Phillies rookie to hit a grand slam since Ryan Howard, who hit one in Atlanta on Sept. 21, 2005. The Phillies are 13-3 since the All-Star break, which is the best record in baseball. "I talked to Jimmy before the game," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "I said, 'Jimmy, I don't care if you get eight hits, just as long as we win all three games.' He meant a lot to us." Left-hander Alex Wood allowed four runs over 6 1/3 innings in his Dodgers debut. Following an unorthodox balk, he exited with the bases loaded in the seventh and Joel Peralta served up a 1-1 curveball to Franco for the decisive hit. "I'm sure he didn't want the breaking ball there," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "He wanted it down and get them to try to roll it."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Former Phillies MVP Rollins returned to Citizens Bank Park as an opponent for the first time. He was cheered when he took the field for warmups; stepped out of the batter's box twice to acknowledge a standing ovation in his first at-bat; single and doubled, but struck out with two on the end the eighth and committed an error. "It was a great moment," Rollins said of the first-inning ovation. "It went on a little longer than I expected."
• The Phillies had wasted scoring opportunities throughout the night, but Franco finally delivered a big hit in the seventh. Franco is hitting .314 (11-for-35) with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in his last nine games. "That was amazing for me," Franco said. "My energy was high at that time. My first big league grand slam."
• The Phillies had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh when a ball slipped out of Wood's hand on a 3-2 pitch to Odubel Herrera. It came to a stop between the pitcher's mound and first base. With no Dodgers making a move for the ball, Carlos Ruiz ran on the play and scored from second base. But umpires ruled it a balk. They made the right call: "Rule 8.01(d): A ball which slips out of a pitcher's hand and crosses the foul line shall be called a ball; otherwise it will be called no pitch. This would be a balk with men on base." "That was different," said Mattingly.
• "In a way, I was almost happy to see [Franco] face a right-hander because he's not hitting that well against left-handers. It worked out well." -- Mackanin, on the seventh-inning pitching change that set up Franco's grand slam.
• Franco is hitting .282 with a .339 on-base percentage and a .491 slugging percentage. Since 1930, the only Phillies rookie with a better slash line was Dick Allen (.318/.382/.557) in 1964.
• Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown did not start Tuesday against Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood, so it will be interesting to see if he starts Wednesday against Anderson. The left-handed-hitting Brown is batting .366 (15-for-41) with two home runs and eight RBIs in his last 11 games.
• Phillies second baseman Chase Utley went 1-for-4 with two runs scored Tuesday in a rehab game with Double-A Reading. He will play again Wednesday, and it would not be a surprise to see him activated before the end of the week. Utley has been on the DL since June 23 with a sprained right ankle. Utley will play in his third rehab game Wednesday night with Double-A Reading. The Phillies' second baseman has been on the DL since June 23 with a sprained right ankle. Expect Utley to rejoin the Phillies soon, and when he does, expect him to play. There is a chance the Phillies could trade him before the Aug. 31 waiver Trade Deadline, so they will need to showcase him.

NEXT GAME:

Former Dodgers starter Aaron Harang will take the hill for the Phillies on Wednesday night against his former club and left-hander Brett Anderson at Citizens Bank Park. Harang has 11 losses, but in seven of them the Phillies have scored two or fewer runs, and his ERA is 3.97. This will be only his second start since returning from nearly a month on the disabled list with plantar fasciitis. Anderson, meanwhile, will be making his second start since leaving a game in the third inning with an irritation of his left Achilles, although he pitched seven innings in his next start.

PHILS PHACTS:

Taking Advantage Of The Balk – Did Dodgers left-hander Alex Wood balk or not? Wood had runners on first and second with one out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers' 6-2 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday when he let a 3-2 pitch to Odubel Herrera slip out of his hand. The ball landed between the mound and first base and Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, noticing that no Dodgers fielder bothered to pick up the ball, ran on the play and scored from second base. Except he did not. Umpires ruled the pitch a balk and sent Ruiz back to third. Rule 8.01(d) states that "A ball which slips out of a pitcher's hand and crosses the foul line shall be called a ball; otherwise it will be called no pitch. This would be a balk with men on base." The umpires ruled the play correctly. "I knew it was a balk," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Because it didn't cross the foul line, it's a balk. The runners advance, but the ball is dead so the runner could not score. There is a certain play where if a balk is called and the pitcher makes a pitch and the hitter gets a base hit, then the hitter can elect to choose the hit. But that wasn't the case with that play. I don't think I've ever seen that before, but as it turned out it worked out best for us, with Maikel Franco's home run." Wood walked Herrera on the next pitch to load the bases and Franco followed with a grand slam against reliever Joel Peralta.

