Offense Fails To Support Rookie In Loss

GAME RECAP: Nats Blank Phils 4-0

The Nationals began a stretch of 22 consecutive games against National League East opponents on Monday night, a chance, perhaps, for them to get on a roll considering they began the day with the best record against their own division in the Majors. They began that stretch with a gem from right-hander Tanner Roark, combined with a two-run first inning, for a 4-0 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Roark held the Phillies to four hits in seven innings while Jayson Werth continued to torment his former team with a solo homer in the first inning. "I think after the first two innings, I started executing and really driving the ball in there," Roark said. "Instead of using my upper body, I used my legs as well. Everything felt in sync." Washington added a pair of runs in the ninth inning and has now won nine of its 13 meetings with Philadelphia this season, including seven in a row. The Phillies did receive an encouraging start from right-hander Jake Thompson, the team's top pitching prospect and fifth ranked overall, who lasted a career-high seven innings. After giving up two runs in the first, Thompson scattered five singles and did not allow a run across the remainder of the outing, with three strikeouts and one walk. "What a job he did after the first inning," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "In the first inning, it was more of the same. He hung a breaking ball to Werth and gradually, as the game went along, he got better and better. ... A real positive outing."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Nationals didn't score on Thompson after the first, and they hardly even mounted a threat in his final six innings. The rookie got off to another rocky start in the first, allowing Werth's home run and Anthony Rendon's RBI single for a 2-0 lead. But Washington didn't put two runners on base in an inning again until the seventh, and Thompson pitched out of it, finishing his night with possibly the best of his career-high 111 pitches, a curveball that froze Trea Turner to end the inning. "I thought about getting him out after six to keep it positive, but I thought he was just pitching too well," Mackanin said. "In that seventh inning, he really battled hard to get out of that. All three of his strikeouts were in that one inning. That was huge. Great to see. I'm real pleased with that." Pitching coach Bob McClure made a change to Thompson's delivery between starts, simplifying it, and it paid major dividends. "Just on the physical side of things, I'm in a better position to make pitches," Thompson said. "It actually wasn't too difficult. It's really simple, just small moving parts instead of a bunch of stuff moving at the same time. I got off a mound twice this week in the bullpen. I feel like that helped a lot, just getting those reps."
• The Phillies' bullpen has been among the most active in the Majors this season, especially of late. Philly relievers have thrown the eighth-most innings in the month of August. Manager Pete Mackanin sounded excited at the prospect of adding some relief arms when rosters expand on Sept. 1, saying the Phillies will immediately recall "a couple arms." But Thompson, in his fifth Major League start -- and having not gotten past five innings previously -- provided the relief the 'pen needed, going seven strong. He joined Jeremy Hellickson (Aug. 20) as the only two starters to pitch seven innings since July 26.
• "McClure noticed something with his leg. I'm not going to get up and demonstrate. But it's his lead leg. He was lifting it a certain way, which kind of caused him to lean forward and not stay over his backside. Oddly enough, he used a new leg lift, which is not easy to do just overnight. I think that had a lot to do with it. It looked real good; his command was really good. He started to throw a lot of good pitches; he looked like the pitcher that was advertised." -- Mackanin, on the change in Thompson's delivery.
• The Nationals issued a challenge in the ninth inning after Rendon was only awarded second base on a fan-interference play on an errant pickoff throw by right-hander Frank Herrmann. The call on the field was overturned, and Rendon was awarded third base; he would later score on a single by Robinson.
• The Phillies joined the Nats in ninth-inning challenges when Chris Heisey hit a potential inning-ending double-play ball to first baseman Tommy Joseph. Joseph fired to second; Mackanin issued a challenge, saying that Danny Espinosa slid too aggressively into the bag. He wanted Heisey ruled out at first after the throw back to Joseph was too late, but replay confirmed that Espinosa's slide was within the rules.
• Werth spent four seasons with the Phillies, winning a World Series, and considers Citizens Bank Park one of his favorite places to play. He homered in his first at-bat on Monday and now has 11 homers and 29 RBIs in his last 29 games in Philadelphia dating back to the start of the 2013 season. It was his seventh home run this month, tied for the most he has hit in any calendar month as a member of the Nationals. "Home runs come in streaks, and home runs come with a thought process," manager Dusty Baker said. "When you start hitting a couple home runs, it's sort of like you think about it. ... So you know me, I always feel that water seeks its own level. J-W is healthy this year, where he wasn't last year, and he's always hit the ball out of the ballpark." 

