Velasquez Solid, Joseph Goes Deep, And Goeddel Saves The Game

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 5-3

Tommy Joseph emerged from a recent funk to deliver a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning and lift the Phillies over the Rockies, 5-3, at Coors Field on Friday night. Joseph's 455-foot shot came off lefty Jake McGee, who let the two runners he inherited from effective starter Jon Gray and two others score in his fourth appearance since his return from missing three weeks with a left knee injury. Gray fanned eight in 6 1/3 innings. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said of his homer. McGee, who entered because manager Walt Weiss watched Gray's leadoff four-pitch walk and saw fatigue signs, had increased the use of the slider since coming off the disabled list. But for much of his career he has thrown the fastball around 95 percent of the time. "Most of my career, I've got to stick with my fastball and not get beat with a secondary pitch," McGee said. "My slider, in that situation, lost the game and kind of spoiled Gray's good outing." The Joseph homer made a winner of Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez, who gave up eight hits but held the Rockies to two runs in six innings. The Phillies prevailed on a night when Rockies All-Star right fielder Carlos Gonzalez had three hits, including a double, and Trevor Story drove in two runs.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Joseph might be getting his mojo back after struggling since a hot start. His pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh was the Phillies' first pinch-hit homer of the season and Joseph's first pinch-hit of his career. He had been 0-for-7 in pinch-hitting opportunities. He is 6-for-12 in his last four games. "To feel like you did something for the team, it feels pretty good," Joseph said.
• Tyler Goeddel replaced Cody Asche in left field in the eighth inning and it paid off with a game-saving catch. The Rockies had a runner on second with two outs when DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted in from his position and made the diving catch. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there."
• "I'll take it. Everyone has their ups and downs. You're not going to be perfect all the way through." -- Velasquez, speaking about his first half. He finished 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA.
• Joseph's homer traveled a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing Maikel Franco's 449-foot homer, which he hit Monday. It is the Phillies' longest homer since Cameron Rupp's 461-foot long ball on Aug. 24, 2015.
• The Phillies announced outfielder Aaron Altherr began a rehab assignment Friday with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. He is recovering from a torn tendon in his left wrist. The team also announced right-hander Andrew Bailey had been activated from the 15-day disabled list. Bailey had been sidelined with a strained left hamstring.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-9, 3.30 ERA) makes his final start before the All-Star break on Saturday night at 8:40 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Coors Field. Eickhoff is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA in his last seven starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rule 5 Dive – Tyler Goeddel is trying to make his mark this season, but the opportunities at times have been scarce. He made the most of his chance Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. He pinch-hit in the top of the eighth inning for Phillies left fielder Cody Asche and remained in the game. He then made a lead-saving catch with a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the inning when Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted from his spot in left to make a spectacular diving catch to end the threat. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there." Not bad for a converted third baseman, who started playing the outfield last year. "I love selling out, making those plays," Goeddel said. "That's the best part of playing the outfield." The Phillies selected Goeddel with the first overall pick in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. He is hitting .221 with three doubles, three triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 59 games, although his playing time has been reduced recently due to the torrid hitting of Peter Bourjos and Asche. "It's been fun, really fun," Goeddel said of his first half. "A learning experience, for sure. At the start of the year I was getting my feet wet. It took a little bit of time, but the more I played, the more I felt comfortable. Any way you can contribute up here is awesome. Whatever my role is I want to help the team win. I think this first half I feel like I've helped out quite a bit. Hopefully I'll continue to improve as the season goes on and continue to make some plays."

Regaining Form – Tommy Joseph never felt it. He crushed a pinch-hit, three-run home run to left field in the seventh inning Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. It was the Phillies' first pinch-hit home run of the season, and the first pinch-hit of Joseph's career. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said. It came at a huge moment of the game. The Phillies' offense had been quiet since arriving in Colorado, but had just scored its first run in the seventh to cut the Rockies' lead to 2-1. Joseph stepped into the batter's box and three pitches later mashed a 1-1 breaking ball against Rockies left-hander Jake McGee a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing the 448-foot blast Maikel Franco hit Monday at Citizens Bank Park. "Thanks to him," said Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez, who picked up his eighth win of the season. Joseph might be finding his mojo again. He hit .323 (21-for-65) with two doubles, seven home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS in the first 21 games of his big league career. He played so well Phillies manager Pete Mackanin officially put Ryan Howard into a bench role. But since homering twice against the Nationals on June 10, Joseph hit just .114 (8-for-70) with three doubles, one home run, three RBIs and a .325 OPS in 19 games. "It was quite a funk," Joseph said. But following the towering homer Friday, Joseph is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with one double, two home runs, five RBIs and a 1.622 OPS in his last four games. Joseph said adjustments he has made recently have helped. Some helpful words from teammates have been beneficial, too. "Creating movement with the legs," Joseph said. "I got away from that." He is back at it and Friday it might have helped him crush a ball a country mile.

