Rookie Roughed Up In Phillies Loss

GAME RECAP: Padres Beat Phillies 9-7

The Padres didn't give Phillies starter Jake Thompson much of a warm welcome in his Major League debut. San Diego's first three batters reached safely to start the game, and four batters later Christian Bethancourt broke open the scoring with a bases-clearing double, with the Padres going on to win, 9-7. The Padres totaled 14 hits, with leadoff hitter Travis Jankowski continuing to serve as the team's spark plug, with three hits and a career-high four runs. "He's been outstanding," said Padres manager Andy Green. "Loving what he's doing, loving the quality at-bats, loving him shooting balls to left field. The walk in the last at-bat [in the eighth inning] when he recovered from being down, I think 1-2 in the count, to come back, walk, steal a base and then have enough feel on the [Yangervis] Solarte play to come flying across the plate to score. We needed that run." Thompson, the No. 69 prospect in baseball according to MLBPipeline.com, allowed four runs in the first inning and two more in the fifth, when Jankowski and Wil Myers led off with back-to-back doubles. He was taken out after 4 1/3 innings and struck out one batter while walking two and hitting one. "He's 22 years old," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You can't judge him on this outing." San Diego starter Paul Clemens also threw 4 1/3 innings despite allowing just two earned runs. Green pulled Clemens after he got his first out in the fifth inning, just a half-inning after Clemens grounded into an inning-ending double play on a failed bunt attempt.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The best thing that can be said about Thompson's debut is that he will get plenty of opportunities to prove himself the rest of the season. He appeared to rush himself in the first inning as the Padres took a 4-0 lead. He settled down after that, retiring nine of 11 batters at one point. But there is no question he has room to improve after allowing six runs in just 4 1/3 innings. "I wasn't nervous," Thompson said. "I was kind of amped up, instead of being nervous. Especially in that first inning, I just wasn't able to spin the ball for strikes or be able to get fastballs down in the zone."
• Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has been relegated to bench duty since Tommy Joseph's emergence this season. But Howard quietly has been putting up some pretty solid numbers. He homered in the second and doubled in the fourth and is hitting .310 (18-for-58) with four doubles, six home runs, 10 RBIs and a .690 slugging percentage in 22 games since June 23.
• "He's making too many mental mistakes. We've got to keep working with him and talking to him about it. He's got so much talent. We have to corral it and figure out a way to get him on track. That's the one thing he's missing right now. He needs to be a little smarter on the bases, and all around baseball. He could be a helluva player." -- Mackanin, on Cesar Hernandez getting caught stealing third in the seventh inning. Hernandez has made 13 outs on the bases this season.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-12, 3.68 ERA) pitches the series finale against the Padres on Sunday at 4:40 p.m. ET at Petco Park. This is the second time Eickhoff will face the Padres. He threw seven scoreless innings against them in April at Citizens Bank Park.

PHILS PHACTS:

Looking Forward To Second Start – Jake Thompson expected better than this. But if there is any good news following his big league debut Saturday night in a 9-7 loss to the Padres at Petco Park it is that he will get more opportunities to prove why the Phillies coveted him last summer in the Cole Hamels trade and why MLBPipeline considers him the No. 69 prospect in baseball. He allowed seven hits, six runs, two walks and struck out one in just 4 1/3 innings. He became one of six Phillies pitchers since 1913 to allow six or more earned runs in fewer than five innings in his big league debut, according to Baseball Reference. Turk Farrell (1956), Rafael Quirico (1996), Ethan Martin (2013), Severino Gonzalez (2015) and Zach Eflin (2016) are the others. "I wasn't nervous," Thompson said. "I was kind of amped up, instead of being nervous. Especially in that first inning, I just wasn't able to spin the ball for strikes or be able to get fastballs down in the zone." Thompson allowed four runs in the first to hand the Padres a 4-0 lead. "He was overthrowing obviously," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He was pumped up. He's got good stuff. He just lacked command, the ball was up in the zone. Kind of typical for a guy making his debut." "I'm sure he had some nerves, a lot of adrenaline," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It makes it a little bit tougher to get the ball down, I think. You're probably feeling really fresh. It happens." Thompson settled down a bit after the first, retiring nine of 11 at one point, before he found himself in trouble again in the fifth. Thompson's debut garnered a little more interest than normal because he took a somewhat unusual route to the big leagues. The Tigers selected him in the second round of the 2012 Draft before trading him to Texas in July 2014 in the Joakim Soria trade. The Rangers then traded him to Philadelphia in July 2015 in the Hamels deal. Thompson also had been pitching incredibly well in Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his promotion. He went 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 21 starts, including an 8-0 record with a 1.21 ERA in his last 11 starts. "For me, I need to get back into the bullpen and work on spinning the ball," Thompson said. "I wasn't able to spin the ball very well tonight, curveball or slider. Just make sure I can spin those down in the zone consistently." He gets his next opportunity Friday night against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. "He's 22 years old," Mackanin said. "You can't judge him on this outing."

