Franco Powers Phillies To Victory

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 6-3

Tyler Anderson wasn't long for this one. In the Phillies' 6-3 win Saturday night, the Rockies' rookie left-hander hit Maikel Franco the at-bat after the third baseman gave Philadelphia an early lead with a three-run homer and subsequent exuberant trot. Tempers flared. Benches cleared. Bullpens emptied. No punches were thrown, but Anderson and Rockies manager Walt Weiss were ejected. After Franco came around to score, the Rockies had more fireworks to contribute by way of the long ball. Franco didn't believe Anderson plunked him on purpose. But given the situation, he wasn't surprised to see the benches clear and his team come to his defense, either. "I know the team had to protect me," Franco said. "They had to respond, too. … I didn't expect the ball to be coming because I didn't do anything wrong, just run my bases. This moment, you just have to get mad a little bit." Anderson and Weiss each said they thought home-plate umpire Eric Cooper's decision was quick, but they also saw Cooper's side. "Obviously, I put that guy [Cooper] in a tough situation, because he hit a home run the at-bat before, but I was not going to intentionally hit the guy in the shin," Anderson said. "A little quick, but I put him in a bad spot, too." Down four runs in the sixth, Colorado knocked Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff out after 5 2/3 innings with a pair of dingers. Daniel Descalso mashed a two-run blast, while Tony Wolters added a solo shot -- the third straight plate appearance he reached safely in to start the game. The win gives the Phillies three straight victories for the first time since early July -- a streak the Rockies snapped during the teams' series in Colorado. A sweep Sunday would be their first since taking three from the Braves during that streak. The Rockies are trending in an opposite direction, dropping their eighth game of their last 10 to fall five below .500 for the first time since July 23. "It's really good to win a series against this lineup," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "This whole lineup is a good lineup. All you have to do is look at their batting averages. We're doing a heck of a job beating these guys the first two games."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Franco took his time rounding the bases after putting a three-spot on the scoreboard in the first inning with his 21st blast of the season. The next pitch Franco saw from Anderson in the fourth was a fastball to the knee. Franco stared down Anderson, who had words for him and home-plate umpire Eric Cooper, and took first after the benches and bullpens cleared. A Carlos Ruiz walk pushed Franco to second, where he hustled home on Freddy Galvis' single to give the Phillies their fourth six run of the evening. The Phillies' third baseman had a hand (and knee) in all four.
• The sixth inning has not treated Eickhoff well. The three runs Colorado plated off him in the inning upped his sixth-inning ERA this season to an astronomical 12.71. Eickhoff's struggles the third time through the order have plagued him all season, often turning a potential gem into a mess heading into the seventh. Thanks to some uncharacteristic run support, Eickhoff's scheduled sixth-inning implosion cost him only ERA points, not a win. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff isn't so sure either. Despite the gaudy numbers, he doesn't believe it's any sort of a trend. He attributed his struggles in the sixth his last start to an inability to locate, while Saturday, he believed he lost the touch on his curveball. "It just comes down to getting that curveball over," Eickhoff said. "I got it over the first inning maybe, but if the hitters can eliminate that, especially being lefties, you know, it's a big weapon for me. If I'm not throwing that with consistency, they can just put that in the back of their mind, or eliminate it, really."
• Andres Blanco is still more than a week away from removing the pin from his fractured left index finger. Mackanin said the tentative date for that is Aug. 22, but once it is out, it shouldn't take Blanco much more than a week to be ready for action again. Mackanin anticipates Blanco's return around the first week of September.
• The Phillies moved Jeremy Hellickson's next start back to let him rest his sore back and also get a better look at it. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, Mackanin said Hellickson's next start will tentatively come Saturday against the Cardinals. They'll know for certain after Hellickson goes through more tests Saturday. "He seems to be improved and ready to go," Mackanin said. "But we're going to double-check tomorrow." Hellickson said Friday that although he still had some soreness, he expected to make his next start.
• Mackanin also officially named Adam Morgan as Sunday's starting pitcher, filling in for Eflin. Morgan was scratched from his start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday and will be recalled prior to Sunday's game. The Phillies will send down a reliever after Saturday's game to clear a roster spot for the left-hander.

NEXT GAME:

Adam Morgan (1-7, 6.65 ERA) gets the nod to fill the injured Zach Eflin's spot in the rotation in the series finale at 1:35 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. The last time Morgan was on a Major League mound, it was July 7 in Colorado, allowing six runs over five innings to the Rockies.

PHILS PHACTS:

Bad Inning(s) – Numbers don't lie. And they don't tell a pretty story for Jerad Eickhoff after the fifth inning. Albeit in a 6-3 Phillies win, the Rockies again signed their name to the list of teams to torch Eickhoff the third time around the order. They had done so once already, scoring six of their eight runs off Eickhoff in the sixth inning of his start at Coors Field in July. The first five innings Saturday were hardly easy for Eickhoff. He allowed six hits and nine baserunners but stranded them all. David Dahl doubled with one out the sixth, and he was not stranded. Daniel Descalso homered the next at-bat and Tony Wolters followed two batters later with a solo shot of his own. After a triple by pitcher Chris Rusin, Eickhoff's night was over, in the sixth, again. With the two outs recorded in the inning Saturday, Eickhoff has now pitched 17 total sixth innings this season. In those, he has allowed 24 runs. Over 119 1/3 total innings pitched in the first through fifth frame, Eickhoff has allowed a combined 34 runs. His sixth-inning ERA climbed to 12.71. "Eickhoff, the sixth inning again, I don't know what it is," Mackanin said. "He just lost his command in that sixth inning. He's been doing that, so we've got to go to work on that and see what the problem is." Eickhoff knows what the numbers say, but he doesn't see any trend. To him, it's a different malfunction each time. On Saturday, he said he lost his touch on the curveball. The start prior, in which he completed the sixth, but not before allowing three Padres runs, he pointed to a single mistake pitch on a two-run Ryan Schimpf home run. Even dating back to his Minor League days, Eickhoff said it was the early innings, not the late ones, that gave him trouble. "It's just kind of how trends happen," Eickhoff said, emphasizing their randomness. "It's not anything concerning for me." While Eickhoff may not have an explanation for the consistent sixth-inning struggles, there was an easy one for Saturday's. With temperatures north of 90 degrees and a heat index of 105 at first pitch, Eickhoff (and everyone else) was dripping with sweat. He had command of his curve in the first, but it evaporated as the game continued. A curveball may be the pitch most affected by a slick hand: having to grip the seams, flick the wrist to get the ball spinning, all while commanding it with precision -- ideally. It had been "a while" since Eickhoff pitched in hot and humid conditions comparable to Saturday, and he didn't shy away from admitting its effects. "I felt like I had it early on," Eickhoff said. "But as the game went on and the more I sweat, the moisture kept building. I couldn't throw it like I wanted to. It's just a part of the game. I've got to adjust to it and I wasn't able to do that.”