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff (9-12, 3.87 ERA) starts the middle game, and it will be interesting to see how Mackanin monitors his pitch count, as he pulled him from his last start after 71 pitches through six innings of two-run ball.

PHILS PHACTS:

Small Change, Big Difference – Pretend you're a Major League pitcher. Take a big step back with your left foot and lift your arms over your head, rock back a little and fire. Now eliminate those movements, just raise your lead leg and throw again. See the difference? That's the change that Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure made to Jake Thompson's delivery between Thompson's most recent start and Monday's, the best of his Major League career. The rookie right-hander tossed seven innings and allowed only two runs to the Nationals in a 4-0 Phillies loss at Citizens Bank Park. Rather than the standard single side session between starts, Thompson worked back-to-back bullpens on Saturday and Sunday in New York. Prior to Saturday he'd never thrown a pitch the way he did fairly dominantly, all things considered, only two days later. McClure approached Thompson before Saturday's session, saying, "Hey, I want you to try this." He then proposed stripping Thompson's delivery bare -- not even a windup. "First I was trying to go from the side and still go over my head," Thompson said. "The timing really wasn't there. Then he had me try it without it, and I had a really good bullpen after that, and we kind of just stuck with it." In Sunday's second bullpen session, he threw only a dozen or so pitches, but he said the additional work helped him immensely. Thompson had thrown thousands of pitches using the delivery that caused him so many issues in his first four Major League starts. It was a conundrum, as he posted a 2.50 ERA in Triple-A doing the same thing. "The only thing I can probably pinpoint is, it has a lot to do with timing," he said. "Coming up here and struggling kind of disrupted my timing a little bit." Thompson posted a 9.78 ERA through those first four starts, the second highest by a Phillies starter in his first four Major League outings. "It was his lead leg," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He was lifting it a certain way, which kind of caused him to lean forward and not stay over his backside. He simplified everything. Too many moving parts. His leg lift was a little unorthodox, and it caused him to lean forward instead of staying over his backside. So that, with the simplified mechanics, I think, helped him a lot." Changing mechanics overnight seems like an impossible task, but for Thompson it was easy. It's almost the same motion, just with the entire first half of his delivery eliminated. Although the change in results was drastic, the tweak was simple. "It actually wasn't too difficult," Thompson said. "It's really simple, just small moving parts instead of a bunch of stuff moving at the same time."

A First Pitch To Be Proud Of – A rainbow flag fluttered from a flagpole in center field at Citizens Bank Park on Monday. Billy Bean, Major League Baseball's vice president of social responsibility and inclusion, threw out a first pitch. That was both fitting -- it was the inaugural Phillies Pride Night -- but not exactly a new gesture by the club, since it was also the 15th consecutive year the organization has recognized the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. It all started when a fan named Larry Felzer approached the Phillies with a question. If he sold 500 tickets, could the LGBT fans get the same recognition on the scoreboard and elsewhere that any other group did? The answer was yes, putting the franchise far ahead of the curve, and the promotion has been a success ever since. This year, the Phils set aside a date -- in this case, the series opener against the Nationals -- without attaching it to a minimum number of tickets to be sold. Other clubs that have held official Pride events this season are the Athletics, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Nationals, Padres, Rays and Red Sox. The Cubs are holding one this Sunday. Bean, who was hired by MLB on July 15, 2014, acknowledged before the game that he's always a little nervous about any sort of potential negative reaction, even though his personal experience so far has been overwhelmingly positive. "It's not to polarize anybody or alienate any of our fans. Most fans will come and not even be aware that that's going on," Bean said. "But there will be a large group of LGBT people who are absolutely aware and feeling supported and wearing shirts and know they're in a supportive environment to express their true selves. So to me, the importance of it being the inaugural Phillies Pride Night is that we've had a decade and a half of successful nights that led up to this." Bean only visits teams when asked; this was his fifth time he's been invited to visit the Phillies. In fact, one of his first appearances after he was hired was to speak at the Phils' organizational meetings. Pride Night is like most of the group nights that are held each season, with two important differences. One is that the LGBT community spans all other groups. For example, Monday was also the team's Jewish Heritage Celebration. "The LGBT community is a part of every community," Bean said. "So there are members of the Jewish community that are part of the LGBT community. So I think we cross into every special-interest group." The other is that most of the other groups take basic liberties, like the right to get married, for granted. Said Bean: "People are not initiating religious-freedom laws to take away the rights of [other groups] right now." "Everyone has a right to bring their passion to the front office of a big league organization and say, 'We want to celebrate the things that matter most to us, and we're going to do it by having a party in your stadium. And here are 1,500 ticket requests.'" The shootings at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., earlier this year emphasize the importance of the issue, and Bean is working to help baseball become a leader, inspired by the way that Jackie Robinson helped break down racial barriers in 1947. "We have a great product on the field, and I think we're expanding the initiatives of social responsibility, which makes me very proud," Bean said. "It's about everyone coming to the ballpark and feeling like they can sit right next to the person that's most important to them in their life and cheer as loud as they can. "That's the beauty of embracing the responsibility that goes with that privilege and us making a great impression for people who may never have heard of an LGBT night. Let's throw an olive branch out across the aisle and make friends. We don't need to be separated. When you raise the visibility, it allows a conversation to be expanded. It's a chance to get to know people better. Then, as communication or conversations happen, we start to see the things we have in common. And then it doesn't seem like such a foreign or scary interaction. "If the fear was that we don't have anything in common, I can tell you that we have baseball in common. That's a start." And when the former big leaguer, one of only two to come out as gay, threw out the first pitch on Monday night, he was greeted with a warm round of applause.