Making Cuts – The Phillies decided Saturday that they needed to see Luis Garcia, Michael Mariot and other relief pitchers in the final two months of the 2016 season more than they needed to see Brett Oberholtzer. The Phils designated Oberholtzer for assignment to make room for right-hander Jake Thompson on the 25-man roster. "He's pitched pretty well lately," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about Oberholtzer, "but overall, there's other people that need to be seen, given opportunities to make decisions on them. I think there are other people that are more important for us to see to make a determination about whether they fit. And that's what this year is about." Oberholtzer can be traded, claimed off irrevocable outright waivers, assigned to the Minor Leagues or released within the next 10 days. He first must clear waivers to be sent to the Minor Leagues or released. Oberholtzer posted a 2.88 ERA over 25 innings in 13 appearances since June 8 after he posted a 6.75 ERA in 25 1/3 innings in his first 13 appearances. But the Phillies look at Oberholtzer as a long man, while they think other relievers in the system can potentially play more critical roles in the future. The Phillies acquired Oberholtzer in December as part of the Ken Giles trade. He went 11-20 with a 3.94 ERA in 45 appearances (42 starts) with the Astros from 2013-15. Interestingly, Oberholtzer's departure leaves the Phillies without a left-hander on the entire pitching staff. It is unclear if that has ever happened before in franchise history, but it shouldn't hurt the Phillies too much -- Oberholtzer was not particularly effective against lefties. Right-handers have a .747 OPS against him in his career, while lefties have a .776 OPS. "There's not a lot of guys you can really count on," Mackanin said about the organization's left-handed relievers. The Phillies also asked for unconditional release waivers for right-hander Andrew Bailey.

Today In Phils History – In the last at bat of his career in 1893, Frank O’Connor hit a homerun off of Blatimore’s Bill Hawke. In 1942, the Phillies signed free agent Chuck Klein who would wind down his career over the next 3 seasons of his career. The following season, Utility man Glen Stewart hit the only 2 homeruns of his career (742 at bats) against the Giants. Frank Thomas joined the Phillies via trade on this day in 1964. Bob Skinner resigned as manager on this day in 1969 citing a lack of support from the front office regarding discipline of Dick Allen (George Myatt finished the season with his second stint as interim manager). Following a single by Greg Luzinski in the top of the 9^th against the Cardinals manager Danny Ozark replaced the slugger with Jim Kaat to pinch run who was later replaced after a double by Jay Johnstone with pinch runner Johnny Oates who scored the winning run. 10 years later, Juan Samuel scored on a 4 base error against the Cardinals but it wasn’t enough as Todd Worrell broke the NL Rookie record with his 23^rd save of the season. A decade later, Todd Ziele tied a MLB record by committing 4 errors in a single game while playing 1B against the Braves. 5 years later, Bobby Abreu connects in the 5^th inning against San Diego for the 10,000^th homerun in franchise history. In 2009, Harry Kalas was posthumously inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 51-61 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 52-51-0 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.

Howard And Rupp And Franco… Oh My!

GAME RECAP: Phillies Outlast Giants 5-4

The Giants' midsummer nightmare continued Wednesday night as Maikel Franco's bases-loaded fielder's choice off Jake Peavy snapped a 12th-inning deadlock and gave the Philadelphia Phillies a 5-4 victory. The National League West-leading Giants fell to 4-13 since the All-Star break, the worst record in the Majors during that span. "It's hard to believe," Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto said of the team's skid. "We're a good team. All we can do is keep grinding and putting our best stuff out there every time." Cueto appeared to be in control as he blanked the Phillies on three hits through six innings. He ultimately finished with 10 strikeouts and just one walk. Though Cueto began to falter in the seventh inning, when he surrendered back-to-back homers to Ryan Howard and Cameron Rupp, he seemed more unhappy about Franco's two-out, two-run single that forged a 4-4 tie in the eighth. "Both [Madison] Bumgarner and Cueto are two of the best pitchers in the league, so you have to go out there and not think too much," said Franco, who has five hits in the first two games of the series. "We've had good success with those guys and I feel pretty good about it." The Giants jumped ahead, 4-0, as Posey accounted for every San Francisco run. He smacked a two-run single in the first inning before doubling home a run and scoring in the third.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Phillies recalled right-hander Phil Klein from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday because they placed right-hander Aaron Nola on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. Klein allowed eight hits, four runs and one walk and struck out three in five innings, but he kept the Phillies close enough for a comeback. The Phillies optioned Klein back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following the game. "Got the first guy on a lot of the innings," Klein said. "It's hard to work out of those a lot of the time. Just tried my best to at least get through five and keep 'em in the game the best I could." 
• It took awhile, but Franco's game-winning drive up the middle in the 12th was the first walk-off of his career. Franco is 5-for-10 with one home run and seven RBIs in the first two games of this three-game series against the Giants. "I got my RBI, we win the ballgame, that's what this game is all about," Franco said.
• "I definitely have to buy Maikel some dinner or something." -- Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr, who cost Franco a hit in the 12th when he didn't touch second base. The walk-off was originally ruled a fielder's choice, then changed to a hit, before it was ultimately determined to be a fielder's choice.
• The Giants questioned a fourth-inning umpiring decision in which Angel Pagan was called out at first base. Had Pagan been ruled safe, the Giants would have had another run. But a replay review determined the call on the field stands and Pagan was retired for the inning's final out.
• San Francisco received a break -- and an out -- on a crew chief review of Altherr's infield single in the eighth inning. Upon further examination, Altherr was declared out, and the call on the field was overturned.
• The Phillies challenged Hunter Pence's slide into second base in the 11th inning, which broke up a potential double play. After a short review, the call on the field was confirmed. Pence's slide was legal.
• Another crew chief review in the 11th inning overturned a ruling that held thatFreddy Galvis was safe at first base. The out on Galvis resulted in an inning-ending double play for the Giants.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Velasquez pitches in the 1:05 p.m. ET series finale Wednesday against the Giants. The Phillies and Rangers discussed a potential trade for Velasquez before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, but the deal never got close.