Looking Into The Future – On a night the Phillies and their fans remembered the past, two pieces of the future came up big. Maikel Franco hit a grand slam and Ken Giles picked up a four-out save in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Franco became the first Phillies rookie to hit a grand slam since Ryan Howard, who hit one Sept. 21, 2005, in Atlanta. Giles struck out Jimmy Rollins looking on a 100-mph fastball to end a scoring threat in the eighth inning. Rollins played in his first game in Philadelphia since the Phillies traded their franchise hits leader to the Dodgers in December. Fans gave him a long standing ovation in the top of the first inning. He tipped his cap twice. "Jimmy is Philly," Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams said. "He's forever a Phillie." But fans gave the loudest cheers to Franco. He was hitless in his first three at-bats when he faced Dodgers right-hander Joel Peralta with the bases loaded in a tie game in the seventh. He ripped a 1-1 curveball to left field for his first career grand slam. "That was amazing for me," Franco said. "My energy was high at that time. My first big league grand slam." Franco is hitting .314 (11-for-35) with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.004 OPS in his last nine games. Before he homered July 26 at Wrigley Field, he had not gone deep since June 23. Interim manager Pete Mackanin and bench coach Larry Bowa were talking about that during the game. "We're kind of hoping he's going to hit a few more," Mackanin said. "Sure enough, the slam was nice to see. He's a gamer. He likes to play. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He doesn't pout. He goes out to do damage. He plays to win and he's not going to give up." Giles, who earned his third save, threw 34 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. He threw 20 strikes. "I'd like to see him throw a few more strikes so I don't get as nervous," Mackanin said. But he got the job done. Somehow, some way, the Phillies have been getting the job done since the All-Star break. It might not be 2008 anymore, but lately the Phillies have been getting fans to think about what might be in a few years.

One Game Closer – Chase Utley took another step toward a return to the Phillies on Tuesday night, going 1-for-4 with a single and two runs scored while playing six innings in the field for Double-A Reading as he continues to rehab from a right ankle injury. "The ankle feels good," said Utley, who has been out of action since June 22. "So far, so good." In his first game action in the field since the injury, Utley looked fluid and smooth, fielding all four ground balls hit to him with ease. "When you're playing defense, you always want the ball hit to you," said Utley. "Having three balls hit to me early in the first inning was a nice early challenge." Serving as the third hitter in the Reading lineup, Utley singled in his third at-bat. "Right now, I'm just trying to create some timing," Utley said. "In a few at-bats, I think I had good timing. In some others, I was just a little off. It's a work in progress, and I am trying to improve with every at-bat here." Utley is expected to play one more game with Reading on Wednesday in Trenton before the organization reevaluates his status on Thursday. "I plan on coming back here tomorrow and playing a majority of the game while getting some more at-bats under my belt," said Utley. "We will see where I am after that."

