Phillies Bullpen Can’t Hold Off Nationals

GAME RECAP: Nats Edge Phils 4-3

Daniel Murphy continued his scorching-hot month of May by collecting three hits, including the go-ahead two-run single in the eighth to lead the Nationals to a 4-3 comeback victory against the Phillies on Monday at Citizens Bank Park. Murphy also hit a solo home run in the fourth to collect three RBIs on the night, while raising his Major League-leading batting average to .395 as the Nationals snapped a four-game losing streak to the Phillies. "It's been incredible. He's carrying our team," Nationals right-fielder Bryce Harper said. "He's doing everything possible in our lineup to keep us going. It's something fun to watch. It's definitely special." Philadelphia right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who tossed seven shutout innings on April 27 at Nationals Park, had shut the Nationals down again through seven innings of one-run ball. He only allowed three hits -- two of which were to Murphy -- with eight strikeouts, and even drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt in the second. "Hellickson pitched a hell of a game, and we just couldn't hang on," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis hit a solo homer in the sixth to give Philadelphia a 2-1 advantage. The Nationals then rallied for a three-run eighth inning off Phillies reliever Hector Neris, handing him his first blown save of the year after a run-scoring double from Jayson Werth and the go-ahead hit by Murphy. Jonathan Papelbon allowed a run on back-to-back doubles from Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard to open the bottom of the ninth, but the right-hander retired the next three batters to secure his 14th save and close out his former team.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Just three starts after he approached his personal best of 10 strikeouts in a game, Hellickson again got within striking distance of that number. But Phillies manager Pete Mackanin pulled Hellickson two K's away from getting there. Emmanuel Burriss pinch-hit for the veteran righty in the seventh after Hellickson had tossed 79 pitches. Through 11 starts, Hellickson has rung up at least eight batters in three of them. He has more eight-plus strikeout games in 2016 than any other season but 2013, when he had five in 31 starts. "When things are going good, you just have a lot of confidence with all your pitches," Hellickson said. "I feel like I've got good life on my fastball right now. I'm not afraid to throw that in hitter's counts. And in this 4-5 game span, it's probably the best my changeup has been in a long time."
• If Hellickson throwing over to first twice before making another pitch after he hit Harper in the knee wasn't cruel enough, Tyler Goeddel only added insult to injury the next play. Murphy lined a ball to Goeddel in left field. By the time the ball was in Goeddel's glove, Harper had made it to second. Big mistake. Goeddel secured the fly ball before firing a rocket to first base to double up Harper for the second out of the seventh. The Nats' phenom almost stuck his foot out to reach the bag in time, but after review, the out call stood. "I couldn't believe it," Mackanin said. "That was a great play. It's a shame to waste a great play like that and not come out with a win."
• "We thought about doing that, but we've had such a good combination of Neris and [Jeanmar] Gomez. We thought it was a good idea to get him out and go with the combination that's been working so well for us." -- Mackanin, on possibly leaving Hellickson in after the seventh.

NEXT GAME:

Aaron Nola (4-3, 2.86) gets the ball in Game 2 against the Nationals. He's allowed 14 runs in 33 May innings, but only eight have been earned. Washington tagged him for seven runs in five innings on April 16, but Nola responded with seven shutout innings against the Nats two starts later. First pitch on Tuesday is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET.

PHILS PHACTS:

Welcome Home! – Before he served in the Iraq War, ran for Congress or became Under Secretary of the Army, Patrick Murphy worked in the Phillies marketing department. Before even that, Murphy worked security in the raucous 700 Level of Veterans Stadium during Temple University and Philadelphia Eagles football games. Not even at the Vet did Murphy picture himself standing on the field, the center of attention. But he did just that prior to Monday's Nationals-Phillies game, when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Citizens Bank Park in celebration of Memorial Day. "It's pretty special," Murphy said. His accent says he grew up in a Northeast Philly rowhouse before Murphy can spit the words out himself. Neither that nor his passion for Philadelphia sports have vanished under the guise of Washington politics. After returning from Iraq, Murphy in 2006 ran for and won the Congressional seat in Pennsylvania's 8th District. He became the first Iraq veteran elected to Congress and served two terms. In 2015, President Barack Obama tapped Murphy to be Under Secretary of the Army, for which he was sworn in for this year on Jan. 4. Murphy has become a Washington insider, but he still spends his weekends in Bucks County. More importantly, he's taken what he learned growing up in Northeast Philly and applied it among all of his service. "That rowhouse mentality of taking care of the person on your left and your right is something the Phillies believe in," Murphy said. "It's the same way we are in the Army to make sure we all come home." As part of Memorial Day celebrations across baseball on Monday, the Phillies recognized veterans with pregame ceremonies, between-innings honors and official U.S. Marine camouflage on their hats and jerseys. And the Phillies saved their best for one particularly decorated vet. After all, it was the least they could do for an apparent good-luck charm. "They were cursed when I left," Murphy joked. "But since I came back from Iraq, they've been winning again."