PHILS PHACTS:

Celebrating Too Early – Maikel Franco hit a baseball into right-center field in the 12th inning to beat the Giants on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. He touched first base and sprinted straight into the outfield to avoid a crush of teammates and celebrate the 5-4 victory. "I get excited," Franco said following the walk-off win. He had reason to be excited. The Phillies have won the first two games of a three-game series against the Giants, scoring eight runs in five innings against Madison Bumgarner on Tuesday and four runs in 7 2/3 innings against Johnny Cueto on Wednesday. In four starts against the Phillies this season, Cueto and Bumgarner have a 6.12 ERA. They have a 2.10 ERA against everybody else. "Next time we're going to have to put a limit on how far [Franco] can run," said Tommy Joseph, who scored the winning run from third base. "That was absurd." Phillies right fielder Aaron Altherr got caught up in the moment, too. He was on first base when Franco hit the first pitch from Jake Peavy into the outfield. He knew Joseph had scored the game-winning run so he stopped running and never touched second. He joined the celebration with his teammates instead. But he soon noticed Giants right fielder Hunter Pence retrieve the baseball in the outfield and hurriedly throw to second where Giants catcher Buster Posey stepped on the bag. Second-base umpire Dale Scott signaled an out. "I was like, what's going on here?" Altherr said. "Then when I saw him throw to second I was like, 'Oh, crap.'" The official scorer initially ruled Franco's hit a fielder's choice because Altherr stopped running, taking away Franco's first official walk-off hit. "I definitely have to buy Maikel some dinner or something," Altherr said. Franco said he couldn't have cared less. "Not at all," he said with a big smile. "Not at all. It's more important that we won the ballgame. I got my RBI, we won the ballgame, that's what this game is all about." Franco was later awarded the walk-off hit, albeit briefly. The official scorer reversed his initial stance upon discovering Rule 5.08 (b), which states that the game is finished once the winning run scores and the batter reaches first base safely. In short, it didn't matter that Altherr never touched second. But on Thursday, the ruling changed for a third time. MLB officially ruled the play a fielder's choice, again taking away the hit. Franco will have to wait for his first career walk-off hit after all. The rally started when Joseph got hit by a pitch to start the inning. Phillies reliever Luis Garcia then dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt in the front of the mound. Garcia joined the team this week after the Phillies designated Andrew Bailey for assignment Tuesday. Garcia had not held a bat since Spring Training. "I start Monday," Garcia said about giving the Phillies' pitchers bunting lessons. Cesar Hernandez walked to put runners on first and second with one out when Altherr reached on an error by third baseman Eduardo Nunez to load the bases. Franco ended the game on the next pitch.

Just Filling In – It may feel as though Phil Klein spent less time on the Phillies roster than he did on the mound in Wednesday's 5-4 walk-off win over the Giants. It took the slow-paced Klein more than an hour and a half of game time to finish an unremarkable five innings on 90 pitches, eight of which the Giants connected with for hits. Of course, the game progressed for another seven innings for a season-long 12-inning, four-hour affair. Klein also walked one and allowed four to come around to score. "He did OK," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He showed some good breaking stuff. He didn't have great command, but he held them down and battled his way through it." The Phillies optioned Klein back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following his start, almost certainly clearing way for the organization's top pitching prospect, Jake Thompson, to make his Major League debut in Los Angeles. Mackanin was noncommital, but he didn't shy away from hinting that Thompson's time was sooner rather than later. "I think that might be a good solid guess," Mackanin said before the game. "That's probably a probability." Klein received the call to start after Tuesday's IronPigs game. Mackanin didn't say to Klein if it would be strictly a spot start, but he didn't indicate it would be anything more pregame. He referenced Wei-Yin Chen's eight-inning shutout of the Phillies last season, after which he was optioned. "They just said, 'Hey, here's the ball, here's the mound. Go for it,'" Klein said. Klein was making his third career big league start. His second stint in a Major League rotation eerily mirrors his first. The Rangers, from whom the Phillies claimed Klein off waivers in June, called upon Klein to fill in for the injured Ross Detwiler in May of last year. After a promising starting debut, holding the Red Sox to one run in 5 1/3 innings, Klein imploded in his second start. The Indians scored seven runs (six earned) in two innings off him, and Klein was promptly removed from the rotation. Although Klein's third career start Wednesday was neither as good as his first nor as bad as his second, it's unlikely he'll get a fourth -- barring an unforeseen injury. After his ugly outing against Cleveland, the Rangers replaced him with a promising pitching prospect. Chi Chi Gonzalez not only took Klein's spot starts, he stole Detwiler's rotation spot, not allowing a run for his first 14 2/3 innings. Klein made three more bullpen appearances for the Rangers in 2015. Thompson has given up more than one run just once in his last seven starts at Triple-A.

