Phillies Bats Return To Silence In South Florida

GAME RECAP: Marlins Silence Phillies 6-0

A couple of regulars returning from injury helped the Marlins finally have some answers for Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. Marcell Ozuna and Justin Bour were back in the lineup, and the two contributed at the plate in Miami's 6-0 win over Philadelphia at Marlins Park on Wednesday night. Ozuna had a double and a single and scored twice, while Bour singled and had a productive out that helped set up a run in the second inning. Backed with some early support, Andrew Cashner tossed 5 1/3 strong innings and collected his first victory since being acquired by the Marlins from the Padres in late July. "It's a different feeling, for sure, and you forget what it looks like," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Bour and Ozuna returning. "J.B. has been out so long. It just changes things around." Bour was making his first start since July 2, when he sustained a right ankle sprain, and Ozuna had been out since Aug. 31 with a bruised left wrist. "Honestly, you can't ask for much better," Bour said. "I was able to go out there and put together some quality at-bats and just help the team." Martin Prado and Christian Yelich added back-to-back RBI doubles in the seventh inning to break open a six-run lead. The Marlins' 10th shutout of the season snapped their five-game losing streak and moved them closer to .500 (69-71) as they look to make a late charge and chip away in the National League Wild Card chase. Miami sits five games behind St. Louis for the second spot. Hellickson was 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts against the Marlins this year before he allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with one strikeout in six innings. "He threw OK. Just wasn't as sharp as he has been most of the year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, giving him 3,021 in his MLB career, which moves him into 26th place all-time, ahead of Rafael Palmeiro (3,020), according to Elias Sports Bureau.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Just like Tuesday night, the Phillies opened the game with their first two batters reaching base. However, that's where the similarities ended. While both scored Tuesday to help lift the Phils to a 4-3 win, this time both Cesar Hernandez, who singled, and Aaron Altherr, who reached on a fielder's choice, were stranded. The Phils entered Tuesday with only 46 runs scored in the first inning, the lowest total in the Major Leagues. "It's frustrating," Mackanin said. "We've been going through that for quite a while. We just need to be better at it. The categories in hitting, we're at the bottom: slugging, doubles, hits, runs. There's your story right there."
• Left-handed reliever Patrick Schuster made his Phillies debut in the seventh inning, facing three batters, two of them lefties. After walking the first batter he faced on four pitches, Schuster settled down to retire left-handed Dee Gordon and Ichiro. Getting out left-handed batters is likely the role Schuster will have in Philadelphia's bullpen. "He's funky," Mackanin said. "I asked [catcher A.J. Ellis] what it looked like from behind the plate. He said, '[Schuster] could be tough on lefties.' It boils down to throwing strikes. I'm happy I got to see him. Down the stretch, I'm going to try to see him a little bit more. We need a situational lefty."
• The Eastern League named Reading outfielder Dylan Cozens, the Phillies' No. 7 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, as the league MVP on Wednesday. The 22-year-old Cozens hit .276 with 40 homers and 125 RBIs. He also scored 106 runs and had a .591 slugging percentage. Cozens led all Minor League players in homers and RBIs this season, and is just the second Phillies Minor League player since 1963 to reach 40-plus home runs. Ryan Howard accomplished the feat with 46 homers in 2004. In addition, first baseman Rhys Hoskins was named the Eastern League Rookie of the Year, while Dusty Wathan earned Manager of the Year honors. Hoskins hit .281 with 38 homers and 116 RBIs.

NEXT GAME:

Alec Asher takes the mound in the opener of a four-game series at Washington on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Called up on Tuesday, Asher is making his first big league start of the season after going 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts last season with the Phillies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Costly Mistakes – Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson had pretty much owned the Marlins' lineup until a 6-0 loss in Wednesday night's series finale at Marlins Park. Hellickson was 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA over four starts against Miami this season. He had allowed just 19 hits and six runs over 25 1/3 innings while striking out 17. But Wednesday was a different story. Hellickson gave up nine hits over six innings, allowing four runs (three earned). He struck out just one. The Marlins managed to salvage one of the three games in the series, scoring a run in each of the first two innings to put the pressure on a Phillies team struggling to score. In the first, Hellickson gave up a one-out triple to Ichiro Suzuki, who scored the first run of the game, and then yielded a leadoff double in the second inning to Marcell Ozuna, who also scored. "I made too many mistakes early in the count, especially the first couple of innings; one to Ichiro just a lazy changeup, and Ozuna the next inning, you can't give up extra-base hits to lead off innings," Hellickson said. In four previous starts in Miami, Hellickson was 0-0 with a 2.49 ERA, and over eight previous career starts, Hellickson was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA against the Fish. He struck out 33 and walked 12 in 48 innings. "You've just got to battle," Hellickson said. "Not every game's going to go how you want it. You've got to just keep grinding, keep making good pitches. Tonight was an example of that." He yielded single runs in the fifth and sixth innings against the team with which he has somewhat of a history. "It's my fifth start against them [this year]," he said. "So I have an idea what I want to do, they have an idea of what I want to do. I just left too many balls up there early in the game." But the Phillies didn't offer up any help offensively. They were shut out for the ninth time this season, and fourth over their last 15 games.

