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.

Phillies Continue To Falter In Second Half

GAME RECAP: Marlins Manhandle Phillies 9-3

The Marlins are bringing plenty of confidence into a big series this weekend at home against the Mets. They beat the Phillies on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park, 9-3, to win three games in the four-game series. After opening the second half of the season by going 5-2 on a seven-game road trip, Miami has moved within 4 1/2 games of the Nationals in the National League East, while maintaining a 1 1/2-game lead over the Mets for the second NL Wild Card. "One of the things you worry about, going into the break, we were playing pretty good," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "One of the things we talked about as a team was that we really needed to be ready to play when we start the second half." Marlins left fielder Christian Yelich sparked a four-run fourth inning when he hit a solo home run to left field, and Ichiro Suzuki picked up the 2,995th and 2,996th hits of his big league career with an infield single in the third and a single to right in the eighth. "It's been fun," Mattingly said. "It'd be a little different if we knew he was going to play every day, because you know it's just a matter of one day or something like that. But in our situation, it might not be that quick, or it could be quick. But it's been fun. He's been a great guy to watch." Marlins right-hander Tom Koehler allowed only two hits over eight masterful innings -- on homers by Ryan Howard in the fourth and Freddy Galvis in the eighth -- and also had an RBI single. The Phillies had high hopes entering the second half, but they have lost five of seven since the All-Star break, scoring just 17 runs on the homestand. "I've been concerned about the hitting all year," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's a constant issue that we have to improve upon."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• After allowing a career-high eight runs in 5 1/3 innings July 9 in Colorado, he allowed nine hits Thursday and has an 8.27 ERA in his last three starts. Mackanin thought Eickhoff needed to throw his curveball more, especially in the four-run fourth inning. Eickhoff agreed. "Looking back after the outing was over, there were definitely times I could have used it more," he said. "It was just unfortunate I wasn't able to realize that myself and throw that more in the game in that fourth inning."
• Howard began his day in South Philadelphia, where the Phillies named their new Urban Youth Academy the "Ryan Howard Training Center." A few hours later, he hit his 14th homer. Howard and fellow first baseman Tommy Joseph have combined for 27 home runs this season.
• "I don't know man, it's crazy. We were talking about it. I don't know if we try to do too much here at home, but every time we go on the road, we click, man. Everything goes good, you know? I don't know if it's a little bit of us trying to do too much here. And if we're trying to do too much, it's not going to happen. We have to just let it go and do what we have to do, and that's it." -- Galvis, on the Phillies averaging 2.9 runs per game at home compared to 4.3 runs per game on the road.
• Entering Thursday, the Phillies ranked fifth in runs (228) and eighth in batting average (.260) on the road.
• In the past two series at PNC Park, the Pirates have swept the Phillies twice, outscoring them, 23-9.
• Pirates left fielder Starling Marte was scratched from Thursday's lineup due to flu-like symptoms and replaced with Matt Joyce, who played right field and hit a three-run homer. Gregory Polanco moved over to left.

NEXT GAME:

In his second start since coming off the disabled list, Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole will try to return to form Friday in the series opener against the Phillies at PNC Park. After spending over a month on the DL with a right triceps strain, Cole returned July 16 against the Nationals, allowing five runs (four earned) in four innings. Before suffering the injury June 10, Cole had gone 5-3 over 11 starts after starting the season with two straight losses. In four career starts against the Phillies, he's 3-1 with a 2.31 ERA. The Phillies will counter with rookie righty Zach Eflin, who is 2-3 with a 4.14 ERA in his first seven starts. Since giving up nine runs on nine hits in 2 2/3 innings in his debut, Eflin has five quality starts and pitched a complete game against Atlanta on July 5.

