Phillies Lose Despite Help From Umpire

GAME RECAP: Pirate Beat Phillies 5-3

The Pirates were three outs away from a five-game losing streak Tuesday night before Sean Rodriguez stopped their September skid. Rodriguez lined a three-run homer to right field off Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez, leading the Bucs to a 5-3 win at Citizens Bank Park. "It's easier said than done, but you try to simplify it," said Rodriguez, who set a new career high with his 13th homer. "You just try to execute. That's all you can do and just hope it works out. Today, I was able to come out on top." But they snapped that streak -- and their four-game slump -- to undo the Phillies' one-run lead on Tuesday. Francisco Cervelli drew a leadoff walk, Jordy Mercer doubled to right and Rodriguez ripped his second career pinch-hit homer. Left-hander Tony Watson slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth, picking up his 12th save. The Bucs had lost 140 straight games when trailing after eight innings, with their last such win coming on July 12, 2014, against the Reds. But they snapped that streak -- and their four-game slump -- to undo the Phillies' one-run lead on Tuesday. "We were talking about it in there tonight because they kept bringing it up on the TV. I heard it 37 times in the ninth inning," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "It's something that's really peculiar, and I'm really glad it's over." The Pirates got another strong start from rental right-hander Ivan Nova, who struck out 11 over six solid innings. By the end of the fourth inning, Nova had struck out each hitter in the Phillies' lineup at least once. He left after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk. In eight starts with the Pirates, Nova has put together a 2.41 ERA with 43 strikeouts and only three walks in 52 1/3 innings. "All my pitches were working," Nova said. "Getting ahead in the count, and the curveball was sharp. … Be able to throw it for a strike and bounce it when you need to, that's one of the things that I've focused on." Phillies rookie Alec Asher permitted two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four in 6 1/3 innings. With the game tied in the eighth inning, Freddy Galvis knocked lefty Felipe Rivero's 0-1 fastball to deep center field for a sacrifice fly, driving in the go-ahead run. "That's a shame to lose that game, the way the guys hung in there and battled," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We kind of shot ourselves in the foot. It was a good game for eight innings -- until the ninth."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Phillies rookie Roman Quinn is getting an opportunity to prove himself in the season's final weeks, and he made the most of his opportunity Tuesday. He singled and scored the tying run in the fourth, reached on a bunt single in the sixth that moved a go-ahead run into scoring position and singled and scored a run in the eighth. "It's definitely a big part of my game, and I want to use it as much as possible," Quinn said about his speed. 
• Asher has fared well in his first two starts of the season, posting a 1.46 ERA (two runs in 12 1/3 innings). After a scoreless start last week against the Nationals, he allowed four hits, two runs and three walks and struck out four in 6 1/3 innings against the Pirates. Asher might have pitched longer, but he walked two batters with one out in the seventh. One of those runners eventually scored on a Michael Mariot wild pitch to tie the game, 2-2. "Obviously, I don't want to give up three bases that late in the game, but it happens," Asher said. "The best thing is just to learn from it."
• Gomez has fallen on tough times recently. He has a 9.00 ERA (12 earned runs in 12 innings) in 14 appearances since Aug. 14. He has blown two saves this month in which he did not retire a single batter. "I feel really confident," Gomez said. "It was a tough day. Tomorrow is another day."
• Pirates manager Clint Hurdle was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing that first-base umpire Alan Porter interfered with Frazier's route to first base on what would have been an inning-ending double play. Instead, Howard reached safely on a grounder to first base and Cesar Hernandez scored to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. 

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson faces the Pirates on Wednesday night in the third game of a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The rookie had a 9.78 ERA after his first four starts this season, but he has a 2.33 ERA (five earned runs in 19 1/3 innings) in his last three.

PHILS PHACTS:

Game Changing Speed – For a long time Phillies fans had heard only stories about Roman Quinn's speed. The man can run, but Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park might have been the first time many had seen how Quinn's speed can affect a game. He played a significant role in a 5-3 loss to the Pirates, a game spoiled by Jeanmar Gomez's second blown save this month in which he did not retire a single batter. Quinn singled and scored a tying run in the fourth inning, put a go-ahead run into scoring position with a bunt single in the sixth and singled and scored a short-lived go-ahead run in eighth. "It's definitely a big part of my game and I want to use it as much as possible," Quinn said about his speed. Quinn is the organization's No. 8 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said earlier this week that he plans to give Quinn an extended look in the final few weeks of the season. He started him Sunday in center field, started him Monday in right and started him Tuesday in left. "He's an exciting player to watch," Mackanin said. Quinn singled to center to start the fourth. He advanced to second on a wild pitch that travelled a few feet away from Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli. A slower-footed player would have remained at first, but Quinn reached second easily. "We did early baserunning today, and that's one thing we worked on -- pitches in the dirt," Quinn said. "It was almost a reaction, like, I already did this. It was just a reaction, for sure." Quinn later scored when Ryan Howard hit a ground ball into the defensive shift in shallow right-center field. Quinn had slowed down as he reached third base only to see Pirates second baseman Adam Frazier boot the ball. He turned on the jets and scored easily to tie the game at 1. "I thought the ball was right at him," Quinn said. "But I picked up the ball real quick and reacted again." Quinn dropped a bunt in front of Pirates pitcher Ivan Nova in the second. Quinn moved down the first-base line so fast that Nova did not even bother to throw to first. Cesar Hernandez advanced to second on the play and later scored to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. "Cesar had a good at-bat," Quinn said. "We've got a runner on first, no outs, I felt like it was a great time for me to bunt, especially with a drag. I got a good pitch to bunt and got it down." Quinn also fell behind Felipe Rivero, 0-2, in the eighth, but worked a one-out walk. He later scored from third on Freddy Galvis' sacrifice fly to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. "It's good to see a guy that can run like that," Mackanin said. "There's a few of them in the game and he's one of them. I'm anxious to see him, going forward."