Rocket Man – It took a replay review to confirm the call, but no video evidence was necessary to prove Tyler Goeddel has a cannon for an arm. Just ask Bryce Harper. In the seventh inning of a 4-3 Nationals win, Daniel Murphy had curved a would-be home run just foul of the right-field pole. Jeremy Hellickson threw over to first. Harper was back safely for a third time. Then Hellickson delivered home and Murphy ripped a liner to left, quickly landing in Goeddel's glove. The rookie outfielder made the transfer, crow-hopped and launched. By about this time, Harper was just turning back from second base. As Harper was making his way back to first, the ball went from the leather of Goeddel's glove to his right hand and into the muggy Philadelphia air. The ball landed, bouncing on one hop, in Ryan Howard's glove just as Harper attempted to sneak his foot onto the bag. Harper was too late, first-base umpire Mike Estabrook ruled. The Nationals challenged, but to no avail. The loudest and longest cheers of the game from the Citizens Bank Park crowd rained onto the field as Phillies fans witnessed Goeddel's assist hold up on a baserunning gaffe by the reigning National League MVP. "I couldn't believe it," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's a shame to waste a great play like that and not come out with a win."

Blown By The Bullpen – Jeremy Hellickson was cruising. He'd flown through seven innings with a solo home run the only damage. He'd struck out the side the inning prior. But Hector Neris, with his mid-90s heater and bottom-dropping splitfinger, was too tempting an option for Pete Mackanin. The Phillies skipper lifted Hellickson for a pinch-hitter in the bottom half of the seventh. By the end of the next half inning, the Nationals had taken a lead they would not lose, beating the Phillies 4-3 on Monday. Mackanin afterward still called Neris among the best in the game. And for his first 26 appearances, he had been. But he wasn't Monday. Neris faced seven batters in the eighth inning. He retired only two of them, gave up two hits and walked three more. Three Nationals runs had scored by the time Jeanmar Gomez had recorded the final out of the inning. "I can't remember the last time a team got three runs off of Neris," Mackanin said. "Two outs, man on first and he just couldn't control that split." To answer Mackanin's inquiry, Neris had a particularly rough series against the Mets last August when he gave up four runs twice in three games and 10 runs in five innings of relief. Before that? Never. And since? Not until Monday. The backend combo of Neris and Gomez had been effective. But no bullpen can go a season without allowing runs, and for it to only allow runs when it doesn't cost its team a game is next to impossible. The Phillies bullpen hadn't hit many bumps after its rough start to the season, though. Gomez, Neris and David Hernandez had combined for a 2.09 ERA before Monday. Neris had been the best of the bunch, averaging almost 12 strikeouts per nine innings and allowing just four runs in 28 innings. Then, in two-thirds of one, the Nationals nearly matched Neris' season total. Hellickson, who had been brilliant though seven, was surprised to get the hook so early. "I obviously would have loved to have a chance to finish that game," he said. "I felt like it was my game to win or lose. "But at the same time you don't really question going to Hector in that situation. He's been one of the probably best eighth-inning men in the game so far this year. So, you don't really question that move." Neris has a closer's mindset, though -- something that's required of any effective relief pitcher. "I know I'm better than that," Neris said. "Everybody has a bad night in their career in baseball. Ready for tomorrow."

