Phillies Close out Grapefruit League Action With A Win

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Phillies Ground Astros 8-4

Houston ace Dallas Keuchel looks ready for Opening Day. He allowed two hits and struck out six in seven scoreless innings, but the Phillies roared back in an 8-4 victory Wednesday afternoon in a Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field. It was the final Spring Training game for both teams in Florida. Keuchel dominated the Phillies, but they scored eight runs in the eighth inning against Astros relievers Pat Neshek, Tony Sipp and James Hoyt. The inning included a lineout RBI from pinch-hitter Ryan Howard, as well as Cesar Hernandez executing a suicide squeeze to allow Will Venable to score from third to tie the game. It was the Phillies' third suicide squeeze of the spring and their fourth successful squeeze play overall. Maikel Franco's single scored a run to give the Phillies the lead and Andres Blanco hit a grand slam to seal it. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve hit a three-run home run to left field with two outs in the fifth inning against Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson to give Houston the lead. It was Altuve's second homer of the spring. Hellickson allowed four hits, three runs, one walk and struck out five in 4 2/3 innings. He finished the spring with a 3.31 ERA. "I felt great," Hellickson said about his spring. "I've just got to get better still with two outs and guys in scoring position. I've got to get those big outs when I need them." After Preston Tucker doubled and Alex Bregman replaced him as a pinch-runner, the Astros scored another run in the bottom of the ninth off a single from Jason Castro.

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies Broadcasters Foundation announced that the deadline to apply for its 2016 Kalas Award is May 31. The Kalas Award is given to a college student(s) who has a stated desire and shown initiative towards a career in sports broadcasting. Applications are available online at phillybroadcasters.org.
• Former Phillies public relations boss Larry Shenk has written a book, The Fightin' Phillies: 100 Years of Philadelphia Baseball from the Whiz Kids to the Misfits. Shenk is the Phillies' unofficial historian, having spent more than 50 years with the organization.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies head north to Reading, Pa., where they play a seven-inning exhibition Thursday night at 6:05 p.m. ET against some of the Phillies' top prospects. Prospects in the lineup include J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp.

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome Back – The Phillies re-signed Edward Mujica to a Minor League contract on Wednesday, a day after releasing the veteran relief pitcher. Mujica had activated an out clause in his original contract when the Phillies did not add him to their roster by midnight ET on Sunday. That gave the club 48 hours to make a decision, and it elected not to put the 31-year-old in its Opening Day bullpen. Mujica, who will report to Minor League camp on Thursday, allowed two runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts over 8 1/3 Grapefruit League innings. The 10-year veteran spent last season with Boston and Oakland, posting a 4.75 ERA over 49 appearances. After his release, Mujica had expressed an openness to staying with the organization. "I'll have to see," he said. "[Manager Pete Mackanin] told me I'm going to have pretty good chances, if I go to Triple-A, in getting back to the big leagues."

Future On Exhibit – 2016 is about the future, so it makes sense that the Phillies are playing two of their final three exhibition games against some of their top prospects. They will play seven innings Thursday night in Reading, Pa., and Zach Eflin and Mark Appel will pitch for the prospects' team. The Phillies play the prospects again Saturday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Jake Thompson and Ricardo Pinto will pitch that game. In between, the Phillies will host the Orioles on Friday night. Here is the prospects roster: Pitchers (nine): Right-handers Thompson (No. 2), Appel (No. 4), Pinto (No. 10), Eflin (No. 13), Edubray Ramos (No. 29), Victor Arano, Miguel Nunez, and left-handers Joely Rodriguez and Tom Windle. Catchers (two): Jorge Alfaro (No. 6) and Andrew Knapp (No. 9). Infielders (nine): J.P. Crawford (No. 1), Scott Kingery (No. 11), Malquin Canelo (No. 12), Rhys Hoskins (No. 20), Tommy Joseph, Angelo Mora, Brock Stassi, Jesmuel Valentin and Mitch Walding. Outfielders (six): Nick Williams (No. 3), Roman Quinn (No. 7), Carlos Tocci (No. 14), Dylan Cozens (No. 23), Aaron Brown (No. 28) and Andrew Pullin.