Let The Call Ups Begin – Aaron Nola's season might be finished. The Phillies announced Wednesday that Nola has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. Nola received a MRI exam in the morning, but Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said the injury is not serious. "I was kind of relieved," Nola said. "After hearing that, I do not need anything big time done to it or anything like that. I can just go forward, let it heal and do the rehab I need to do." The Phillies recalled Triple-A right-hander Phil Klein to pitch in Nola's place Wednesday night against the Giants at Citizens Bank Park, but Triple-A right-hander Jake Thompson is a very smart bet to join the rotation and make his Major League debut next week. Thompson is the organization's top pitching prospect and the No. 71 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Nola's injury at least offers a potential explanation for his recent struggles. He posted a 2.65 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 starts through June 5. He ranked 18th, eighth and fourth among 90 pitchers with 60 or more innings pitched in those categories in that stretch, respectively. He seemed like a legitimate candidate to make the National League All-Star team. But Nola has a 9.82 ERA, 2.06 WHIP and 2.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio in eight starts since. "[Pitching coach Bob] McClure's been saying that for a while, he said there's something there," Mackanin said. "You don't know if it's mechanical or what, but with the fact that he wasn't complaining about his arm, never even brought it up, never even asked for treatment, you've got to figure nothing is wrong with his arm." Nola said throughout his struggles he felt healthy. He said he first felt soreness in his elbow Thursday in his start against the Braves at Turner Field. The soreness remained through a bullpen session Sunday in Atlanta. He told the team about his elbow concerns on the bus on the way to the airport Sunday. "I hope this isn't the end," Nola said about his season. "I'm going to try everything I can to be back by the end of the year." But the Phillies will have to gauge the risk and reward of Nola pitching again this season. Generally, the rule of thumb for injured pitchers is they need the same amount of time to recover from the time they missed. So if Nola rests three weeks, he will need three weeks to get ready to pitch again. If that is the case, he would not be ready to pitch again until mid-September. "He might be shut down for the season," Mackanin said. "That will be determined after these next two weeks." Mackanin said he does not believe the Phillies did not trade right-hander Jeremy Hellickson before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline because of concerns about Nola's elbow. "I don't think they put a stop on anything," Mackanin said about the Phillies' front office. "That's the thing, if they had a real good deal for Hellickson, I'm sure they would have made it. We didn't want to lose him. But if you have the deal you can't say no to, then they would've done it. We've got pitchers we would've used." Thompson will be used next week. He certainly has earned a promotion. He is 8-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 11 starts since early June. "That's probably a probability," Mackanin said about Thompson's chances of making his big league debut next week. "Can I say that? A good, solid guess."

A Necessary Absence – The Phillies are without their closer for Wednesday's game against the Giants, but manager Pete Mackanin doesn't believe Jeanmar Gomez will miss any more than a day on the paternity list. Gomez's wife, Luisa, was set to have labor induced at 6:30 p.m. ET, about half an hour prior to Wednesday's first pitch. "I think he's naming it Pete," Mackanin joked. To take Gomez's place in the bullpen, Michael Mariot was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Should a save situation arise, Hector Neris would fill in for the ninth inning. Neris has been the Phillies' eighth-inning option and the choice to fill in when Gomez hasn't been available. Neris has pitched the ninth four times this season, recording one save and posting a 2.25 ERA. Players can take up to three days on the paternity list, but Gomez indicated to Mackanin that he would only take one, to see the birth of his first child -- a boy, Mackanin said. Gomez is expected back in the bullpen for Thursday's series finale against the Giants before the Phillies hit the road again to Los Angeles and San Diego. Mackanin reaffirmed his commitment to the 28-year-old Gomez in the closer's role in the final two months of the season, despite Gomez set to hit free agency at the end of next season. While the organization sees Edubray Ramos as a potential high-leverage reliever, they aren't ready to throw him into the fire yet, even if just to get a look at how he handles the ninth.

Today In Phils History – On this day in 1930 the Phillies had 2 players batting over .400 for the season following Lefty O’Doul’s performance at the plate (he joined Chuck Klein) which as the 1^st time since 1918 that a team had 2 players batting over .400 for the season (they both finished the season hitting in the .380’s). On the day that Dallas Green was born in 1934, Reggie Grabowski set a NL record by allowing 11 hits in an inning (the 9^th) which allowed the Giants to set a MLB record by scoring 11 runs in the 9^th inning (Mel Ott scored 6 runs in the game). 40 years later, Willie Montanez extended his hitting streak to 24 games in the 1^st game of a double header against the Cardinals only to see it come to an end during the nightcap. With a hit off of Steve Carlton at the Vet in 1982, Joel Youngblood of the Expos became the 1^st player to record a hit for 2 different teams in 2 different cities on the same day (he got a hit earlier in the day with the Mets before he was traded. In 1996, Senator Jim Bunning was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. 10 years later, Chase Utley’s hitting streak came to an end at 35 games (the 11^th longest in MLB history).  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 50-59 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 50-61-0 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 Display Power In Opener Against Giants