PHILS PHACTS:

Second Half Stumbles – The Phillies' high hopes for the second half have suffered a setback. They exited the All-Star break believing they could make a long-shot run at a National League Wild Card. Why not, they said? But after the Phillies managed just three hits and Jerad Eickhoff struggled Thursday night in a 9-3 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, they have lost five of seven games since the break to fall to 44-53 and nine games behind the Marlins for the second Wild Card. "I'm not giving up hope for that Wild Card, because I've seen us better," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. But the Phillies still have to play 30 more games at home this season, which is not necessarily a good thing. They scored just 17 runs in the seven-game homestand against the Mets and Marlins, and they are hitting .218 with a .627 OPS and averaging just 2.9 runs per game at home. Their runs-per-game average ranks last in baseball, a half-run worse than the Braves. Conversely, the Phillies are hitting .260 with a .724 OPS and averaging 4.3 runs per game on the road, which ranks 22nd. "I don't know, man, it's crazy," said shortstop Freddy Galvis, who hit a solo home run in the eighth. "We were talking about it. I don't know if we try to do too much here at home, but every time we go on the road, we click, man. Everything goes good, you know? I don't know, it's crazy. "We don't hit the ball that good. I don't know if it's a little bit of us trying to do too much here. And if we're trying to do too much, it's not going to happen. We have to just let it go and do what we have to do, and that's it." The Phillies' pitching had been pretty good in the first six games of the homestand, posting a 2.84 ERA. But Eickhoff allowed nine hits, six runs (five earned runs) and struck out six in five innings. He threw two wild pitches and hit a batter in a four-run fourth inning. "Eickhoff, he's got one of the best curveballs in baseball," Mackanin said. "I didn't think he used it enough, especially in that fourth inning. It's a really good pitch for him. He got away from it for some reason." Eickhoff agreed with Mackanin's assessment. "Looking back after the outing was over, there were definitely times I could have used it more," he said. "It was just unfortunate I wasn't able to realize that myself and throw that more in the game in that fourth inning." Eickhoff can incorporate the curveball into his next start next week in Miami. But can the Phillies' offense pick it up on the road? "I've been concerned about the hitting all year," Mackanin said. "It's a constant issue that we have to improve upon. If we improved our hitting, we would have won more games."

Keeping An Open Mind – General manager Matt Klentak said the Phillies have been "very active" with trade discussions over the past few days. That is not surprising, because they have a host of players who could help a contender. The list begins with Jeremy Hellickson, Peter Bourjos and Jeanmar Gomez. Of course, Klentak acknowledged that many of the Phillies' conversations have led nowhere. But while he said Thursday that he would not handicap the chances of a trade before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, it would be very surprising if the Phillies remained status quo. "We're open-minded to ways to improve our club, both for now and into the future," Klentak said. The Phillies have incentives to move Hellickson, Bourjos and Gomez. Hellickson and Bourjos are free agents after the season, and moving them would allow the Phillies to get a longer look at Triple-A Lehigh Valley right-hander Jake Thompson, their No. 2 prospect who is 6-0 with a 0.58 ERA in his last nine starts; outfielder Aaron Altherr, whose rehab assignment ends Wednesday; and possibly Lehigh Valley outfielder Nick Williams, who is the organization's third-ranked prospect. Gomez is having a nice season as a closer, but the Phillies might want to move the former middle reliever while his stock is highest, especially because they have internal options to replace him in Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos. But Klentak insists the Phillies are not pressured to trade anybody, which is true only in the sense they will not give away players just to make room for their prospects. They want something of value in return. "Sometimes when you feel compelled to make a trade, that's when you make a bad trade," Klentak said. "But I will say that it helps when we have players in the Minor Leagues who are putting themselves in position to be able to contribute and potentially back-fill an opening. That gives me more confidence as I enter the trade market. "I can also envision a scenario where a lot of the guys are still here and the prospects are still in Triple-A. We're open to it." Thompson seems to be the closest to a promotion, especially with so many teams interested in Hellickson. Williams and shortstop J.P. Crawford -- the club's top prospect -- seem likely to be September callups. "We will make a spot if we need to," Klentak said. "But right now we haven't felt the need to create a spot. So we just have to see if it naturally evolves that way." Trade talks seem to naturally evolve into something tangible shortly before the Trade Deadline. It always has been that way, and it might be no different this year. So while Klentak sounded like nothing is imminent, it seems something will happen. "There's been quite a lot of action on a number of players," he said. "I take it as a very positive sign that other clubs have interest in a lot of our players. And it's not just the pending free agents. This time of year there are plenty of teams fishing on our younger more controllable players, too -- who I don't have any great desire to trade. But that doesn't stop a lot of the GMs from calling and asking about them. "I think that's a good sign, it kind of confirms what we all see with our eyes, that we've got some pretty darn good young players on this team."