Season Over? – Zach Eflin's first Major League season could be over. In addition to the patellar tendinopathy in both his knees that put him on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, an MRI on Friday revealed Eflin also has a stress fracture in his right foot. "I would say it's unlikely he'll be back this year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I can't commit to that 100 percent, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll be back." Eflin has dealt with knee issues for years, but the pain in his foot was a more recent occurrence. Eflin said the foot began to bother him a couple weeks ago and asked for it to be examined when he was getting an MRI on his knees. In both cases, Eflin and the Phillies are waiting for more detailed results and will likely seek a second opinion. With no knowledge of his current situation, it would be difficult to diagnose Eflin with any sort of injury. He strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. His foot is no game of Russian nesting dolls. There is no walking boot, medical tape or other treatment beneath the leather cowboy boot on his right foot. "When I walk on the outside of it, I feel it, but I'm fine," Eflin said. "Obviously I could pitch through it. But it's just not really ideal." If this is the end of Eflin's rookie season, he'll finish with a 3-5 record and 5.54 ERA. It did have its bright spots, though, including a complete-game shutout of the Pirates and a seven-start run without allowing more than three earned runs.

Today In Phils History – While staying in Ventnor, NJ recovering from a series of illnesses in 1913, club President William Locke died of a heart attack. The Phillies finally put an end to their 30 inning scoreless streak on this day in 1942. 10 year later, Willie "Puddinhead" Jones ended his NL record for 3B streak of 62 games without committing an error. The Phillies lost their 17^th straight game on this day in 1961 which was also the 11^th straight game during which the opposing pitcher recorded a complete game. 20 year later, Mike Schmidt hit career homerun #300 off of New York’s Mike Scott. The following season, Pete Rose moved passed Hank Aaron on the all-time at bat list with 12,365. 2 year later, Juan Samuel stole his 56^th base of the year breaking Sherry Magee’s franchise record. 6 years ago, R. A. Dickey held the Phillies to only 1 hit which was recorded by opposing pitcher Cole Hamels in the Phillies 1-0 loss to the Mets. Finally, happy birthday to Juan Pierre who was born on this day in 1977.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 55-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 57-55-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Falling Apart On West Coast

GAME RECAP: Dodgers Dominate Phillies 9-3

The Dodgers' offense kept on humming as home runs from Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner powered them to a 9-3 win over the Phillies on Tuesday night. With the Giants falling, 2-0, in Miami, the Dodgers (64-49) moved into a tie for first place in the National League West. While starter Kenta Maeda didn't have one of his better nights, going just five innings and allowing three earned runs, the offense more than picked him up. And they did it quickly. After the Phillies jumped ahead, 2-0, in the second inning on Aaron Altherr's home run, Los Angeles put up crooked numbers for three consecutive innings. "I thought he caught it at first, but I was just glad it kept rolling, so I'll take it," Kendrick said of his second-inning homer. "A lot of guys have been putting in the same work all year and you're starting to see the fruits of their labor. Hopefully, we can continue to do the same thing and keep the ball rolling." Along with the home runs, Adrian Gonzalez put up doubles in consecutive innings, his second game with multiple extra-base hits in three days. The offensive explosion came entirely at the expense of Phillies starter Vince Velasquez, who allowed a career-high nine earned runs and saw his ERA increase from 3.22 entering Tuesday to 3.94. "The whole mentality going into today's game was just attacking the hitters," Velasquez said. "And then it just went south from [the first inning]."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Velasquez grew up in nearby Pomona, Calif., so he had a whole bunch of family and friends in attendance, but after he struck out the side in the first inning, things fell apart for him. He is the first Phillies' starter to allow nine earned runs in a start since David Buchanan allowed 11 in 1 2/3 innings in Arizona on Aug. 11, 2015. "Everything was hard, hard, hard," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Velasquez's outing. "He had a pretty good fastball. We've seen him throw harder. He had plenty to get them out. But against a team like the Dodgers, especially against lefties, he's got such a good changeup that he didn't use. I think he should have used it more. I think he would have been more effective."
• Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before the game that Altherr could move to center field at some point, but he needed to prove he could hit big league pitching first. Altherr hit his third homer of the season in the second inning, a two-run homer that gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead.
• Altherr has not been in the big leagues long, but he has piled up extra-base hits: 24 of his 44 hits (54.5 percent) have gone for extra bases.
• Freddy Galvis singled in the second inning and soon stole second base with Cody Asche up to bat. The Dodgers challenged that Corey Seager's glove reached Galvis before Galvis reached second, but the safe call stood to give Galvis his 11th stolen base of the season. He would get No. 12 a batter later when he took third.
• The Angels claimed left-hander Brett Oberholtzer off waviers. The Phillies designated him for assignment over the weekend.
• Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo joined the team Tuesday after the Phillies placed right-hander Zach Eflin on the 15-day disabled list with sore knees. Araujo is expected to help in the bullpen until Sunday, when they will need to add a starter to take Eflin's turn in the rotation.
• Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph has 15 home runs, which are the most by a Phillies rookie since Ryan Howard hit 22 in '05. He entered Tuesday averaging one home run every 14.33 at-bats, which is the fifth-best home run rate in the National League this season.
• Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner enters Wednesday's game on a season-high 10-game hit streak. He's one game away from tying his career-high, an 11-gamer in 2011.