GAME RECAP: Phillies Stun Giants 13-8

The San Francisco Giants realize that, despite the disparity in their records, the Philadelphia Phillies can give anybody a rough night. Tuesday, the Giants learned just how challenging the Phillies are as they squandered a huge early lead before rising again to score five eighth-inning runs, break a tie and proceed to a 13-8 triumph. The Giants won two of three games vs. the Phillies from June 24-26, but each game was a one-run decision. This time, the Giants erased Philadelphia's 6-0 lead to take an 8-7 advantage into the bottom of the sixth. Yet the Phillies weren't intimidated as they drove Giants ace Madison Bumgarner from the game before pulling away. Philadelphia's Aaron Altherr matched a career high with five RBIs, including a two-run homer in the first inning and a run-scoring single in the second inning. He then bounced a two-run single up the middle off Sergio Romo to begin the Phillies' eighth-inning outburst, which continued with Cameron Rupp's three-run homer. "It should give us confidence," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We beat Bumgarner over there in San Francisco. Anytime you beat a classy pitcher like that, a top-notch guy, it's got to give you confidence." Led by Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt, who combined for five of San Francisco's 10 hits and six of its eight RBIs, the Giants roared back. But the Phillies began their rally in the eighth off newcomer Will Smith, who was removed after yielding Odubel Herrera's one-out infield single and Cesar Hernandez's double. Smith, acquired from the Brewers before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, spent most of Tuesday traveling from Milwaukee. "Nobody flies cross-country before their first outing," Smith said. "But that's not an excuse by any means. I told them I was good to go and I didn't lie to them. I felt ready. It just didn't go my way tonight."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Hernandez, Altherr, Maikel Franco and Rupp picked up a combined 12 hits and 12 RBIs in the victory. In addition to the homers by Altherr and Rupp, Franco hit a three-run homer in the second. "Altherr just looks good at the plate right now, and Franco, it's great to see him bust out," Mackanin said. "Good to see everybody kind of getting it together." 
• The Phillies spotted Zach Eflin a 6-0 lead after the second inning, but he allowed a run in the fourth and five runs in the fifth to tie the game. Eflin had been pitching pretty well recently until his last two starts, allowing 13 runs in 10 innings against the Marlins and Giants. "I was just off with my command," Eflin said. "I thought I made some really good pitches in certain situations, but at the end of the day I just really have to bear down on that, I really have to."
• "I was looking for a cutter away. I wouldn't say I was trying to hit a home run, but I had seen a lot of video and it's something you just prepare for. You know he likes his cutter so I was looking for it. I just put a good swing on it." -- Altherr, who hit a 0-1 cutter from Bumgarner for his two-run homer in the first.
• The Phillies' 13 runs are the most they have scored in a game since scoring 14 against the Mets on Sept. 1, 2015.
• The Phillies have dropped 10 of their past 16 games, but took Tuesday's series opener. They had scored only 45 runs over their previous 15, an average of three per game, before breaking out against Madison Bumgarner and the Giants for 13.
• Arguably Cueto's worst start of the season came in his only other time facing the Phillies. He allowed six runs on eight hits over six innings in the same game Nola struggled in, an 8-7 Giants win.
• The Giants made a bevy of roster moves prior to Tuesday's series opener. Trade Deadline acquisitions Will Smith and Matt Moore were added to the active roster, Matt Reynolds and Albert Suarez were optioned to Triple-A, Ehire Adrianza finished his rehab assignment and was added to the active roster and Mac Williamson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain.

NEXT GAME:

For a start, it appeared as though the Phillies had fixed Aaron Nola. Making his first start in more than two weeks on July 18, Nola shut out the Marlins for six innings, surrendering only two hits and a walk. But in two starts since, Nola had reverted back to the pitcher the Phillies skipped in the rotation heading into the All-Star break. He allowed six runs over four innings to the Pirates, then followed that with a better-looking line -- five innings, three runs -- in Atlanta but also allowed eight hits and gave up plenty of hard contact. Wednesday, Nola was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow. He'll be replaced on the hill by Phil Klein, who will make his Phillies debut after being claimed off waivers from Texas on June 19. Facing Johnny Cueto (13-3, 2.63 ERA) and the Giants, Klein, 27, will make his 37th career big league appearance and third start after having gone 2-3 with a 4.80 ERA with the Rangers the past three seasons. Cueto will be looking to make it beyond the fifth for just the second time in four starts. Over his past three, one six-inning performance (one unearned run allowed) was sandwiched between two five-inning starts of four and three runs allowed. The game is available out of market on MLB.TV, currently $17.99 for the rest of the season for a limited time only.

PHILS PHACTS:

Fan Ejected – Home-plate umpire Bob Davidson had heard enough of a boisterous fan sitting 14 rows behind the Giants' dugout. He had been screaming sexually suggestive comments at Davidson through most of the sixth inning -- his words could be heard from the pressbox -- when Davidson stopped the game, approached the fan and asked him to be removed. Phillies security came by a short time later, escorting the fan from his seat. The Phillies said the fan left on his own accord. "You could have your wife, girlfriend, kids -- they buy tickets," Davidson said. "They don't have to come here and listen to that. That's exactly what he said to throw him out. There was kids there and young girls there." Fans applauded Davidson for his efforts. "People cheered me, which is unusual in this town for me," he said.