Honoring Howard – Ryan Howard's baseball future beyond this season is unclear. His physical presence in the only city he's called home during his exemplary career is not. The new Phillies Urban Youth Academy was formally unveiled Thursday, and it was announced that the facility will be called the Ryan Howard Training Center. The first baseman won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2005 and the NL Most Valuable Player Award in '06, when he hit 58 home runs to establish the franchise's single-season record. "It's been our passion to give back to our community, especially when it relates to baseball and education," Howard said, standing next to his wife, Krystle, at the dais. "It's an extreme honor to be part of something we hope will help thousands and thousands of kids." Howard then turned from the audience filled with dignitaries -- including Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, councilman Kenyatta Johnson, Phillies chairman David Montgomery and Major League Baseball's vice president for youth and facility development Darrell Miller -- to address the RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) travel teams that were standing in the back of the room. "Always believe in your dreams and make them your priority," Howard told them. "This facility is an open door for every baseball player and softball player to follow their dreams. ... Please take advantage, have fun and always believe in yourselves." In addition to the complex in the shadows of the Center City skyline, players have access to the field complex at Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park near Citizens Bank Park that was opened last year. The 7,500-square-foot training center was added to the existing Marian Anderson Recreation Center, and it includes four retractable batting cages, plus space for fitness training, educational and vocational programs. It will be utilized by more than 8,000 boys and girls. The Howards were honored for their contributions through the Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation. The project was also supported by MLB, the Phillies, Phillies Charities, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Mayor Kenney, who grew up in South Philadelphia, remembered playing baseball in the streets as a kid until the cover came off the ball, taping it up and then playing some more. "This is what our children deserve," Kenney said, indicating the state-of-the-art facility. "Every precious child is put on this earth to meet his potential. And that potential can't be met if they don't have the resources they need." Kenney also pointed out that Howard's contributions toward rehabilitating the baseball fields in the city's Hunting Park neighborhood triggered further improvements, and crime has decreased 89 percent in the area. Several speakers mentioned that the Phillies are known for their community spirit, and Montgomery also reflected the feelings of those who have been involved since the project was first conceived in 2007. "The first word that comes to mind is 'finally,'" Montgomery said, eliciting knowing chuckles from the audience. "This is an exciting day for the Phillies. A long journey has come to a very, very successful conclusion." Miller has been closely involved in the effort since the beginning. "It's an honor to see a dream accomplished," Miller said. Miller followed that with an eloquent riff on how baseball mirrors everyday life, and he concluded with the observation that the most important single word in the English language is "we." "We did it," Miller said. "And we're not done." "I don't think there's been anything like this in my long tenure as a city official," added Philadelphia managing director Michael DiBerardinis. "This is about opportunity to grow and learn in your neighborhood." DiBerardinis cited a survey that found the playing surfaces at FDR Park are the best playing fields in the northeastern United States. After the speeches, Howard was presented a framed bat signed by the senior members of the Phillies' RBI program, and he threw the pitch for the "first hit" in the new batting cages. "I want [the young people] to know I believe in them," Howard said. "Why? Because I was just like them."