Today In Phils History – In a game that was originally forfeited in 1913 to New York due to fans trying to distract opposing hitters, the NL later ruled that the game should be continued and the Phillies pulled out the victory. Possum Whitted had quite the unique extra inning homerun to give the Phillies the victory in 10 innings in 1915 when the ball bounced off the front of the bleachers, then off the outfielder’s chest, and over the fence for the game winner. Phil Collins had another day in paradise when he pitched a 1 hitter against the Giants at the Polo Grounds in 1931. After retiring the last 17 batters he faced in his start against St. Louis, Saul Rogovin retired the 1^st 15 Cubs batters in 1955 to tie the MLB record. The Phillies received Bob Browning in 1970 from St. Louis as a replacement player in the Curt Flood trade. Kent Tekulve became only the 2^nd pitcher in MLB history to appear in 1000 games when he faced 4 batters in the Phillies win over the Giants in 1988. The Phillies acquired Wes Chamberlain from the Pirates in 1990. Lenny Dykstra tied a team record with his 4^th leadoff homerun of the season in 1993. 5 years later, Jeff Kent lined into a triple play with Alex Arias, Mark Lewis, and Rico Brogna recording the outs against the Giants. In 2000, on his 56^th birthday, Tug McGraw was inducted in the Philles Wall of Fame with is son, Tim McGraw presenting him with a leather jacket with his number 45 on the back and a motorcycle. The Phillies acquired Matt Stairs on this day in 2008, a move that would pay huge dividends in the post season. Other Phillies celebrating birthdays today include Marlon Byrd (1977) and Roberto Hernandez (1980).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-71 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 55-61-0 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.

Rookie Captains Phillies To Victory

GAME RECAP: Phillies Pluck Cardinals 9-2

The Cardinals seemed primed to sweep the Phillies this weekend at Citizens Bank Park, but the Phillies managed eight hits and five runs in five innings against Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha in Sunday afternoon's 9-2 victory. The Phillies, who had lost 11 of their last 12, also enjoyed a solid Major League debut from rookie left-hander Adam Morgan, who fared well against a Cardinals offense that had torched the Phillies for 22 runs in the first two games of the three-game series. "Morgan really stepped up with the opportunity and was outstanding," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "A lot of composure out there, good stuff, good control, mixed his pitches against a very good offensive lineup. For his debut, to face them and do the job he did, he was terrific." The Cardinals managed their only run against Morgan in the fourth inning when Jhonny Peralta homered. Jason Heyward added a solo homer for the Cardinals in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Morgan became the first Phillies starter to earn a win since May 23, when Cole Hamels picked up a win in Washington. It snapped a franchise-record 25 consecutive games without a win from a starter. Morgan did it in his big league debut, too. He allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings, which was welcome relief for an overworked bullpen. Sandberg said Morgan has earned another start. "I was more anxious and excited to see how my stuff played," said Morgan, asked if he was nervous at all. "Asking these guys some first-time advice about their debuts, and they're like, 'Don't look up.' [Cameron] Rupp did a good job just telling me, 'Just me and you catching.' That's what I did. I didn't look up and played the game of baseball."
• The Phillies had hit .229 with a .612 OPS in 28 games since May 20, averaging just 2.8 runs per game in that 5-23 stretch. But they jumped on Wacha early and often, and most of the damage came from the Phillies' younger hitters, like Ben Revere (3-for-4) Hernandez (two RBIs), Franco (3-for-5), Domonic Brown (1-for-3) and Cody Asche (1-for-3). It was the most runs for the Phillies in a game since Sept. 5, 2014, when they also scored nine.
• Hernandez made his fourth start in seven games at second base, although Chase Utley started two of those four games (once at first base, once as a designated hitter). It will be interesting to see if Hernandez continues to get more playing time. Utley, who is hitting .182, needs 500 plate appearances this season to vest a $15 million club option for 2016. He has 244 through the team's first 71 games. "I'd like to see him play more," Sandberg said about Hernandez. "I've been trying to get him in there."
• Morgan was the 11th pitcher to start for the Phillies this season, which leads baseball. The Astros and Dodgers each have had 10 pitchers make starts.
• Correia allowed nine hits and one run in six innings in his only start against the Yankees, which came last year when he pitched for the Twins.
• It will be interesting to see how much Utley plays in New York. He has struggled all season, and Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has started Cesar Hernandez four of the past seven games at second base.
• Pineda faced the Phillies just once in his career: June 17, 2011, when he pitched for the Mariners. He allowed two hits, one run, three walks and struck out five in six innings. The only Phillies hitters in the lineup that day that remain with the organization are Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz.