Daily Decision – Is Pete Mackanin facing one of his toughest managerial challenges to date? "Hell yes," the 64-year-old baseball lifer said, as he let out a hearty laugh prior to Monday's game against the Nationals. Mackanin, in his first season at the helm of the Phillies, has been tasked with transitioning the past into the future. Many changes are already taking shape. A good manager handles the situation without the product on the field taking a hit. A great manager does so while keeping the clubhouse in order. It is Mackanin's prerogative -- or at least his belief -- to let the lineup do the talking. When Tommy Joseph was penciled in at first base, batting fourth against Cubs right-hander John Lackey on Sunday, neither the 24-year-old Joseph nor the 36-year-old Ryan Howard were notified in person of the change. "I haven't been called into the office and talked to about it, so you guys apparently have breaking news before I do," Howard told the media after Sunday's 7-2 loss. Mackanin hasn't communicated anything to his first basemen because he doesn't believe there's anything to communicate. Simply, he has a young player up from Triple-A whom he and the front office want to get a look at. On a day-to-day basis, Mackanin is top dog when it comes to lineups, playing time and the like. From upper management, Mackanin said "pretty much all I go by right now" is to make sure Joseph doesn't stagnate against right-handers, whom he had success against in Triple-A this season. Mackanin had similar orders at the beginning of the season regarding Tyler Goeddel. Since Mackanin started playing him nearly every day in left field at the start of May, he's hitting .313 and slugging .493, compared with .160 marks for both prior. Joseph, who's hitting .286 (10-for-35) with three home runs since being called up, isn't going to start every day at first, according to Mackanin. "Howie's still in the picture, he's not being benched," Mackanin said. "If I was going to sit him on the bench and he wasn't going to play anymore, I'd have to have a conversation." Instead, Mackanin will lean on splits when deciding who to start between Howard and Joseph. He said the platoon role Darin Ruf played was more due to Ruf's success against lefties than Howard's struggles versus righties. With Tanner Roark on the mound for the Nationals in Monday's series opener, Mackanin gave the nod to Howard, who is 4-for-12 (.333) against right-hander. Mackanin wouldn't speculate as to who would start even a game in advance. He's handling it day by day. Want to know who's the Phillies' starting first baseman? Look at the lineup, just like Howard and Joseph.

Today In Phils History – Despite Gene Freese’s 5^th pinch hit homerun of the season, 1 short of the MLB record, the Phillies lost to Milwaukee in 1959. Those loses continued to pile up as the Phillies fell to 1,243 games below .500 with a loss to the Expos in 2003… following a win the next day, the franchise has never fallen that far from even since then. One of those wins came in 2009 when Jamie Moyer collected the 250^th win of his career. 5 years later, Ryan Howard became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 1,000 RBI which he accomplished in only 1,230 games. This came in the second of two consecutive 14 inning games, a first for the franchise. And, finally, happy birthday to Kenny Lofton who was born on this day in 1967.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 26-25 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 40-61-0 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. Let the rebuild begin!

One Day To Go!

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday!

The Phillies take the day to reflect on a successful spring and prepare for a long regular season. Of course, it is not too early to make plans for the postseason (i.e. where to watch the games).

NEXT GAME:

Veteran right-hander Jeremy Hellickson will make the first Opening Day start of his career Monday when the Phillies play the Reds at Great American Ball Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. "It's definitely going to be different," Hellickson said. "The emotions are going to be high. The atmosphere is going to be crazy. The adrenaline is going to be flowing, and I'm going to be really excited. I'm grateful for the opportunity, and I'm looking forward to it." Outfielder Cedric Hunter, 28, is expected to make his first big league start after coming to camp as a non-roster player.

PHILS PHACTS:

First And Last - The Phillies called Veterans Stadium home for over thirty years beginning on this day in 1971 when it was officially dedicated. And when Jim Bunning threw out the final opening day first ball on this day in 2003, Chase Utley was on the roster for the first time. While there were coountless debuts after on this day such as Kenny Lofton in 2005 and Jayson Werth in 2007, the latter years of the Vet were marked by the promise of young talent such as Eric Valent and the actualization of talent like that of Scott Rolen both of whom were born on this day. Another home grown talent, Ryan Howard, never played at the Vet but did spend some time in Scranton during his career when he made a guest appearance on The Office in an episode that aired on this day in 2013. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). 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. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Make A Solid Addition Via Waivers

PHILS PHACTS:

Taking Advantage Of The Waiver Wire – The Phillies have always liked Peter Bourjos. They finally acquired him Wednesday, when they claimed the outfielder off waivers from the Cardinals. Bourjos' arrival puts free-agent outfielder Jeff Francoeur's potential return into doubt. Bourjos posted a .645 OPS the past four seasons with the Angels and Cardinals. The 28-year-old's name popped up a few times in recent years whenever the Phillies were searching for an outfielder. Former Phillies general managers Pat Gillick and Ruben Amaro Jr. liked the speedy and defensive-minded Bourjos, and it seems new general manager Matt Klentak likes him, too. Klentak knows Bourjos well. They were together with the Angels from 2012-13. Bourjos enjoyed a career-year in 2011, when he hit .271 with 26 doubles, 11 triples, 12 home runs, 43 RBIs, 22 stolen bases and a .765 OPS in 552 plate appearances with the Angels. He has managed just 910 plate appearances since, in part because of injuries (Bourjos had right wrist surgery in September 2013 and hip surgery in October 2014) and in part because he had been passed on the depth chart in St. Louis. He hit .200 with a .623 OPS in 225 plate appearances last season. But Bourjos is known as an elite defender. According to FanGraphs, Bourjos has averaged a 16.1 Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 defensive games since his debut in 2010. That is third among outfielders with 3,500 or more defensive innings played in that span. Only Lorenzo Cain (19.0) and Jason Heyward (18.3) have a better average. Francoeur hit .258 with 16 doubles, one triple, 13 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .718 OPS in 343 plate appearances. The 31-year-old also proved to be a vocal leader in the clubhouse. But with Bourjos in the fold, Francoeur could be squeezed out. There could be more changes coming, but at the moment, outfielders Bourjos, Odubel Herrera, Cody Asche and Aaron Altherr are all expected to make the Opening Day roster. Darnell Sweeney could be considered the team's fifth outfielder at the moment. Darin Ruf also can play left field, although he could get more playing time at first base. The possibility exists that Francoeur could fit somehow, but reduced playing time in a more crowded outfield might not suit him. The Phillies also announced the Marlins claimed right-hander Nefi Ogando off waivers. The Phillies remain at 38 players on their 40-man roster.

Modest Goals For The Meetings – Five years ago at the Winter Meetings, the Phillies became the mystery team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. Next week's Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., are expected to be less eventful unless a team is ready to pay for hard-throwing closer Ken Giles. The Phillies are highly unlikely to invest $100 million or more into a single free agent this offseason, because one player will not push them into World Series contention. No, the Phils have too many holes to fill and too many unknowns regarding the young talent in their system. Instead, they will use the Meetings to make more modest improvements to their roster, with an eye on competing again in another year or two. "We really want to raise the floor and add some depth," general manager Matt Klentak said earlier this offseason. "Kind of at every turn, that's what we're going to be focused on. And in the pitching department, I think we really need to work on just -- again, I say 'raise the floor' -- but kind of establish sort of a firm foundation of pitching. That's not going to end when we break camp at the end of Spring Training. That's something we're going to be committed to for a long time." So far, most of the gains the Phillies have made this offseason are pitching-related. Philadelphia acquired right-hander Jeremy Hellickson in a trade earlier this month with Arizona, and it claimed relievers Dan Otero, A.J. Achter and Michael Mariot off waivers, as well as outfielder Peter Bourjos. The Phils also signed reliever James Russell to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training, and they cut ties with outfielder Domonic Brown and right-hander Justin De Fratus. Expect the Phillies to continue to pursue pitching help. They need at least one more veteran starter. Hellickson, Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff seem like safe bets to make the Opening Day rotation, with Adam Morgan, David Buchanan, Alec Asher and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez competing for the other jobs. Philadelphia could use a veteran reliever to fortify the bullpen, too. The Phillies have talked with teams about Giles, who could land them a few prospects, but that's the key: They have to be legitimate prospects. The Phils are under no obligation to give Giles away. The Phillies could come to a conclusion about the futures of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, the only two remaining players from the 2008 World Series championship team. They also need to find a veteran outfielder. Free agent Jeff Francoeur remains in play, but the Phils are pursuing other options. Not expected to be in play are Justin Upton and Jason Heyward. Think along the lines of Ryan Raburn, David Murphy, Rajai Davis and Alejandro De Aza. Chris Young would have been a good fit, but he just signed with the Red Sox. "Honestly, I think with the present roster, if we needed to field a lineup tomorrow, we generally could do that," Klentak said at the conclusion of the General Managers Meetings in Boca Raton, Fla., earlier this month. "That doesn't mean we're going to stop looking for opportunities to upgrade or add depth wherever we can. But one of the beauties, mostly on the position player side, is most of the team that was on the field that ended the year last year returns next year. So, again, that doesn't mean we're going to stop trying to find alternatives or upgrades or just build depth."