Huge Potential – The Phillies will have one heck of a story if Simon Muzziotti makes the big leagues. They signed the 17-year-old outfielder from Venezuela to a $750,000 bonus Friday. Muzziotti comes to the Phillies in a very unusual way. He was a free agent, despite the fact the Red Sox paid him a $300,000 bonus last summer and despite the fact he hit .317 in 17 games this summer for the Red Sox in the Dominican Summer League. Muzziotti became a free agent again recently only because Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for trying to circumvent the rules during the previous international signing period. The Red Sox were not permitted to sign players for more than $300,000 during the 2015-16 signing period because they exceeded their bonus pool in the 2014-15 signing period. But the Red Sox instead made package deals, essentially paying a group of players $300,000 each only to have a few of those players funnel much of their bonus to the most valuable player in the group. Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for their actions, which included making the players they signed free agents. Only $450,000 of Muzziotti's bonus counted against the Phillies' signing pool of $5,610,800. They had purposely not spent their entire signing pool just in the event something unexpected came their way. Muzziotti did. One scout told MLB.com last summer that Muzziotti compared to a young Jacoby Ellsbury. Muzziotti had been clocked at 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard dash. The Phillies previously agreed to terms with five other international players: right-hander Francisco Morales ($720,000 signing bonus), shortstop Brayan Gonzalez ($900,000), shortstop Nicolas Torres ($665,000), catcher Juan Aparicio ($475,000) and shortstop Jose Tortolero ($450,000).

Lessons Learned – The moment remains embedded in Phillies manager Pete Mackanin's memory. It was May 4, 1980. Mackanin was a bench player with the Twins. He was hitting .231, and at the age of 28, he was battling to stay in the big leagues, where he had appeared in 73 games the three previous seasons -- combined. "I am in the outfield, shagging fly balls, and [manager] Gene [Mauch] walks up and says, 'Pete, when you are trying to move the runner from second to third, a deep fly ball to right-center or center will get it done. Don't sacrifice an at-bat with a ground ball to the right side. "I told him, 'I have to stop hitting .230,' and he says, 'You're going to hit .270, .275 when it's all over. He walks away and I'm thinking, 'Dang, he thinks I can hit. It's little things like that that makes a difference. A guy with his stature in the game believes in me and I start thinking, 'Maybe I am a better hitter.'" Mackanin hit .271 his final 79 games that season, finishing at .266. Another year with the Twins and his big league playing career was over. More than 35 years later, however, Mackanin, 24 days shy of his 65th birthday, is enjoying his first season as a non-interim big league manager, and those moments with Mauch are with him every day. It has helped Mackanin handle the challenges of managing a big league team, especially a young team like the Phillies, where the ups can be way up and the downs way down. This is a team that opened the season 25-19, lost 19 of its next 24 and went into Friday having won 10 of the past 14. Mackanin has a driving desire to win. He can be as frustrated as the next guy when a hit-and-run is missed or an outfielder throws to the wrong base. But he maintains a calm exterior. It's what he learned from Mauch. "Gene would have a meeting when things weren't going well and you were thinking he's going to yell and scream, but it was just the opposite," Mackanin said. "I played for Billy Martin [as a rookie] in Texas, and you hear a lot of stories about Billy. Some of them are true. But with Billy, the only time he would yell and scream at [players] was when we were winning. When we were losing, he was looking for a way to pick everybody up." Over the years, Mackanin had plenty of opportunities to test that method, just not in the big leagues. He coached in the Majors and Minors and had a short stint as a pro scout with the Yankees, and he managed 14 seasons in the Minors with a composite 985-914 record. Mackanin even went 27-26 with the Pirates' affiliate in the Rookie level Gulf Coast League in 2006 after finishing the previous season as the interim manager of the big league club. He wanted to remain in the game, so at the age of 54, the former ballplayer welcomed the chance to take on the Minor League team. That, as much as anything, underscores that Mackanin is a baseball lifer. Even when he felt jilted, he never felt bitter. Like so many people in the game, Mackanin had a strong desire to be a big league manager, but he finally gave up that dream nine years ago. He had that interim opportunity with the Pirates when they fired Lloyd McClendon with a 55-81 record and 26 games remaining in 2005. Pittsburgh won 12 of the final 26 games with Mackanin in charge, but when it came time to hire a manager for '06, the Pirates went with Jim Tracy, who had managed the Dodgers the previous five seasons. A coach with the Reds when Jerry Narron was fired after a 31-51 start to 2007, Mackanin took over as the interim manager, saw the team go 41-39, but then Cincinnati hired Dusty Baker, a veteran of 14 years managing the Giants and Cubs. Mackanin did get interviews for managerial jobs with the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Astros and D-backs, but he wasn't hired. "I remember one question in Boston: 'You're 60 years old, why do you think you would get an opportunity to manage?'" Mackanin said with a smile. "I said, 'I don't want to introduce age into this decision. I don't think it is fair to take advantage of the youth and inexperience of the other candidates." Bobby Valentine got the job. Mackanin got the message. "I was at ease with everything," he said. "I still loved the game and wanted to be part of it, but I knew my time had passed [to be a manager]." Well, he thought his time had passed. Mackanin did take a coaching job with the Phillies, and when he was dismissed after the 2012 season, he became a scout with the Yankees. When Ryne Sandberg became the Phillies' manager, he hired Mackanin to be the third-base coach, and it was Mackanin who assumed the interim managerial job when Sandberg stepped down. He never thought he would be managing the team on a full-time basis in 2016. But he is. "I'm happy," Mackanin said. "I'm not out to prove anything. If I was 50, I would probably be a lot more anxious about things, but I turn 65 the first of August, and I'm managing in the big leagues. I am just doing what I have always done." Mackanin is doing the things he learned from those days, playing for the likes of Mauch and Martin.