Today In Phils History – Ed Sanicki hit a homerun in his 1^st MLB at bat against Pittsburgh in 1949 and connected for 2 more later that month which were his only 3 hits in 13 at bats that season. After hitting a walk off homerun the previous day to beat Warren Spahn and Milwaukee, Johnny Callison repeated the feat on this day in 1962 against St. Louis which was the 1^st time in franchise history that the team won back to back games on walk off homeruns. Randy Lerch made a dubious debut in 1975 entering the game in the 9^th and surrendering a walk and 4 hits (including a grand slam) in the Phillies 13-7 win over the Cubs. Bobby Dernier got a hit in his 1^st MLB at bat in 1980 and followed it up with a walk or hit in his next 4 plate appearances which was the longest such streak to begin a career since 1957. 4 years later, backed by 2 jacks by Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton collected his 235^th win as a Phillies breaking the franchise record held by Robin Roberts. Despite striking out 12 times against Sid Fernandez in 1990, the Phillies defeat the Mets 4-1 mirroring a performance the previous week against David Cone and the Mets. In the 1^st game of a double header in 2008, Chase Utley is plunked in the 6^th inning for the 26^th time that season breaking the record that he set the previous year. Roy Halladay clinched a playoff birth for the Phillies in their 146^th game of the 2011 season with a complete game shutout of the Astros which is the earliest the Phillies had ever clinched a playoff spot surpassing the record set in 1915 by one game. 2 years later, after blowing a 3 run lead, Jonathan Papelbon grabbed his crotch while exiting the field to a cascade of boos from the stands resulting in a 7 game suspension (he claimed it was merely an equipment adjustment). There have been a whole host of debuts that have happened on this day the most notable of which were Darin Ruf (2012), Sparky Lyle (1980 – with the Phillies), Pete MacKanin (1978 – with the Phillies), Jim Konstanty (1948 – with the Phillies), Granny Hamner (1944), and Andy Seminick (1943). Finally, happy birthday to 3 players who had brief but memorable tenues with the team: Delmon Young (1985), David Bell (1972), and Kid Nichols (1869).    

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 64-81 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 60-45-1 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 Shutout In Sunday Matinee

GAME RECAP: Cards Crush Phils 9-0

The homer-happy Cardinals belted four balls out of Citizens Bank Park on Sunday and ended their road trip with an offensive outburst in a 9-0 win over the Phillies. Brandon Moss, Stephen Piscotty, Jedd Gyorko and Jeremy Hazelbaker all went deep for St. Louis, and the team has now homered in 11 straight games -- 10 of which have been multi-homer contests. Moss and Piscotty hit leadoff homers in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively, while Gyorko and Hazelbaker each hit two-run shots in a four-run eighth. Mike Leake pitched seven shutout innings for the Cardinals in the rubber match of the series. "It's not the only way we can score runs, but it's our main way," Moss said of his team's homers. "We got a lot of guys in the lineup who can do a lot of damage and put some stress on pitchers." The Cardinals threatened all afternoon against Phillies starter Vince Velasquez. The right-hander allowed the first three batters he faced to reach base, and though the Cardinals only scored one run in the first, they tagged Velasquez for five runs on seven hits. Velasquez made it through six innings but needed 106 pitches to do so. Leake had to work around seven hits and nine total baserunners, but he got through seven frames unscathed on a rainy afternoon. It was the first time Leake had gone more than six innings since his last start before the All-Star break on July 10. The biggest threat the Phillies had against the righty came in the sixth inning when Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard both singled to put runners at the corners with no outs. However, Leake ended the threat by retiring the next three hitters. "The good news is that we had a winning homestand," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We went 5-4 against three real good hitting teams. That's the bright spot."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The past few weeks have not been kind to Velasquez, who has a 10.47 ERA in his last three starts and a 7.29 ERA in his last six. Before his struggles against the Cardinals, he allowed 14 runs in 10 1/3 innings in his previous two starts against the Dodgers. The long ball has really hurt Velasquez in that stretch. After he allowed 11 home runs in his first 103 2/3 innings this season, he allowed eight in his last 15 1/3 innings. "You've got to stay positive," Velasquez said. "If you let yourself [get] down, you're not going to get anywhere. The way I see it is everyone has a turning point. I'm not figuring it out. I haven't found that turning point yet. I have a couple days off [to] regather, and I'll bounce back against New York. That's the way I see it, just try to be optimistic and keep working."
• The Phillies had runners on first and third with no outs in the sixth, but they were unable to score a run. They finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and 3-for-23 with runners in scoring position in the series. "We had a couple opportunities early in the game to score some runs, didn't capitalize and after that, it was kind of a moot point," Mackanin said.
• "I told him to enjoy learning about climbing the ladder, enjoy the fight, the struggle to get to where you want to be. Because he's going to be real good at one point. He's got to keep battling and working at it." -- Mackanin, on Velasquez's recent struggles.
• The Phillies' streak of 14 consecutive games with a home run was snapped. It was their longest such streak since May 27 to June 9, 2013 (also 14 games). After homering in 14 consecutive games, the Phillies had their streak snapped on Sunday.
• Thompson is the No. 67 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. He has struggled in his first three starts and has not thrown more than five innings in any of them.
• Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (8-12, 3.91 ERA) faces White Sox right-hander James Shields (5-15, 5.98 ERA) on Wednesday night.