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.

Harang Continues To Show Value Despite Worthless Offense

GAME RECAP: Rockies Stifle Phillies 5-2

Eddie Butler may not have expected to start Saturday, but his performance proved he was ready. Thanks in large part to the efficient work of Butler, who was a last-minute substitution for scheduled starter Jorge De La Rosa, the Rockies continued their winning ways Saturday, defeating the Phillies 5-2. Butler settled down after allowing a run in the first inning and hurled five shutout innings to finish what was statistically his most effective start of the season. He needed just 78 pitches to dispatch the Phillies in a six-inning, four-hit, one-run performance that brought the rookie to 3-5 and dropped his ERA from 4.60 to 4.22. "I attacked the zone, got early contact and let the guys make some plays," said Butler, who accumulated 11 outs on grounders, including one double play. The Rockies homered three times for the second straight game, scoring their first three runs via home runs from Nolan Arenado, Michael McKenry and Ben Paulsen. The team has won six of its last seven and seven of 10. Colorado also clinched its first regular-season series win at Citizens Bank since Aug. 9-12, 2004. "When you hit the ball out of the park and get good starting pitching, usually you're in good shape," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. For the Phillies, the loss extended their losing streak to six games for the second time this season. The team is now a season-high 13 games below .500. Starting pitcher Aaron Harang threw six quality innings, only allowing two runs on four hits and striking out seven, but his offense was unable to back him up after the first inning. "That was a quality start for Harang," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Threw 109 pitches and gave up two runs. He pitched well with men on base. We struggled out of the bullpen with command and leaving pitches up in the zone and gave some runs up. On the offensive side of things we had men left on base and couldn't get the big hit."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• After scoring all of their runs on homers in a 4-1 victory Friday night, the Rockies went deep twice in the second against the usually homer-stingy Harang. Arenado parked his 11th homer of the year and McKenry hit his third. McKenry is hitting .367 with three homers and eight RBIs in 30 career at-bats at Citizens Bank Park. Harang had given up just two homers in his 10 previous games. "When things aren't going right, it's just tough," Harang said. "It's tough because I thought I made two good pitches there. I went back and looked at them. They were down. They were able to stay through it and get a pretty good bat on it."
• The last time he faced Butler, Ryan Howard hit a mislocated curve for a prodigious homer, and he doubled in a first-inning run Saturday. But with two on and two out in the third, Butler challenged Howard with three fastballs in the strike zone. The last was a hard grounder to shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, already shifted behind second base.
• Just one day after the Phillies stranded runners on first and third down two runs in the eighth inning, the team found itself in nearly the same scenario and came up with same result. Saturday the Phillies trailed the Rockies by three runs with runners on first and second and one out in the eighth but came out of the situation empty thanks to a Howard strikeout and a Maikel Franco groundout. "For a stretch there a couple of weeks ago, we were getting the big hit and the timely hit and we had a winning streak, and we blanked out in this cold streak with men on base," Sandberg said. "It's keep knocking at the door, keep having runners out there and somebody needs to come up with the big hit."
• In the top of the seventh inning, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis made a no-look flip behind his back to Chase Utley on a sliding stop to force Rafael Ynoa out at second base. Utley collected the ball cleanly and threw to Howard, who was unable to make the catch to execute the double play. Galvis' play was met with cheers across the stadium and multiple replays on the Phillies video board.
• With two out in the eighth, the Phillies' Jeff Francoeur launched a fly ball to deep left against Rockies reliever Scott Oberg. A fan reached over the wall with his glove but failed to make the catch. Francoeur was awarded a double, and an umpire crew chief check of the replay confirmed the call.

