GAME RECAP: Pirates
Edge Phillies 4-3
Just like Gerrit Cole, Mark Melancon just needed some time to calm down. Melancon,
the Pirates' closer, allowed a home run to slumping Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera that narrowed the lead to one run, but
Melancon induced three flyouts in the next four hitters to close out the win,
4-3. Similarly, Cole allowed two hits, a walk and a run in the first inning but
was otherwise stellar Monday night, throwing seven innings of two-run, six-hit
baseball and striking out six. The win lowered his ERA on the season to 2.32
and was secured by a three-run home run by Starling Marte in
the third inning that proved to be the game's difference. "We can score
runs in bunches, and that shows the importance of trying to limit the damage
early," Cole said. "I had little trouble with my footing early, then
I got comfortable." The loss dropped the Phillies' record to 11-22 on the
season. This is the first time the Phillies have sunk 11 games below .500 in
May since 2002, and in that season, it took the team until the last day of the
month to reach the mark. "It's frustrating, but you just have to minimize
[simple mistakes]," Phillies starting pitcher Jerome Williams said. "That's basically it. Just
minimize those and play baseball."
OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:
- Prior to the
Marte home run, Williams doled out free passes to Gregory Polanco
and Andrew McCutchen.
Although the home run was the only hit Williams allowed in the inning, the
two walks he issued on 11 pitches ended up being the two go-ahead runs.
- Herrera went
0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first three plate appearances, making
him 2-for-23 with 14 strikeouts in his last six games. But he hit a solo
home run to right field in the ninth inning to reduce Pittsburgh's lead to
one. It was the first homer of his big league career.
- "Herrera
struggled right up to that at-bat," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg
said. "He has a lot of body going forward. He seems to be in between
the fastball and breaking pitches. Sometimes getting your first home run
out of the way can make a difference."
- The Phillies'
clubhouse felt a little like a funeral home after the game, when the front
office optioned Asche to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he will learn to
play left field. Asche is extremely popular in the Phillies' clubhouse,
but with Triple-A third baseman Maikel Franco's promotion
coming as early as Friday, the Phillies
wanted Asche to get ready to play the outfield on a full-time basis.
- "There
is no doubt in my mind that he is going to work at it and be a good left
fielder. Obviously, we all know that his bat plays at this level. He's
still learning, and that's what I like about him. He doesn't think he has
it all figured out. He wants to continue to learn and get better. So
obviously, we are all disappointed that he's not going to be around. And
we will see him pretty soon." -- Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, on Cody Asche's
demotion to Triple-A, where he will learn to play left field.
NEXT GAME:
Phillies right-hander Sean O'Sullivan rejoins
the rotation after spending time on the disabled list with left knee
tendinitis. O'Sullivan is not completely stretched out, but the Phillies are
hopeful he can provide them as many innings as possible to avoid taxing the
bullpen.
PHILS PHACTS:
Ready To Turn The Page – For
the third straight game, Sandberg's Phillies left one bad pitch over the plate.
Saturday, Aaron Harang covered a
little bit too much of the zone versus Juan Lagares. Lagares took advantage. That home run
was the difference. Sunday, Chad Billingsley grooved a ball to Curtis Granderson. Granderson took advantage. That
home run was the difference. And Monday, Jerome Williams hung a curveball to Starling Marte with two men on base. Marte took
advantage. The Phillies lost, 4-3.
Each of the past three days, Sandberg has seen his team on the precipice of
victory, only to have one poorly thrown pitch derail the chance of victory.