NEXT GAME:

The red-hot Dodgers will look to sweep the Phillies and take their fifth straight win on Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. With Tuesday night's win, Los Angeles (64-49) moved into a tie with the San Francisco Giants for first place in the National League West. Jeremy Hellickson will take the ball for Philadelphia opposite the Dodgers' Scott Kazmir. The Phillies surprisingly held onto Hellickson at the non-waiver Trade Deadline despite the right-hander's impending free agency. Hellickson has been a model of consistency over the last two months, holding a 2.98 ERA in his last 10 starts and reaching six innings pitched in all but one of his starts. The sole time he didn't reach that mark was on July 30, when he went 5 2/3 innings. That's a level of steadiness Kazmir would envy. The southpaw has suffered an erratic first season with the Dodgers, reaching the six-inning mark in less than half of his 22 starts. He gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings in his last time out against Boston on Friday.

PHILS PHACTS:

Can’t Go Home Again – Vince Velasquez had a plan of attack Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. He wanted to be aggressive with his fastball. It worked in the first inning when he struck out Chase Utley, Corey Seager and Josh Reddick on 95, 94 and 95 mph fastballs, respectively. But Velasquez's night quickly deteriorated. He allowed a career-high nine runs in 4 2/3 innings in a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers. He allowed a career-high 11 hits, including home runs to Howie Kendrick, Yasmani Grandal and Justin Turner. Velasquez's ERA jumped from 3.33 to 3.94. "The whole mentality going into today's game was just attacking the hitters," Velasquez said. "And then it just went south from there." Velasquez grew up 30 miles away in Pomona, Calif. He had more than 100 family and friends scattered across the ballpark, so he had hoped to fare better. But he allowed four runs in the second inning, two in the third, two in the fourth and one more run in the fifth before Phillies manager Pete Mackanin pulled him. "Everything was hard, hard, hard," Mackanin said. "He had a pretty good fastball. We've seen him throw harder. He had plenty to get them out. But against a team like the Dodgers, especially against lefties, he's got such a good changeup that he didn't use. I think he should have used it more. I think he would have been more effective." Velasquez rolled his eyes at the suggestion that he should have thrown his changeup more. He threw 16 changeups out of 100 pitches. "Again, I had a plan to attack the guys," he said. "I challenged the guys inside, outside. I mean, you can't go wrong with that. "I mean, I think I threw enough [changeups]. There were guys who were late on my fastball and then they ended up turning on it on the next pitch. I'm not going to throw a fastball and then a changeup. You have to keep them guessing. They were on my stuff." Mackanin said he asked Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp during the game why they weren't throwing more soft stuff. "Rupp told me that he didn't want to throw it for whatever reason," Mackanin said. "I don't know, he gave up a hit to [Joc] Pederson early in the game and then decided he didn't want to use it." Call it a clear difference of opinion. But both manager and pitcher allowed the idea that this game could be a learning experience for the 24-year-old, although maybe in different ways. "You're not always to go out and throw a shutout, especially against a team like this that's fully loaded," Velasquez said. "You have to attack them all the way through, one through nine. … Missed locations, it happens. There is a positive out of this. You have to learn from your mistakes. We have a long flight going back home. So refer back to the video and learn from this." "I think as he gets older and continues to grow, he'll learn from outings like this that it's important to use all his pitches, especially against a team like this with all the power they have," Mackanin said. "He'll get it. He'll get it."

Another DL Bound – Zach Eflin's knee condition is more concerning than originally believed. The Phillies announced Tuesday they had placed Eflin on the 15-day disabled list with patellar tendinopathy in both knees. He will be evaluated by specialists in Philadelphia, and it is unclear if he will pitch again this season. "It's pretty confusing," Eflin said. "I'm confused, too." The Phillies recalled left-hander Elvis Araujo to help in the bullpen until Eflin's turn in the rotation comes up Sunday against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. It is unclear who will make that start, although left-hander Adam Morgan and right-hander David Buchanan are options. But with Aaron Nola on the DL and the workload of both Vince Velasquez and Jake Thompson being monitored closely, it should be interesting to see what the rotation looks like at the end of the season. "We're not in a tizzy, we're in a quandary," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. Eflin, 22, has had knee issues since he was 11 or 12 years old. "I've had it my whole career," Eflin said. "I've gotten treatment my whole career. And it's getting to be a little much right now. I woke up this morning and they were pretty stiff and sore." Eflin went 0-2 with a 13.85 ERA in his last three starts, allowing 22 hits, 20 earned runs, nine walks, six home runs and striking out five in 13 innings. He allowed seven runs in three innings in Monday's 9-4 loss. He is the third Phillies' starter to allow six or more earned runs in three consecutive starts since 2000. Sean O'Sullivan ('15) and Joe Blanton ('12) are the others. Eflin was 3-2 with a 2.08 ERA in seven starts before his recent slump, which made his struggles somewhat alarming. "It's kind of affected me enough to where we're going to back to Philly, we're going to reevaluate everything," Eflin said. "We're going to get some studies done and see what's really going on. I really don't know what to expect. Like I've said, I've had it for so long. It's always been tolerable. It's always been maintainable. I guess we'll see what happens. "It's always been maintainable. But just recently this year has probably been the worst year."