A Little Rest – Maikel Franco was not in the Phillies' starting lineup on Wednesday night at Marlins Park. The 24-year-old slugging third baseman, a cornerstone of Philadelphia's rebuilding process, needed a break perhaps physically as well as mentally. Franco jammed his wrist swinging the bat during his second plate appearance in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Marlins. He didn't take batting practice before Wednesday's game, but remained available for pinch-hit duty, according to Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. It's the first game Franco has not started since late July. Andres Blanco, who was activated on Friday from the 15-day disabled list with a fractured left index finger, took Franco's place at third base. Blanco was originally placed on the DL on July 25 and hadn't played since. It marked Blanco's 29th start this season, and 10th at third base. He started 13 games at second base, five at shortstop and one at first base. "I'm just going to back off, just to let this settle down on his hand and to give him a blow, because he's obviously pressing, getting a little frustrated," Mackanin said of Franco's day off. Franco is 0-for-8 over the first two games of the road trip in Miami, and has gone hitless in five of his last eight games. Struggling during the recent stretch, Franco is hitting just .182 in his last 33 at-bats. He's still the power hitter the Phils are looking for at the hot corner. Franco leads the team with 22 homers, 73 RBIs, 44 extra-base hits and 212 total bases. He's the first Phillies third baseman to hit 20 homers in one season since Scott Rolen (25) in 2001. However, things have not been going well lately. Franco hasn't hit a home run since Aug. 18, and he has just one RBI in his last 14 games, with an extra-base hit in just one of those games.

Today In Phils History – Former Phillies Joe Oeschger stuck out 3 Phillies on 9 pitches in 1921 while with the Braves but the Phillies storm back in the 9^th with 8 runs to win the game. 5 years later, for the 3^rd time in his career, Cy Williams hit a two out game winning grand slam. In 1954, Richie Ashburn fouled off 14 full count pitches before earning the walk against the Reds. In 1963, Warren Spahn reached the 20 win mark in a win over the Phillies for the 13^th time in his career and, in the process, set the record for the oldest pitcher to reach the milestone (43). Juan Samuel hit his 7^th career leadoff homerun in 1987 setting a new franchise record. With his debut in 1996, Calvin Maduro became the 1^st native of Aruba to pitch in MLB. 2 years later, 3 different Phillies (Rico Brogna, Kevin Sefcik, and Bobby Estalella) hit 2 homeruns against the Mets with Marlon Anderson also going deep during the contest in his 1^st MLB at bat and setting a new team record for homeruns in a single game (7). The Phillies beat the nationals 5-3 in 2009 with all of their runs coming from solo homeruns to set a new franchise mark. 4 years later, Cole Hamels surrendered 2 hits over 8 innings with both being homeruns by the Braves Evan Gattis (the 1^st traveling a CBP record 486 feet). Other notable debuts on this day include Jason Grimsley (1989), Kim Batiste (1991), and Marlon Byrd (2002).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 62-77 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 62-50-0 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 Offense Goes South Against Sox

GAME RECAP: White Sox Wreck Phillies 9-1

Carlos Rodon has grown accustomed to winning ways. The southpaw went from May 23 to Aug. 11 without a victory, but factoring in his 6 2/3-inning shutout performance during a 9-1 trouncing of the Phillies on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox hurler has gone four straight starts without a setback. In those four starts, Rodon has yielded four earned runs on 19 hits over 24 2/3 innings, with 21 strikeouts and six walks. He gave up three hits over 109 pitches against the Phillies. "It's all about strike one and strike two. When you get ahead of guys and you've got good stuff, you can beat 'em," Rodon said. "You can cause more contact when you get ahead, you can just flip up there whatever you want when it's 1-2, 0-2. Omar [Narvaez] back there calling that game is huge. Just comfortable, got on a roll and everything worked out." Phillies rookie Jake Thompson, who entered with an 8.79 ERA, was hit early and often by the White Sox offense. The team scored one in the first on Adam Eaton's triple and Tim Anderson's groundout, added three in the third and three more in the fifth, including back-to-back homers from Jose Abreu and Justin Morneau. "I'm not used to this," Thompson said. "The issue is pretty evident. I'm not throwing strikes, and when I am throwing strikes, they're not good strikes. It's coming back to the drawing board and figuring it out a little bit." Philadelphia avoided the shutout when Freddy Galvis homered off of reliever Chris Beck with two outs in the seventh. Every White Sox starter but Todd Frazier had at least one hit, as the White Sox won a third straight game.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Thompson is the No. 66 prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, but his first four starts have been a nightmare. He allowed seven runs in five innings against the White Sox. Thompson's 9.79 ERA is the second-highest in franchise history among pitchers making four starts to open a career. Only Mike Maddux is higher. He had a 9.98 ERA through his first four starts in 1986. "I don't really have the answer right now to fix it," Thompson said. "I feel I'm certainly a lot better than my performance has indicated."
• Galvis hit his 13th homer of the season, a towering shot to right field in the seventh inning to keep the Phillies from a second consecutive shutout. "We're not counting on Freddy to hit home runs for us, but he's got 13 now," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I feel like telling him to start hitting home runs. We keep telling him not to and he keeps hitting them."
• "How many guys do you see come to the big leagues at 22 years old and just flat-out dominate every time they go out? There's not very many. He's young. When you come up and you pitch so well all year and then you finally get your opportunity, you want to impress. It puts a lot on you. And as a kid, you've got to be able to control it, and it's tough, it's hard. It's hard to go through. It's something that's going to make him better when he does finally figure it out and overcomes some of the rough patches he's having." -- Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp, on Thompson.
• Thompson appeared to pick off Anderson at first base in the fifth, but first-base umpire John Tumpane called him safe. First baseman Tommy Joseph immediately signaled to the Phillies' bench to challenge the play. The replay official agreed with Joseph and overturned the call, crediting Thompson with a pickoff.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.91 ERA) will be trying to straighten out a few things Wednesday night (8:10 ET) against the White Sox. He has been one of the team's most reliable starters this season, but he has a 5.60 ERA in three starts this month.