Ichiro Inching Closer – Ichiro Suzuki and the Marlins were scheduled to land back in Miami around 3 a.m. ET on Friday, following a 9-3 win over the Phillies. By the time they hit the road again, there are overwhelming odds it will be with more than just a few wins against National League East and Wild Card rivals. Suzuki on Thursday slapped a pair of singles to move him within four hits of becoming the 30th Major Leaguer to reach 3,000. He returns home for 10 games at Marlins Park with 2,996 hits. It would not be surprising if he reached the milestone even before a weekend series with the Mets is over. Miami wrapped up a 5-2 road trip to start the second half on Thursday. "I heard that Donnie [Mattingly, Marlins manager] said I was going play for seven more years," Ichiro said, with a smile, through interpreter Allen Turner. "I should be able to get four more in seven years." It may not even take seven games. All Mattingly has to do is put Ichiro in the lineup. In four of his past five starts, Ichiro has recorded at least two hits, including Thursday and a 3-for-4 game on Sunday against the Cardinals. After an infield single in the third, he nearly added another in the sixth, when second baseman Andres Blanco and first baseman Ryan Howard made a nice play to retire him. It's no secret that the Marlins would like him to reach 3,000 in front of the home crowd -- Mattingly said "probably" with a chuckle, when asked if he'd take him out with a 5-for-5 start to Thursday's game. Mattingly has put Ichiro atop the lineup card only five times in the past 17 games. But he could see that many starts just over this homestand. "It's been fun," Mattingly said. "It'd be a little different if we knew he was going to play every day, because you know it's just a matter of one day or something like that. But in our situation, it might not be that quick, or it could be quick. But it's been fun. He's been a great guy to watch." While it's very likely that No. 3,000 will come in Miami, it remains to be seen with what flair Ichiro will do it. Will he join the last two to reach the milestone, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, by putting the ball over the wall? Or will he do it in a manner more apropos to his career, the same way he got his 2,995th and countless other hits -- by legging out an infield single? Regardless, there is almost certainly history to be made, in addition to a pennant race with games against the Mets and Cardinals, at Marlins Park over the next 10 games.

Today In Phils History – In a 1918 exhibition game to benefit the family of William Weart, a Philadelphia sportswriter and editor who died during the 1917-1919 flu pandemic, the Phillies only recorded 1 hit in a 1-0 loss against the Athletics. George Harper was sent back to the dugout in 1925, and later struck out on 3 pitches, when umpires found nails in his bat. 5 years later, pitcher Phil Collins hit homeruns in consecutive at bats against Pittsburgh. Eddie Sawyer, who was working for a golf ball company at the time, returned for his second tour with the Phillies in 1958 replacing Mayo Smith at manager. In 1964, 1B Danny Carter broke his arm in a collision with Joe Torre. 2 years later, on the same day that the Phillies sold Dallas Green to the Mets, Gaylord Perry fan 15 Phillies to set a new Giants record. 3 years later, Phillies owners Bob and Ruly Carpenter, GM John Quinn, manager Bob Skinner, and players Grant Jackson and Mike Ryan represented the Phillies during President Richard Nixon’s White House reception commemorating the 100^th anniversary of baseball. With a single off of the Giants’ Matt Cain, Shane Victorino became the 1^st player born in Hawaii to reach the 1,000 career hit milestone. Finally, happy birthday to Sparky Lyle (1944) and Mike Sweeney (1973).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 44-53 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 53-57-1 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.