Today In Phils History – On Wally Post’s 20^th birthday, Phillies phans harassed Boston manager Billy Southworth in 1949 for not including Robin Roberts and Ken Heintzelman on the All Star roster. 4 years later, Robin Roberts was pulled in the 8^th inning ending a streak of 28 straight complete games dating back to August of the previous season. In 1967, Dick Allen hit a monster homerun over the 40 foot high center field wall at Connie Mack Stadium. 20 years later, with his 513^th career homerun, Mike Schmidt passed Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks for 11^th all time. Ricky Bottalico represented the Phillies well as their lone representative in the 1996 All Star Game at the Vet by pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Lastly, this is the day when newly acquired Joe Blanton made his Phillies debut in 2008.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 41-47 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-51-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Some Debuts Don’t Go As Planned

GAME RECAP: Jays Jack Phils 11-3 

Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam and Ezequiel Carrera and Edwin Encarnacion added a pair of two-run shots as the Blue Jays scored early and often against rookie Zach Eflin in an 11-3 victory over the Phillies on Tuesday afternoon at Rogers Centre. Donaldson went 3-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored. It was his second five-RBI game of the season and the fourth of his career as the reigning American League MVP Award winner also extended his on-base streak to 19 consecutive games. "We watched a little bit of film on him," Donaldson said of Eflin. "I was paying very close attention to Jose [Bautista's] at-bat, and it looked like he wanted to throw his heater early on. In my first at-bat, he threw me a fastball that I could hit, and I was able to hit it pretty well to right field. That kind of started me on the right track. I was able to get some pitches to hit, and I was able to take advantage of it." Kevin Pillar also enjoyed a three-hit game with a homer and a pair of runs scored. Carrera went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. The offensive outburst came less than 24 hours after Toronto was shut out by Philadelphia, but the club has now scored at least 10 runs in three of its past four games. Eflin was making his Major League debut, but it did not go as planned. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out two. Eflin became the first rookie Phillies pitcher to allow eight earned runs or more in a start since Gavin Floyd on April 19, 2005. "You've got to forget about it," Eflin said about his first Major League start. "Obviously, I'll remember it for the rest of my life, but from a pitching standpoint, I've got to bounce back. I've got to throw quality strikes and get ahead of the hitters." Right-hander Marcus Stroman picked up the victory for Toronto. He entered Tuesday having allowed 25 runs over his previous 29 2/3 innings, but Stroman was much better in this one. Stroman scattered six hits and one walk with six strikeouts over seven strong innings. The one big blow was a solo home run by Cesar Hernandez in the seventh. "I felt a lot better out there," Stroman said. "I think the work that we've been putting in between the last few starts is starting to take shape. Not exactly where I want to be, but definitely made strides and looking forward to the next one."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Playing in his first game against the Blue Jays since being traded from Toronto to Philadelphia for cash considerations on June 1, Jimmy Paredes finished 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Paredes brought home the Phillies' first run of the afternoon with a double down the left-field line in the sixth inning, before notching a single and scoring on Andres Blanco's sacrifice fly in the eighth. The 27-year-old switch-hitter entered the game in the bottom of the fifth inning for center fielder Odubel Herrera. Paredes played right, with Peter Bourjos moving to center. "I feel good being back in Canada," Paredes said. "We had a bad game, but we'll see what we can do tomorrow. What I've learned in the National League is that you have to be ready every inning with all the double switches. You never know what's going to happen, and I try to make the most of my opportunities."
• The eight earned runs allowed by Eflin was the highest total given up by a Philadelphia starter since Jerome Williams surrendered eight on Aug. 20, 2015.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco missed his second straight game on Tuesday with a right knee sprain he sustained Sunday, and he is considered day to day. If Franco is unable to go Wednesday, Andres Blanco could make his third consecutive start at the hot corner.
• After spending the past two games at designated hitter, Jose Bautista could make his return to right field on Wednesday. Bautista exited Thursday's game against the Orioles with right thigh tightness, and he missed three consecutive contests before returning to the lineup on Monday.
• Edwin Encarnacion is expected to get the start at first base in Philadelphia, with Justin Smoak coming off the bench for the Blue Jays. Encarnacion has seen a majority of his at-bats as the DH, but he started at first base on Tuesday.