Altherr In CF? – It is too early to say what the Phillies' outfield will look like next season, but it is not a stretch to think Aaron Altherr could be in center field. Of course, first things first. "Altherr still has to prove himself offensively," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday before Altherr hit a two-run homer in a 9-3 loss to the Dodgers. "I like what I see and I think he's going to. But he's a darn good center fielder. He plays anywhere well. He glides to the ball. It's fun watching him play. A good chance he'll be the center fielder and we'll move Odubel [Herrera]. But we're not doing anything right now." Herrera has been the team's everyday center fielder since last season, when he joined the team as a Rule 5 Draft pick. He made the National League All-Star team this season, but he has taken a step back defensively. His UZR (ultimate zone rating) dropped from 9.9 in 2015 to 0.2 in '16. "At some point, the thought crossed my mind to make that switch this year," Mackanin said. "Maybe in September, just to get Odubel familiarized with a corner. But he adapted to center field so well last year. This year, he's not quite the same guy. If I have what I consider a better defender in center field, that's what I'd like to do." One reason the Phillies are reluctant to have Herrera work out on the corners right now is that he has struggled offensively. The Phillies' don't want to put too much on his table. But it sounds like a change is coming at some point. If it's not Altherr in center field it could be Double-A Reading prospect Roman Quinn, for example.

Today In Phils History – In the wake of the walkway collapse from the previous day in 1903, the NL postpones the remaining Phillies home series (an NL record 9 games in total were postponed) so that repairs could be made to the park. Grover Cleveland Alexander entered the game in relief against the Phillies and pitched 4 innings against his former team to record his 373^rd, and final, victory. Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch suffered a minor heart attack in 1956 after hosting a post-game TV interview following a game between the Phillies and Giants at the Polo Grounds. In the 1^st game back following a 2 month strike in 1981, Pete Rose recorded his 3631^st career hit breaking Stan Musial’s NL record. 6 years later, Kevin Gross is ejected for scuffing a ball with sand paper that was later discovered in his glove (he was subsequently suspended for 10 games). Former single season saves record holder joined the Phillies for the stretch run on this day in 1993. Former coach and player John Vukovich was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on this day in 2007. The following season, Greg Dobbs hit a RBI double against the Pirates for his new team record 21^st pinch hit of the season. 5 years ago, the Phillies came from behind to defeat the Dodgers after surrendering 6 unanswered runs over the 1^st 3 innings to set a new mark by recording their 9^th win on a 10 game road trip.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 52-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 43-61-0 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.

Well, You Can’t Win Them All…

GAME RECAP: Giants Outlast Phillies 3-2

Denard Span clapped his hands once in a brief display of celebration after slapping an eighth-inning single up the middle. As he would explain, he was pleased with being able to connect with a pitch despite being fooled. Two innings later, Span wasn't fooled at all, and what he proceeded to do merited an ovation. Span christened Thursday's 10th inning with a leadoff homer that lifted the Giants over the Phillies, 3-2. Having weathered a series of nagging injuries this season, Span went 7-for-15 with four runs scored in three games against the Phillies. He's also batting .347 (26-for-75) in his last 19 games. "I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I just want to try to build off of this," said Span, who broke a 2-2 tie against Phillies reliever Severino Gonzalez (0-2) with his fifth homer of the season. The outcome enabled the National League West-leading Giants to avoid being administered a three-game sweep by the Phillies, who mustered four hits off starter Matt Moore and five relievers. "I don't know, we just couldn't solve him for whatever reason," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Moore. "I thought we were going to after that first inning. … He kept pounding the strike zone. He pitched outside and inside. He kept mixing it up, threw some curveballs and changeups." Span also accounted for the Giants' first two runs by singling and scoring in the first inning and on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Phillies kept pace, as Aaron Altherr doubled home Cesar Hernandez in the first inning, before Freddy Galvis' bases-loaded fielder's-choice grounder delivered their second run in the sixth.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• It didn't take a crystal ball to see the foreshadowing of another short start from Velasquez after the 24-year-old righty needed 28 pitches to make it through the first inning. He joined Zach Eflin and Phil Klein in not making it past the fifth inning against the Giants. Although Velasquez pitched well, allowing only two runs on three hits and striking out six, the Phillies only had one fresh relief arm and could have used a day of rest with six more to play until an off-day. Velasquez hasn't pitched past the sixth inning in all but two starts this season. "It was tough. I had to push myself and at least get to five innings," Velasquez said. "So I've got to work on some things in the bullpen, utilizing my two-seam, locating my two-seam. My secondary pitches are just kind of brutal right now. So I've got to sharpen up a lot of stuff before my next start."
• Thanks to three straight starts of five innings or fewer, the Phillies bullpen has had plenty of chances to shine this series. After Luis Garcia allowed two runs in the sixth inning of Tuesday's game, no Phillies reliever allowed a run until Gonzalez gifted a fastball over the plate to Span that landed in the right-field seats to give the Giants a decisive lead. In Wednesday's 12-inning affair, Phillies relievers pitched seven innings of scoreless baseball in a streak of 14 innings without allowing a run. A depleted 'pen added four more scoreless innings Thursday before Gonzalez's fateful fastball.
• Mackanin announced after the game that the Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson will make his Major League debut against the Padres on Saturday at Petco Park. Thompson is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the No. 70 prospect in baseball. In 21 starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, the 22-year-old right-hander is 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA. The Phillies also optioned Elvis Araujo back to Triple-A, though not to create room for Thompson. A corresponding move will be announced before his start Saturday. Taking Araujo's place will be closer Jeanmar Gomez, returning from the paternity list.
• After Velasquez issued his second free pass of the day to Pagan in the third, the Giants left fielder tried to swipe second base as Hunter Pence struck out swinging. At first glance, the Giants had narrowly avoided a strike-him-out, throw-him-out double play. But the Phillies challenged, the call was overturned and Pagan was ruled out at second to end the inning. The review took 1 minute, 14 seconds and was Mackanin's 18th successful challenge on 31 attempts. In the seventh inning, the Giants challenged a ruling which declared that Altherr was safe as he dove into first base on a pickoff attempt. A video review confirmed that the call on the field stands.
• Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph were the Phillies' best hitters during the month of July. The two combined to hit .331 (54-for-163) during the month with six doubles, two triples and six home runs.
• Maikel Franco hasn't homered in the five games he's played in Petco Park, going just 1-for-20 (.050) with a double in San Diego in his career.
• Wil Myers, who has cooled off since his torrid June, has hit .364/.364/1.000 in 11 at-bats vs. Hellickson, including two home runs.