Some people may find it comforting to know that one altered outcome could mean
victory. Sandberg isn't one of those people. "It becomes more
frustrating," Sandberg said. "Close games like that, little things
add up. We just need to tighten it up and do the little things better." When
asked about the pitch after the game, Williams said the outcome was a result of
his aggression that inning. That aggression showed up on the stat page well
before the home run. Williams had walked two of the three batters before Marte
to put two men on base. Williams threw 11 pitches over those two walks. Seven
of those pitches were hard sinkers. The batters,
Gregory Polanco and
Andrew McCutchen, swung at zero of the 11. But when
it came time for Williams to pitch to Marte, he threw just one sinker in six
pitches. Again, Marte didn't swing at it. So on the final pitch of the at-bat,
Williams pulled his curveball out of his back pocket, a pitch Sandberg
described as his "third or fourth" best option. It didn't work. "I
had Marte with two strikes, and I left a curveball up," Williams said.
"He hit it out. It's one bad pitch." While Williams said he believed
it was the curveball that was his one mistake that inning, Sandberg was quick
to point out the walks, saying that those walks were the only free passes he
surrendered all night and that those contributed heavily to that inning's
downfall. But throwing one bad pitch in one bad inning is becoming a familiar
trend in the Phillies' clubhouse. In situations like this, where the team
appears to be so close but just can't quite minimize the mistakes, Williams
said there is only one thing a team can do. "Turn the page," Williams
said. "Come back tomorrow and play better."
Don’t Let The Door Hit You In The Asche – Cody Asche sat in the chair in front of his locker
late Monday night at Citizens Bank Park, after the Pirates edged the Phillies, 4-3,
still in shock that the Phillies had just optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh
Valley.
Chase Utley stood up,
put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in, offering solace to his friend. Teammates
Jeff Francoeur and
Darin Ruf offered a few words, too. Players are
optioned, released, designated for assignment and traded with great frequency
throughout a six-month season, but the fact the Phillies optioned their
everyday third baseman and one of the more popular players in the clubhouse
seemed to hit everybody hard. Of course, it hit nobody harder than Asche. "I'll
never stop believing that I'm a big league baseball player," said an
emotional Asche. "One hundred percent, whatever challenge comes my way,
I'll handle it fine and be back in this uniform soon." The Phillies sent
Asche to Triple-A because they believe Maikel Franco is their
third
baseman of the future.
Franco is not expected to be promoted until Friday at the earliest because if
the Phillies wait until then, they can delay Franco's free agency from 2020 to
2021. But the Phillies still like Asche, so they are trying to find a way for
him to remain in the lineup. They think he could be their left fielder. He will
try to learn that new position in Triple-A. "Cody's a big part of the
future, and so this is something that's the best for Cody and the organization
going forward," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "When he's ready
to be back, he'll be back." The Phillies actually started Asche's work in
left field before Spring Training but ended it once camp opened in February. "We
didn't really pull the plug," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
said earlier in the day. "We just put it on hold." Asche restarted
that work in left field late last month in St. Louis, catching him by surprise.
He was surprised once again Monday. Not with the fact they wanted him to play
left field, but that they wanted him to learn in the Minor Leagues, where he
has not played since 2013. "I'm surprised, but I understand," Asche
said. Asche's ego might have taken a hit because he believes he can play third
base on a daily basis. But there are examples of prominent big leaguers who
made the move from infielder to outfielder with success. The list includes
Craig Biggio, Robin Yount,
Albert Pujols,
Ryan Braun and
Alex Gordon. "He's a good kid," Utley said.
"He's a hard worker. I think he understands the situation and is going to
go down there and have a positive outlook and try to be the best left fielder
he can be. There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to work at it and be a
good left fielder. Obviously, we all know that his bat plays at this level.
He's still learning, and that's what I like about him. He doesn't think he has
it all figured out. He wants to continue to learn and get better. "So
obviously, we are all disappointed that he's not going to be around. And we
will see him pretty soon." Said Asche: "Going forward as an
organization, it's better for me to play left fied. So I've got to go do that."
Will he be a good left fielder? "The best I can be," Asche said. Asche
has 72 hours to report to Lehigh Valley. It is not known when he will report. "Hope
[he reports Tuesday]," Sandberg said. "The sooner he gets going, the
sooner he can get some games under his belt and come back."