Will This Be A Good Year? – It has been one heck of a spring for Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. He opened big league camp in February for the first time as a full-time manager after managing the Pirates in 2005, the Reds in 2007 and the Phillies in 2015 on an interim basis. He hammered home the importance of fundamentals and playing with energy. His boss, Phillies general manager Matt Klentak, noticed his efforts and how his players responded to his words, too. Klentak tore up Mackain's one-year contract this month and replaced it with a two-year contract with a club option for 2018. Mackanin begins his first full season as manager Monday on Opening Day in Cincinnati. "It's already hit me," he said before Wednesday afternoon's 8-4 win over the Astros at Bright House Field. "I keep telling my wife, it's not that big of a deal. I've managed quite a few games in the big leagues. Managing is the same everywhere you go. It's getting through Spring Training, and doing the things I wanted to do and focusing on certain fundamentals, that is one thing that is the most important part of it, rather than during the season. I'm a manager, and I'm just managing." The Phillies finished their Grapefruit League schedule at 15-10-3. It does not translate into regular-season success, but Mackanin thinks he accomplished what he wanted to accomplish this spring. He thinks there are reasons to be optimistic about 2016. "I think with our rotation, and the bullpen we're going to have, excluding the closer right now, I think we're going to be in a lot more games than we were last year," Mackanin said. "I think that's going to lead to more wins. How many remains to be seen." Ten Phillies pitchers not named Cole Hamels, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Adam Morgan posted a combined 6.19 ERA in 106 starts (65.4 percent of their games) last season. The Phillies also had a 34-37 record following the All-Star break with Maikel Franco, who could be their best hitter, missing 46 of those games. But while nobody is expecting the Phillies to contend this season, they expect to be better. They do not expect to finish with the worst record in baseball for the second consecutive season. It should be interesting to follow, because of the young players on the current roster and the prospects coming up through the system. Their Opening Day roster could look very different from their mid-August roster. "I was really happy to see all of those young guys I had heard about but hadn't seen," Mackanin said. "And they really looked like they've got a chance to be real good players. "My focus right now is on the guys we have on the Major League level. And I really don't want to discount those guys, their turn will come. But I'm hoping we're not going to have to take a chance on bringing them up early, because the guys we have at the big league level are doing so well that there's going to be no rush."

Could This Be The Year? – If one had to bet on the first prospect to join the Phillies this season, one might take outfielder Nick Williams or right-hander Jake Thompson. Williams and Thompson will open the season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and based on their skill sets and the organization's needs, their paths to the big leagues could be the shortest. But shortstop J.P. Crawford figures to get the most attention this season, and understandably so, as he is the No. 5 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline. He also has the brightest future, making him the Phillies' prospect to watch in 2016. "I think about it all the time," Crawford said about his call to the big leagues. But patience is key, perhaps for Phillies fans more than anyone. Crawford, 21, has played only 86 games at Double-A Reading. He hit .265 with 21 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 34 RBIs and a .761 OPS in 351 at-bats last season, and he hit .150 with one RBI, three walks and three strikeouts this spring. He has room to improve, and that means he needs more time to develop in the Minor Leagues. Besides, there is no rush. The Phillies are rebuilding for the future, so 2017 and beyond are more important than 2016. The Phillies want to make sure Crawford is ready to play every day and succeed whenever he gets the call. They don't want to yo-yo him from the big leagues to the Minor Leagues, and they don't want him to split time at shortstop with Freddy Galvis. When he is up, he will be up, and he will be playing. "If it happens, it happens," Crawford said about a potential promotion. "I'm not really going to think about that. But if I do, I do. If I don't, I don't." Of course, Crawford could force the issue with his own play. He could start the season in Reading and dominate, earning a relatively quick promotion to Triple-A. And if he plays well there, perhaps he'll warrant a promotion before the end of the season. But there are plenty of "ifs" there. Could Crawford make the big leagues this year? Yes, but only if he is ready. After all, the long-term is much more important than a little short-term spike in fan excitement.

Today In Phils History - When the Phillies lost the marathon on opening day in 1998 against the Mets, they did so with a number of players making their first appearances in a Phillies uniform including Doug Glanville, Bobby Abreu, Mark Lewis, and Alex Arias. Five years later they would showcase another overhauled roster with the additions of  Jim Thome, Tyler Houston, Kevin Millwood, and David Bell. And five years after that they would field another collection of new faces in Chad Durbin, Pedro Feliz, Geoff Jenkins, and So Taguchi. Six years later, one of the stalwarts on that championship team, Jimmy Rollins, would make his 14th consecutive opening day start at shortstop setting a NL record and tying the major league record set by Cal Ripken. However, there is one surname that can overshadow the rest of the events from this day... DiMaggio. Even though it was Vince who was acquired on this day in 1945. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 15-10-3 (16-10-3 if you include the exhibition game against the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

Wow, What A Load Of Crap!

