Hellickson And Phillies Shut Down Nationals

GAME RECAP: Phillies Blank Nationals 3-0

What a difference nearly two weeks makes for Jeremy Hellickson. On April 15, the Nationals hit him hard, scoring six runs over three innings in Philadelphia. Hellickson was virtually unhittable in a 3-0 victory Wednesday at Nationals Park. The Phillies have won four of their last five games in the nation's capital. "[Hellickson] was sharp tonight," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "Some of the guys were complaining about some of the calls. Hellickson was painting tonight, changing speeds. He had a very good night. I don't want to say it was us because you don't want to discredit what he did tonight." Hellickson went seven innings, allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts. The Nationals had runners in scoring position twice in the game. Their biggest chance to score off Hellickson came in the second inning. With runners on first and second and one out, Jose Lobaton hit into a double play to end the threat. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez, meanwhile, lost his first game of the season. He gave up two runs -- one earned -- in 6 1/3 innings. The Phillies took the lead in the sixth, when Odubel Herrera scored on a sacrifice fly by Darin Ruf. An inning later, Philadelphia added a run on an error by third baseman Anthony Rendon, whose high throw home permitted Cesar Hernandez to score. In the eighth, Carlos Ruiz knocked a solo homer off left-hander Sammy Solis. "People have asked me what my goal is for this year with the type of team we have," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "My goal is to play .500 and then we'll go from there depending on what transpires. But the thing I'm real happy about, especially after starting 0-4 … I've got a pretty good selection of pitchers that I feel comfortable with. That's the reason we're 11-10. The pitching has been outstanding."

PHILS PHACTS:

• The Phillies lost one of their only two veteran starters for the season this week, when Charlie Morton tore his left hamstring. Hellickson was the other. He stepped up against the Nationals, posting his best start of the season following two starts in which he allowed 10 runs in just 7 1/3 innings. "It [stinks] losing Charlie," Hellickson said. "He was a great pitcher and even better in here. Everyone loved him, so that's a tough loss for us. We'll all continue battling. But, yeah, the last two starts were all I really needed for motivation tonight."
• Herrera singled to center field in the sixth inning to reach base safely in 18 consecutive games, which ties a career high. He advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sac fly by Ruf to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. "I'm the first one facing the starting pitcher," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "That gives me a sense of responsibility. The more pitches I see, the more pitches whoever is batting behind me sees. It is great to feel I am doing a good job. Things are working out for me. I really like that."
• Carlos Ruiz has three home runs in 34 at-bats this season. He had two homers in 284 at-bats in 2015.
• "[Jeanmar] Gomez is 6-for-6 in saves, and he looks like he's been doing it his whole career. If he maintains what he's doing right now … he might be our closer next year." – Mackanin.
• The Phillies have won four out of their last five games against the Nationals at Nationals Park.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola (1-2, 4.50 ERA) starts in the series finale against the Nationals at 4:05 p.m. ET Thursday at Nationals Park. Nola surrendered a career-high seven runs in just five innings April 16 in a loss to the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, but Nola rebounded in his last start, allowing one run in seven frames last weekend in Milwaukee.

PHILS PHACTS:

Hellickson Returns To Form – The Phillies acquired Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton in the offseason because they believed they needed a couple veterans to stabilize a rotation of talented, but inexperienced starters. The Phillies learned on Wednesday they lost Morton for the season with a torn left hamstring. It seemed fitting that Hellickson turned in his best effort of the season a few hours later in a3-0 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park, where he allowed two hits, three walks and struck out eight batters in seven scoreless innings to improve to 2-1 with a 3.81 ERA. "It [stinks] losing Charlie," Hellickson said. "He was a great pitcher and even better in here. Everyone loved him, so that's a tough loss for us. We'll all continue battling. But, yeah, the last two starts were all I really needed for motivation tonight." Hellickson permitted 17 hits and 10 runs in 7 1/3 innings over his last two starts, which included an outing April 15 against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Hellickson surrendered six runs in just three innings that night. "I think I was 0-1 a lot more than I have been," Hellickson said about Wednesday's success. "Then just going after guys in general. The last couple games, I've been working way too hard in the early innings and pretty much throwing everything I had. So I was just getting ahead and getting some early outs in the early innings." The victory improved the Phillies to 11-10. It is the first time the Phillies have had a winning record this late in a season since May 4, 2014, when they were 15-14. "We all believe in each other," Hellickson said. "I felt like we were going to compete from Game 1. I don't think this really surprised any of us." The Phillies will need Hellickson to keep pitching well moving forward. They still need a veteran in that rotation to show these young pitchers the way. "He really bounced back, especially after the news about Morton," manager Pete Mackanin said. "It's good to see him pitch that well. He was outstanding."