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson makes his first start for the Phillies since Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, matching up with San Diego's Christian Friedrich on Friday. Hellickson's name was all over the trade market with many teams searching for starting pitchers, but Philadelphia ended up holding onto the 29-year-old righty, who has posted a 3.70 ERA in 131 1/3 innings this season. In his past seven starts, Hellickson has 2.27 ERA with 28 strikeouts and six walks. The Phillies are 6-1 in those games. Friedrich, meanwhile, is coming off of his best start in more than a month. He limited the Reds to just one run over six innings thanks to a lively fastball and good spin on his breaking ball. "I thought he was as good as he's been since he's been with us," Padres manager Andy Green said about his outing.

PHILS PHACTS:

Looking For Depth – After using his bullpen for seven innings on Wednesday and four on Tuesday, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was counting on a little help in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Giants from Vince Velasquez -- the only starter of the past three games to open the season in the Phillies' rotation. But Velasquez lasted no longer than his two predecessors, Zach Eflin on Tuesday and Phil Klein on Wednesday, needing 93 pitches to make it through five innings. Velasquez's five were better than Eflin or Klein's, allowing only two runs compared to six and four, respectively. But another inefficient outing from Velasquez again put the weight on the shoulders of a beleaguered bullpen. "It was tough. I had to push myself and at least get to five innings," Velasquez said. "We used a lot of pitchers last night, and starting out with [28] pitches in the first inning doesn't help. So I just had to make my pitches and manage to get through five." Nearing the end of his start, Mackanin and head trainer Scott Sheridan paid Velasquez a visit on the mound to check a blister on his middle finger. Mackanin said if not for the blister, Velasquez would have possibly stayed in longer than five innings, likely to take the load off a depleted bullpen, as Velasquez was already at 93 pitches. Even the supposed fresh arms in the 'pen weren't so. The two relievers called up the last two days, Michael Mariot and Elvis Araujo, had each pitched for Triple-A Lehigh Valley the day prior to getting the call. Severino Gonzalez, the one reliever who had a day or more of rest, was the one to serve up Denard Span's go-ahead solo home run in the 10th. For Velasquez, it is becoming all too much of a trend to not make it deep in games. Only twice this season has he made it past the sixth inning -- his 16-strikeout shutout of the Padres in his second start with the Phillies and a seven-inning, one-run performance in his first start out of the All-Star break. Take out those, and also the start he left injured after a third of an inning, and Velasquez is averaging just over 5 1/3 innings per start this season. "He is a power pitcher, but the thing I like about him is he uses all of his pitches," Mackanin said. "He uses two-seamers, he'll throw his changeup, he'll mix in his breaking ball. And I think it is tough for him because he can blow people away with 95-plus. I think he has a tendency to try to pitch too much instead of trying to establish that fastball early." Velasquez next faces his hometown team, the Dodgers, in his hometown of Los Angeles. He has walked at least two in each of his last six starts, including three Thursday. "I'd like to minimize my walks," Velasquez said. "I know I am probably leading the team in walks right now, which is kind of bad, actually really bad. "So I've got to work on some things in the bullpen, utilizing my two-seam, locating my two-seam. My secondary pitches are just kind of brutal right now. So I've got to sharpen up a lot of stuff before my next start because the Dodgers are an ecstatic team. Those guys just rake." But at only 24 years old and in his first full season in a Major League rotation, Velasquez's inability to pitch deep into games is only disappointing, not concerning, to Mackanin. "He's pitching very well," Mackanin said. "But he's just not locating as well as he's going to in the future."

Debut Scheduled – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin put an end to the speculation. The organization's top pitching prospect, Jake Thompson, will make his Major League debut on Saturday in San Diego, the skipper announced after the Phillies' 3-2 loss to the Giants on Thursday. Starting Saturday, Thompson won't slot into Aaron Nola's temporarily vacated rotation spot. Mackanin said that the debut date is to give other starters extra rest but that pitching coach Bob McClure is who determines the rotation order. "I know he's got Major League stuff, and I'm anxious to see him perform. We'll find out Saturday," Mackanin said. "I don't know what to expect. Eflin had a shaky debut but we really like him, obviously. So we're anxious to see him." The Phillies also optioned Elvis Araujo back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Thursday's game to accommodate Jeanmar Gomez's return from the paternity list. A corresponding move to make room on the 25-man roster for Thompson will be announced prior to his start on Saturday. The Phillies are only carrying four starters on the 25-man roster, so an extra bullpen arm will likely be sent down. In his last seven starts at Triple-A, Thompson has allowed more than one run in only one of them -- a five-run blip on an otherwise dominant statline. In 21 starts with Lehigh Valley this season, the 22-year-old right-hander is 11-5 with a 2.50 ERA. In addition to being ranked as the Phillies' top pitching prospect by MLBPipeline.com, Thompson is the club's No. 5 overall prospect and ranked as the No. 70 prospect in baseball.