NEXT GAME:

The last time the Phillies visited U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox were a year away from winning their last World Series, while the Phillies were four years away from winning their last World Series. The teams open a two-game series Tuesday night, their first on the south side of Chicago since 2004. White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (3-8, 4.26 ERA) faces Phillies right-hander Jake Thompson (1-2, 8.79 ERA) in the series opener. Rodon has been on a roll this month, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in three starts. He has walked five and struck out 16 in 18 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Trying To Find The Bright Side – Vince Velasquez could allow these past few weeks to torment him, if he desired. But Velasquez sees no point in that, even though his struggles continued in Sunday afternoon's 9-0 loss to the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. He allowed seven hits, five runs, two walks, two home runs and struck out seven in six innings. Velasquez has a 10.47 ERA in his last three starts and a 7.29 ERA in his last six. Velasquez also has allowed eight home runs in his last 15 1/3 innings after he allowed just 11 in his first 103 2/3 innings. "You've got to stay positive," Velasquez said. "If you let yourself [get] down, you're not going to get anywhere. The way I see it is everyone has a turning point. I'm not figuring it out. I haven't found that turning point yet. I have a couple days off [to] regather, and I'll bounce back against New York. That's the way I see it, just try to be optimistic and keep working." Velasquez has thrown 119 innings, which is just 5 2/3 innings short of his career high in the Minor Leagues. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin does not believe Velasquez is running on fumes, although the Phillies are closely monitoring Velasquez's workload. Instead, he sees a young pitcher struggling as he learns on the job. "I told him to enjoy learning about climbing the ladder, enjoy the fight, the struggle to get to where you want to be," Mackanin said. "Because he's going to be real good at one point. He's got to keep battling and working at it." Plenty of successful starting pitchers struggled early in their careers. Roy Halladay is an excellent example of that. He had a 10.64 ERA in 19 appearances (13 starts) with the Blue Jays in 2000, prompting Toronto to send Halladay all the way to Class A Dunedin. Tom Glavine went 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA in his first full season with the Braves in 1988. This is not to compare Velasquez to Halladay or Glavine, but it should provide a little perspective. Velasquez (8-6, 4.31 ERA) is still very early in his career. He has time. Velasquez avoided major damage in the first inning when he loaded the bases with none out. Brandon Moss hit a ball to the wall in center field, but Odubel Herrera made a nice leaping catch for a sacrifice fly. No other runs scored in the inning.  Moss hit a solo homer to left-center field in the fourth and Cardinals pitcher Mike Leake hit a two-out single to score two runs in the same frame. Stephen Piscottyhit a solo homer to left in the fifth to make it 5-0. Velasquez struck out the side in the sixth to end his afternoon. "Why can't I just do what I did in that last inning?" Velasquez said he told Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure. Velasquez hinted in his last start last week against the Dodgers that he could make three or four more starts. If that is the case, he might have two or three more to right himself and go into the offseason with some positive vibes. "You just have to put the pieces together, and you have to figure it out," he said. "I've got to figure them out. Yeah, I agree with [Mackanin]. I know I've got to enjoy this adversity here, and I've got to manage to go with the flow and build on it."

Face Time Protection? – Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis remains upset and shaken that a foul ball he hit into the stands struck a young fan in the face on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. The girl had to be transferred to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for further evaluation. No update was available on her status as of late Sunday afternoon. "They told me she was OK," Galvis said. Galvis is a passionate advocate for installing more protective netting down the left- and right-field lines. The Phillies extended netting behind home plate about 10 feet on both sides in the offseason, but it stops once it reaches both dugouts. The Phillies said they received conflicting opinions from fans about sitting behind netting, many of whom feel it obstructs their view or takes away some of the enjoyment of being close to the action. "The Phillies expanded our netting this season to the sides of the dugout near home plate, as was suggested by Major League Baseball," Phillies executive vice president and chief operating officer Mike Stiles said in a statement. "We decided earlier this season to consider the possibility of further expansion next season. In making that determination at the conclusion of the 2016 season, we will take into account a number of factors -- including the opinion of our uniformed personnel and, most importantly, the wishes and safety of our fans." But Galvis cannot shake the image of the girl getting hit in the face with the ball. He was late on a 98-mph fastball from Sam Tuivailala in the eighth inning and watched the ball fly into the stands. "What if I broke all her teeth? What if I broke her nose?" Galvis said. "If I hit her in one eye and she loses that, what are they going to do? It's going to be a big deal for two, three days. Everybody in TV, media, whatever. But after three days, what's going to happen? They're going to forget. But that family won't forget that." Galvis said he understands that families want to sit as close to the field as possible, so children can see their heroes. He just says further protection makes sense in light of what happened. As for those who have mixed feelings about the extra netting taking away from the fan experience, Galvis offered a compromise. "Why not put up a net that can go up and down, if you want fans to get the balls and stuff between innings?" he said. "Two days ago, I saw one fan with his baby, maybe like 1 year old, 2 years old. They were in the third row. If you're a father and you know we don't have a net right now, you should sit behind a net or sit really far away, you know what I mean? I think they should worry about that."