NEXT GAME:

After playing a pair of games in Toronto, the Blue Jays and Phillies shift over to Citizens Bank Park for two games beginning on Wednesday. Marco Estrada (4-2, 2.57 ERA) gets the ball for Toronto having allowed five hits or fewer in nine consecutive starts. Estrada's .168 batting average against is the lowest mark among American League starters, and the 32-year-old has limited the opposition to two runs or fewer in seven of his 12 starts this season. In his last outing against the Orioles, Estrada went six innings and allowed three earned runs. The right-handed finesse pitcher has won his past three decisions, and he has not been defeated since a 4-0 loss to the White Sox on April 27. The Phillies will counter with Jeremy Hellickson (4-4, 4.34 ERA), who will look to rebound after one of his worst starts of the season. The 29-year-old right-hander allowed nine hits and seven earned runs -- including three home runs -- over six innings in a loss to the Nationals on Friday. Prior to his start against Washington, Hellickson had allowed three runs or fewer in six consecutive outings. Hellickson made 15 starts against Toronto from 2010-14 during his time with the Rays, going 5-4 with a 3.45 ERA. However, he is 1-10 with a 6.69 ERA in 15 Interleague starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Dreadful Debut – Zach Eflin experienced both the highs and lows of life in the Major Leagues during his debut on Tuesday. Eflin was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start in place of the injured Vince Velasquez, and he struck out two of the first three batters he faced -- Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion -- on hard sliders. After that, however, things took a turn for the worst for Eflin, the Phillies' No. 13 prospect. The 22-year-old right-hander lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up nine runs (eight earned) in an 11-3 loss to the Blue Jays. Three of the nine hits Eflin allowed were home runs, and he also walked three. He became the first Phillies rookie to allow eight earned runs in a game since Gavin Floyd on April 19, 2005. "This was his Major League debut, and I suppose he was a little nervous," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He just made a lot of bad pitches. He normally locates a lot better than he did. He was just up in the zone with all his pitches and got hit. Sorry to see his debut turn out that way, but this is a good lineup, and he can't make mistakes to them." The big blow from Toronto came in a six-run third inning, when reigning American League MVP Award winner Josh Donaldson took Eflin into the second deck with a grand slam for a 9-0 Blue Jays lead. Known for his ability to keep the ball down and command his fastball, Eflin didn't display those tendencies in Toronto. "You've got to forget about it," Eflin said. "Obviously, I'll remember it for the rest of my life, but from a pitching standpoint, I've got to bounce back. I've got to throw quality strikes and get ahead of the hitters." "You just got to keep him calm, don't let him get to himself, don't let him get down about himself," added catcher Cameron Rupp. "Just tell him, 'Come on, you can do it, you got one pitch left, you got two outs, you're one pitch away.' And then it was tough for him not to get it. He battled, he never gave in to those hitters, and that's a good lineup, too. You can't make mistakes to that lineup and those guys, and they got him when he did." Acquired from the Dodgers as part of the Jimmy Rollins deal in 2014, Eflin's Major League debut came in front of a packed house at Rogers Centre. In the first row behind the Phillies' dugout were Eflin's father, grandparents, two sisters, girlfriend and her brother. "It was very special," Eflin said about having his family on hand. "Especially because they had their passports and everything ready for whenever and whatever happened, so it was awesome to have them here." While the Phillies are unsure of what the season holds for Eflin as far as a permanent spot in their rotation, they do expect him to get another outing. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound right-hander knows he'll have to make some tweaks in order to have a better performance his next time out. "Really make sure I limit my pitches up in the zone," Eflin said. "I need to make sure that I focus on every pitch and work down in the zone and really don't give them anything to hit, and go from there."