NEXT GAME:

The struggling Phillies do not catch a break this week when they open a three-game series Monday night against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have won 12 of their last 18 games. Meanwhile, the Phillies limp into Yankee Stadium with the worst record in baseball, having lost 11 of their last 13 games and 23 of their last 29. Phillies right-hander Kevin Correia (0-1, 1.69 ERA) faces Yankees right-hander Michael Pineda (8-3, 3.54 ERA) in Monday's series opener.

PHILS PHACTS:

Good To Go – Cole Hamels threw his bullpen session Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park without incident. He offered the thumbs-up afterward. Hamels remains on target to pitch Wednesday afternoon against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He missed Friday's start against the Cardinals because of tightness in his right hamstring. Hamels said Friday he never considered the injury serious. Hamels' health is important with the July 31 Trade Deadline approaching. The Phillies intend to trade him to speed up their rebuilding efforts.

Morgan’s Solid Debut – The Phillies had waited almost an entire month for a starting pitcher to earn a win, so it seemed fitting that a pitcher who waited a long time for his opportunity to pitch in the big leagues finally made it happen. Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings in his big league debut Sunday afternoon in a 9-2 victory over the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. It was the rotation's first win since May 23, snapping a franchise-record 25 consecutive games without one. "Just was very, very happy for the opportunity," Morgan said afterward. "Just very grateful." Morgan, whom the Phillies drafted in the third round in 2011, was on the cusp of pitching in the big leagues in 2013, until he suffered a left shoulder injury that May. He tried rest and rehab, but he required surgery in January 2014. If the injury had not happened, he almost certainly would have started for the Phillies in 2013. That season started with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and John Lannan in the rotation. Halladay and Lannan suffered injuries, which allowed Jonathan Pettibone, Tyler Cloyd, Ethan Martin, Zach Miner and Raul Valdes to make a combined 42 starts. "Obviously, when you start your rehabbing, it feels like forever away," Morgan said about Sunday's start. "That's where my support team comes in -- my family, my fiancée, her family, everybody around me, my good friends. Everybody helped me out. But it was a long road." Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said Morgan has earned another start, although because of Thursday's off-day, it is unclear when it will happen. "He was given the opportunity and really stepped up," Sandberg said. "Really showed maturity out there and just under control. That was the most impressive part of it, and the way he made pitches." Morgan said he felt no nerves before the game, although some veterans told him not to look up into the stands. Keep his head down, they told him. He did just that, too. But when Sandberg pulled him from the game in the sixth inning, he received a standing ovation from Phillies fans. He could not help but look up then. "That's something I wanted to see," Morgan said. "It was amazing." "Couldn't have been happier," Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. "Couldn't have happened to a better guy. He deserves it. He's worked hard to get back to where he is from where he was when he got drafted, and I couldn't be happier for him."