Today In Phils History – It was not a good day to be on the mound in 1952 when both starters ended up in the hospital as Reds starter Frank Hiller suffered a broken nose and spike wound in a 1B collision with Richie Ashburn and Phillies starter Curt Simmons took a line drive off the back of the wrist. 2 years later, the Phillies lost Jim Konstanty to the Yankees. In 1961, Art Mahaffey ended his personal 10 game losing streak by throwing a 1 hit shutout against the Cubs. Greg Luzinski appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated on this day in 1977. The Reds Alex Ochoa hit the record setting 142^nd grand slam during the 2000 MLB season when he connected off of the Phillies Bruce Chen. Randy Wolf had a heck of birthday in 2002 when he threw 8 shutout innings and connected for his first career homerun. Happy 40^th Birthday Randy Wolf! 4 years later another lefty joined the Phillies when the recently acquired Jamie Moyer made his Phillies debut.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 58-67 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 55-55-1 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.

No Phillies Game For You!

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

The Phillies actually earned this summer respite!

PHILS PHACTS:

• One of the hottest hitters in baseball, Bourjos scored the game-winning run and finished 2-for-5 in the series finale at Chase Field. He racked up six hits in the series, including the crucial one-out single in the 10th inning and a two-run home run in the first inning. 
• Hellickson is 1-2 with a 5.45 ERA in six starts -- a span of 33 innings -- against the Royals in his career. He's struck out 25 and walked nine.
• Kennedy is seeking back-to-back wins for the third time this year.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies' record only tells part of the story of their season. Yes, the club is coming off its first series win since May, but the pitching staff has thrown nine shutouts this season, the most in the Major Leagues this season. Peter Bourjos has been the hottest hitter in baseball during the last few weeks, and the team's offense ranks among Major League leaders in extra-base hits, average, slugging, OPS and runs since it went on the road on June 21. Now, the Phillies are coming home after nine games on the road. After Thursday's day off, the Philllies will send Jeremy Hellickson, who allowed just one earned run in six innings Saturday at AT&T Park, to the mound against Ian Kennedy and the Royals in the first of three games at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Kennedy struck out 11 while giving up three hits, one walk and one run against the Astros in his last outing.

PHILS PHACTS:

Today In Phils History – What many people don’t realize is that one of the greatest managers of all time was once a member of the Phillies… on this day in 1921 Casey Stengel was traded away as part of a 6 payer swap with the New York Giants. 10 years later, the Phillies shined on offense and defense as for the first and only time in MLB history a team turned a triple play and a player, Chuck Klein, hit for the cycle. 7 years later saw the end of an era as the Phillies reached an agreement with Connie Mack to share Shibe Park putting an end to baseball at the Baker Bowl. In 1951 Russ Meyer and Jim Konstanty combined to hold the Dodgers to 1 hit but still lost the game 2-1 to the Dodgers. 7 years later, 1B Ed Bouchee was reinstated following a suspension issued in the spring due to a sex charge conviction. In 1965 Johnny Callison appeared on the cover of Sport magazine. 2 years later, Dick Allen and Jim Ryun shared the same honor.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 35-45 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 56-57-0 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 Showed Some Promise In Spring Opener

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Blue Jays Defeat Phillies 5-3

Blue Jays right-hander Marcus Stroman is expected to be the Opening Day starter in April, and he took his first step toward that in Tuesday's Grapefruit League opener at Bright House Field. Stroman allowed three hits and two runs in two innings in a 5-3 victory. "My body felt unreal, my knee felt great," said Stroman, who missed most of last year following surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. "My arm felt pretty good, too. My body is in a good position to go out there every fifth day now and get my work in." Blue Jays shortstop Darwin Barney, who is expected to be a backup infielder, went 3-for-3 with a pair of two-run doubles in the game's first three innings and he drove in a fifth run with a single in the fifth. Phillies right-hander Severino Gonzalez, who is expected to open the season in the Minor Leagues, allowed a two-out double to Barney in the first inning to give Toronto a 2-0 lead. Carlos Ruiz tied the score in the second with a two-out single to center. J.P. Arencibia went 2-for-3 and homered in the fourth to make it 4-3. "He's swinging the bat well," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Ruiz. "He's trying to stay on top of the ball. He's been having some good swings lately. It was good to see."

NEXT GAME:

The Phils will take a short drive to Florida Auto Exchange Stadium in Dunedin, Fla., to play the Blue Jays on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m. ET. Right-hander David Buchanan gets the start as right-hander Vincent Velasquez and left-hander Brett Oberholtzer also are scheduled to pitch. The Phillies acquired Velasquez and Oberholtzer in the Ken Giles trade with Houston.