Roster Moves – Maikel
Franco's wait to return to the big leagues is nearing its end. "He's
getting closer and closer," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said
Monday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. "We just want to make sure he's
ready to be a big leaguer for a long time when we bring him to the big
leagues." But Franco's return is much closer than Amaro indicated. The
Phillies optioned Cody Asche to Triple-A
following Monday's 4-3
loss to the Pirates. Asche has been the team's
everyday third baseman since last season, but in Triple-A, he will begin his
transition into a full-time left fielder. Franco will not be promoted any
earlier than Friday, which means
Cesar Hernandez and
Andres Blanco will man third base through Thursday.
If Franco remains in the Minor Leagues 40 days -- the 40th day is Thursday --
the Phillies can push Franco's free agency from 2020 to 2021. That is a
critical consideration for a rebuilding team. After all, it makes little sense
to cost themselves one year of team control over Franco for a couple extra
weeks in a rebuilding season. Franco, who is the
No. 54 prospect
in baseball and the Phillies'
No. 3
prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com, is
hitting .336 (42-for-125) with 12 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 17 RBIs
and an .879 OPS with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, including a .394 average and a
1.019 OPS in his past eight games. Not only is Franco hitting well, but he also
continues to play stellar defense at third base. Amaro said the Phillies expect
Franco to get the "bulk" of his playing time at third base upon his
arrival. Franco also can play first base. "The beauty of him is he can
play the other position, so if we need him to do that too, he could do
that," Amaro said. "But we don't want to bring him until we're sure
it's time for him to come. He got his feet wet a little last year. I think that
was good to get an understanding for what it's like to be in the big leagues
and have a little bit of a precursor. The next time we bring him to the big
leagues, it should be for good, we hope. That will be up to him. But that's the
hope." Once Asche moves to left field,
Ben Revere is expected to move to right. Of course,
what happens if Triple-A outfielder Domonic Brown is promoted? The Phillies
optioned him late last month, despite a $2.5 million salary. Brown is hitting
.222 (18-for-81) with two doubles, 10 RBIs and a .528 OPS in Lehigh Valley. "Those
are decisions we still have to make, and as always, those things have a way of
working themselves out," Amaro said.
No Rush – The
Phillies see no reason to rush Double-A Reading pitching prospect Aaron Nola to
the big leagues, but that does not mean he will not be in the Majors before the
end of the season. Nola is 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA in six starts. He has allowed 29
hits, nine earned runs, four walks and has struck out 29 in 39 2/3 innings. He
has a fantastic 0.83 WHIP and an impressive 7.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He
has dominated his competition, but the Phillies are content with Nola, who is
the No.
37 prospect in baseball and the Phillies'
No. 2
prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com,
pitching in Double-A. "He's right where he needs to be, right now,"
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday afternoon at Citizens Bank
Park. So no thoughts of pushing him? "None," Amaro said. "No. We
want him to continue to have success where he is. We've had a lot of
discussions on a lot of things over the last few weeks with our development
people. We're trying to make sure we develop these guys for the future, not
today. We try to maximize their development time so when they're ready to be in
the big leagues, they'll be in the big leagues. So he's not coming any time
soon." Amaro would not define how long "soon" means to him. But
asked if he would be surprised to see Nola pitching for the Phillies before the
end of the season, he said, "At some point this year he might."
Amaro Backs Sandberg – The
losses continue to add up for the Phillies, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
said Monday afternoon he approves of manager Ryne Sandberg's job performance. "I'm happy with the way Ryno has gone about
it," he said. "He's on the same page as we are. It's about giving
young players opportunities and teaching them how to win. And that's what we're
looking for from him, and that's all we can ask of him. Do whatever he can with
his staff to put these players in a position to improve. And that's what he's
been doing." The Phillies entered Monday's four-game series against the
Pirates at 11-21, their worst start since they opened the 1997 season at 10-22.