Thriving At The Top – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin made a couple noticeable changes to his lineup a week ago. Mackanin put Odubel Herrera in the leadoff spot and placed his pitcher eighth. The former has received less attention than the latter because hitting the pitcher eighth is unusual and its effectiveness is debatable, but moving Herrera to the top spot might have sparked the Phillies' offense. Herrera singled and scored the Phillies' first run Wednesday night in a 3-0 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. The Phillies can sweep the first-place Nationals with a victory in the series finale Thursday. "I do like leading off," Herrera said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I don't mind hitting first, second or third. But I really like to lead off." The Phillies are 5-1 and averaging 5.33 runs per game since Herrera moved to the top spot in the Phillies' lineup. They were 6-9 and averaging 2.47 runs per game when they tried Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Emmanuel Burriss there. "I'm the first one facing the starting pitcher," Herrera said. "That gives me a sense of responsibility. The more pitches I see, the more pitches whoever is batting behind me sees. It is great to feel I am doing a good job. Things are working out for me. I really like that." Added Mackanin: "He's been a catalyst." Herrera is batting .364 (8-for-22) with one home run, three RBIs, seven walks, two stolen bases, eight runs scored and a 1.000 OPS over his last six games. He has reached base safely in 18 consecutive games, which ties a career high. Herrera worked a one-out walk to load the bases in the seventh and walked again in the ninth. They were his 20th and 21st free passes, which ranks second in the Majors. "He knows how to hit," Mackanin said. "He decided he was going to stop expanding the strike zone. I think he does occasionally, but he's a smart hitter, and he really enjoys the fact that he's walking. You don't see many guys clap and get excited when they walk, but this guy, he's fun to be around."

Morton Is Mortal – Phillies right-hander Charlie Morton's season is finished. The Phillies announced Wednesday that he will have surgery on his torn left hamstring Monday in Philadelphia. Morton, 32, will need six-to-eight months to recover, which means he will miss the remainder of the year. "I feel bad for him and for us because he was starting to throw really well," manager Pete Mackanin said before Wednesday's game against the Nationals at Nationals Park. "It's a shame." Triple-A Lehigh Valley left-hander Adam Morgan will take Morton's spot in the Phillies' rotation on Friday against the Indians at Citizens Bank Park, although the team has made no official announcement. Morton's season-ending injury leaves the Phillies without one of the two veterans they acquired in the offseason to stabilize the rotation, making everybody in the rotation 29 years old or younger. But the Phillies think they have enough arms to cover themselves the rest of the season. They know they will need more starters. They already are monitoring Vince Velasquez's workload. "One of the big goals of the offseason was building more pitching depth in the organization beyond the five guys we had here," assistant general manager Ned Rice said. "We have guys with Major League experience in Lehigh and Reading. We have prospects who are younger, working their way up and doing well, so I think we feel good about being able to get through the year. We have a lot of guys who could be pretty exciting. We just feel bad for Charlie." Morton's injury leaves Jeremy Hellickson (29), Aaron Nola (23), Jerad Eickhoff (25), Velasquez (24) and Morgan (26) in the rotation. The Phillies have not had a 29-or-under rotation since 2004, when they had Eric Milton (28), Brett Myers (23), Kevin Millwood (29), Randy Wolf (27) and Vicente Padilla (26). "I think we're covered," Mackanin said. "As the season goes along, you'll see more guys who are maybe beginning their Triple-A careers now. They'll be 70, 80, 100 innings in and you'll feel better about them," Rice said. "We even have a couple of guys in Double-A with Major League experience in [Alec] Asher and Severino Gonzalez. I don't think we're starved for experience. We feel OK depth wise." Morton injured himself Saturday running to first base on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The Phillies placed him on the 15-day disabled list Sunday, and he received a MRI exam on Monday in Philadelphia. Mackanin said on Tuesday the MRI results were worse than anticipated. The injury is a blow for a few reasons. First, Morton pitched relatively well. He went 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in four starts. Second, they hoped he would eat up plenty of innings, allowing the team's pitching prospects more developmental time in the Minor Leagues. Third, Morton would have been a trade chip before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. That will not happen now, and it seems likely Morton will be elsewhere next season. The Phillies and Morton have a $9.5 million mutual option for 2017, which includes a $1 million buyout. Morton forfeits the buyout if he declines his half of the option. Phillies physician Steven Cohen will perform the surgery.