GAME RECAP: Pirates Pound Phillies 18-4

Starling Marte, Tony Sanchez, Pedro Florimon and Pedro Alvarez hit two-run homers, Josh Harrison added a solo job and Alvarez capped the homers with a grand slam Monday as the Pirates downed the Phillies, 18-4, in the Bucs' final Grapefruit League home game, which was marred by a benches-clearing fracas. A punches-free altercation was sparked by Sean Rodriguez's displeasure at being quick-pitched by Phillies right-hander Kevin Slowey in the fourth inning. Coaches Juan Samuel of the Phillies and Rick Sofield of the Pirates were ejected during the disturbance. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle drew a later thumb from plate umpire Chad Fairchild for arguing balls and strikes. Harrison began the game against Philadelphia righty Zach Eflin with his second leadoff homer of the spring, and Marte connected in the third. Sanchez hit his team-leading fourth homer in the fourth off Slowey. Slowey was charged with six runs in two innings. Freddy Galvis hit his first spring homer in the sixth, a two-run shot to right field off Adrian Sampson. The back end of Pittsburgh's bullpen started the game to get them work before substitutes filled the Phillies lineup. Closer Mark Melancon started and was followed by left-handed setup man Tony Watson. Each pitched a shutout inning.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Sean O'Sullivan starts Tuesday against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Fla. The Phillies reassigned O'Sullivan to Minor League camp earlier this month, but he suddenly finds himself as the favorite to be the team's No. 5 starter. The Phillies are looking outside the organization for pitching help, but if O'Sullivan pitches well, he has a chance to pitch for the Phillies on April 12, which is the earliest they will need a fifth starter.

PHILS PHACTS:

Ready For The Regular Season? – Pirates left fielder Sean Rodriguez challenged Kevin Slowey to a fight Monday at McKechine Field. It never got that far. Benches and bullpens cleared before the bottom of the fifth inning of an 18-4 loss to the Pirates, but nobody threw any punches. Rodriguez thought Slowey quick-pitched him in his fourth-inning plate appearance, which Slowey won with a strikeout. Rodriguez thought he had called time on the play, but home plate umpire Chad Fairchild never awarded it. The pitch surprised and clearly irritated Rodriguez, who declined comment. Rodriguez yelled at Slowey as he walked off the field. Slowey stared at Rodriguez the entire time, although Slowey claimed he stared only because he did not know who Rodriguez was yelling at. Rodriguez continued to yell at Slowey when he returned to the mound to start the fifth. At that point benches cleared. "It surprises me to be that upset, and challenging somebody to a physical altercation hardly seems like the best way to resolve your frustrations," Slowey said. "I was kind of taken by surprise at his animosity after his at-bat. I know the kind of guy that he purports to be. That surprised me that that would be his choice of words and reaction. I guess I understand the frustration of a singular failure. It's a game of failures. But to react that way to me was very surprising." Said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle: "The umpires don't have to give you time. I'm not here to be judge or jury. We'll talk about it internally, about how we can do better job of not letting it happen again, or what we'll do if it does happen again." Phillies first base coach Juan Samuel and Pirates third base coach Rick Sofield were ejected. "He called him some unnecessary words," Samuel said about Rodriguez. "Nothing happened, but again, when [Rodriguez] was coming off the field in the [middle of the fifth], he kind of told [Slowey] the same kind of thing: 'If you want to take it out back, meet me in the parking lot.' The third base coach was telling me to get into my dugout. So I told him to help me come in. Help me get in my dugout. I'll show you." Sofield declined comment. Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa also got plenty heated during the altercation. But just when it appeared cooler heads prevailed, a fan just a few rows behind home plate started yelling at Bowa, who then motioned for the fan to come onto the field. Bowa had no interest in talking about it after the game. Slowey's afternoon unraveled after that. He allowed four runs in the fifth inning to give him a 7.71 ERA in seven appearances. In two innings, he allowed six hits, six runs and two homers with two strikeouts. Slowey had been competing with Sean O'Sullivan to be the No. 5 starter, though the Phillies are looking outside the organization for help. Twins pitcher Mike Pelfrey might be available in a trade. The Reds just released Paul Maholm, who had a good spring.

Not A Happy Manager – Ryne Sandberg's emotions are difficult to read, but he seemed relatively upset Monday afternoon at McKechnie Field. The Phillies lost to the Pirates in ugly fashion, 18-4. But the last week is cause for greater concern. The Phillies are 0-5-1 since a victory Tuesday against the Braves. They have been outscored 50-11 in that stretch. "Unacceptable, unacceptable game," Sandberg said. "Hitting, defense and pitching. We pitched up in the zone. Our bats didn't hit on a good day to hit. And we didn't play good defense. An unacceptable game in all phases of the game. "This time of spring, we want to have things together. We need to get the roster together and get fine-tuned for the season, but there are still decisions to be made. It's a game to put behind us, that's for sure. It was bad in all phases." Sandberg said he hopes to have his Opening Day lineup together for Friday's and Saturday's exhibition games against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. "Maybe create some momentum for Opening Day," Sandberg said. The Phillies do not have to finalize their 25-man roster until Sunday, and they are still looking at players, so Sandberg will be shuffling lineups until then. But that does not excuse the fact the team has played so poorly over the past week. Every other team in baseball is going through the same thing. "It would be nice to end Spring Training on a good note with the guys together," Sandberg said.