Amaro acknowledged the Phillies "might be a little challenged as far as
overall talent at the Major League level right now," which plays the
biggest role in the team's record. Sandberg seems to have kept his cool
throughout the first 32 games, though he said he has held at least one team
meeting. "We've had meetings," he said. "We've regrouped a
number of different times, continue to work and instill some fundamentals that
we need to do better. A lot of our games are close, it seems like. For five,
six, seven innings, it seems close. It's one play here or there, one base hit
away, those type of things. That's what myself and the staff continue to stress
and work on and talk about. So that's what we will continue to do." Sandberg
bristled when asked about his managerial style. "My style? I have to
be patient," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. And that's what
we've had the opportunity to stress, is working at the game."
Minor Report – Players of the Week… Player -- 1B Art Charles, Reading ... The 24-year-old power hitter rose among the
league leaders in a number of offensive categories after a historic week for
the Fightin Phils. Charles hit .632 (12-for-19) with four home runs (one every
4.75 at bats), eight RBIs, four doubles, a 1.474 slugging percentage and a
2.140 OPS. The left-handed-hitting Charles particularly liked hitting against
the Erie Seawolves. In the first game of the series, he went 3-for-5 with a
home run and two RBIs, and then homered two more times in the following game
(another 3-for-5 night). Charles added his third straight three-hit game in the
finale, going 3-for-3 with a double and a run. Charles currently leads the
Eastern League in average (.378), slugging percentage (.757) and OPS (1.177),
and he is third with 16 extra-base hits. In addition to his Phillies honors, he
was also named Eastern League Player of the Week. Charles was acquired by the
Phillies in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays in February 2013, and he was
originally signed by Toronto and Blake Crosby. Pitcher -- RHP Aaron Nola,
Reading ... Nola continues to impress with Reading, heading a deep pitching
staff filled with top prospects. Last week, the 22-year-old made two starts,
both of which were among his best of the season. On May 4 against New
Hampshire, Nola tossed seven strong innings, scattering five hits and yielding
just one run. In his next start, he lasted a career-high eight innings,
striking out eight while allowing a run on four hits. In those two outings, Nola
combined for a 0.73 WHIP (nine hits, two walks in 15 innings) with 11
strikeouts. In 39 2/3 innings this season, Nola sports a tidy 2.04 ERA and 29
strikeouts to just four walks. His ERA is second in the league among pitchers
with at least 35 innings, he is tied for second in innings pitched and ranks
fifth with a 0.83 WHIP. Nola was selected by the Phillies in the first round
(seventh overall) in the 2014 Draft and was signed by Mike Stauffer. Lehigh
Valley IronPigs -- International League North Division ... 9-22, sixth
place ... The past week yielded some positive results for the Phillies' top
affiliate, as Lehigh Valley went 3-3 and put together its first three-game
winning streak of the year. After dropping their game against Columbus on May
4, the IronPigs stormed to three consecutive victories, outscoring opponents
21-7 in those games. Two of those three wins came against Louisville, helping
Lehigh Valley to their second series win of the season. Top hitting
performers -- OF Brian Bogusevic hit .423 with four doubles, a home run,
nine runs scored and six RBIs. He hit safely in his first five games of the
week, extending his hitting streak to 12 games before going hitless on May 10.