Today In Phils History – In 1921, the Phillies lost (to the Pirates) the 1^st MLB game ever covered by a play by play announcer as Harold Arlin called the game for KDKA out of Pittsburgh. 6 years later, Cy Williams hit for the cycle in 4 at bats against Pittsburgh. In 1975, the Phillies started a game against the Cubs with the 1^st 8 batters hitting safely against Bill Bonham and finished the inning with 10 runs on 10 hits including 2 homeruns (the won the game 13-5). That same day the Phillies acquired John Vukovich from the Reds. 4 years later, during a loss to the Pirates (John Milner hit a grand slam off Tug McGraw in the 9^th), Pete Rose collected his 2,427^th single breaking Honus Wagner’s NL record. In 1987, during a blowout loss to the Mets, OF Glenn Wilson durned in the best pitching performance of the night for the Phillies when he completed the 9^th inning without surrendering a hit or walk while striking out a batter. In 2000, the Phillies bid farewell to Mickey Morandini as they traded him to Toronto. 5 years later, Bob Boone was inducted in the Phillies Wall of Fame. Finally, 2 years ago, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins started in their 887^th career game together setting a new MLB record for games started by a 1B/2B/SS combo (the Dodgers’ Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Bill Russell previously held the record). In the same game, Antonio Bastardo struck out 6 in 2 innings of work (7 batters faced) for the 2^nd time that season.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 50-60 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 51-48-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

Phillies Find Offense, Pitching Disappears

GAME RECAP: Twins Overwhelm Phillies 14-10 

Kurt Suzuki's season-high four hits and career-high six RBIs, including a two-run homer in the fifth, powered an offensive explosion for the Twins, who set a season-high in runs with their 14-10 victory over the Phillies at Target Field on Tuesday night. "I feel warm," Suzuki said. "It's not 10 degrees outside and I can feel the bat. It's one of those things -- like they say in baseball, you find that comfort zone and you get a good pitch to hit and you don't miss it." Every Twins hitter except Eduardo Nunez either scored or drove in at least one run and Phillies starter Aaron Nola was chased after just three innings, during which he allowed eight runs (seven earned). Minnesota added six runs against the Philadelphia bullpen to hold off a four-run Phillies rally in the eighth. Brian Dozier had three hits, including an RBI triple, and two runs scored, while Trevor Plouffe scored two runs and drove in two on a first-inning triple. "It's unfortunate that you still have to be a little bit uncomfortable after you score 14 runs, but we got out early -- Trevor got a big hit early and Kurt had a big hit early -- but they kept answering," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We built the lead back up a little bit through the middle innings and the bullpen did a nice job." Peter Bourjos hit his second homer of the season in the second inning, and Tommy Joseph, Cameron Rupp and Maikel Franco also went deep as the Phillies hit double digits in runs for the first time since April 23. Bourjos and Cody Asche both recorded three-hit games. "If you would have told me we were going to score [10] runs tonight with Nola pitching I would have been thrilled," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I would have bet money on it."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Nola's struggles are eye-popping. He has allowed 22 hits, 17 earned runs, seven walks and has struck out 10 in 9 2/3 innings in his last three starts. He has a 15.83 ERA in that stretch, becoming the first Phillies' starter to pitch four or fewer innings and allow four or more runs in three consecutive starts since Gavin Floyd in April 2005. "I'm an even-keeled guy," Nola said. "If you talk to a guy who has three pretty rough starts, it gets kind of frustrating. It gets frustrating after the third one. I feel like it doesn't matter how even-keeled you are. It definitely is frustrating, but I'm going to try to put this one behind me and try to really focus on the positives."
• It might surprise Phillies fans, but Peter Bourjos has been the Phillies' hottest hitter for the past couple of weeks. He hit a two-run homer to left field in the second inning to keep things going. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs. "I was thrilled at the offense," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "A lot of positives to take out of that. Hopefully, the fact that we hit as a team, it'll give us a boost of confidence. We got them and it takes a little pressure off of everybody to feel good going into tomorrow's game."
• "I was just bragging about him before the game to [Twins broadcaster and Hall of Famer] Bert Blyleven, how his strength is his ability to locate pitches. I looked at the first couple of innings on the monitor -- I came in between innings -- I don't think he hit the mitt more than a couple of times. He was all over the place. He'll get that back. But something is missing right now." -- Mackanin, on Nola.
• Kurt Suzuki now has 495 career RBIs, giving him sole possession of first place on the all-time RBI list for MLB players born in Hawaii, surpassing Shane Victorino.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan (1-6, 6.49 ERA) hopes to get healthy against the Twins. He appeared to be turning a corner earlier this month, allowing six runs in 12 2/3 innings against the Cubs and Nationals. But then he allowed seven runs (four earned runs) in 4 1/3 innings Friday against the D-Backs. First pitch is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

PHILS PHACTS:

Nola Struggles – This is baffling. Keeping in mind that every starting pitcher is entitled to his share of clunkers, it is eye-popping that Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola has had three clunkers in a row, including Tuesday night's 14-10 loss to the Twins at Target Field. He allowed eight runs in just three innings against the Twins to give him a 15.83 ERA in his last three starts. "It's tough, man," Nola said. Nola has allowed 22 hits, 17 earned runs, seven walks and has struck out 10 in just 9 2/3 innings in that stretch. He is the first Phillies starter to pitch four or fewer innings and allow four or more runs in three consecutive starts since Gavin Floyd in April 2005. Les Sweetland had four consecutive starts like that in June 1930, which is a team record, according to Baseball-Reference.com. "It must be mechanical," Nola said. "I must be rushing. I do feel myself rushing a little bit to the plate in the stretch and windup. It's just something I will try to tweak for the next start. I'm probably just trying to do too much with a pitch. "My body feels good. I'm all healthy. Arm and body feels healthy." Nola allowed four runs in the first inning, getting things started with a one-out walk to Robbie Grossman. Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier singled to give the Twins a 1-0 lead. Trevor Plouffe followed with a triple to make it 3-0. Nola has allowed 14 earned runs in the first inning in 15 starts this season. "I haven't really had a smooth first inning for a little while," Nola said. Nola avoided damage in the second inning, but walked Byron Buxton and Grossman. Freddy Galvis made a couple defensive miscues to contribute to a four-run third inning. Odubel Herrera had a ball tip off his glove for a double to allow two runs to score. But clearly Nola has not been the same pitcher he had been most of his young career. Nola has walked seven batters in his last 9 2/3 innings. He walked just 15 in 78 innings in his first 12 starts. His 1.73 walks-per-nine-innings average from Opening Day through June 10 ranked 10th among 109 pitchers with 50 or more innings pitched. "I was just bragging about him before the game to [Twins broadcaster and Hall of Famer] Bert Blyleven, how his strength is his ability to locate pitches," manager Pete Mackanin said. "I looked at the first couple of innings on the monitor -- I came in between innings -- I don't think he hit the mitt more than a couple of times. He was all over the place. He'll get that back. But something is missing right now." 

Getting A Chance To Play – Pete Mackanin has rested players, shuffled lineups, benched icons and even ordered hitters not to pick up their bats before a game to clear their heads, but nothing has jump-started the Phillies' offense. Maybe continuity could help. "I'm going to try to get as close to a set lineup as I can instead of the back and forth," Mackanin said before Tuesday night's 14-10 loss to the Twins at Target Field. "I've been in that position where you play a day, you don't -- it's tough. I'm going to try to zero in on who I want to play. It might be [Tyler] Goeddel, it might be [Cody] Asche, it might be [Peter] Bourjos, it might be whoever else we have. I don't want to keep switching all the time. I'd like to keep somebody in there at least five days a week. I'm not there yet." He might be leaning toward Bourjos in right field at this point, which might surprise some, considering he was hitting .192 with a .501 OPS in 161 plate appearances through June 11. But Bourjos is the team's hottest hitter lately, and the Phillies can hardly afford to put their hottest hitter on the bench. Bourjos smacked a two-run home run to left field in the second inning and finished the night 3-for-4 with three RBIs. He is hitting .526 (10-for-19) with two doubles, one triple, one home run and five RBIs in his last nine games. Asche, who started in left, went 3-for-5 Tuesday to make a case for himself. Andres Blanco, who went 0-for-5, still should see more playing time as Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis struggle. Maikel Franco went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer in the eighth inning. The Phillies badly need him to get going. "He looked better," Mackanin said about Franco. "We worked on it in extra batting practice today. He knows what he has to do. He knows he has to get under control. For the most part, he was." The Phillies scored six runs in three innings against Twins right-hander Tyler Duffey. It was just the fifth time this season the Phillies had scored more than four runs against a starting pitcher, but it was not enough. They tied a season high with 10 runs. They set a season high with 14 hits. "If you would have told me were going to score (10) runs tonight with [Aaron] Nola pitching I would have been thrilled," Mackanin said. "I would have bet money on it."

It’s The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse – Mickey Moniak has come a long way since tee-ball. On June 9, the Phillies made Moniak the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 Draft and Tuesday, they introduced Moniak at Citizens Bank Park. In between, Moniak has come to appreciate Ted Williams, his own genealogy and pressure. The newest Phillie will be under heaps of it, just as each of the previous 51 top picks have. Moniak, who turned 18 last month, will report to the Phillies' Gulf Coast League affiliate in Clearwater when its season begins Friday. He hopes to see his friends, Phillies' second- and third-rounders Kevin Gowdy and Cole Stobbe, there soon. "There are some I's to dot and T's to cross with several of the others," general manager Matt Klentak said. "I think it's reasonable to expect something else later this week." In the GCL, the Phillies will begin to uncover whether they've hit a boom -- think Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones and Ken Griffey Jr. -- or bust. It is what Moniak has done between tee-ball and Draft day that gives the Phillies confidence in the former, though Moniak's journey began long before he played shortstop as a youngster. Bill Moniak grew up in a small Pennsylvania town of about 1,500 people. "They said, 'How'd they find you?' Well," Bill said, "I said there's a lot of scouts running around there, oh yeah. Yeah, right." But the eldest of three Moniak baseball men made it from Youngsville to Boston. Although he never played in a Major League game, Bill has been able to pass on hitting advice from Williams onto his son, Mike, and Mike's son, Mickey. Williams was the Red Sox's hitting coach during the years Bill was with the organization. "I learned it from a young age," Mickey said. "My grandpa would always tell stories of the Minor Leagues and Ted Williams and all this stuff. … After hearing it hundreds of times, I think I picked it up at some point. There's been a lot of approach and a lot of baseball talked with my grandpa over the past 18 years." It's tough for Bill not to see a little bit of Ted in Mickey. If there's one aspect of his game more raved about than his glove, it's Moniak's hit tool. A scout once saw Moniak swing and miss once over a 13-game stretch. Moniak likens himself to Jacoby Ellsbury. Others compare him to Christian Yelich, and Moniak understands. Of today's players, Moniak aspires to be like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper. But in doing so, he applies Williams' advice of yesteryear. "One of the main things I've take from [Bill's] Ted Williams talks is it's about approach," Moniak said. The hitter owns the pitcher until two strikes. "0-0, he makes a good pitch, outside corner -- let him have it. 0-1, makes another good pitch, so what?" But with two strikes, it's about not letting the pitcher win. "You get on the plate and choke up a little bit," Moniak continued. "You've gotta think in your head, the pitcher's not gonna beat you. You're gonna put the ball in play and make the defense work. Do every little thing to get on base and help the team win." Moniak doesn't believe he was born with any more baseball IQ than his peers without baseball in their genes. His father, Mike, also played at San Diego State, but was more intent on surfing San Diego's beaches, Bill says, than playing baseball professionally. Mickey, however, is all baseball. Mike tried to get him to play basketball, just to give him a break from the diamond. But Mickey always said no. Despite athleticism that leads to lauding of his defensive talents in center field, Moniak was a single-sport athlete at Costa Canyon High. He became the fourth freshman since the school opened in 1996 to make the varsity baseball team as a freshman. It was then, his freshman year, that Moniak began to see scouts in the crowd. And he played for Team USA's 15U team that summer. "That's when I realized, 'All right, there's a possibility I could keep working at this and maybe I'll get somewhere with it.' I just kept working, kept trying to get better, and this is where it's ended up," Moniak said, unable to hold back a grin as he stood in the underbelly of Citizens Bank Park.