Today In Phils History – It was on this day in 1945 that Ben Chapman was acquired from the Dodgers… his history with that team did not stop there. 4 years later, Eddie Waitkus is shot in a Chicago hotel by 19-year old Ruth Steihagen. 3 years later, Granny Hamner demonstrated why it is always important to cover home plate when he scored on a foul pop up which was fielded by the Pittsburgh catcher. In 1960, the Phillies said goodbye to Wally Post and Sparky Anderson but also welcomed Tony Gonzalez to the team. 2 year later, the Phillies made a smart acquisition (which they would later negate) when they signed minor-league free agent Ferguson Jenkins. Long time Phillies manager Gene Mauch was fired on this day in 1968 and replaced by Bob Skinner. In 2001, the Phillies honored 2 players from 2 very different eras when Gary Maddox and Gavvy Cravath were inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame. It is also the birthday of Bab Dahlgren (1912) and Lance Parrish who turns 60 today.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 30-35 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 42-57-0 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. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Edge Indians In Repeat Performance

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Indians 4-3

The Phillies have not had a view like this in five years. They beat the Indians on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park, 4-3, to improve to 14-10. It is the first time they have been four games over .500 since the end of the 2011 season, when they finished 102-60. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis led the way with three RBIs. "If you said that before Spring Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said when asked if the Phillies expected to play this well in April. "But I think we had a good team in Spring Training. We played pretty good." Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. But his biggest at-bat came up just short as he ripped a line drive to right field with runners on second and third and two outs in the ninth. Phillies right fielder Peter Bourjos ran back and made a leaping catch to end the game. "Thank God for Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez said.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Galvis hit a two-run home run in the first inning, then he came through again in the seventh inning. He hit a bloop single on the right-field line to score David Lough from second base to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. Galvis had been 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position this season before that game-winning hit. "I think that's part of the game," Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men in scoring position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not to lose your confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to come and go. I'm really happy it happened today."
• Bourjos broke hard to the right-field wall to make a spectacular game-winning catch in the ninth inning. Bourjos has been struggling offensively, but he proved his worth again defensively. Meanwhile, Gomez is 8-for-8 in save opportunities. "I expect to go out there and play good defense," Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I take a lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing the defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon."
• Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera has reached base safely in a career-high 21 consecutive games. He singled to center field in the first inning to extend the streak. He finished April with a .462 on-base percentage, which is the highest OBP for a Phillies player in April since Aaron Rowand posted a .462 OBP in April 2007.
• Herrera tried to score from third on a ball that bounced a few feet from home plate in the fifth inning. Indians catcher Roberto Perez picked up the ball and tagged out Herrera to end the frame. The Phillies challenged, but replay confirmed the call. It was the second time a Phillies baserunner made an out in the inning, with both runners being called out between third and home. Bourjos broke for home on a ground ball to third base. He got tagged out trying to get back to third. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he had no problem with Herrera breaking home on the play.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez (3-1, 1.78 ERA) pitches Sunday's series finale at Citizens Bank Park. Velasquez has struck out 33 and walked just six batters in 25 1/3 innings this season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Defense Seals It – Peter Bourjos froze momentarily before he broke toward the right-field wall in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis had just hit a rocket to right with runners on second and third and two outs. If the ball had fallen both runners would have scored and the Indians would have taken a one-run lead. But Bourjos, whom the Phillies acquired in December because they loved his defense, got a good read on the ball. At the last possible moment he turned, leapt and outstretched his glove to make a spectacular game-ending catch in the Phillies' 4-3 win. "Thank God for Bourjos catching that ball," Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez said. The almost miraculous catch helped the Phillies finish April at 14-10, making it the first time they have been four games over .500 since they finished the 2011 season at 102-60. "I broke on it and I froze just to make sure it wasn't a topspin," Bourjos said. "A couple steps into it I realized I had a pretty good bead on it, and as long as I had enough room to catch it I would." Bourjos is hitting .164 (11-for-67) with five doubles, one triple, three RBIs, two walks, 22 strikeouts and a .457 OPS in 22 games. Clearly, he needs to be much better offensively. But the Phillies' front office thinks Bourjos' defense has been beneficial to a young pitching staff that has been surprisingly successful the first month of the season. "I expect to go out there and play good defense," Bourjos said. "I expect to be hitting better than I have. I take a lot of pride in all aspects of the game. Obviously I'm not swinging the bat very well and the defense needs to be there, and it always has been. I think I'd be feeling better if I was hitting .280 right now and playing the defense I am. Hopefully it comes soon." Gomez praised Bourjos afterward, although he deserves plenty of credit for his own performance. He has been one of the team's biggest surprises this month, opening April as a middle reliever and finishing it as the closer. Gomez is 8-for-8 in save opportunities, establishing himself to the point that he picked out his entrance music for the ninth inning. He certainly flipped the script from Jonathan Papelbon's selection of Meek Mill's "Bout That Life" and Ken Giles' selection of Avenged Sevenfold's "Hail to the King." Gomez for the first time entered to Julissa's "El Gran Yo Soy," which is a religious ballad. "It's Christian music, talking about God," Gomez said. After the catch Bourjos made Saturday, there is no reason to change it.