PHILS PHACTS:

Looking To Nail Down The Ninth – Phillies right-hander David Hernandez does not remember why the Orioles asked him to close against the Yankees on June 10, 2010. Hernandez had made just 34 career appearances to that point. But he does remember facing a talented lineup and picking up the final out of his first career save on a groundout at Yankee Stadium. It turns out Hernandez's memory is pretty good. He walked a batter with one out in the ninth before getting Derek Jeter to fly out to right field and Nick Swisher to ground out to second base to end the game. "Ever since then it's like, wow, that's pretty cool," Hernandez said after pitching a scoreless inning on Tuesday afternoon in a 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays in the Grapefruit League opener at Bright House Field. Hernandez, 30, hopes to have more of those high-adrenaline moments this season. He entered Spring Training a favorite to be the Phillies' closer with Ken Giles traded to Houston in December. Hernandez signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract shortly before the Giles trade became official. The Phils told Hernandez that he would be their setup man, but he also could have an opportunity to close. Obviously, the Phillies knew they planned to trade Giles. It is an opportunity Hernandez has wanted for some time. He has 19 career saves, but he has never held the closer's job on a full-time basis. "That's always been one of my goals once I got thrown into the bullpen," Hernandez said. "I've had the stuff. It just comes down to helping your team and doing what you can with whatever role you have down there. It's something I look forward to." Manager Pete Mackanin said earlier this spring that not every pitcher in camp wants to close, but Hernandez is not one of them. "It's the anticipation of the phone ringing," said Hernandez, explaining why he loves to close. "That gets your heartrate going. And if you're the closer, you know it's for you. Everything turns up a little bit in the ninth inning. The fans get a little louder. The batters are locking in a little bit more because it's their last at-bat. They're trying to make a push to take the lead or tie the game. That brings the best out of me and I'm pretty sure other closers that go out there." Hernandez's competition to close includes non-roster invitees Andrew Bailey, Edward Mujica and Ernesto Frieri. Luis Garcia is on the 40-man roster. Garcia has closer's stuff, but he could be better suited as a setup man. But Hernandez is the favorite because he is the only free agent the Phillies signed to a Major League contract in the offseason. Interestingly, Hernandez told his agent beforehand that he preferred to play for a West Coast team that has Spring Training in Arizona. Hernandez also said he preferred to play for a postseason contender He clearly didn't check off those boxes with the Phillies, but he said he is happy with his situation. "We've got a lot of good, young players," Hernandez said. "Coming up with the Orioles, we struggled. I was just told by veterans, one day you may be on a team that may struggle and you've got to make sure the rookies and younger guys don't get too down on themselves. It's such a learning curve. It's such a process to find success. "You have your [Mike] Trouts, who hit .330 right away. But it's not always going to be like that. It's something you have to reinforce to the younger guys. You're going to take your lumps, but you have to have the mentality to bounce back and work to get better." Hernandez hopes to pass along that knowledge to the team's younger players during the season. And, if he gets the opportunity, he will pick up some saves along the way.

Showing Some Defensive Promise – It is the little things that Phillies manager Pete Mackanin noticed in the Grapefruit League opener on Tuesday at Bright House Field. Odubel Herrera made a nice catch on a sinking line drive in center field in the fifth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays. Aaron Altherr threw out a runner at the plate to end the fifth. And Maikel Franco showed some hustle and reached second base on an error by Blue Jays left fielder Jon Berti in the sixth. The Phillies are keeping Herrera in center, despite the offseason arrival of Peter Bourjos. Altherr is trying to earn regular playing time as one of the corner outfielders. And the team simply wants to take advantage of any opportunities it can on offense. "That's the kind of thing we're looking for and get everybody to do," Mackanin said of Franco's play. Go the distance: The Phillies want to be careful with their young starters this season, but they don't want to baby them either. Mackanin said starters like Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and possibly others could pitch 200 innings this season, if necessary. No, the other J.P.: Phillies prospect J.P. Crawford is not the only J.P. in camp. J.P. Arencibia has played 467 games and hit 80 home runs in his six-year career. He went 2-for-3 with one home run on Tuesday, providing much of the Phillies' offense. The Phillies signed Arencibia to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training in December. He figures to provide catching depth in the event something happens to Carlos Ruiz or Cameron Rupp. Arencibia served as the DH on Tuesday. "It's funny," Mackanin said, "when we were exchanging lineups, [Blue Jays manager John] Gibbons came up to shake my hand. Gibby looked at [Arencibia] and said, 'You're DHing?' Yeah, he swung the bat well." Asche still mending: Outfielder Cody Asche remains sidelined with a sore oblique. Mackanin said Asche is day to day and could begin some outfield work on Wednesday. "He needs to get in there and start swinging the bat," Mackanin said. "He's kind of down in the dumps right now because he can't get on the field."

The Dangers Of The BP Homer – The Home Run Derby is still a full four months away, but MLB's biggest sluggers have been showcasing their extreme power early in Spring Training by belting home runs into stadium parking lots and dinging up cars. Nelson Cruz did it. Russell Martin did it. Kyle Schwarber did it twice. And now Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has gotten in on the fun, but Freddy Galvis probably isn't so thrilled about that ... considering it was his windshield that was smashed. "Franco got me," Galvis said with a smile, referring to his teammate Maikel Franco. Fortunately, he also said that insurance will cover the damage. This isn't the first time a baseball has wrecked a vehicle parked outside the Phillies' clubhouse. Parking is a hazard as balls from Bright House Field and from the Carpenter Complex can land there easily. But parking there is a practice started long ago by veterans. "I don't know, man," Galvis said when asked why players park there. "We'll have to move down, all the way to center field. You've got to." The kicker here is that Galvis wasn't even parked in his designated parking spot.