Signing Offense – It was just over a year ago that the Phillies signed their No. 1 Draft pick, Cornelius Randolph. Scouting director Johnny Almaraz said at the time that he was the best high school bat available. It was about 11 months ago that the Phillies officially announced the signing of Jhailyn Ortiz. He was rated by MLB.com as the top international prospect for 2015. "The consensus among scouts is that the raw power (he) shows as a 16-year-old is rarely seen on the international market," the story noted. At a press conference Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies formally introduced first overall Draft pick Mickey Moniak. "We felt as an organization that he was the best high school bat in the country and rated him as one of the top three bats overall," Alamaraz said. This is not a recording. It is, however, a connected series of moves that can only cheer the fans. And the timing for Moniak's unveiling couldn't have been better. The Phillies ended a dispiriting homestand Monday. Dispiriting not so much because they lost all six games, but because they scored a total of nine runs. And mostly because this can't be shrugged off as just a bad week or running into some hot pitchers. Somebody's got to be last in the Major Leagues in runs scored. Yep, it's the Phils. Team officials are adamant that much of this is coincidental, that in the Draft they have targeted the best talent and that it just turned out to be top-ranked hitters the last two seasons. But it's also true that an organization that has rarely spent big on international free agents spent a reported $4 million to sign Ortiz. And that with Randolph ($3.2 million for the 10th overall selection) and Moniak ($6.1 million) they have spent $13.3 million for three players they hope will add juice to the lineup. It wasn't that long ago that the preferred method of team-building seemed to be loading up on pitching, then concentrating on pitching, followed by adding more pitchers. That seems to be changing and, coincidence or not, the Phillies find themselves on the cutting edge of this evolution. "I don't view [spending big on three hitters since last year's Draft] as a trend," general manager Matt Klentak said. "But I will say that oftentimes the best hitters come from the top of the Draft. If you study baseball history, you'll probably find that there's some truth to that." Is it getting harder to find good hitting? "Throughout baseball history, the game has ebbed and flowed," he continued. "We've had dead-ball eras, live-ball eras, steroid eras. Right now we're going through an era that seems to be more dominated by pitching and defense. Certainly, the defensive shifting is suppressing run scoring. So, not just the Phillies, but all teams, are refocusing on their commitment to offense and different ways to add offense. "No matter what era this was, we probably still would have taken Mickey Moniak, but I do think there's some truth to the idea that teams are desiring to add offense." Alamaraz sees the same thing. "As far as amateurs are concerned, yes, it's getting tougher every year," he said. "Position players, there's a smaller pool of them and it's tough to get them. So if you don't get them early you're probably not going to get them at all." There is hope, then, although it must be pointed out that Moniak, Randolph and Ortiz aren't going to be leading a cavalry charge down Broad Street any time soon. All are teenagers, so it will be at least a few years before they're ready to make an impact at the big league level. There are also no guarantees any young player will develop in the ways scouts envision. But the commitment the organization has made gives the team a chance to be ahead of the curve down the road, especially if offense continues to become an increasingly precious commodity. It's not just the Big 3, either. The Phillies' third pick this year was infielder Cole Stobbe, considered a plus hitter. A year ago they took second baseman Scott Kingery in the second round and third baseman Lucas Williams in the third, two more high-ceiling bats. "As people who watch the game every day know, if you have a lineup capable of hitting in certain counts and making hard contact, you have a chance to score runs," Alamaraz said. "I'm not the type of scouting director who likes players who swing and miss. I like guys who make consistent hard contract and that's what we're going after." The Phillies have invested in hitters the last couple years. Pitching may still be the name of the game. But as many teams are learning the hard way, it still takes some offense to win.

Today In Phils History – In 1944, after 14 innings of scoreless baseball, Ron Northey hit a solo homerun in the 15^th to win the game for the Phillies. The Phillies weren’t so lucky in 1959 when Sandy Koufax struck out 16 in the Los Angeles win. 3 years later, Stan Musial’s big day against the Phillies, a homerun and 3 singles, move him last Ty Cobb for the MLB record for career total bases. 20 years later and Pete Rose’s double moved him into 2^nd place on the all-time hits list with 3,772. Most recently in 2010, Jamie Moyer surrendered a solo blast to Cleveland's Russell Branyan (part of an 8 inning, 1 run performance) which was the 505th home run he had yielded in his career, tying him with Robin Roberts for most ever.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 30-42 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 54-56-3 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!