Phillies Outslugged by Miggy And The Tigers

GAME RECAP: Tigers Tag Phillies 5-4

On a night when the Tigers and Phillies combined for six solo home runs, two of them from Miguel Cabrera, Detroit pulled ahead on a Victor Martinez seventh-inning single that scored Cabrera for a 5-4 victory Monday at Comerica Park. The Tigers' seventh win in eight games moved them back to .500 (22-22) for the first time since May 6. Cabrera's second two-homer game in four days included an opposite-field loft in the third inning and a drive to left in the fifth, both of which tied the game. Both came off Phillies starter Vince Velasquez, who gave up as many home runs in four-plus innings (three) as he had all season entering the night. "He's a great pitcher," said J.D. Martinez, who went back-to-back with Cabrera in the fifth. "I think it was, in a way, bad timing for him, because he came in here, we're hitting, and we just faced [the Rays' Chris] Archer and [Matt] Andriese. We've faced a lot of similar pitchers to him. So I think it was just a rough time for him to come in here." Velasquez said he did not do a good job of using his secondary pitches, which allowed Tigers hitters to take him deep. He also said he needed to challenge hitters inside more effectively. "You can't pitch around it, even if your secondary pitches aren't working," Velasquez said. "You can use it to protect your fastball, but you've got to pitch inside to challenge hitters." Cabrera's double to right-center off Colton Murray (0-1) in the seventh stayed in the park, but put him in scoring position for Martinez, who lined a single into right field. Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph homered for Philadelphia, the latter to tie the game at 4.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Franco hadn't homered in his previous 11 games, but his homer to lead off the fourth off Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey was a no-doubter to left-center, giving him eight home runs on the season. Franco also singled in the first inning.
• Odubel Herrera led off the game with a 14-pitch at-bat against Mike Pelfrey, including nine foul balls, before lacing a ground ball through the middle for a single. A double play erased Herrera two pitches later, but the hit set the tone on a night when Herrera had three hits off Pelfrey, including an RBI single in the third inning and a liner to center in the fifth. Despite the big night at the plate, Herrera was benched after he failed to run out a ground ball back to the pitcher in the seventh inning. "He didn't run," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "One of the ingredients to our success, to this point, is the fact that these guys play with energy, they play hard. We're training them, basically, to play the game the right way, and not running is not the right way."
• The Phillies challenged an inning-ending double play in the eighth, arguing Freddy Galvis beat shortstop Jose Iglesias' throw to first. After further review, Galvis' foot hit the bag ahead of Cabrera getting the ball at first. The call was overturned, extending the inning, but Mark Lowe struck out Tyler Goeddel to end the threat.
• The Phillies signed Cuban outfielder Osmel Aguila to a Minor League contract. He has reported to extended Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla. Aguila had a .280 batting average and 33 home runs during six seasons in Cuba.
• Cabrera's double was the 500th of his career, making him the 62nd Major League player to reach the mark. Monday was also his 20th career game going 3-for-3 or better with a home run. Only Barry Bonds (23) and Lou Gehrig (21) have more such games in Major League history.

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson (4-2, 3.99 ERA) looks for his third straight win when he takes the mound Tuesday night at Comerica Park in a 7:10 p.m. ET start. The former Tampa Bay Rays hurler owns a 1.86 ERA in five career starts against Detroit.

PHILS PHACTS:

Lesson Learned – Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera led off Monday's game against the Tigers with a 14-pitch at-bat against Mike Pelfrey, which ended with a base hit. He went on to get hits in his next two trips to the plate, starting his night 3-for-3. But Herrera's solid start to the night turned sour when he didn't hustle down the line on a ground ball hit back to the pitcher in the seventh inning. Manager Pete Mackanin pulled Herrera from the game, and the Phillies went on to lose, 5-4. Mackanin was willing to make a sacrifice to send a message to his team. "One of the ingredients to our success, to this point, is the fact that these guys play with energy, they play hard," Mackanin said. "We're training them, basically, to play the game the right way, and not running is not the right way. It's more important for me to set that tone than to take our best hitter out of the lineup." Mackanin said Herrera knew right away he had made a mistake. As he was approaching Herrera, veteran Ryan Howard was walking up to him to send him the same message. "You've got to keep going. I know it's not the at-bat he wanted, or whatever, but look at me, I'm still grinding," Howard said. "You never know on a ball like that, he might mess up because you're running hard." Mackanin said Herrera has had a bit of an issue with similar situations throughout the season. "I've seen it in the past, and it's been trickling in, and I just didn't like it, and I just made the decision," the manager said. Herrera will be in Tuesday's starting lineup, Mackanin said.