PHILS PHACTS:

Still Searching – Jake Thompson needs answers and he needs them badly. Right now, he is coming up empty. Thompson got hit hard again Wednesday night in a 9-1 loss to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. He allowed seven runs in five innings as he fell to 1-3 with a 9.78 ERA through four big league starts. He is tied with Alec Asher for the second-highest ERA in franchise history for a pitcher who started his first four big league games. Only Mike Maddux fared worse. He posted a 9.98 ERA through four starts in 1986. "I don't really have the answer right now to fix it," Thompson said. "I feel I'm certainly a lot better than my performance has indicated." Certainly Thompson had been billed as much better than this, ranking as the Phillies' fifth-best prospect and No. 66 across baseball. A key piece in the Cole Hamels trade with Texas in July 2015, Thompson went 8-0 with a 1.21 ERA in his final 11 starts this year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, solidifying his status as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. He struck out 42 and walked 18 in 74 1/3 innings with the IronPigs. But in 19 1/3 innings with the Phillies, he has allowed 22 hits, 21 runs, 13 walks and five home runs. He has struck out 13. He has retired the side in order just five times in the 20 innings he has started. He threw first-pitch strikes to just 11 of the 25 White Sox batters he faced. "I'm not used to this," Thompson said. "The issue is pretty evident. I'm not throwing strikes, and when I am throwing strikes, they're not good strikes. It's coming back to the drawing board and figuring it out a little bit." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he expects Thompson to remain in the rotation, adding that he needs to speak with general manager Matt Klentak about it. But Mackanin is concerned that if Thompson keeps pitching and struggling, he could lose his confidence, which could set him back. "He looks like a confident kid, but at some point it doesn't always mean he has that confidence just because he looks confident," Mackanin said. "You know, he's 22 years old and this is a big event in his life." Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp agrees. "How many guys do you see come to the big leagues at 22 years old and just flat-out dominate every time they go out?" he said. "There's not very many. He's young. It was his first time in Triple-A this year and he pitched really well, and now he's got a chance in the big leagues. I'm sure he feels like there's pressure. When you come up and you pitch so well all year and then you finally get your opportunity, you want to impress. It puts a lot on you. And as a kid, you've got to be able to control it, and it's tough, it's hard. It's hard to go through. It's something that's going to make him better when he does finally figure it out and overcomes some of the rough patches he's having."

Long Shot – Do not expect another round of Tebowmania in Philadelphia. But, the Phillies will have a scout at former college football star Tim Tebow's workout Aug. 30 in Los Angeles. Tebow, who failed to make the Eagles as a backup quarterback last summer, has not played baseball since his junior year of high school, in 2005. With NFL teams no longer interested in him, Tebow now hopes to pick up a bat and begin a professional baseball career. It would be stunning if the Phillies actually signed Tebow, who just turned 29. Their presence at his workout likely is a matter of due diligence.