NEXT GAME:

Rockies right-hander Jordan Lyles (2-5, 5.10 ERA) left his last start with a sprained left big toe, but is in line to start Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET against the Phillies and righty Jerome Williams (3-4, 5.33). Williams will make the start for the Phillies Sunday. Williams is tied with Arizona pitcher Josh Collmenter for the National League lead in hits allowed with 70 this season. This will be the right-hander's last start of a rough May where he has allowed 22 runs in 30 1/3 innings for an ERA of 6.53.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rewarded With Losses – Control in baseball has two meanings. When it comes to putting a pitch where he wants to, Aaron Harang has control. Of the 109 pitches he threw Saturday in the Phillies' 5-2 loss, 74 were for strikes and for the first time this season, Harang didn't issue a walk. And he controlled his pitches in the zone, allowing just four hits and two runs in six innings while striking out seven. But when it comes to the defense behind him and run support, Harang has zero control. This is something the veteran has come to accept over his 14 seasons in the Majors. "You can't really go out and try to change too much," he said. "You've got to go out and keep doing what you can do. You've got to do what you can do to contribute to the team. Things will eventually change and the numbers will show the overall outcome of your season." The numbers to which Harang were referring are his season marks, which are far better than anyone would expect a pitcher with a losing record to have at the end of May. Despite his 4-5 record, Harang has an ERA of 2.02 and is striking out more than 6.5 batters per nine innings. In six May starts, Harang never allowed more than two earned runs in a game but the Phillies won just two of those outings. Though Harang admitted that this can be frustrating, he is accustomed to this. When Harang was younger and just coming into his own as a starter in Cincinnati, his team was rebuilding just as the Phillies are now. One thing he learned over that period was that having "ups and downs" is a natural part of baseball. Thus, Harang said he doesn't think about his win-loss record or things that are out of his control. Harang's attitude on getting through tough situations can be summed up by how he reacted to his early adversity Saturday. Harang entered play Saturday as the best in the National League in home run prevention among starting pitchers, having allowed just two home runs all season. But he gave up two home runs in the second inning alone against the Rockies. He thought he made good pitches on both of the home runs, and when he went back and watched the tape, it confirmed his suspicion. But even though the pitches were where he wanted them, Harang said he understood why the balls were hit as well as they were. "Once I let go of the ball, it's kind of out of my control," Harang said.

Where’s The Offense? – Twice in 10 days, Eddie Butler has started against the Phillies. But based on the disparity of results, Philadelphia might as well have faced off against two pitchers. On May 20, the Phillies feasted on Butler. The Rockies right-hander struggled to survive three innings, requiring 77 pitches to find nine outs against 18 batters. The Phillies jumped on the rookie, scoring four runs, two earned, on six hits, two walks and a home run. Fast forward to Saturday, and Butler manged to avoid Phillies' bats this time. He stifled the Phillies' offense in the Rockies' 5-2 win, allowing just four hits and one run in six innings with an economical 78 pitches. If you were to watch Butler's two starts back-to-back, you would think he was starting against two different Phillies teams. And given the way manager Ryne Sandberg assessed his team's play over its current six-game losing streak, he kind of did. "For a stretch there a couple of weeks ago, we were getting the big hit and the timely hit and we had a winning streak, and we blanked out in this cold streak with men on base," Sandberg said. Saturday was no exception to this "blanking out." The Phillies were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. In the eighth and ninth innings alone, the Phillies stranded four runners, two of whom were in scoring position. This continued a trend from Friday when they stranded runners in the last two innings of a 4-1 loss. Power has been lacking for the Phillies. Before Cesar Hernandez's eighth-inning solo home run, the team hadn't put a ball in the stands over the losing streak. To Sandberg, this is one area where the offense needs to turn things around immediately. "It's pretty good hitting weather out there," Sandberg said. "The flags are blowing. We have guys capable of that. We like to see more contact first and then the ball going out of the park will definitely give us a jumpstart with the offense." The Phillies are now a season-worst 13 games below .500. Two weeks removed from a six-game winning streak, the team is now on its longest losing streak of the year. With the offense stagnating, the bullpen struggling and the starting pitching doing everything it can to keep this team in games, Philadelphia looks to have lost its way. To Saturday's starter Aaron Harang, this is a by-product of being on a young baseball team and can easily be remedied. "It's just a matter of kind of getting everybody synced together," he said. "You have some games where your pitching isn't doing well and your offense has got to pick that up, and other games where your offense isn't doing well and your pitching has got to pick that up. It's just you've got to find the right lane on the road and make sure you get on it and go from there."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-32. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 40-61-0 on this day.