Impressive Return – Aaron Altherr has 54 more games to make his case. His first five games will be a tough act to follow. He went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs in Tuesday night's 13-8 victory over the Giants at Citizens Bank Park. He hit a two-run home run to right field in the first inning against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner. He singled and scored in the second inning and singled to center to score two runs in the eighth inning to break an 8-8 tie. "Definitely a great feeling, especially against a pitcher like Bumgarner," Altherr said. Altherr is hitting .333 (6-for-18) with two homers and eight RBIs in five games since returning from the 60-day disabled list because of a torn tendon in his left wrist. He had been a projected everyday outfielder before the injury, but he is expected to play regularly through the remainder of the season as the Phillies evaluate their outfield options for 2017. "Altherr is making a good impression again," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I love the way he plays defense. He just glides around out there. He's swinging the bat very well right now. That last at-bat he was just trying to make contact, he hit the ball up the middle and got us two big runs." Altherr showed that a little studying can pay off, too. Bumgarner threw him a first-pitch fastball in the first inning before coming back with an 0-1 cutter away. "I was looking for a cutter away," Altherr said. "I wouldn't say I was trying to hit a home run, but I had seen a lot of video and it's something you just prepare for. You know he likes his cutter so I was looking for it. I just put a good swing on it." Altherr stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and one out in the eighth. Giants right-hander Sergio Romo got Altherr into a 1-2 count when he threw him a sinker. He laced the ball up the middle for a hit to score both runners, giving the Phillies a 10-8 lead. "With two strikes you've got to find a way somehow to put the bat on the ball," Altherr said. "Thankfully, I was able to do that."

Impressive Company – He is only 23 years old, but Maikel Franco ascended into the ranks of Scott Rolen and Mike Schmidt, fittingly, in a 13-8 slugfest of a win over the Giants on Tuesday. In 133 years of Phillies baseball, 28 times has their third baseman hit at least 20 home runs in a season. Schmidt did it 13 times. Rolen five times. And Franco once. Rolen and Dick Allen are the only two to do it as young as Franco. Allen left the yard 20 or more times as a 22- and 23-year-old, then twice more. Rolen's five came consecutively, from his age 22 to 26 seasons. His power peaked in Philadelphia at the same age Franco is now: 23, when Rolen hit 31 jacks. Franco is on pace for 30 this season. "I feel pretty good about that," Franco said. "I get excited. I understand the situation, but I'm just coming in every day and doing everything I can do." The milestone night couldn't have come in a better fashion. Not only did Franco put his 20th ball over the wall, he reached base five times in a 4-for-4, four-RBI performance. It was the first time Franco had ever reached base five times in a game. With Franco hitting third, Aaron Altherr second and Cesar Hernandez leading off, the trio combined to go 11-for-14 and drove in nine of the Phillies' 13 runs. "Especially at the top of the lineup, it's huge, being the tablesetters to get on base and drive runs in," said Altherr, who went 3-for-5 with five RBIs himself. "Being a young team, we feed off all the energy we can get," Altherr continued. "We're just going to keep getting better and better as we play with each other more." Altherr said he could definitely envision a top third of the order like Tuesday night's -- a top of the order that can grow together. Altherr is 25, Hernandez is 26. And don't forget about Odubel Herrera, who has helped set the table all season and is 24 years old. Pinch-hitting, he dove into first to beat out a single in the eighth. But Franco has always been the centerpiece of the rebuild. His top-prospect status brought a glimmer of hope to a dim season when he was called up last year. In his first full Major League season, despite some ups and downs, he is by and large living up to the hype. "Franco, it's great to see him bust out after I think he was 0-for-20 in his last 20 at-bats to get four hits, hit the home run," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's good to see everyone kind of get it together." The latest slump Franco had been mired in -- it was 0-for-17, not 0-for-20, but also 8-for-his-last-52 -- coincided with yet another downturn for the Phillies offense. It was averaging just three runs a game over its past 15 before Tuesday's 13-run outburst. For Franco, he said he didn't change anything. Some nights the ball just looks like a beach ball. On Tuesday, it just happened to be Madison Bumgarner's -- he of the second-leading ERA in baseball, behind only Clayton Kershaw -- whose pitches were enlarged to practically the entire Phillies order.