Relief On The Way? – The Phillies are expected to promote a handful of players once the 25-man roster expands on Sept. 1.  But don't expect those promotions to come all at once. "We'll probably do callups in stages," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Tuesday at U.S. Cellular Field. "A few guys on the first just to make sure this team is covered, but not so many that we deplete the Double-A and Triple-A teams who are playing meaningful games. When their seasons end, that's another stage. But it's not going to be everybody arrives on the first." The Phillies could call up relievers like Luis Garcia, Dalier Hinojosa and Colton Murray on Sept. 1 to help the bullpen. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday that he is looking for a couple more relievers to prevent Hector Neris, who leads the big leagues with 63 appearances, and Jeanmar Gomez from being overused. Right-hander Alec Asher seems likely to make an appearance in September. His 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs ends Sept. 5, the final day of the IronPigs' regular season. Asher is not eligible to compete in the Minor League postseason. In terms of prospects, catcher Jorge Alfaro and outfielder Roman Quinn already are on the 40-man roster, which helps their chances. They could be up once Double-A Reading's season is finished. Triple-A outfielder Nick Williams seemed like a smart bet at one point, but he has hit .192 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and a .551 OPS in 132 plate appearances since July 15. He is not on the 40-man roster. Triple-A shortstop J.P. Crawford, ranked as the club's top prospect, is not expected to be promoted. Infielder Andres Blanco will rejoin the team at some point. He is recovering from a broken left finger. First baseman Darin Ruf, right-hander David Buchanan and outfielders Cody Asche and Darnell Sweeney also are on the 40-man roster.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies and Cubs set a NL record in 1905 when it took 20 innings for the game to be decided with both pitchers going the distance in the Phillies loss. Pitcher George McQuillan was suspended in 1910 despite a winning record and sub 2.00 ERA by manager Red Dooin for being out of shape. Cy Williams hit for the cycle in a Phillies loss against the Pirates in 1922 winning him $100 courtesy of a Pirate sponsor after nearly breaking a clock beyond the right field wall. In 1979, the Phillies retired Richie Ashburn’s uniform number (1) before Steve Carltons complete game win over the Astros. 2 years later, the Phillies released John Vukovich. Today is also the day when Juan Samuel made his major league debut with the Phillies in 1983. 8 years later, in 1991, Mitch Williams picked up his 8^th win of the month tying the club record for pitchers and setting a new MLB record for relievers. In 2010, after Ryan Howard was ejected for flipping his bat following a strikeout in extra innings, Raul Ibanez moves to 1B and Roy Oswalt enters the game in LF where he makes a routine play but also, batting in the clean up spot, strikes out to end the game. 3 years later, the Phillies set a record for the longest game in team history after an 18 inning, 7 hour 14 minute marathon which saw two position players (Casper Wells and John McDonald) take the mound. 2 years ago, Jerome Williams picked up his 2^nd career RBI on a safety squeeze over a decade after collecting his 1^st setting a new MLB record for the longest span between RBI (4,000 days).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 58-68 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 47-62-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Fall To Cardinals In Extra Innings

GAME RECAP: Cards Outlast Phils 4-3

Randal Grichuk does not want to get sent back to the Minors -- and he's playing like it. Jhonny Peralta led off the 11th inning by hammering a double into left. An out later, Grichuk followed with a two-bagger of his own, driving home Peralta and giving the Cardinals a 4-3 lead that St. Louis top prospect -- per MLBPipeline.com -- Alex Reyes closed out in the bottom half of the inning on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, earning his first career save. The win was the Cardinals' fifth in a row and gave them a two-game lead over Pittsburgh for the second National League Wild Card spot. The double was Grichuk's third hit of the game. He finished a triple shy of the cycle after homering down the left-field line in the second and adding a single in the fifth. He's hit safely in all seven games he's played in since being recalled from Triple-A Memphis, driving in nine in that span. "We all know what he's capable of doing," Cardinals second baseman Jedd Gyorko said. "He's just got to get a little more consistent. As far as talent or stuff like that, you're not going to find someone with more talent than what he's got. He's just going to keep getting better and better. He's gonna be a guy we rely on going down the stretch here." Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez allowed a two-run, game-tying blast off the bat of Gyorko in the ninth inning to blow his fourth save of the year and erase a stellar outing from Adam Morgan, who outdueled Adam Wainwright, tossing six innings of one-run ball. Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis led off the sixth with back-to-back blasts to open up a 3-1 Phillies lead off Wainwright. The dingers followed Wainwright's complaint about the mound condition after he slipped delivering a pitch to Herrera. He wasn't the same after the grounds crew manicured the mound. After the homers, Wainwright issued walks to Aaron Altherr and Ryan Howard but he escaped, erasing Altherr on a double play and Howard on a caught-stealing. "We just didn't capitalize on scoring opportunities," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We had our chances. A man on third base with less than two outs twice. We couldn't get him in. We couldn't make contact." Overcoming home runs and mound troubles, Wainwright tossed his first quality start after four tries. He got back on track with six innings of three-run ball against the Phillies after having given up six and seven runs, respectively, in his last two starts. "I'm still not where I want to be," Wainwright said. "I'm patiently, slash, impatiently waiting on my good stuff to come. I know it will come. But today was significantly better than last time out for sure."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Mackanin said before the game that Morgan "has to start doing something" to keep a job in the big leagues, pointing to his 1-7 record and 6.62 ERA heading into the game. Morgan delivered, and he allowed two or fewer runs in six or more innings for the first time in nine starts, dating to May 21 against Atlanta. "I don't really want to look at it that way," Morgan said, asked if he considers these final few weeks make-or-break for him. "I just want to take advantage of the opportunity. I feel like once you start looking back, like, 'Oh, gosh, I've really got to do good here to stay in the big leagues,' I feel like the mind wanders. It's pretty simple. I'm trying to take advantage of the opportunity and give the team a chance to win every time I go out." 
• Gomez has been one of the Phillies' best stories of the season, beginning the season as a middle reliever only to become their closer in early April. He entered the game having saved 32 games in 35 opportunities, but he could not put away Gyorko in an eight pitch at-bat in the ninth. "He hung a split to Gyorko," Mackanin said. "It was center cut. He's been so good for us this whole year. He's been very good for us. I can't fault him."
• Dating back to Aug. 5, the Phillies have homered in 13 consecutive games for the first time since homering in 14 straight games from May 27-June 9, 2013. The team has 19 homers in those 13 games.
• Tommy Joseph, pinch-hitting for Howard, ripped a ball into the left-center-field gap off Kevin Siegrist in the eighth inning and stretched a single into a double, at least initially, after he was called safe on Grichuk's throw. The Cardinals challenged, and after a two-and-a-half minute review, the call was overturned. "It was so close," Joseph said. "I felt myself hit the bag with Kolten [Wong] tagging right away. That was a tough play."
• Matheny challenged for a second time in the ninth inning on a tailor-made double-play ball. The Phillies didn't turn two, but Matheny challenged that Emmanuel Burriss's foot came off second. It did not, the umpires confirmed.
• The Phillies challenged a call that Stephen Piscotty was hit by a pitch in the 10th inning, but the replay official confirmed the call.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (9-7, 3.65 ERA) returns to the mound Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET against the Cardinals after tweaking his back Aug. 10 at Dodger Stadium. Hellickson had been scheduled to pitch this Wednesday against the Dodgers in Philadelphia, but the Phillies pushed back his start a few days to make sure his back was healthy. He said it is.