Freddy Comes Through – Maybe Freddy Galvis deserved one. After he hit a two-run home run in the first inning Saturday night in a 4-3 victory over the Indians at Citizens Bank Park, he dropped a bloop single down the right-field line in the seventh inning to score the game-winning run to help the Phillies improve to 14-10. The Phillies are four games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season, when they finished 102-60. "If you said that before Spring Training, maybe you say no," Galvis said after being asked if the Phillies expected to play this well in April. "But I think we had a good team in Spring Training. We played pretty good." Galvis' two-run homer to right field in the first handed the Phillies a 2-0 lead, but he needed that hit in the seventh just as much as the Phillies needed it. He had been just 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. "I think that's part of the game," Galvis said. "Sometimes you're going to be hot with men in scoring position. Sometimes you're cold. You just have to remember not to lose your confidence. That's something I don't do. I know it's going to come and go. I'm really happy it happened today." Galvis has hit .264 (14-for-53) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven RBIs and a .794 OPS in the past 13 games. He has had some big hits in that stretch, including his only previous hit with a runner in scoring position on April 17, when he handed Nationals closer Jonathan Papelbon his first loss and blown save of the season in a walk-off victory. That one was memorable because it happened against Papelbon and the Nationals. But Saturday night's hit was big for an entirely different reason: it capped off a solid month for a team that entered the season with low expectations. "Big night for Freddy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

Bullpen Swap – Phillies right-hander Dalier Hinojosa never expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list. But he still cannot grip a baseball because of a bruised right hand, so the Phillies put him there before Saturday night's game against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park. Hinojosa said he hopes to rejoin the team when he is eligible to be activated May 14. In the meantime, the Phillies recalled right-hander Colton Murray from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "I thought it was going to be something simple," Hinojosa said through the Phillies' interpreter. "The X-ray was negative. I don't have a fracture, so I thought it'd be a matter of two or three days to be back. But that's not the case." A batted ball struck Hinojosa's pitching hand Thursday against the Nationals at Nationals Park. "It hit me so hard that it still bothers me," Hinojosa said. "I cannot throw my changeup, my splitter." His injury is a blow to the bullpen. Hinojosa is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA and eight strikeouts in 10 appearances this season. After allowing four hits and two runs in just one-third of an inning in his season debut on April 6 in Cincinnati, he has allowed just six hits, two runs and three walks in 10 2/3 innings. In his past nine appearances, Hinojosa has a 1.69 ERA and opponents have hit just .171 against him. "It came to the point where it was going to take a few days longer than we expected," manager Pete Mackanin said about Hinojosa's recovery time. "We didn't want to go short for four or five more days. It just made sense to do it now." Murray, who made his Major League debut for the Phillies in September, is 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings for the IronPigs. He posted a 5.87 ERA in eight appearances last season with the Phillies.

Preparing For A Big First Pitch – It was Cameron Rupp's first Major League Opening Day on April 6, 2015. It was also Kathi Rupp's -- at least as a mother of a big leaguer. As Kathi and the rest of the Rupp clan took their seats at Citizens Bank Park, they got a group text from Cameron. It read, "Here we go." "It was just a very emotional moment because you know your child's dream came true," Kathi said a little over a year later. "The tears couldn't stop." Now, a week before Mother's Day, the Phillies chose Kathi as the mom they will honor in an annual pregame ceremony. Each year, the Phillies choose a mother of a player to honor on the Sunday home game closest to Mother's Day. Last year, it was Darin Ruf's mom, Mary. Before that, Domonic Brown's mother, Rosemary Joseph Woods, was the honoree. On Sunday, Kathi will throw out the first pitch to Cameron -- just like she always imagined. "When Cameron made it to the big leagues, I had it in the back of my mind, 'Wouldn't it be cool for me to throw a first pitch to Cameron?'" she said. "Never ever did I think this day would come." "It's pretty special," Cameron added. "How many people get to say their mom has thrown a first pitch to them?" A mother throwing a first pitch to the son she helped raise into a Major League ballplayer may seem like a story coming full circle with a perfect ending. But the journey is hardly over. It's a goal of Cameron's parents to see him play in all 30 Major League stadiums. They've already checked a few off the list, including Citizens Bank Park, Chase Field and Citi Field. Kathi said they travel from their Texas home about once a month to see their son play. In May, they're headed to Chicago to see him and the Phillies at Wrigley Field. Once they've checked off all 30, they plan on framing the ticket stubs together. "They both support me more than I can ever ask for," Cameron said. "I can't thank them enough… Them willing to be everywhere I am is pretty cool."