Happy To Stay – Jeremy Hellickson heard he could be traded for weeks, but Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline passed without a peep from the Phillies. Hellickson is expected to remain with the Phillies through the remainder of the season. There is a small possibility he is traded before the Aug. 31 waiver deadline, but that will be difficult. First, there is almost no chance he clears waivers. He is owed about $2.3 million the remainder of the season, which is a bargain for a contender. Second, if he is claimed, the Phillies can trade him only to the first team on the priority list that claimed him. If they can't complete a deal with that team, they must revoke his waivers and he is no longer tradeable. "I'm happy to be here, but a little surprised," Hellickson said before Tuesday's series opener against the Giants at AT&T Park. "I'm definitely happy it's over. I don't want to say it's tough, but it's not really something you want to go through." The Phillies took a risk not trading Hellickson, who is a free agent after the season. But now that he is here, they are expected to make him a qualifying offer following the season, which essentially is a one-year contract worth about $16.5 million. The Phillies are betting he will reject the offer and sign a multiyear contract elsewhere. If he does, the Phillies will receive a compensatory pick in the 2017 Draft. But those plans could be scuttled if Hellickson is injured in the final two months or struggles and he surprisingly accepts it. And while a Draft pick between the first and second rounds certainly is valuable, it is far more of a gamble than acquiring a prospect or two before the Trade Deadline. Hellickson, who texted a bit with his agent, Scott Boras, early Monday, said he has not given the qualifying offer much thought. "I tried to just enjoy my off-day yesterday and not really think about too much," he said.

Auditions Coming Soon – The Phillies have two more months of baseball before they split for the winter. Will they get a look at Triple-A Lehigh Valley right-hander Jake Thompson before then? How about outfielder Nick Williams and shortstop J.P. Crawford? They are three of the top prospects in Major League Baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. "I think there's a decent chance that we will see another promotion of a first-time big leaguer before the season is out," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said. "Whether that is in August or September -- there's not a huge separator for me in what month that is. I suspect we will have another somewhat notable promotion before the season is up." If just one of those top prospects is promoted, Thompson seems to be the best bet. He has pitched brilliantly. He is 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 21 starts. He is 8-0 with a 1.21 ERA in his last 11 starts. The Phillies are monitoring the innings of Vince Velasquez, and Aaron Nola has struggled since June, so if the Phils decide to cut back their workload, Thompson could slide in. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin and Klentak also said Tuesday they are open to the possibility of a six-man rotation at some point. Williams and Crawford could be on different schedules than Thompson. Williams is hitting .286 with 27 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .784 OPS in 412 plate appearances. He could stand to cut down his strikeouts and walk more. Crawford is hitting .260 with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs, 24 RBIs and a .683 OPS in 282 plate appearances. He has hit .307 with a .793 OPS in his last 42 games, but he remains one of the youngest players in the International League. If the Phillies do not promote Crawford, 21, before the end of the season, it would allow them to protect one more player in December's Rule 5 Draft, which could be valuable to a team with one of the better farm systems in baseball. Crawford does not need to be protected. "We will promote young players to the big leagues when those young players are ready to be promoted to the big leagues," Klentak said. "And if we need to create room for them, we will do so. I have also been on record that we don't want players to come up to the big leagues only having to be sent back. So with our inactivity at the Trade Deadline, I don't know if that by itself sets back the timeline for any potential promotion. I really don't." Klentak believes the fact Lehigh Valley is in a playoff race is beneficial to the Phillies' top prospects. "I don't care what level it is -- that's an important developmental step," he said. "Right now we're happy with where those guys are, we're happy with the way that they're playing and we'll see them here soon enough. I'm sure of that."

Today In Phils History – By playing in his 479^th straight game in 1919, Fred Luderus sets the new MLB record and eventually stretched it to 533 games. Tony Taylor stole home against the Giants on this day in 1960 which would be the 1^st of 6 such swipes that season. However, 4 years later, it was Johnny Callison who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In 1976, the Phillies and Cubs split a double header at Wrigley Field in an astounding 3 hours and 51 minutes with Jim Kaat taking the loss in game 1 and Steve Carlton recording the win in game 2. Chuck Klein was finally industed into the MLB Hall of Fame on this day in 1980 with his grandnephew representing the great slugger. 10 years later, on the same day that the Phillies acquired Dale Murphy from the Braves (giving up Jeff Parrett) Sil Campusano broke up Doug Drabek’s no hitter with 1 out in the bottom of the 9^th but Pittsburgh still goes on to complete the 11-0 shutout. It is that time of year and on this day the Phillies lost Rico Brogna (2000) and Joe Blanton (2012).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 49-59 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 38-64-0 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.