Patching Things Up – Chase Utley said Sunday he meant no disrespect to Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure. "It's unfortunate that a heartfelt conversation has turned into a controversy," Utley said in the Phillies' clubhouse before their 9-2 win in the series finale against the Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. The typically stoic Utley showed some emotion on the mound in the eighth inning of Tuesday's 19-3 loss to the Orioles in Baltimore. The Phillies had asked outfielder Jeff Francoeur to pitch to save an overworked bullpen, but Francoeur began to tire in his second inning of work. Knowing it would make no sense to have Francoeur blow out his elbow in a meaningless game, Utley expressed his concerns to McClure, who had made a visit to the mound. "I was concerned for Jeff's well-being, to be honest," Utley said. "I know he's pitched a little bit in the past. He threw a lot of pitches that night and he wanted to continue to be out there. I just expressed my concern for him. By no means was my intention to be disrespectful to Bob. I've talked to Bob about it. We're both on the same page. Over the course of my career these types of conversations happen every year, whether it's between players and players, coaches and coaches or players and coaches. I have the utmost respect for Bob and the entire coaching staff." McClure said this week he had no problem with what Utley said on the mound. Many perceived Utley's atypical public display of frustration as another sign that Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg and the coaching staff had lost the clubhouse. Sandberg has ruffled some feathers in the past with the way he benched Jimmy Rollins in Spring Training 2014, and handled Ryan Howard's playing time in July 2014. Communication has been an issue at times and the front office discussed it with Sandberg in the offseason. But Utley said Sandberg and the coaching staff are respected in the clubhouse. "Obviously, we're not playing very well," Utley said. "What I've seen over the course of my career is that when times are tough that's when more controversy is made about stuff that shouldn't be controversial. Overall, I think we're playing hard. We're not getting the results that we would like, but the effort and the desire is there."

Not So Fast – In retrospect, Phillies president Pat Gillick may have been overly optimistic when he said it might take the Phillies until 2017 or 2018 to contend again. He acknowledged Sunday he might have underestimated the team's timetable to rebuild. "It might take a little longer," Gillick said. The Phillies beat the Cardinals, 9-2, on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, but they still have the worst record in baseball with the lowest runs per game average in more than 40 years. The organization is in a state of flux with Gillick almost certainly stepping down from his current role before next season. CSNPhilly.com reported last week that long-time baseball executive Andy MacPhail has been targeted as Gillick's replacement. The talk around baseball since then is that MacPhail's arrival is only a matter of time. "I can't confirm anything in regards to Andy MacPhail," Gillick said. But until MacPhail (or somebody else) is announced, it is believed Gillick will keep the status quo in regards to the front office, manager and coaching staff. In other words, he is not going to make significant changes shortly before his replacement arrives. Gillick disputed that to an extent, although he said "there will be no change" with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. "While I'm president, if Ruben and I and ownership want to do something, we're going to do it," Gillick said. "I mean, if we think it's the right thing. If the opportunity presents itself -- and timing is very important -- we're going to act on it. We're not going to leave it for whoever it might be. We're not going to be locked up. As long as I'm here, and as long as Ruben's here, it's going to be business as normal. We're not going to hesitate." But wouldn't it be unusual for two men who might not be in their current positions in a few months to make moves that could shape the organization for the next decade? Perhaps. While Amaro's contract expires after the season, Gillick, who has said Amaro's future would not be addressed until after the season, has an ownership stake in the Phillies. "People forget that he was the general manager in 2009, 2010 and 2011," Gillick said about Amaro. "He went to the World Series in 2009, and had the best record in baseball in 2011. He had to make some right decisions in those years. And we were together before that. There's a history. I know the fans and media don't worry about what happened in the past. But he didn't get dumb all of a sudden." But one thing should be made clear: Gillick is running the show. Everything is brought to him. Every trade proposal, every significant personnel decision. "We're pretty well in lockstep," Gillick said. But what about Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg? Is he the right man for the job? "Well," Gillick said, "as I said before the season, we knew what a challenge we would have on wins and losses. If you want to judge a guy on wins and losses then no, he hasn't done a good job. If you want to judge the way he's conducted the club, the way he's kept them battling in games, that indicates to me that he's keeping these guys in a positive frame of mind and that's the most important thing." Gillick said he is "hopeful" the Phillies will make some trades before the July 31 Trade Deadline. He reiterated the Phillies are willing to eat a portion of a player's remaining salary to facilitate a trade. He also disputed reports the Phillies continue to ask for unrealistic returns for their players. "That's real bull, I'll tell you that," said Gillick. "They think we're desperate and we're in a fire sale and we've got to dump salary. We're not going to do anything we don't think is in the best interest of the ball club. "We knew coming into the season we had our challenges. But we have a good ownership group here. I think they're patient and they're willing to spend money wisely when an opportunity presents itself. They know it's not going to be an overnight thing. They've always been in it for the long run."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 24-47. 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 54-56-3 on this day.