Decisions That Have To Be Made – Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies have about four or five decisions to make before they finalize the Opening Day roster. One important decision has been made. Rule 5 Draft pick Odubel Herrera not only has made the team, but he will also be the Opening Day center fielder. "He kind of fits the bill of what we were trying to do," Amaro said before Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates at McKechnie Field. "We were trying to get younger, a little more athletic. He's got good energy; he's got a decent package. Is he going to be a .300 hitter toward the top of our lineup or wherever [Ryne Sandberg] puts him? I don't know. We're going to give him a shot. That's what this season is about." Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown is likely to open the season on the disabled list with tendinitis in his left Achilles, which would open up another roster spot. The Phillies also might carry an extra bench player or relief pitcher with no need for a fifth starter until April 12. Darin Ruf is one of the only right-handed bats in camp with power. Amaro said Ruf is not a lock to make the team, but he also said Ruf playing in Triple-A is not ideal. Read between the lines, folks. Ruf is a safe bet to make the team. "He's not really a natural outfielder," Amaro said when asked why Ruf has not received a longer look in left field. "We're going to try to utilize speed at the top of the lineup and throughout the lineup rather than power, because we just don't have enough. Ruf can break in and get as many at-bats as he wants if he produces. He'll get some chances to play." Asked about the lack of power in the outfield with Ben Revere in left and Herrera in center, Amaro said: "We knew we weren't going to have any. We didn't expect to have any power in our outfield. Or our infield. We didn't have any expectations that we'd have power. We're going to have to try to create runs with our legs and with decent at-bats. That's how we're going to have to do it." Infielder Cesar Hernandez has hit just .133 in 45 at-bats this spring. Non-roster invitees Russ Canzler (.316) and Cord Phelps (.270) have outplayed him, but Hernandez is out of options, so the Phillies could lose him if he does not make the team. That alone could keep Hernandez on the roster. "He kind of falls in that category of young player with some athleticism and such," Amaro said. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont (4.15 ERA in seven appearances) also is out of options. He seems to be on the outside looking in, but he could find a spot if the Phillies carry an extra relief pitcher through April 12. "If we take 13 pitchers, he'd have a much better chance to be a part of that," Amaro said. The Phillies signed outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year, $2 million contract in October, despite posting a .580 OPS from Aug. 6 through the end of the season. Sizemore has hit just .147 in 34 at-bats this spring. Other outfielders in camp like Brian Bogusevic (.344 in 32 at-bats), Jordan Danks (.257 in 35 at-bats) and Jeff Francoeur (.206 in 34 at-bats) have either outperformed Sizemore or have skill sets that Sizemore does not have (i.e. better defensively). Amaro said Bogusevic, Danks, Francoeur or Canzler could be the team's Opening Day right fielder. That said, Sizemore is expected to make the team. "For me, he is [on the team]," Amaro said. "Sizemore can swing the bat." But the challenge is correctly weighing a player's spring performance with his track record. The Phillies raved last spring about right-hander Jeff Manship. He had an excellent camp and made the team, despite a 6.42 ERA in 52 big league appearances over the previous five seasons. Manship posted a 6.65 ERA in 20 appearances last season with the Phillies, falling in line with his career numbers. Beware the player with big Spring Training numbers and far less impressive numbers in the regular season. "That's the danger of evaluating guys, and how you evaluate them, in Spring Training," Amaro said. "You have to kind of balance what the baseball card says and what their history is with how you think they are going to do and how you think they are going to react playing in the big leagues right now."