On May 5, Bogusevic went 4-for-6 with a double, a home run, four RBIs and three
runs. ... 3B Maikel Franco continues to impress after going 11-or-25 (.440)
with a pair of home runs, six RBIs, two doubles, a .760 slugging average and a
1.183 OPS. He is now hitting .336 and leads the league in total bases with 65,
and doubles with 12. ... OF Domonic Brown had the best week of his season,
batting .320 with a .370 OBP and four RBIs. He had two multi-hit games in his
first three games of the week, and hit safely in all but one. Top pitching
performers -- LHP Adam Morgan turned in one of his finest performances of
the season on Saturday, holding the Gwinnett Braves to three runs (two earned)
on three hits over 7 1/3 innings of work. ... RHP Phillippe Aumont also
dominated Gwinnett, tossing six scoreless frames with just two hits allowed in
his third start of the season on Friday. He is now 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in those
three starts (1.73 ERA for the season). Reading Fightin Phils -- Eastern
League Eastern Division ... 16-12, third place ... Reading's story this
season has been pitching, but this past week, it was the offense that kept the
Fightin Phils just a game back of second place in the division. They exploded
for 38 runs in six games (6.3 per game), led by the powerful bats of Charles
and Aaron Altherr. Top hitting performers -- Charles slugged his way to
a career week last week, crushing four home runs, including three in a two-game
span. His batting average was .632 (12-for-19), and his four homers helped him
to a 1.474 slugging average and a 2.140 OPS during the week. Charles'
performance earned him Phillies Minor League Player of the Week and Eastern
League Player of the Week honors. ... Altherr's power was also on display, as
the 24-year-old outfielder hit a pair of home runs and drove in eight runs
while batting a lofty .346. ... OF Roman Quinn produced in a different way for
Reading, stealing a couple of bases and scoring six runs in six games for the
Fightins. He is leading the league with 12 stolen bases and is tied for first
with 25 runs scored. ... OF Cam Perkins was 7-for-21 (.333) with his first home
run of the year, two doubles and four driven in. ... 3B Gustavo Pierre hit
safely in all five of his games, extending his hitting streak to eight and
raising his average to .295. Top pitching performers -- Nola made two
starts last week, combining to go 15 innings with 11 strikeouts while allowing
just two earned runs on nine hits. Nola's last five starts have all been
quality starts, and he has a 2.04 ERA in 35 innings this year. Nola was
selected as the Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week from May 4-10 ... RHP
Stephen Shackleford recorded two more saves in two chances, making him 6-for-7
on the season. Clearwater Threshers -- Florida State League North Division
... 15-15, third place ... The Threshers ended their week on a strong note,
winning three of their last four, including two of three over the Daytona
Tortugas for a series win. Clearwater scored 14 runs to Daytona's four, and
they are now second in the Florida State League with a .264 team average. Top
hitting performers -- One day after OF Andrew Pullin's seven-game hit
streak ended, he began a new streak, recording 11 hits in five games (four
straight multi-hit games) from May 5-10. He hit .407 for the week, with six
RBIs and a pair of doubles, and now is second in the league in two-base hits
(9) and tied for second in hits (36) with teammate Willians Astudillo. ...
Despite being sidelined for nearly a month to start the season, SS J.P.
Crawford didn't miss a beat in his first week back. He homered and drove in three
in his first game, and proceeded to record multiple hits in his next three, for
a .533 average, five RBI and four runs in his first four games. … C Andrew
Knapp hit .333 and got on base at a .448 clip, thanks in part to eight hits and
four walks in 29 plate appearances. Top pitching performers -- RHP Mark
Leiter earned his second win of the season after a 6 2/3-inning, no-run start
on May 9 against Daytona. In two starts this week, he was 1-0 with a 1.54 ERA
and 11 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings. Over Leiter's last seven appearances (29
2/3 innings), he has allowed only three earned runs and struck out 29. … Fresh
off an April Minor League Pitcher of the Month award, LHP Brandon Leibrandt has
not let up in May. In his lone start last week, he pitched a season-high eight
innings, surrendering just two runs on five hits while striking out seven
batters. Leibrandt leads the league with 39 innings pitched. … RHP David
Whitehead went 1-0, striking out seven in six innings on May 6 against Brevard
County. … RHP Edubray Ramos appeared in three games out of the bullpen,
combining to allow just a run on one hit in five innings. Lakewood BlueClaws
-- South Atlantic League North Division … 13-16, sixth place … Lakewood's
tough week consisted of five losses and an energy-sapping 17-inning affair on
May 8 against Augusta, which ended up being suspended after the top of 17th due
to fog. Because the two teams do not play again, all of the stats from the game
will not count until after the first half of the season concludes. Top
hitting performers - SS Malquin Canelo had eight hits in 25 at bats for a
.320 average. On May 7, he had a season-high four hits against Augusta -- his
10th multihit game of the season. Top pitching performers - LHP Elniery
Garcia put forward his third quality start of the season, limiting Asheville to
a run on just three hits in seven innings on May 10 … RHP Jesen Therrien worked
four innings in relief, and did not allow a run. He has allowed only one earned
run in 15 1/3 innings this year -- good for a 0.53 ERA … RHP Matt Hockenberry
lowered his season ERA to 0.60 after three scoreless innings in relief last
week. He is also a perfect 6-for-6 in saves.