At Some Point You Just Can’t Watch…

GAME RECAP: Marlins Mash Phillies 11-1

Giancarlo Stanton sparked a big day for the Marlins with a spectacular catch and his 22nd home run as Adam Conley continued his dominance at home in the Marlins' 11-1 win over the Phillies on Wednesday afternoon at Marlins Park. Stanton robbed Tommy Joseph to end the top of the first with a leaping grab at the wall in right field, then capped a three-run bottom of the first with a homer to left-center. The Marlins cruised from there, collecting 16 hits, including three from Don Kelly, who had two triples and two RBIs. "It was awesome," Kelly said of his first three-hit game since August 2014. "This game is tough when you're struggling a little bit at the plate and you're up there grinding it out. You feel that potentially it's going to bust open for you." The Marlins, who lead the National League with 954 hits, put their leadoff hitter on base in every inning and had four players collect three hits each. Conley worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings, scattering eight hits. He struck out six, walked three, and helped his cause with two RBIs. The lefty escaped bases-loaded, one-out jams in both the third and sixth innings while improving to 3-0 in his last five starts at home with a 1.41 ERA (32 IP, 5 ER) over that span. "There was great defense behind me and I was able to execute pitches," Conley said. "Even though we found ourselves in some jams, we were able to pitch out of those." Phils starter Zach Eflin pitched into the sixth inning and was touched up for seven runs on nine hits as the Phillies are 4-9 since the All-Star break. They entered the break hoping to make a run at .500, but they would have to play 35-24 (.593) the rest of the way to accomplish that. "It's disappointing because we haven't gotten there yet," Joseph said about hitting the .500 mark, "but we've got just over two months to play. That's easily an attainable goal for this team."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Eflin had a 2.08 ERA in his last seven starts, which included a shutout Friday against the Pirates and a complete game earlier this month against the Braves. But the Marlins jumped on Eflin early. His ERA jumped from 3.40 to 4.23. "You can't go out there and dominate every outing," Eflin said. "I just think it's a mindset thing. I always have a positive mindset, not really ever negative. I think it's a big thing as a starting pitcher, especially when you have four days off between starts. I'm going to work my tail off the next four days and really focus on the next outing."
• The top three hitters in the Phillies' lineup (Cesar Hernandez, Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco) combined to reach base nine times, but they never scored. Hernandez's two-out double in the ninth prevented the Phillies from suffering back-to-back shutout losses for the first time since July 8-9, 2015, when Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw pitched in shutouts at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. "What do you think?" manager Pete Mackanin said, when asked if the Phillies' lineup needs a shakeup.
• "You have to stay even-keeled. You have to stay consistent. At least I have to. I have to try to stay consistent, emotionally." -- Mackanin, on the Phillies' recent struggles.
• Home-plate umpire Pat Hoberg ejected Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa in the fourth inning for arguing balls and strikes after Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp was called out on strikes. It was Bowa's first ejection of the season. "He was mad at the umpire," Mackanin said. "He couldn't control himself. He had to let it out."
• The win clinched the Marlins' fourth consecutive winning month for the first time in franchise history.
• Three hits shy of reaching 3,000 career Major League hits, Ichiro Suzuki did not play on Wednesday. "It's a little uncomfortable as you get this close with [Ichiro] because you don't want to just put him in there to try to do this," Mattingly said. "We've been playing with him in the context of the team the whole year long; it's worked out perfectly. I know people want to see it and see it at home but I don't want to force it. [He'll play] when it's best for the team."

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies open a four-game series Thursday against the Braves at Turner Field at 7:10 p.m. ET. Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola hopes to turnaround his recent struggles. He went 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA in his first 12 starts this season, looking like a potential National League All-Star, but is 0-5 with a 10.61 ERA in his last seven starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Just A Bump – The further Phillies rookie Zach Eflin distanced himself from his big league debut in Toronto in June, the more people marveled at how well he had pitched since. He entered Wednesday's 11-1 loss to the Marlins at Marlins Park with a 2.08 ERA in seven starts since allowing nine runs in 2 2/3 innings against the Blue Jays on June 14. His recent success included a shutout Friday against the Pirates and a complete game earlier this month against the Braves. But Eflin struggled against the Marlins, allowing nine hits, seven runs and four walks in five-plus innings as the Phillies dropped to 4-9 since the All-Star break. "You can't go out there and dominate every outing," Eflin said. "I just think it's a mindset thing. I always have a positive mindset, not really ever negative. I think it's a big thing as a starting pitcher, especially when you have four days off between starts. I'm going to work my tail off the next four days and really focus on the next outing." Eflin, whose ERA jumped from 3.40 to 4.23, allowed a leadoff double to J.T. Realmuto in the first inning. He scored on a fielder's choice to make it 1-0, but Giancarlo Stanton followed and crushed a two-run home run to left field to make it 3-0. Stanton hit a 1-0 fastball, which left his bat at 112 mph and traveled a projected 435 feet, according to Statcast™. "He hit it pretty well," Eflin said. Eflin allowed another run in the fourth and three more runs in the sixth before leaving the game. "Eflin wasn't the same pitcher he was in Pittsburgh," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He just left the ball up. I didn't like the mix of pitches he used. We were hoping he'd use his curveball a little bit more. I thought he made some good pitches that the umpire missed. But that wasn't the reason. He just wasn't the same guy." It was a disappointment that Eflin could not replicate his success in Pittsburgh, particularly because he grew up in Orlando, Fla. He had family and at least 20 friends in attendance. "It's just the experience they got to have," Eflin said. "It's really cool knowing where I came from, all my friends being able to be here and supporting me." But the early returns for Eflin are encouraging, especially considering he was one of the first pieces acquired in the Phillies' rebuild. He joined the Phillies in December 2014, as part of the Jimmy Rollins trade with the Dodgers. He makes his next start Tuesday against the Giants at Citizens Bank Park.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies acquired Chuck Klein on this day in 1928. Russ Meyer continued the Phillies shutout streak (4^th in a row) against the Cubs in 1951. Harry Kalas was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame on this day in 2002 as the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award. 5 years later, Tadihiro Iguchi became the 1^st player born in Japan to start for the Phillies when he was put in the lineup at 2B. Dominic Brown made his MLB debut in 2010. The Phillies lost 2 straight games on this day in 2011 for the first time in 46 contests. Finally, happy 30^th birthday to Darin Ruf.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 46-57 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 47-65-0 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.