Today In Phils History – It all started on this day in 1883 at Recreation Park and that first game was celebrated 100 years later with a carnival at JFK stadium, Steve Carlton appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and Al Holland making his wheez kids debut for the Phillies. Also on this day, 20-year-old Johnny Lush pitched a no-hitter in Brooklyn while striking out 11 in 1906. 40 years later, the Phillies cut ties with Vince DiMaggio. In 1968, Gene Mauch was ejected from a game (not surprising) after pitcher John Boozer was said to have violated the new spitball rule by going to his mouth while on the mound between innings. Four years later, in the beginning of a dismal season, Dick Selma pitched the fifth straight complete game by a Phillies pitcher.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 14-10 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 45-43-0 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!

Howard Wins It For The Phillies In The 11th

GAME RECAP: Phillies Stun Indians 4-3

If you blinked, you might have missed it. After 10 1/2 innings of play and nearly 3 1/2 hours, Ryan Howard ended Friday night's game at Citizens Bank Park on one pitch. The veteran first baseman lined a 3-2 pitch from Cody Allen over the right-field wall to give the Phillies a 4-3, 11-inning win over the Indians. "It felt good," Howard said. "I put the fat part of the bat on the ball, and the rest took care of itself." At only two points were the Indians and Phillies anything but tied. The two clubs matched zeros for the first four innings of play, before they each scored three runs in the fifth. But while Adam Morgan unraveled the third time through the Cleveland order and exited after allowing three runs, Corey Kluber bounced back from his three-run fifth to retire the final six Phillies he faced. Only two of the runs Kluber allowed in the fifth were earned. Both teams' bullpens put forth impressive efforts, combining to allow only one run, but the Phillies' outlasted the Indians'. Philadelphia's 'pen struck out 11 over six scoreless frames. The Indians' relievers matched their opponent's impressive efforts through their first three, but Howard put the winning run over the wall to lead off the 11th inning. "When you're on the road, you're always kind of playing with fire," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Because they get to hit last." It was the Phillies' fourth straight win and seventh in their last eight games. At 13-10, they're three games above .500 for the first time since Sept. 21, 2012. "It's a lot of fun. This is the most excited I've seen these guys in two years with the team," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.

PHILS PHACTS:

• It looked as though the Phillies were going to get a run in 10th. Facing Jeff Manship, Philadelphia loaded the bases with one out. But Francona went to his closer, Allen, with the circumstances dire. Allen struck out Freddy Galvis to end the Phillies' rally before getting Maikel Franco to ground out to end the frame. "Cody came in and did such a good job to get out of that and give us another chance," Francona said. The next batter he faced -- Howard, the next inning -- ended the game, though. "He caught too much of the plate to Howard," Francona continued. "That's not the first time [Howard] has done that."
• Morgan was cruising in his first Major League start of the season and had sat down nine straight when Kluber came up with two outs in the fifth. After Kluber's double and Davis' following RBI single, Jason Kipnis lifted a 1-2 Morgan offering over the right-field wall to make it a three-run inning. Morgan struck out the next batter, Francisco Lindor, his seventh strikeout on the last batter he faced. "It was a slider that wasn't low enough," Morgan said of the pitch Kipnis hit over the fence.
• Phillies pitchers combined for 18 strikeouts on Friday night, setting a new season high. Eleven of those punchouts came from their bullpen, which threw six scoreless innings in relief of Morgan, who notched a career-best seven strikeouts. The Phillies now have 240 strikeouts on the season, the most in the Majors. 
• When Davis drove Kluber home from second in the fifth inning, it snapped the Phillies' 26-inning scoreless streak. The last time Philadelphia had a streak that long was Sept. 13-16, 2009. The Phillies own two of the three longest scoreless streaks of the 2016 season: the aforementioned 26 innings and a 19-inning run from April 11-13. The Dodgers' 31-inning streak to begin the season leads baseball.

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff will start for the Phillies on Saturday in the second game of their Interleague series with Cleveland. Eickhoff has a 4.07 ERA through four starts this season, but his last start saw him give up seven runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Brewers. Eickhoff is hoping to look more like the pitcher he was in his first three games, during which he had a 1.89 ERA.