This Is NOT A Joke: Franco And Phillies Outhit Yankees

GAME RECAP: Phillies Overpower Yankees 11-8

Maikel Franco homered twice and drove in a career-high five runs in a four-hit performance and Cesar Hernandez scored three runs, pacing the Phillies' biggest offensive outburst of the season as they pounded Michael Pineda in an 11-8 victory on Monday at Yankee Stadium. Franco notched the first multi-homer game of his career, slugging his eighth and ninth blasts of the year. Eight of the nine Philadelphia starters logged a hit as they saw Pineda chased with one out in the fourth inning, surrendering eight runs on 11 hits. "He's got everything you look for in a young player," Phillies right-hander Kevin Correia said of Franco. "He's got similarities to [Albert] Pujols with his mechanics. They're pretty amazing at this point of his career. I heard how good he was. He's showing it since I've been here, defensively and offensively. He's a guy when you're on a team in this situation that you look forward to the future." Brett Gardner hit a three-run homer off Correia, who allowed five runs and eight hits in four innings before yielding to Jake Diekman, who picked up the win in relief. Brian McCann hit a seventh-inning homer off Elvis Araujo to trim the Yanks' deficit, but the Phils held on to snap their 12-game road losing streak, their longest since 1999.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Franco is giving the Phillies some hope for the future. He went 4-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored, including a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run home run in the sixth. He also made a great defensive play in the sixth inning. Franco might be in the conversation to make the National League All-Star team, despite the fact he was not promoted from Triple-A Lehigh Valley until May 15. "Well, we knew he was a really good player," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I'm as impressed by the play that he made on Chris Young [in the sixth] as the hits that he had. There's a ton of arm strength there, and it was great range. He's obviously a very talented kid, and we got to witness it first-hand today."
• Hernandez believes he could be the Phillies' second baseman of the future, and he has been making his case lately. He went 2-for-5 with one double, two RBIs and three runs scored. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg has said the last two days he wants to see more of Hernandez, which means less time for Chase Utley, who was the DH and the lone Phillies starter without a hit.
• "I don't even pay attention, I'm just going out there. I know everybody is telling me, 'You're going good,' my family is telling me I'm doing good, but when I go out there, I'm just trying to play the game and play the game right." -- Franco, on if he is aware of the numbers he is putting up offensively.
• The Phillies have scored 19 runs over their last two games after scoring exactly 19 runs in their previous 10 games combined (June 10-20; Phils went 1-9 in those games).
• The Phillies had lost 12 road games in a row before taking Monday night's series opener, matching their longest road skid since 1999.
• The Yankees have scored 66 runs in the first inning this season. They've scored in the first inning in 29 separate contests.
• With 211 wins, Sabathia is tied with Billy Pierce for 23rd all-time by a left-handed pitcher.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies will have another crack at trying to erase a four-year series drought against American League East teams Tuesday night, when they take on the Yankees for the second game of a three-game series. The last time the Phillies took a series from an AL East opponent was July 1-3, 2011, against Toronto. As they continue to look for success in what has been a trying season, the Phils will send right-hander Sean O'Sullivan to the mound, looking for just his second win of the season. The Yankees will counter with left-hander CC Sabathia, who is 3-7 on the season with a 5.31 ERA. In his last outing, O'Sullivan tossed five innings against Baltimore with seven strikeouts in a no-decision. Sabathia is also coming off of a seven-strikeout, no-decision start, in which he gave up five hits and three runs in a Yankees win over the Marlins.

PHILS PHACTS:

Eager To See Hamels – Expect plenty of scouts Wednesday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels will pitch against the Yankees after missing Friday's start against the Cardinals because of tightness in his right hamstring. He threw a bullpen session Sunday in Philadelphia and gave a reporter the thumbs up when asked if it went well and if he planned to pitch in New York. That is good news for Hamels, the Phillies and contending teams everywhere. It is no secret the Phillies are trying to trade Hamels before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. They are on pace to lose 107 games, so the plan is to trade Hamels and as many veterans as possible (Jonathan Papelbon, Aaron Harang, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Ben Revere, etc.) for a group of prospects that conceivably could speed up the rebuilding process. Hamels is the Phillies' most valuable trade chip. He is 5-5 with a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts this season, but his record is deceiving as he has the third-lowest run support average in Major League Baseball. But Hamels has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for years. His 3.17 ERA from 2008-15 ranks 10th out of 103 qualified pitchers. His 1.13 WHIP ranks eighth and his 3.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio is ninth. The Phillies are counting on Hamels to land them their greatest haul of prospects before the Trade Deadline. Of course, there are stumbling blocks. Hamels has a limited no-trade clause, but more important than that, he is making $22.5 million this season and is owed at least $73.5 million from 2016-19, which includes a $6 million buyout on a $20 million club option. Phillies president Pat Gillick said Sunday the Phillies are willing to take on a portion of a player's salary to get the right players back in a trade. But Hamels only gets traded if he is healthy. He said he is. "There are times when you just want to be smart no matter what the circumstances are," Hamels said. "I know they're a little bit different than previous circumstances in previous years, but I'm not going to change the way I like to play the game and prepare for the game."