PHILS PHACTS:

Making His Case – Pete Mackanin did not mince words Friday afternoon when asked if Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan needed to prove he belongs in the big leagues. "That might be a question that doesn't need to be asked," the manager said. "Darn right, he has to do something." Mackanin pointed to Morgan's 1-7 record and 6.62 ERA entering Friday night's 4-3 loss in 11 innings to the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Morgan lost a Spring Training competition to be the team's fifth starter, but when he was promoted in April to replace Charlie Morton, who suffered a season-ending groin injury, he struggled. He recently rejoined the rotation to replace Zach Eflin, who had season-ending knee surgery Friday. "He has to start doing something," Mackanin said. "One and seven with a six ERA is not good. I think he's better than that, but he has to start showing it. It's cut and dried." Morgan delivered against the Cardinals and stood in line for the win until Jeanmar Gomez blew his fourth save of the season in the ninth. Morgan allowed five hits, one run, two walks and struck out three in six-plus innings. "I was thrilled about the way Morgan pitched," Mackanin said afterward. "He looked almost masterful with his changeup, keeping them off balance." It was the first time since May 21 that Morgan allowed two or fewer runs in six or more innings, when he allowed two runs in six innings against the Braves. He went 0-5 with a 7.65 ERA in eight starts in between. "I don't really want to look at it that way," Morgan said, asked if he considers these final few weeks make-or-break for him. "I just want to take advantage of the opportunity. I feel like once you start looking back, like, 'Oh, gosh, I've really got to do good here to stay in the big leagues,' I feel like the mind wanders. It's pretty simple. I'm trying to take advantage of the opportunity and give the team a chance to win every time I go out."

Unable To Close The Door – Jeanmar Gomez has been one of the Phillies' best stories this season. He entered the year as a middle reliever and only out of desperation became the team's closer in early April. He took to the job surprisingly well and entered Friday night's 4-3 loss in 11 innings to the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park having saved 32 games in 35 opportunities. But Gomez blew his fourth save in the ninth inning when Cardinals shortstop Jedd Gyorko hit a game-tying, two-run home run to left field. Gyorko fouled off three consecutive pitches before hitting the eighth pitch from Gomez -- an 86-mph splitter -- out of the park. Gomez left the clubhouse immediately after the game, which has happened before following blown saves, so he could not discuss Gyorko's at-bat. "He hung a split to Gyorko," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It was center cut. He's been so good for us this whole year. He's been very good for us. I can't fault him." Gomez certainly has been solid this season, but his long-term future as the Phillies' closer will be interesting to watch. One reason the Phillies received little to no interest in him before the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline -- despite numerous teams needing bullpen help -- is that he does not miss enough bats. Teams love power arms in the bullpen, but Gomez entered the game getting swings and misses on only 6.8 percent of his pitches, which ranked 215th out of 228 pitchers who have thrown 50 or more innings this season, according to FanGraphs. His 5.98 strikeouts-per-nine innings average ranked 207th. That argument has many people thinking setup man Hector Neris could be the Phillies' closer at some point. Neris gets swings and misses on 15.6 percent of his pitches, which ranked seventh in baseball. He averages 11.26 strikeouts per nine innings, which ranked 14th. Neris struck out Tommy Pham on three pitches to start the eighth. Stephen Piscotty grounded out on the first pitch for the second out, and Matt Carpenter flied out on the first pitch for the third out to end the inning. Five pitches, three outs. Impressive. "Neris threw a heck of a good inning," Mackanin said. They needed another one in the ninth.