The Dick Allen Debate Continues – During the 2014 Winter Meetings in San Diego, the Golden Era Committee met to consider a list of candidates for the Hall of Fame. When the results were announced, Dick Allen (and former Twins great Tony Oliva) had fallen one vote short. That brought renewed attention to one of the most prodigious sluggers in history. Also one of the most complex, enigmatic and controversial. "God Almighty Hisself: The Life and Legacy of Dick Allen" by Villanova law professor Mitchell Nathanson is the first biography of the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year Award winner and the 1972 American League Most Valuable Player Award winner. It's also a work of impressive scholarship and gracious prose that attempts to untangle the myth from the reality and, even more ambitiously, to explain why such a magnificently talented player clashed repeatedly with front office personnel, managers, the media and fans throughout his career. Even the title hints at the paradox. At first glance, it appears to be a description of Allen's formidable skills. Instead, it is a quote from one of his vexed managers, George Myatt of the Phillies: "I believe God Almighty Hisself would have trouble handling Richie Allen." Nathanson begins by establishing a counterintuitive fact, that Allen was shy and, in some ways, insecure. What was often viewed as moodiness by those who didn't know him well was simply a function of being uncomfortable in the spotlight. Partly as a result, Allen developed a reputation for being lazy. Even his managers and coaches didn't know he often got his work in early in the morning or even away from the park because he was more at ease when nobody was watching. Circumstances exacerbated Allen's troubles. He signed with the Phillies, the last team in the league to integrate, an organization that had never had an African-American superstar. In 1964, Allen was farmed out to the organization's Triple-A affiliate in Little Rock, Ark., which was in the throes of early integration. Along the way, Allen became distrustful of the entire structure of pre-free agency baseball. It's probably not surprising that he discerned a plantation mentality. In fact, there's a remarkable passage in which Phillies owner Bob Carpenter attempts to negotiate with Allen by explaining that players were property controlled by management. What didn't register at the time was that he viewed that as an issue for all players, black and white. Allen was also an individualist at a time when conformity was the norm, both in baseball and society at large. And he never forgot a slight. His relationship with the Phillies began to sour even before he made his Major League debut, when the team left him vulnerable to a waiver claim. That, the constant position changes and the contract battles represented disrespect. When Allen stood up for himself, he was fined and suspended, which only reinforced his sense of being treated unfairly. It's all here. The race riot outside Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia in August 1964 that turned many fans against Allen, even though he was largely apolitical. The fight with teammate Frank Thomas that stoked resentment when the older white player, who hit him with a bat, was released. Writing cryptic messages to booing fans in the infield dirt. Allen's willingness to push the limits by skipping batting practice or even games, the disappearances, the resulting trades, the turmoil that seemed to follow wherever he went. Was Allen a malcontent or just ahead of his time? The tendency here is to view the carefully collected anecdotal evidence as an explanation rather than an excuse for his behavior. Allen certainly could have helped himself by being more willing to get along. Instead, he remained true to himself and stoically accepted the consequences. There's a certain nobility to that. Unsurprisingly, Allen declined to be interviewed for the book, just as he refused to campaign for the Hall of Fame. But he wrote an autobiography, and there is a mountain of source material, all buttressed by followup interviews with dozens who followed his career closely. It's worth noting that one of those, respected former Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stan Hochman, pushed hard for Allen's election by the Golden Era Committee. Allen is eligible to be considered for the Hall of Fame again in 2017. The hunch here is that if each of the electors reads this book, he will make it easily this time.

Today In Phils History - Time to return from the winter slumber. On this day, the Phillies have opened camp in three separate locations throughout their history In Hot Springs, Arkansas (1911), Leesburg, Florida (1922), and Miami Beach, Florida (1946) the latter of the three being the last year that they would hold spring training somewhere other than Clearwater. Today is also the birthday of two former All Stars who played for the Phillies in Jim Konstanty (1917) and Ron Gant (1965).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have begun the spring with a 0-1 record (1-1 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!

Royals Regain Crown After 30 Years… Welcome Back To 1985!

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

Last night the clocks turned back more than an hour, they traveled back to 1985 as the Royals captured their first title in 30 years. It took a lot of grit and determination but the throne was regained by Kansas City in another extra innings battle after having broken the back of the dark knight. As this series has exemplified, sometimes the little things can add up as a few decisions by the Mets and errors in execution cost them both the game and the series. However, there is still one question that remains… if this is 1985, does that make George Brett Emmett Brown?