Making A Big Impact – Is Maikel Franco the best position player on the Phillies? Is he All-Star worthy? Those questions are nice diversions from a season filled with few highlights. The rookie third baseman went 4-for-5 with two home runs, five RBIs and three runs scored in Monday night's 11-8 victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium. He hit a solo home run that landed a projected 402 feet away in the first inning, according to Statcast™, and a two-run home run that landed a projected 430 feet away in the sixth inning, as the Phillies set season highs in runs and hits (18). "Yeah, it was so special," Franco said about Yankee Stadium. "Especially in the Dominican, every young player wants to play in Yankee Stadium." Franco became the first Phillies rookie to hit two homers in a game since Darin Ruf in 2012, and the first Phils rookie to have five RBIs in a game since Ryan Howard in '05. "He's got everything you look for in a young player," Phillies right-hander Kevin Correia said. "He's got similarities to [Albert] Pujols with his mechanics. They're pretty amazing at this point of his career. I heard how good he was. He's showing it since I've been here, defensively and offensively. He's a guy, when you're on a team in this situation, that you look forward to the future." "He knows how to play the game and he's showing it," Howard said. Franco, who set career highs in hits, homers and RBIs in a game, is hitting .312 with eight doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 24 RBIs and a .928 OPS in 150 plate appearances. There is no question he is the team's best position player. But has he entered the conversation for the All-Star Game? The NL has had 21 rookie position players make the All-Star team. Phillies outfielder Del Ennis and Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper both made the latest debuts of those rookies, playing their first games of the season on April 28, 1946, and April 28, 2012, respectively. Franco joined the Phillies on May 15, which means he has far fewer plate appearances than other candidates. So it would take something extraordinary for Franco to make it. Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon figure to be the favorites to represent the Phillies, but there always is a chance they could be traded before the All-Star break. If that would happen, maybe Franco jumps to the top. He does not have enough plate appearances to qualify, but if he did, he would rank second among NL third basemen in OPS. Only Cincinnati's Todd Frazier (.993) entered the night with a better mark than Franco. "What have we got, 2 1/2 weeks?" Phillies manager Sandberg said about the All-Star break. "You never know. That's a possibility."

Tough Task – Ryne Sandberg can relate to Chase Utley better than anybody in the Phillies' organization. He is a Hall of Fame second baseman, while Utley had a Hall of Fame-like run from 2005-13, with the best OPS (.884) and WAR (59.0) among qualified second basemen. But Utley's future with the Phillies is uncertain, as he finished Monday's 11-8 victory over the Yankees at Yankee Stadium hitting .179 with a .532 OPS in 249 plate appearances. "I know the grind that he puts into it and the effort," Sandberg said before the game. "I see the ability in pregame. I see him being healthy and I see him being upbeat, and I'd just like to see the most out of what he can do. On the other hand, I want to see what a young player [Cesar Hernandez] can do, so that's the challenging thing." Hernandez went 2-for-5 with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored in the victory. He is hitting .273 with a .697 OPS in his last nine games. Utley, who went 0-for-4, needs 500 plate appearances this season to automatically vest a $15 million club option for next season. Utley is on pace to reach that. Asked Sunday if it would be negligent for the organization to allow Utley to hit that mark if his struggles continue, Phillies president Pat Gillick maintained that the front office will have no say in how Sandberg makes out his lineup. Sandberg said Monday he has received no directive about Utley's playing time. "I know that he has [the vesting option], but I won't operate [with it] in mind," Sandberg said. Hernandez started at second base Monday, while Utley served as the Phillies' designated hitter. Hernandez has started five of the last eight games at second base, although Utley has been a DH twice and a first baseman once. "It's a daily challenge," Sandberg said about handling both Utley and Hernandez. "You know, from this point it's watching the games and making judgments on who should be out there. Probably would fall under the category of what's best for both players. For Chase to play well and to show what he can do, and to play well is important. And to see Cesar play, he can get experience, that's important. There's two sides of it that are important going forward, and that's the challenge." So what's up with Utley's struggles? Utley's batting average of balls in play is .189, which indicates he has run into some bad luck. But Utley is also not squaring up balls like most hitters. According to Statcast™, Utley's batted ball velocity average is 87.95 mph. That ranks 119th out of 181 players, which means nearly two-thirds of big league hitters hit the ball harder more consistently than Utley. Utley is 36. Sandberg retired at 38. Asked when he knew it was time to walk away, Sandberg said, "I'd say the daily grind of second base every day and not wanting to be a part-time player. When it was getting close to that or it felt like it was getting close to presenting that, that's when I was used to being a regular and I hated sitting on the bench. I made that call myself."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 25-47. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance so far this year, this could end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 49-56-1 on this day.