Tattered Rotation – The Phillies will enter the offseason hoping that two of their top young pitchers will be healthy and ready to pitch by Spring Training. The team announced Friday afternoon that right-hander Zach Eflin had season-ending surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee. He will be immobilized for the next six weeks, which will allow a stress fracture in his right foot to heal. Eflin is expected to have the same surgery on his left knee in six weeks. "It seems like that's where it's headed," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said about the second surgery. "If everything proceeds according to plan, he should be no problem for Spring Training. We'll see. "The hope here is that it's going to alleviate the problem and that he's not going to have to deal with it. And in just talking candidly with Zach last night, while not excited to undergo the knife today, he was pretty excited about the possibility of coming to Spring Training next year pain-free for the first time in his life." Eflin, 22, said he has had knee problems since he was 10 or 11 years old, a problem the Phillies said they have known since they acquired him from the Dodgers in December 2014 in the Jimmy Rollins trade. But they also said they also did not believe two knee surgeries were an eventuality. "There was not an imminent surgery looming when we talked about Zach Eflin in Spring Training, for example," Klentak said. "But we know that it's something he's battled and knew it was a possibility that one day this would come, but didn't know if or when, specifically." Before the Phillies placed Eflin on the 60-day disabled list, they placed right-hander Aaron Nola on the 60-day DL on Wednesday because of a low grade sprain of his UCL and a low grade strain of his flexor pronator tendon. He received a PRP injection into the elbow Monday. Nola will not throw for four weeks. The Phillies hope to see improvement at that time. They said surgery for Nola is not a consideration at this point. "Would we like all these guys to pitch a full season and reach certain benchmarks and accomplish all their goals? Well, yeah," Klentak said. "We want that for all of our players. A lot of our guys have made a lot of progress this year. Injuries to pitchers, that's part of how baseball works." The Phillies acquired Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton last winter to stabilize an inexperienced rotation. Hellickson could return next season, if the Phillies make him a qualifying offer and he surprises them and accepts it. But even if Hellickson returns, it seems likely the Phillies will acquire another veteran starter in the offseason. "I think that's the plan," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I think that's what we have to do. We have to make at least some progress for next year and you know, the younger guys, they have to do something to get promoted. We're not going to run guys up here if we don't think they're ready. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens over the winter and then what happens in the spring." Eflin went 3-5 with a 5.54 ERA in 11 starts. He got hit hard in his big league debut against the Blue Jays in June. He posted a 2.08 ERA in seven consecutive starts from June 19-July 22 before posting a 13.85 ERA in his final three starts. "I'm not overly concerned about Nola ,and I'm not concerned about Eflin, because he's had that for a long time, and I think with it behind him now and getting it taken care of, he's got to feel good about that," Mackanin said. "I expect him to be 100 percent, probably better than this year. Nola, time will tell. Perhaps the time off will really help him."

Likely To Stay – Chase Utley enjoyed an unforgettable homecoming this week at Citizens Bank Park, and the way Ryan Howard has played lately, he could receive an even warmer farewell in a few weeks, too. Howard opened the season in a platoon with Darin Ruf, but he moved into a reserve role following the arrival of Tommy Joseph in May. Howard hit .148 with 11 home runs, 25 RBIs and a .555 OPS in 208 plate appearances through July 1, but he has hit .338 with eight home runs, 18 RBIs and a 1.116 OPS in 71 plate appearances since. "If he keeps hitting like he's hitting, somebody's going to want him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I'm happy for him. I like him. I never expected Howie to be my best friend while he was going through [the benching]. It's not fun doing that kind of thing, but the bottom line is I pull for him. He's a great guy. I'd like to see him succeed and go on and play as long as he wants to play. I'm hoping it works for him." Howard was a topic of conversation Friday after Major League Baseball cleared him and Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman of any wrongdoing following an investigation of the Al Jazeera documentary "The Dark Side" that claimed in December that Howard and Zimmerman took performance-enhancing drugs. "I'm happy it's over," Howard said. "It's something that weighs on you, when you get stuff like that. I'm happy to put it behind me and keep going." But Howard, despite his recent play, is expected to finish the season with the Phillies. The Phillies might see more value in having the iconic first baseman finish the year with them and continue to mentor the team's young players than give him to a contender for a miniscule return. That said, the Phillies are expected to exercise the $10 million buyout on Howard's $25 million club option for next season. "Until somebody is not in our uniform, I always expect they're going to be here the next day," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. Like Mackanin, Klentak also is happy to see Howard turn around his season. "I know especially early in the year, it was a trying year for him," Klentak said. "To see the way that he has handled all of that, and continued to grind, continued to work hard and to earn the playing time and now to be performing as well as he is for the last month or so, it's a really good story. If this is in fact Ryan's last year in Philadelphia, he's helping to write a nice end to it."