Royals Outlast Mets 7-2

The magic ride didn't end until the Royals took their fans and all of Kansas City back to the ultimate joy: A World Series championship. After narrowly missing out on a title in 2014, the Royals took care of business in five games this time, launching another breathtaking rally to tie the Mets in the ninth inning and then disposing of them with a five-run outburst in the 12th to secure a 7-2 win in Game 5 on Sunday night at Citi Field, grabbing their first World Series championship since 1985. "It's the best," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "We came back and won a world championship. Words can't even describe how awesome this feels right now. Couldn't have done it with a better group of guys. We battled since Day 1, Minor Leagues a lot of us, and this is an unbelievable feeling." Added center fielder Lorenzo Cain, "Never die, never quit attitude. I mean this entire clubhouse, front office, fans, they're all amazing. I say just that never quit attitude. We continue to push no matter if it's not in our favor, continue to fight as a team." The Royals, down 2-0 in the ninth, began to put together their record eighth come-from-behind victory this postseason. Cain walked and stole second against Mets starter Matt Harvey, who had been virtually unhittable for eight innings. Then, Hosmer rifled a run-scoring double off the wall, and Mets manager Terry Collins went to closer Jeurys Familia, who induced a Mike Moustakas groundout that moved Hosmer to third. Then the Royals pulled off yet another one of their trademark daring plays: Salvador Perez sent a chopper to third baseman David Wright, who looked back Hosmer then threw to first to get the second out. As soon as Wright released the ball, Hosmer broke for home. A good throw to the plate by first baseman Lucas Duda likely would have ended the game with a double play, but the ball sailed wide and to the backstop and the game was tied, 2-2. The fateful 12th inning started with a single by Perez off right-hander Addison Reed. Pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson promptly stole second and went to third on an Alex Gordon groundout. Christian Colon pinch-hit and, in his only postseason at-bat, delivered the hit that will go down in Royals lore -- a sharp RBI single to left-center that gave Kansas City a 3-2 lead. After an RBI double from Alcides Escobar and a three-run double from Cain, the Royals had the highest-scoring extra inning in World Series history. "I was ready," Colon said. "It's like studying for a test. You study and you get ready." Royals closer Wade Davis nailed down the final three outs, combining with Kelvin Herrera and Luke Hochevar for six scoreless relief innings. And the World Series trophy was headed back to Kansas City. "To be able to win this is very, very special, with this group of guys," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "With their character, with their heart, with their passion, with the energy that they bring every single day, I mean, they leave everything on the field." Kansas City's amazing comeback undid all the early work of Harvey, who pitched with a lead from the second inning on, thanks to Curtis Granderson's first-inning homer against Royals starter Edinson Volquez. The Mets also used a Hosmer error to their advantage during a sixth-inning rally off Volquez, plating a second run on Duda's sacrifice fly. Pitching for the first time since learning of the death of his father, Volquez allowed only those two runs in six innings. Collins, who had planned to start the ninth inning with Familia but changed his mind, took the blame for sending Harvey back out. "I said, 'Matt, you've got us exactly where we wanted to get you.' He said, 'I want this game in the worst way.' So obviously I let my heart get in the way of my gut. I love my players, and I trust them. And so I said, 'Go get 'em out,'" Collins said. "It didn't work. It was my fault."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong! Almost got it but, in the end, I was completely wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City Defeats New York 4-1

PHILS PHACTS:

All quiet on the Eastern Front!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phillies Rookie Makes A Grand Statement

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Nationals 8-2

Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr soured what was likely Jordan Zimmermann's final home start with the Nationals, knocking a pair of home runs off the right-hander, including baseball's first inside-the-park grand slam of the 21st century in an 8-2 win at Nationals Park on Friday night. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also went deep as the Phillies clubbed a season-high-tying four home runs. Washington (78-75) fell 8 1/2 games back of the Mets in the National League East and dropped their elimination number to one. New York (87-67) beat Cincinnati, 12-5, on Friday night. When manager Matt Williams was asked how he felt about the looming elimination, his answer expressed the urgency of the situation. "Like we need to win tomorrow," he said. Meanwhile, Phillies rookie Jerad Eickhoff was impressive in his seventh Major League start, limiting the Nationals to two runs and five hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out 10. "I'm going to enjoy it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about his team's sixth win in its last 22 games. "They've been too few and far between. It was fun to see those guys go off."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Altherr busted out of a slump in a major way, hitting an inside-the-park grand slam in the third, a solo homer in the fifth and a double in the seventh. Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18 games. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said of the inside-the-park grand slam -- which got past a diving Michael Taylor in center field and rolled just short of the warning track, allowing Altherr to score with no throw to the plate. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock [third-base coach John Mizerock] still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could."
• Eickhoff tried to match Altherr with a strong performance on the mound. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out 10 in seven innings to improve to 2-3 with a 3.07 ERA in seven starts. His 10 strikeouts were the most by a Phillies rookie since Aug. 5, 2009, when J.A. Happ struck out 10 Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. National League MVP frontrunner Bryce Harper had three of those strikeouts. "He's a great hitter," Eickhoff said about Harper. "I was fortunate enough to get some pitches in the right location."
• All of Washington's scoring on Friday night came off the bat of Jayson Werth. It wasn't enough to slow down the Phillies, but it was the continuation of a resurgent several weeks by the 36-year-old outfielder. After his first-inning, two-out RBI single and his sixth-inning solo home run, Werth has recorded 10 home runs and 30 RBIs since the start of August.
• "Not that I remember. I'm sure I have over 47 years, but I can't remember. I hit into a triple play once." -- Mackanin, showing some comic timing when asked if he had ever seen an inside-the park grand slam before.
• Altherr's inside-the-park grand slam was the Phillies' first since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also became the first player to have an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has been on the DL since Aug. 12 because of a broken left wrist, but he could be be back next week. He played three innings in an intrasquad game Friday in Clearwater, Fla, going 0-for-2 with a walk. He will play four innings Saturday and will play Monday in a Florida instructional league game. The Phillies will evaluate Franco's status at that point. Franco's wrist reportedly felt "perfect."