A Unique Deal For Franco – Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has been heating up the past few days. Entering Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Nationals, Franco had hit .444 (8-for-18) with one double, three home runs and nine RBIs in his last four games. He went 1-for-3 with a walk from the third spot in the lineup. There could be many reasons for that, but one reason might be that he is more relaxed on the field. Franco recently signed a $4.35 million brand contract with Fantex, which will receive 10 percent of Franco's future earnings on and off the field. In the future, Fantex expects to sell shares of Franco "stock" to public investors. In this case, those investors will see a profit if Franco earns more than $43.5 million in his career. MLB and the MLBPA each have approved agreements like this in the past. Notably, Angels pitcher Andrew Heaney agreed to a $3.34 million deal with Fantex last year. "It feels great," Franco said through the Phillies' interpreter. "I'm able to play baseball in a calmer way now. I'm more relaxed now when I take the field because it brings stability." "Maikel is really excited about working with Fantex," Franco's agent Ryan Royster wrote in a text message. "This deal allows him to invest in himself and his future and frees him to focus on his performance and helping his team win ballgames. … Maikel, his family and myself (BTI Sports ) are all on board with this decision." Essentially, Franco is taking a payday before he is eligible for salary arbitration and free agency in exchange for a potential windfall in the future. It is possible that the deal could affect the way Franco approaches future contract talks. In other words, if Franco already has $4.35 million in earnings, he might be less apt to take a contract extension that would guarantee security but could limit his earnings potential if he becomes a star. Clearly, Franco values the financial security the Fantex deal could bring. "It was definitely part of it," Franco said. "It's an important factor that I took into account. My lawyer and I decided that it would be a good deal for us, and we agreed to do [it]. Obviously, I feel comfortable. Now, I can take care of my family. Everything is good. Now, I just can play baseball."

Today In Phils History – What most phans will remember about this day is when Randy Ready turned a triple play off the Padres Tony Gwynn in 1991. However, there are a few other moments worth remembering including the debut of Del Ennis in 1946, Shortstop Ralph Miller and pitcher Lee Meadows providing the franchise with the first multi-slam game in team history in 1921, and the Phillies having their game protest granted in 1917 which they would later win in on September 12^th against Boston. Okay, so maybe nothing tops the triple play.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 11-10 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 39-49-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Rebound From 2015 In First Game