Chenoweth Visits Phillies – Emmy-
and Tony Award-winning performer Kristin Chenoweth sang the national anthem
before Monday night's 4-3
Pirates win over the Phillies. Chenoweth's
rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner came with her support of Asthma Awareness
Night at Citizens Bank Park. Chenoweth was diagnosed with asthma a decade ago
and has become a spokesperson for the condition. This was the second
consecutive year that Chenoweth sang the national anthem at Asthma Awareness
Night and was the seventh annual time the Phillies have held such an event. She
sported a No. 6 Phillies jersey with her name on the back instead of the
customary "Howard" for
Ryan Howard.
Hamels Supports Philly Schools – When
it comes to pitching, Cole Hamels is used to
seeing results quickly. But when it comes to education, the Phillies
left-hander knows that results aren't always as fast as an umpire calling balls
and strikes. Teaching takes time. That's why Hamels, his wife Heidi and their
foundation donated more than $53,000 to Philadelphia-area schools Monday
morning at Webster Elementary School in North Philadelphia. Webster Elementary
was the beneficiary of the most generous donation from The Hamels Foundation, a
grant worth $15,000 that will go toward buying the school and training teachers
in a standardized math program -- something the school doesn't have at the
moment. "This is going to affect [the students] for the rest of their
lives -- not just for a period, and then they can move on to something
else," Hamels said. "There are subjects that are life long. And you
want to make sure they grasp a better understanding, because you're going to be
able to see the difference right away." Hamels emphasized that this grant
will be able to immediately change the way the faculty of Webster Elementary
teaches its students. In Hamels' mind, as important as this is for the
students, it actually might be more valuable to the teachers. "We're just
really pleased to be able to see some of the teachers when they come in and how
happy and excited they are," Hamels said. "Because I don't think some
of the students really grasp it until they're learning it from the teachers.
When you're able to go into a classroom where everybody is excited, it propels
you to learn more and be better and go out and achieve your dreams more." Webster
Elementary wasn't the only one to benefit from a grant. Eight schools received
a donation from The Hamels Foundation, with values ranging from $3,500 to
$15,000 for causes such as revamping of audio systems, buying kits for STEM learning
-- which is the combined topics of science, technology, engineering and math --
and establishing an integrated robotics program. Speaking on behalf of all of
the schools honored, Webster Elementary principal Shawn Wright thanked The
Hamels Foundation for its charitable message. "Today really is a
celebration of hope and possibility," Wright said. "The generosity
and passion of organizations like The Hamels Foundation reminds us that we're
not in it alone." With the children of Webster Elementary on hand for the
ceremony, many of whom had drawn pictures for Hamels with inscriptions such as
"Thank you for coming" and "We love you," Cole and Heidi
Hamels presented these checks to much fanfare and approval, something Cole said
he was extremely appreciative of. Heidi, on the other hand, was just happy she
and her husband were able to do their part. "We cannot change a child's
life without the community," Heidi said. "But to be able to see it
really come to fruition is a totally different thing. I don't think many times
in our lives we get to see the whole picture. We're just little cogs in the
machine. But we stand here today and we get to see the whole machine. Thank you
for letting us be that piece."
THE BEGINNING
The
Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL
east at 11-22. 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 43-49-0 on this day.