NEXT GAME:

Phillies rookie right-hander Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.84) faces the Nationals in the second game of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m ET. The Phillies have been monitoring Nola's workload closely, but he said he feels great so they are going to give him at least one more start before the end of the season. Stephen Strasburg (10-7, 3.81) will look to build on his phenomenal second half for the middle game against the Phillies on Saturday. He's 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break.

PHILS PHACTS:

Altherr’s Big Night – Just a couple of weeks ago, Xander Bogaerts brought us the wonders of the Little League grand slam, and the world rejoiced at the shenanigans gifted upon us. But the Phillies' Aaron Altherr was far from satisfied -- while he no doubt appreciates the Benny Hill theme as much as the next ballplayer, he couldn't help but long for the olden days of the pure inside-the-park home run. "What if we married the tension of a bases loaded situation with the thrill of a guy rounding the bases as fast as possible?" Altherr thought to himself, we're assuming. So, during Friday's Phillies-Nationals game, he set out to make that dream a reality. And when he looped a line drive that got past a diving Michael Taylor, he had his chance. Cue the merry-go-round! OK, so maybe not the most suspenseful play at the plate, but hey -- this was his first try, it's a work in progress. No doubt exhausted from all that sprinting, Altherr figured he'd take a more leisurely route to home plate in his next AB. What, Aaron, no inside-the-park cycle?

2016 Should Be Interesting – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr had never done that before. Of course, who had? Altherr hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning of Friday night's 8-2 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park grand slam since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds, according to Elias Sports Bureau. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth, a double to right-center field in the seventh and a single to right in the ninth for the first four-hit game of his career. He had 11 total bases on the night. The Nationals had 11. "I don't know. It was a good day, I guess," Altherr said with a smile. "It was a lot of fun." Altherr became the first player to hit an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987. He ripped a line drive to Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor, who dove for the ball. But Taylor missed and the ball flew behind him toward the center field wall. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock (third base coach John Mizerock) still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could." "Sometimes it's a tough call right there," Taylor said. "Right there, I felt like I had a good bead on the ball. I thought I had a chance on it. I know in that situation you better catch the ball, and I wouldn't have gone for it if I didn't think I could. It's still a bad play once I miss it, so, it's a tough play." Altherr has good speed, so he scored without even a throw to the plate. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park home run (any variety) since July 31, 2012, when Jimmy Rollins hit one against the Nationals in DC. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also homered for the Phillies, who tied a season high with four homers in the win. "I had an inside-the-park homer in rookie ball or something, but it doesn't really matter," Altherr said. "Rookie ball doesn't count." Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18. He is back to .252 (27-for-107) with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 16 RBIs and an .866 OPS in 31 games. "I've felt pretty good the past couple days," Altherr said. "Hopefully I can keep riding that feeling the rest of the year." No matter what happens in the Phillies' final eight games, Altherr has made a strong case for more playing time in 2016. Friday night's effort drove home that point.

Lee About To Fall Off The Cliff – The Phillies will scatter across the Americas following their final game of the season Oct. 4. Cliff Lee scattered long ago. He has been home in Arkansas since March, when the Phillies announced his second attempt to rehabilitate a torn common flexor tendon in his left elbow did not work out. Lee said he planned to rehab the injury a third time, acknowledging he needed a miracle to pitch again. He never did. Lee's time with the Phillies unofficially ended in March. It officially ends no more than five days following the World Series. It is then the Phillies must inform Lee, who made $25 million this season, if they plan to exercise his $27.5 million club option for 2016. They will not. But they will pay him a $12.5 million buyout, which is due Nov. 30. "He was all about winning," said Phillies interim general manager Scott Proefrock, who helped bring back Lee to Philadelphia in Dec. 2010. "He helped us make the World Series in '09 and the postseason in '11. He pitched very well in '12 and '13. It just didn't work out. I'm sure he would have preferred things would have worked out differently because he is a great competitor." Lee, 37, went 41-30 with a 2.89 ERA in 106 starts from 2011-14. His ERA ranked fourth out of 90 qualified pitchers in that span. His 1.08 WHIP ranked fourth. His 6.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio easily ranked first. Clayton Kershaw's 4.74 placed second. But then Lee got hurt in 2014. He went on the DL in May and returned to make three starts in July before getting hurt again. "It was a situation last year where we were looking to trade him and obviously his injury short circuited that," Proefrock said. "The one thing about Cliff is, we met with him at the end of the 2013 season and he said the only thing he wanted to do is win. This was going to be his last contract. He wanted to win and he wanted to talk about what we were going to do. And in '14 we tried. Then he got hurt. We had to make an adjustment." Lee quietly visited Philadelphia a handful of times this season, essentially to meet with doctors to discuss his rehab. But his rehab never really went anywhere. Doctors recommended surgery, but Lee declined because he seemed uninterested in pitching past this contract anyway. "It was still worth pursuing because it was the only thing left to do," Proefrock said of Lee's rehab. The Phillies will recoup some of the $25 million they paid him this season because they insured his contract. How much is unclear. Regardless, Lee returned to Philadelphia in December 2010, with great fanfare. He said he hoped to win multiple World Series with the Phillies. It turns out the Phillies only made the postseason once while he was here.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 58-96. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 49-51-0 on this day.