TODAY’S EXHIBITION GAME: Phillies Defeat Tampa 8-3

The Phillies hope they will have a catching problem on their hands in the near future. Two of their top prospects in Spring Training are catchers Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp. Both impressed in Sunday's 8-3 victory over the University of Tampa at Bright House Field. Alfaro went 0-for-2 with one walk and one run scored. His power has enthralled Phillies coaches in the first week of camp, but Sunday he impressed with his arm and legs. He nabbed a would-be basestealer in the fourth inning. He also beat out a double play in the first, which led to a run, and scored from second on a ball hit to left field in the third. "I like to see that, boy," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He runs pretty good for a catcher." Knapp went 1-for-3 with one walk, two RBIs and one run scored. He ripped a bases-loaded single off Spartans first baseman Adrian Chacon's glove to score two runs in the first. "I like hitting bases loaded with one out. It's easy," Knapp said with a smile. "You can hit a ball like that and get a couple RBIs. It was good. I felt good at the plate today. I felt pretty comfortable." Knapp started the game as the designated hitter, but he moved to first base in the seventh inning (he borrowed Darin Ruf's mitt because he does not own one) as the Phillies were shorthanded with Ryan Howard not playing, Ruf out of the game and Cody Asche's and Brock Stassi's sides bothering them. The switch-hitting Knapp's versatility afforded him an extra plate appearance, and his first of the spring as a right-handed hitter. "It's nice to have that in my back pocket if I can stay in the lineup that way," Knapp said of his ability to play first. MLBPipeline.com ranks Alfaro as the No. 96 prospect in baseball, while Knapp earned the Phillies' Minor League Player of the Year honors in 2015. In a perfect world, both catchers continue to improve and live up to their potential and the Phillies ultimately have to move one of them to a different position. If that would happen, Alfaro could move to the outfield and possibly even first. Knapp could play first or outfield. He has played both in the past. "Whatever it takes to stay in the lineup," Knapp said. "If that's where I end up and I'm in the big leagues, I don't think I'm really worried about it as much, you know? As long as I'm in the big leagues playing every day." But those are discussions for another day. The Phillies look at both players as catchers, and they will both catch this spring and once their Minor League seasons begin in April. Until he heads to Minor League camp, Knapp is soaking in everything he can. "I've been just trying to pick [Carlos Ruiz's] brain as much as I can," he said. "He's got so much knowledge, it's just like, why would you not just ask him a ton of questions? "We've been having meetings every day, where we go over who we've caught in bullpens and live BPs and stuff. Chooch will just give us a heads up about what these guys like to do and how they go about their business and stuff. Sometimes, for a lack of a better word, the bull [sessions] are what you get the most out of. Just kind of stories, like, 'We were on the road and this happened.' It's just stuff like that."

PHILS PHACTS:

Vying For Opening Day Start – Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola threw a combined 18 pitches in two perfect innings for the Phillies on Sunday at Bright House Field. Their performances in an 8-3 victory against the University of Tampa meant little in the long run, but they are worth noting because one of the two pitchers is expected to be the Phillies' Opening Day starter on April 4 against the Reds in Cincinnati. The runner-up is expected to pitch the second game of the season on April 6, which would not be a bad consolation prize: He would also be in line to pitch the homer opener April 11 against the Padres. "Yeah, I'd absolutely love the honor, but it doesn't matter one bit," Hellickson said about pitching Opening Day. "We're going to need all five guys to pitch how we're capable of pitching. I don't really think it matters who starts it off, but at the same time, it's a goal and it'd be fun." "It'd be a cool thing," Nola said. "If you haven't done it before, if you haven't had an Opening Day start in your career, it would definitely be cool. But wherever they have me, I'm going to go out there and compete." Nola said he would understand if the Phillies told him they preferred to ease him into the season, giving the nod to the more experienced Hellickson, who won the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year Award. "Being on the field and competing against the batters, trying to get a win for the team, that's the focus," Nola said. Hellickson, 28, went 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA in 27 starts last season with the D-backs. He has a 4.86 ERA in 72 appearances (71 starts) the past three seasons. The Phillies acquired him in an offseason trade with Arizona because they consider him a solid bounce-back candidate and they needed a veteran presence in the rotation. Hellickson certainly has motivation to pitch well. He will become a free agent following the season, so a big year would help him on the open market. And if he pitches well, the Phillies could potentially deal him before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. "I just really need to get back to being consistent," Hellickson said. "The last couple years I feel like I've thrown better than what the numbers said at the end, but my bad ones were just really, really bad. I couldn't stop the bleeding in those big innings. I've just got to be better out of the stretch with guys on base. Just be more consistent every five days. I can't give up one in seven [innings] one game and then give up five in three the next." Nola threw fastballs and curveballs in his short stint, although he said he will be making a concerted effort to improve his changeup this spring.

Today In Phils History - Well, there is one Phillies leap year player in Ralph Miller who was born on this day in 1896 (which technically still makes him less than 30 years old and a prime candidate to make the current roster). 