Vying For Playing Time – Tommy Joseph helped his case for the Phillies' starting first-base job on Monday night. The rookie went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in the Phillies' 5-4 loss to the Tigers. Joseph has been splitting time with Ryan Howard since being called up earlier this month. With the Phils at Comerica Park for an Interleague series, Joseph got the nod at first base Monday, while Howard started at designated hitter. That is the expected lineup throughout the three-game series. Joseph hit a game-tying shot to left field in the sixth inning off Tigers starter Mike Pelfrey. Howard went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. The veteran slugger is now hitting .156 on the season. Manager Pete Mackanin said he is going to look at the first-base position one week at a time, but he said it is possible that Joseph may earn the starting job at some point in the future. "At some point, it may come to that, but I wouldn't say it's imminent," Mackanin said. The 24-year-old said he's not focused on getting the starting role, but just wants to make an impact as he takes the opportunity to start his Major League career. "Any time you get the opportunity to play, you're also expected to produce," Joseph said. "Especially with as well as this ballclub had been playing when I got called up. There's no time to mess around, and you can see it with everybody on this team. Everybody wants to win. I'm just trying to follow that lead." Joseph said it was a good feeling to hit his home run in the sixth following the Tigers' three-homer fifth inning. "Anything I can do to contribute is great," Joseph said. "It was just a 2-2 slider that stayed in the middle of the plate."

Today In Phils History – The Phillies seemed to have been on the wrong side of history on this day as they first made baseball history when they lost the first night game in the major leagues to the Reds in 1935. Dodger Pee Wee Reese set an NL record by drawing walk in his ninth straight game in 1952. And, finally, Mariano Rivera made his last regular season appearance against the Phillies on this day in 2009 when he threw a scoreless 19^th inning against them at Yankees Stadium… a legend in his own right, he was also the last player the Phillies would ever face who wore the number 42. On the flip side of franchise history is the fact that Phillies stalwart, Pat “The Bat” Burrell made his debut with the team on this day in 2000.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 25-20 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!

Phillies Demonstrate Rare Dominance

GAME RECAP: Phillies Dominate Nationals 8-1

Left-hander Cole Hamels proved to be too much for the Nationals, who lost to the Phillies, 8-1, at Nationals Park on Saturday afternoon. Hamels pitched eight solid innings, allowed the one run, five hits and struck out five batters. He received plenty of run support as the Phillies scored a season-high eight runs. Ryan Howard had three hits and drove in two runs. "They're a great lineup," Hamels said. "One through nine, they've got some pitchers who hit. Every single one of them can start a rally faster than you can possibly imagine, so you just have to keep bearing down with them, you can't give in. Sometimes you look at the National League as being the weaker division, but that kind of team is an American League-style team." Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg had an outing to forget. He couldn't get past the fourth and allowed six runs -- five earned -- in 3 2/3 innings. "He had a lot of hitters at two strikes and couldn't put them away. A lot of damage with two strikes in the count," manager Matt Williams said. "I know that he is out there throwing hard. He had a good fastball again. Early fastball command was there, but when he got them to two strikes, he just couldn't put them away. It something that happens sometimes." The loss snapped the Nationals' six-game winning streak, while the Phillies improved their record to 19-26. They have won eight of their last 11 games.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies had the fewest extra-base hits (70) in the National League in 34 games through May 12, but have had a league-leading 40 in 11 games since. They picked up four extra-base hit against Strasburg, including a two-run home run from Maikel Franco in the third. Howard homered against A.J. Cole in the fifth. "He keeps his aggression throughout the entire at-bat," Howard said about Franco. "He's going to continue to grow and get better. The more experience he gets at this level against this pitching, the better he'll get. He just needs to play."
• As the July 31 Trade Deadline gets closer, Hamels' asking price keeps inching upward with every strong start he makes. He allowed five hits, one run, one walk and struck out five in eight innings to pick up the win. "Cole was in control," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He was good attacking the zone, good fastball, mixing his pitches well. He pitched backwards at times. He was outstanding."
• Howard has hit 10 home runs since April 20, which ties Ryan Braun and Giancarlo Stanton for the second-most in baseball in that stretch. The only player with more home runs in that span is Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper, who has 11.
• "I have two good ones now, I guess. They might have thrown an extra in there." - Howard, who said he has not felt this healthy since he had two healthy Achilles, referring to the one he ruptured in Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series.

NEXT GAME:

It has been a heck of a season for Phillies right-hander Aaron Harang, who faces the Nats in Sunday's series finale at Nationals Park at 1:35 p.m. ET. He is 4-3 with a 1.82 ERA, which is the sixth-best ERA in baseball. His 0.98 WHIP ranks 10th. That type of production could make him a top target come the July 31 Trade Deadline. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez will face the Phillies for the 14th time in his career on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. ET. He is 6-5 with a 3.15 ERA in his career against them. In his last start against the Yankees, Gonzalez was perfect through the first three innings, but struggled the next two innings, allowing six runs. He ended up with his second straight no-decision.