PHILS PHACTS:

What Year Is This? – Ryan Howard hit a walk-off home run as the Phillies continued their winning ways on Friday night. It felt like the good old days at Citizens Bank Park. Howard, the longest-tenured member of a young Phillies roster, was reminiscent of his former MVP self in a 4-3, 11-inning win over the Indians, the Phillies' seventh victory in their last eight and their fourth straight overall. He went 3-for-5 with a double and a line-drive homer off Cleveland closer Cody Allen. "I think you savor it at any moment in your career, whether you're a rookie, whether you're a veteran, and those are always great situations to be in and come through for your team," Howard said. And this current team is playing better than any team Howard -- in his 13th Major League season -- has been on in the last few seasons. At 13-10, the Phillies are three games over the .500 mark for the first time since Sept. 21, 2012, when they were 77-74. Only Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Freddy Galvis and Darin Ruf remain from that roster. "I'm having a blast. The team itself is having a good time," Howard said. "… There's a different energy, and you could feel that at the end in Spring Training. And the way everything's been going, it's great." Friday's three-hit performance was also Howard's best showing so far in the 2016 season. In what was just his second multi-hit game of the year, Howard cranked his fifth home run and first double. He upped his average from .185 to .214, and that double was the first hit in what turned into a three-run fifth inning. "He hasn't been swinging the bat very well, and he got a couple hits earlier in the game," Phillies manager Pete Makanin said of Howard. "Any time you hit a walk-off home run, it's exciting for everybody, and I'd like to see Howard do it another 25 times -- not necessarily a walk-off." Ruiz, who is next behind Howard in terms of service time in Philadelphia, drove Howard in with a double in the fifth. Ruiz is now hitting .297 this season, and though the Phillies' season will be mostly about their younger talent, their veterans are showing they can still make a difference.

Morgan Bolsters K Total – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before Friday's game that Adam Morgan was not guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation moving forward. For the first 14 outs of his start, Morgan looked like a pitcher deserving of it in the Phillies' 4-3, 11-inning win. Morgan, a 26-year-old lefty, cruised through the first 4 2/3 innings of his first Major League start of the season, even retiring nine consecutive batters before Indians pitcher Corey Kluber stepped in to the batter's box with two outs in the fifth. What looked to likely be an innocent end to the inning turned into trouble. Kluber -- in just his 15th Major League at-bat -- hit a double down the left-field line and scored the game's first run when leadoff man Rajai Davis singled him home. Jason Kipnis followed that up with a home run, hitting a 1-2 slider from Morgan over the right-field fence to give Cleveland a 3-0 lead. Morgan's night ended on a sour note, but the pitcher was picked up. First by the Phillies offense, then by their bullpen. Philadelphia got Morgan off the hook with three runs in the bottom of the fifth and then a group of four relievers put together six scoreless innings, setting up Ryan Howard's walk-off home run in the 11th. "The energy is high and everyone is picking each other up, the way the bullpen did for me and those guys came out in the fifth inning and scored runs," said Morgan, who made 15 starts for the Phillies last season. Morgan was called up to replace Charlie Morton, the veteran sinkerballer who was recently lost for the season with a left hamstring injury. It looked like the southpaw did enough to earn himself another shot in the Phillies rotation, striking out a career-best seven batters over five innings. "I realized the mistakes that I made, and I can go forward from there," he said. Meanwhile, the Phillies' bullpen turned in another solid performance. Andrew Bailey, Elvis Araujo, Hector Neris and David Hernandez allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in six innings. Bailey and Hernandez each had four punchouts, while Neris had the other three. Phillies pitchers lead the Majors with 240 strikeouts on the season. The 18 strikeouts by the Phillies were the most they've had as a team since May 30, 2014, against the Mets, a game that went 14 innings. Morgan also helped the Phillies pitching staff run its scoreless streak to 26 innings, the franchise's longest since Sept. 13-16, 2009. While the streak was snapped in the fifth, the bullpen got another one underway in a hurry. "We were confident that the guys we had were capable pitchers, and we felt they were capable of doing what they're doing," Mackanin said. "To see them doing what we thought they were capable of doing is a good feeling. We have guys in the Minors that we're excited about, also, but these guys out here, are we leading the league in strikeouts? It's outstanding."

Today In Phils History – In addition to some unique names appearing on Phillies lineup cards on this day including Spud Davis (1928) and Delmon Young (2013) as well as some nice additions made to the team when they traded for Pinky Whitney in 1936 and acquired Andy Seminick and Jim Greengrass (for a package that included Smoky Burgess) in 1955, there have been some unique games in the history of the franchise on this day. The first of such games came in 1887 when the Phillies beat New York in the first game at what would later be known as the Baker Bowl. In 1919, the Phillies played Brooklyn to 9-9 tie in 20 innings after each team scored three runs in the 19^th. In 1961 manager Gene Mauch, in an unusual move, used a team record 5 pinch hitters in the 8^th inning to score 7 runs. The Phillies would go on to beat St. Louis in 10 innings. A year later, in 1962, the Phillies finally defeated Warren Spahn ending an 11 game losing streak against the Milwaukee ace that dated back to May of 1959.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 13-10 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 41-49-3 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!