Rollins Returns – He wanted to approach it like it was just another game, not that much different than the 2,190 that preceded it in his 16 big league seasons. Which was both exactly correct and predictably impossible. For the first time in his career, Dodgers shortstop Jimmy Rollins came to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night as a visiting player. He was a spark plug for five straight division champions, two pennant winners and a World Series champion here. He won a Most Valuable Player Award here. He became the all-time hits leader for the charter National League franchise here. He became the best shortstop in the organization's 132 years here. And even though it wasn't the first time he had played against the Phillies -- that happened a month earlier at Dodger Stadium -- there were reminders everywhere that this wasn't a routine, one-out-of-162 kind of night at the ole ballpark. Yes, the Dodgers are in contention, and Rollins' first focus had to be on that. "We're here for bigger things, it's about winning and losing, not just me coming back to Philadelphia," he pointed out before going 2-for-5 with a double in the Dodgers' 6-2 loss. "We have games to win and games to play." Still ... His cell phone buzzed all day. It got to the point he had to ask some friends to stop texting. There were the dozens of media members waiting for him and later crowding around when he held court for more than 20 minutes in the dugout. He got a standing ovation when public-address announcer Dan Baker introduced the lineups, with Rollins batting leadoff and wearing his familiar No. 11 in unfamiliar Dodger Blue. As he limbered up in the on-deck circle before settling in against Jerome Williams, the Phanatic gave him a hard time and former Phillies manager Larry Bowa yelled at him from the dugout. Rollins smiled and acknowledged the man he supplanted as the best shortstop to ever wear a Phillies uniform. Another standing O followed when he walked to the plate, louder and longer than the first. A message on the giant video board in left: WELCOME BACK JIMMY. Then a picture of him as a kid accepting the Paul Owens Award, emblematic of the best player in the farm system, from the late, great executive. After that, and only after that, did some sort of normalcy return, even though each subsequent at-bat was accompanied by a different this-is-your-life photo on the big screen. Holding his MVP trophy. As a Little Leaguer. Waving to the crowd after his record-setting hit. Rollins caught the red-eye after the Dodgers beat the Angels at home on Sunday afternoon, landing at Philadelphia International Airport around 7 a.m ET on Monday morning. He still has his house in Swedesboro, N.J., where his family -- wife Johari and their two young daughters -- have been staying since the All-Star break. "No cable, so there's been a lot of Cinderella DVDs," he said with a smile. Rollins' in-laws are also in the area. On Monday night, they all went to a favorite restaurant right down the street. When he got to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday, he stopped to say hello to some longtime friends -- including director of team travel and clubhouse services Frank Coppenbarger and baseball administration director Susan Ingersoll Papaneri -- and then headed for uncharted territory: the visitor's clubhouse. "I'm glad there were cameras hanging out around the entrance," he joked. With the Phillies, Rollins could be a most thoughtful and incisive interview. That hasn't changed. He tackled a wide variety of subjects during his availability. Ryne Sandberg's biggest problem as manager, he said, was lack of communication. He believes Freddy Galvis has done a good job of replacing him. Of the young players, he's most impressed by Cesar Hernandez. His decision to waive his no-trade rights last offseason, followed by this season's Deadline trade of Cole Hamels to the Rangers, could be seen as a parallel to the July 2006 deal that sent Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. Then-general manager Pat Gillick said at the time that meant the Phillies were a couple of years away from contending. But the younger players, including Rollins, stepped forward and won the division the next season and the World Series the year after that. "[Gillick] said we wouldn't compete for about another three years and I think we all took it personally and sped that process up. So if there's any fight over there, those guys will do that too," Rollins said. "Sometimes you just need things to happen, whether it's adding players or subtracting players. That's what happened when I was here. I think that's what they're doing here, they're taking away some of the pieces and having younger players go out there and saying to them, 'This is your team. You show us which way we should go.'" Not that the players were told that at the time. "But we're smart guys. We can read the writing on the wall," Rollins said. "More than anything, when Pat had mentioned we wouldn't be competitive for a few years after that, we were already at that point where we wanted to be ready now. And he inspired us, he really did. Whether it was intentional or not, it definitely sparked us." A player doesn't spend as long as Rollins did and accomplish as much as he accomplished without leaving an indelible mark. He's smart enough to understand that, too, of course. And that it does him no good to build it up in his mind and put additional pressure on himself. That's why Rollins had to look at Tuesday night as just another game. Even though he knew all along it was anything but.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 42-65. 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 51-48-0 on this day.

Well, The Phillies Didn’t Lose Yesterday!

GAME RECAP: NO GAME YESTERDAY!

Phillies gave their phans a mercy day yesterday as they continue their road trip tonight in Pittsburgh.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies are 7-23 away from home this season, their worst road record after 30 games since 1941 (6-24).
• This weekend's games wrap up the season series between the Pirates and Phillies. The teams split four games in Philadelphia on May 11-14.
• The 10 active Phillies who have faced Locke are a combined 6-for-45 (.133) against him.
• Pittsburgh's Corey Hart is 8-for-24 (.333) against Correia, with a double, triple, and home run.

NEXT GAME:

Kevin Correia realizes that, if he pitches well, he could very well be spending the rest of the summer in Philadelphia. "This is a good opportunity, but it's also a great city to play in, a great sports city," Correia said. "Philadelphia was always a place I would enjoy going to." The 34-year-old right-hander will try to take advantage of his opportunity Friday night when he makes his first start in a Phillies uniform against Pittsburgh at PNC Park. Teams closer to postseason contention than the Phillies are likely to soon begin asking about the availability of starting pitchers Cole Hamels and Aaron Harang. If one or both are traded, that leaves the door open for Correia. He signed a free-agent contract on Monday and threw a bullpen session Tuesday in preparation for his start in Pittsburgh. "Obviously, the business side of baseball is that, sometimes, guys get moved," Correia said. Correia exercised an opt-out clause in his contract on May 29 and was released by San Francisco after having made six starts for Triple-A Sacramento (0-1, 3.58 ERA). The California native made 32 appearances (26 starts) for the Twins and Dodgers last year (7-17, 5.44). He has a career 4.59 ERA while pitching for San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Los Angeles. The Pirates will counter with Jeff Locke, who has owned the Phillies in four career starts against them. Locke is 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in those games, including two victories in 2014. The 27-year-old left-hander began the season with a pair of wins over Milwaukee, but he has just one victory to show for his last nine starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

MLB.com Phillies Beat Reporter Todd Zolecki is back again answering questions from phans about trades, the draft, and whether Chase Utley is going to turn things around (again). The full article can be read here.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 22-39. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 45-47-0 on this day.