PHILS PHACTS:

Offense Comes Alive – Break up the Phillies. They pounded the Nationals in an 8-1 victory Saturday at Nationals Park. They picked up four extra-base hits against Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg in 3 2/3 innings and one more against Nationals right-hander A.J. Cole as they scored a season-high eight runs. The Phillies had just 70 extra-base hits in 34 games through May 12, when they were 11-23 with the worst record in baseball. But since they opened the season with their worst record since 1971, they have 40 extra-base hits in 11 games, which leads Major League Baseball. Maikel Franco crushed a two-run home run to center field in the third inning to hand the Phillies a 4-0 lead. Ryan Howard smashed a solo home run to center field in the fifth inning to make it 7-0. Howard, Cesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera also doubled in the victory. Franco is hitting .286 (10-for-35) with one double, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and an .885 OPS in nine games since the Phillies recalled him from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 15. "To be honest, it's what we've all known he's capable of and just people letting him play," Howard said about Franco. "It's not fair to put expectations on him. You just let him go out there and play and do what he does, and good things happen. "He's going to continue to grow and get better. The more experience he gets at this level against this pitching, the better he'll get. He just needs to play." Franco had one hit in his previous 12 at-bats before he homered in the third. Strasburg actually struck out Franco on three pitches in the second. He had him 0-2 again when Franco crushed a 96-mph fastball to center field. Statcast™ said the ball left Franco's bat at 103 mph and travelled 406 feet. "I'm just trying to see a good pitch to hit," Franco said. "He threw me a couple fastballs the first AB, and I was just ready for the fastball. He threw me one there, and I made good contact." Howard is hitting .303 (33-for-109) with seven doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 21 RBIs and a 1.011 OPS in 30 games since April 20. He has homered three times in the past four games. His 10 homers have come since April 20, which is tied for the second-most homers in baseball in that stretch. Only Bryce Harper has more with 11. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said a mixture of Howard being healthy and more confident at the plate has translated into his improved results. Howard agreed, saying this is the healthiest he has felt since he ruptured his left Achilles in Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series. "I have two good ones now, I guess," said Howard, referring to his Achilles. "They might have thrown an extra in there."

Hamels Increases Value – The Phillies' front office loves this. Cole Hamels pitched beautifully in Saturday's 8-1 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. He allowed five hits, one run, one walk and struck out five in eight innings to improve to 5-3 with a 2.98 ERA. He is 5-1 with a 2.23 ERA in his last seven starts. "They're a great lineup," Hamels said about the Nationals, who lead the National League in scoring. "One through nine, they've got some pitchers who hit. Every single one of them can start a rally faster than you can possibly imagine, so you just have to keep bearing down with them, you can't give in. Sometimes you look at the National League as being the weaker division, but that kind of team is an American League-style team." Hamels pitched seven scoreless innings before the Nationals scored a run in the eighth, preventing him from picking up his first shutout since Aug. 13, 2012, which was the second of back-to-back shutouts. "It's a dangerous team, so that's the least of my worries," Hamels said about the shutout possibility. "They can put up a run or runs within a second. So you just have to be able to make quality pitches and hope they hit it to your defense. That's all I can really say was going through my head." The Phillies scored eight runs for Hamels for the first time since May 17, 2014, when they scored 11 runs for him against the Reds. He had gone 34 starts in between that much run support. Hamels' name is going to remain a popular one as the July 31 Trade Deadline draws closer. If he keeps pitching like this, the Phillies' asking price is not going to drop. In fact, it might inch upward. "He was outstanding," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said.

Mind Games – The U.S. military bombarded Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega with heavy metal music to force him from his compound and surrender in 1989. Britney Spears' music has blared from merchant ships to scare away pirates off the horn of Africa. The Nationals have chosen "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, seemingly to annoy their opponents. They have been playing pop ballads during opposing teams' batting practices this season, and the playlist has varied every day. But the past couple days the Phillies have been fortunate (or unfortunate) to hear Patrick Swayze's "She's Like the Wind," Starland Vocal Band's "Afternoon Delight," Anne Murray's "You Needed Me," Dan Hill's "Can't We Try," and Spandau Ballet's "True." "We'll take care of that," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said before Saturday's game against the Nationals at Nationals Park. "We're going with the silent treatment at our place. "It's bush league. And irrelevant. What's the point?" Some of the Phillies are amused at the tunes. Some could not care less. Others want mercy. "I don't think there's any malice behind it," Phillies right-hander Justin De Fratus said. "I think it's funny. They played that 'Fievel Goes West' song yesterday. If anything, it's a change of pace from some of the stuff we hear every day." "I mean, come on," Jeff Francoeur said. "If you did it one time it's funny. But we come here so many times." The Phillies actually had a bigger beef than the music. They feel they get on the field for batting practice late at Nationals Park compared to other ballparks, giving them less time to get ready between BP and first pitch. But according to the Phillies' and Nationals' respective media guides, batting practice starts only five minutes later for opposing teams at Nationals Park than at Citizens Bank Park. "It's very inconvenient," Sandberg said. "That will be another adjustment. That seed was planted about six weeks ago." Nevertheless, the yacht rock continues. "I didn't even notice it," Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth said with a hint of a smile. "But it's nice soothing music they've got going on here. It's nice for the fans at the ballpark before the game. Yeah, maybe get a beer, a pretzel, enjoy BP."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 19-26. 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.