Welcome Back – Infielder Emmanuel Burriss rejoined the Phillies on Friday after the team optioned Taylor Featherston to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies made room for Burriss on the 40-man roster when they placed Zach Eflin on the 60-day disabled list following surgery on his right knee. Featherston hit .115 (3-for-26) with one double, one RBI, two walks and 11 strikeouts in 19 games with Philadelphia. Burriss hit .121 (4-for-33) with one double, one triple, one walk and seven strikeouts in 27 games earlier this season. Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez did not start for the second consecutive game after fouling a ball off his foot earlier this week. "We did give him an X-ray on the foot just to rule out any fractures, and there are no fractures," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. "He should be available if we need him, we're just trying to give him some extra rest."

Today In Phils History – The Phillies welcomed back George McQuillan on this day in 1915. In 1951, Richie Ashburn recorded 8 hits in a double header (still the last Phillie to accomplish the feat). 4 years later, following a complete game shutout the day before, the Phillies brought in Robin Roberts in the 9^th inning to face Dodgers pinch hitting pitcher Don Newcombe. The Phillies snapped a 23 game losing streak with a win over the Braves on this day in 1961. The Phillies picked up, via trade, Al Oliver on this day in 1984. 2 years later, Juan Samuel became the second player in franchise history to score the only run in an extra inning game via homerun when he took that night’s starter Mike Krukow deep in the 10^th.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 57-66 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 49-57-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Franco Powers Phillies To Victory

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 6-3

Tyler Anderson wasn't long for this one. In the Phillies' 6-3 win Saturday night, the Rockies' rookie left-hander hit Maikel Franco the at-bat after the third baseman gave Philadelphia an early lead with a three-run homer and subsequent exuberant trot. Tempers flared. Benches cleared. Bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected. After Franco came around to score, the Rockies had more fireworks to contribute by way of the long ball. Franco didn't believe Anderson plunked him on purpose. But given the situation, he wasn't surprised to see the benches clear and his team come to his defense, either. "I know the team had to protect me," Franco said. "They had to respond, too. … I didn't expect the ball to be coming because I didn't do anything wrong, just run my bases. This moment, you just have to get mad a little bit." Anderson and Weiss each said they thought home-plate umpire Eric Cooper's decision was quick, but they also saw Cooper's side. "Obviously, I put that guy [Cooper] in a tough situation, because he hit a home run the at-bat before, but I was not going to intentionally hit the guy in the shin," Anderson said. "A little quick, but I put him in a bad spot, too." Down four runs in the sixth, Colorado knocked Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff out after 5 2/3 innings with a pair of dingers. Daniel Descalso mashed a two-run blast, while Tony Wolters added a solo shot -- the third straight plate appearance he reached safely in to start the game. The win gives the Phillies three straight victories for the first time since early July -- a streak the Rockies snapped during the teams' series in Colorado. A sweep Sunday would be their first since taking three from the Braves during that streak. The Rockies are trending in an opposite direction, dropping their eighth game of their last 10 to fall five below .500 for the first time since July 23. "It's really good to win a series against this lineup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This whole lineup is a good lineup. All you have to do is look at their batting averages. We're doing a heck of a job beating these guys the first two games."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Franco took his time rounding the bases after putting a three-spot on the scoreboard in the first inning with his 21st blast of the season. The next pitch Franco saw from Anderson in the fourth was a fastball to the knee. Franco stared down Anderson, who had words for him and home-plate umpire Eric Cooper, and took first after the benches and bullpens cleared. A Carlos Ruiz walk pushed Franco to second, where he hustled home on Freddy Galvis' single to give the Phillies their fourth six run of the evening. The Phillies' third baseman had a hand (and knee) in all four.
• The sixth inning has not treated Eickhoff well. The three runs Colorado plated off him in the inning upped his sixth-inning ERA this season to an astronomical 12.71. Eickhoff's struggles the third time through the order have plagued him all season, often turning a potential gem into a mess heading into the seventh. Thanks to some uncharacteristic run support, Eickhoff's scheduled sixth-inning implosion cost him only ERA points, not a win. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff isn't so sure either. Despite the gaudy numbers, he doesn't believe it's any sort of a trend. He attributed his struggles in the sixth his last start to an inability to locate, while Saturday, he believed he lost the touch on his curveball. "It just comes down to getting that curveball over," Eickhoff said. "I got it over the first inning maybe, but if the hitters can eliminate that, especially being lefties, you know, it's a big weapon for me. If I'm not throwing that with consistency, they can just put that in the back of their mind, or eliminate it, really."
• Andres Blanco is still more than a week away from removing the pin from his fractured left index finger. Mackanin said the tentative date for that is Aug. 22, but once it is out, it shouldn't take Blanco much more than a week to be ready for action again. Mackanin anticipates Blanco's return around the first week of September.
• The Phillies moved Jeremy Hellickson's next start back to let him rest his sore back and also get a better look at it. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, Mackanin said Hellickson's next start will tentatively come Saturday against the Cardinals. They'll know for certain after Hellickson goes through more tests Saturday. "He seems to be improved and ready to go," Mackanin said. "But we're going to double-check tomorrow." Hellickson said Friday that although he still had some soreness, he expected to make his next start.
• Mackanin also officially named Adam Morgan as Sunday's starting pitcher, filling in for Eflin. Morgan was scratched from his start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and will be recalled prior to Sunday's game. The Phillies will send down a reliever after Saturday's game to clear a roster spot for the left-hander.