Fixing The Rotation – The Phillies have made their starting pitching schedule top secret this spring, but they announced Sean O'Sullivan will pitch Tuesday against the Blue Jays. It is noteworthy because O'Sullivan is the favorite to be the team's No. 5 starter, which they will need April 12. The Phillies reassigned O'Sullivan to Minor League camp earlier this month, but he has been getting stretched out. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez had been a candidate, but the Phillies optioned him Sunday. Kevin Slowey remains a candidate, but Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday the Phillies are looking outside the organization for starting pitching help. "But it's likely to be an internal candidate," Amaro said. But there are options out there. The Reds just released left-hander Paul Maholm. He allowed seven hits, three earend runs and two walks with five strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings. If Maholm, 32, isn't a fit, a minor trade or another free-agent signing might work. Twins pitcher Mike Pelfrey could be available. He is not happy after being sent to the bullpen. If the Phillies find somebody from the outside, it likely is going to come in a minor trade or waivers. There is no need to sacrifice any young talent for a No. 5 starter this season. Right-hander Chad Billingsley is recovering from a pair of right elbow surgeries. Amaro said they expect Billingsley to be big league ready around late April or early May. He could slide into the No. 5 slot at that time if he is capable. Oh, Phillies fans with tickets to Opening Day on Monday against the Red Sox can relax. Amaro said he expects Cole Hamels to be on the mound for the Phillies. The Phillies have been looking to trade him to help their rebuilding efforts. "I expect us to go into the season with the folks we have out here, by and large," Amaro said. Amaro said right-hander Jonathan Pettibone, who is recovering from right shoulder sugery, will throw a live bullpen session Tuesday. Amaro said Cliff Lee, Billingsley, Pettibone, Mario Hollands and possibly Domonic Brown will open the season on the disabled list.

A Learning Experience – The Phillies have highlighted three of their better pitching prospects in the past week with Aaron Nola, Severino Gonzalez and Zach Eflin each getting a start. Eflin started Monday's 18-4 loss to the Pirates at McKechnie Field, allowing three hits, four runs (one earned), one walk and two home runs with two strikeouts in three innings. The Phillies acquired Eflin in December in the Jimmy Rollins trade. MLBPipeline.com considers Eflin the No. 5 prospect in the organization. "I had the jitters a little bit," Eflin said. "It was such a surreal moment." Eflin threw a 1-1 sinker to Pirates third baseman Josh Harrison, who hit a solo home run to right field to lead off the first inning. Elfin retired seven of the next nine batters he faced, until Gregory Polanco singled and Starling Marte homered with two outs in the third. "I had so much pumping through me," Elfin said. "My main focus was trying to keep the ball down, but you can't pitch good every day. You've just got to learn from it." It is highly unusual for the Phillies to have three pitching prospects make spot starts this late in Spring Training. Typically these things happen the first week of March with the pitcher sent to Minor League camp soon thereafter. Not this year. "This year is more about our future than our present," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "This is about finding out, frankly, and this sounds strange, but I'm more interested in the development of the guys in Triple-A and Double-A and A ball than I am necessarily the guys on the [Major League] field." Phillies third baseman Cody Asche returned to the field for the first time since Thursday, when he has scratched from the lineup because of back tightness. He said his back responded well, although he made two errors in the field. "My glove was a little sore today," Asche said. "I'll make sure I ice that up."

Not A Good Deal – The Phillies thought so highly of Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez in the summer of 2013 that they offered him a six-year, $48 million contract. They fully expected him to jump into the 2014 rotation behind Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. But more than a year into his three-year, $12 million contract (Gonzalez lost $36 million because of concerns following his physical), the Phillies have received no return on their investment. And one wonders if they ever will. The Phillies optioned Gonzalez to Minor League camp Sunday after he went 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA in five Grapefruit League appearances. He allowed 25 hits, 12 runs, five home runs and one walk with seven strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings. "It's possible," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday when asked if he is worried the organization will get nothing from Gonzalez. "He hasn't pitched well enough to be a Major League starter for us," Amaro said. "His stuff and his command just weren't good enough. It's kind of simple. He needs to be better for us to utilize him in our rotation. He'll go down and pitch, and hopefully he improves. If he doesn't, then he doesn't." The killer is that Gonzalez never had a better opportunity to make the team. The Phillies desperately need a No. 5 starter with Lee almost certainly lost for the season with a torn tendon in his left elbow. But Gonzalez could not outpitch non-roster invitees Kevin Slowey and Sean O'Sullivan. "You wish the guy was pitching better," Amaro said. "I think he does, too. I think he's disappointed. I think he's disappointed in himself because he geared himself up to want to take this job. It doesn't mean it's the end of him, but he's just not ready to take that job right now." Does this serve as a warning for those who want the Phillies to drop tens of millions of dollars on Cuban free agents? "It's a risk," Amaro said. "There's a lot of teams that were in on him, and we ended up signing him. He hasn't performed as well as we would have liked. He may never perform as well as we would have liked, but that's the risk you take. Sometimes, you've got to take a risk."

THE BEGINNING

After ending 2014 with a 73-89 record, there second consecutive losing season, the Phillies are currently tied for first place for the 2015 season. 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 2-2-0 on this day.