NEXT GAME:

Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65 ERA) gets the nod to fill the injured Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation in the series finale at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. The last time Morgan was on a Major League mound, it was July 7 in Colorado, allowing six runs over five innings to the Rockies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Bad Inning(s) – Numbers don't lie. And they don't tell a pretty story for Jerad Eickhoff after the fifth inning. Albeit in a 6-3 Phillies win, the Rockies again signed their name to the list of teams to torch Eickhoff the third time around the order. They had done so once already, scoring six of their eight runs off Eickhoff in the sixth inning of his start at Coors Field in July. The first five innings Saturday were hardly easy for Eickhoff. He allowed six hits and nine baserunners but stranded them all. David Dahl doubled with one out the sixth, and he was not stranded. Daniel Descalso homered the next at-bat and Tony Wolters followed two batters later with a solo shot of his own. After a triple by pitcher Chris Rusin, Eickhoff's night was over, in the sixth, again. With the two outs recorded in the inning Saturday, Eickhoff has now pitched 17 total sixth innings this season. In those, he has allowed 24 runs. Over 119 1/3 total innings pitched in the first through fifth frame, Eickhoff has allowed a combined 34 runs. His sixth-inning ERA climbed to 12.71. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff knows what the numbers say, but he doesn't see any trend. To him, it's a different malfunction each time. On Saturday, he said he lost his touch on the curveball. The start prior, in which he completed the sixth, but not before allowing three Padres runs, he pointed to a single mistake pitch on a two-run Ryan Schimpf home run. Even dating back to his Minor League days, Eickhoff said it was the early innings, not the late ones, that gave him trouble. "It's just kind of how trends happen," Eickhoff said, emphasizing their randomness. "It's not anything concerning for me." While Eickhoff may not have an explanation for the consistent sixth-inning struggles, there was an easy one for Saturday's. With temperatures north of 90 degrees and a heat index of 105 at first pitch, Eickhoff (and everyone else) was dripping with sweat. He had command of his curve in the first, but it evaporated as the game continued. A curveball may be the pitch most affected by a slick hand: having to grip the seams, flick the wrist to get the ball spinning, all while commanding it with precision -- ideally. It had been "a while" since Eickhoff pitched in hot and humid conditions comparable to Saturday, and he didn't shy away from admitting its effects. "I felt like I had it early on," Eickhoff said. "But as the game went on and the more I sweat, the moisture kept building. I couldn't throw it like I wanted to. It's just a part of the game. I've got to adjust to it and I wasn't able to do that.”

Season Over? – Zach Eflin's first Major League season could be over. In addition to the patellar tendinopathy in both his knees that put him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, an MRI on Friday revealed Eflin also has a stress fracture in his right foot. "I would say it's unlikely he'll be back this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I can't commit to that 100 percent, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll be back." Eflin has dealt with knee issues for years, but the pain in his foot was a more recent occurrence. Eflin said the foot began to bother him a couple weeks ago and asked for it to be examined when he was getting an MRI on his knees. In both cases, Eflin and the Phillies are waiting for more detailed results and will likely seek a second opinion. With no knowledge of his current situation, it would be difficult to diagnose Eflin with any sort of injury. He strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. His foot is no game of Russian nesting dolls. There is no walking boot, medical tape or other treatment beneath the leather cowboy boot on his right foot. "When I walk on the outside of it, I feel it, but I'm fine," Eflin said. "Obviously I could pitch through it. But it's just not really ideal." If this is the end of Eflin's rookie season, he'll finish with a 3-5 record and 5.54 ERA. It did have its bright spots, though, including a complete-game shutout of the Pirates and a seven-start run without allowing more than three earned runs.

Today In Phils History – While staying in Ventnor, NJ recovering from a series of illnesses in 1913, club President William Locke died of a heart attack. The Phillies finally put an end to their 30 inning scoreless streak on this day in 1942. 10 year later, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones ended his NL record for 3B streak of 62 games without committing an error. The Phillies lost their 17^th straight game on this day in 1961 which was also the 11^th straight game during which the opposing pitcher recorded a complete game. 20 year later, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #300 off of New York’s Mike Scott. The following season, Pete Rose moved passed Hank Aaron on the all-time at bat list with 12,365. 2 year later, Juan Samuel stole his 56^th base of the year breaking Sherry Magee’s franchise record. 6 years ago, R. A. Dickey held the Phillies to only 1 hit which was recorded by opposing pitcher Cole Hamels in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Mets. Finally, happy birthday to Juan Pierre who was born on this day in 1977.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 55-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 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.