THE BEGINNING:

With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

Hamels Dominates Perspective Trade Suitors

GAME RECAP: Phils Shock Cards 4-1

Phillies ace Cole Hamels is getting plenty of attention this season because of his availability in a trade. He showed Monday night in a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium why he should have plenty of pursuers before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Hamels allowed four hits, one run, four walks and struck out nine in seven innings as he improved to 1-2 with a 3.19 ERA. "Cole really seemed to step it up a notch after he got the run support," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. Cards starter John Lackey opened the evening with six scoreless innings before being knocked around in a three-run seventh. He was staked to an early lead when Matt Carpenter, Jhonny Peralta and Matt Holliday singled in succession with two outs in the third. However, lack of execution on Lackey's attempted sacrifice and Jon Jay's caught stealing on a botched hit-and-run thwarted a bigger inning for the Cards. "He's got good stuff," Jay said of Hamels. "Everyone talks about the changeup, but he's got a cutter, curveball and fastball, too, and [Carlos] Ruiz is a good catcher back there. He did a good job of mixing it up back there."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies entered the night averaging 2.58 runs per game, which were the fewest in baseball and fourth-lowest average by a team since 1900. They also had scored just three runs for Hamels in his first four starts this season. But they scored three runs for Hamels in the seventh, thanks to a hit-and-run and Ben Revere's ground-rule double, which dropped on the left-field line.
• The Phillies announced after the game that right-hander Hector Neris has been optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for rookie right-hander Severino Gonzalez, who will make his big league debut Tuesday night.
• Jonathan Papelbon picked up the 111th save of his Phillies career, putting him one shy of tying Jose Mesa for the franchise record. Ken Giles pitched a scoreless eighth. The Phillies have won 16 consecutive games when they have pitched in the same game.
• "I don't think I'm going to address that. Sorry." -- Hamels, with a chuckle, when asked if he would welcome a trade to St. Louis. Hamels had just finished raving about pitching at Busch Stadium, and how the Cardinals always are one of the top teams in the National League Central.
• Phillies second baseman Chase Utley enters the game with one of the lowest batting averages on balls in play in baseball (.096). He hopes to finally start catching a break this week against the Cardinals.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Severino Gonzalez makes his big league debut Tuesday night against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Phillies hope the rookie can keep his cool against one of the best teams in the National League. Gonzalez, 22, is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Phillies' No. 15 prospect. He went 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts this season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander Michael Wacha pitches for the Cardinals. He is 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA this season.

PHILS PHACTS:

Focusing On The Present – Cole Hamels has always been important to the Phillies, but he is quickly becoming more and more important in the rest of the baseball world. Hamels pitched Monday night in a 4-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. He allowed four hits, one run, four walks and struck out nine in seven innings to improve to 1-2 with a 3.19 ERA through five starts this season. Hamels' starts always receive a little extra attention because he is regarded as one of the best left-handers in baseball -- he has the third-best ERA in the Majors since June 1, 2014 -- but his start Monday received a little more attention because of his availability on the trade market and what is happening to starting pitching around baseball. Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright ruptured his left Achilles over the weekend and will miss the rest of the season. Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy has a torn UCL and will likely have season-ending Tommy John surgery. Tigers ace Justin Verlander has not thrown a baseball since April 15 because he has inflammation in his right triceps, although the Tigers said his condition has improved. And the Red Sox's rotation has a 5.84 ERA, which is the worst in baseball. Hamels said he is not paying attention to those things and how they might relate to him. "I'm living in the moment, and that's kind of all I can do," Hamels said. "In order to be accountable for what I have to do, I can't think in the future or the past. I've got to be here in the present." Hamels allowed a run in the third inning when he allowed three consecutive two-out singles to Matt Carpenter, Jhonny Peralta and Matt Holliday. Hamels allowed a one-out double to Carpenter in the fifth, but he struck out Peralta and Matt Adams to end the inning. "He got them in big situations," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said about Hamels' strikeouts. The Phillies scored three runs for Hamels in the seventh. They had scored just three runs for him in his first four starts. The support helped him improve to 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA in eight career starts at Busch Stadium, including one start in the 2011 National League Division Series. He had faced Wainwright in two of those eight starts. "It's definitely unfortunate what happened to him," Hamels said about Wainwright. "I definitely feel for him. You don't ever want that, especially to a guy as great as he is personally and as a competitor for St. Louis." Hamels had high praise for St. Louis. "This is a great stadium," he said. "It's pure enjoyment to go out there. You know you're playing a great team every year. Every year I've pitched against them they're one of the top teams in the division. It shows with the World Series [titles] they have." So would Hamels welcome a trade to St. Louis, if the situation presented itself? "I don't think I'm going to address that. Sorry," he said, with a chuckle. Hamels is living in the moment. But if he continues to pitch well and starters around baseball continue to fall, his future could be decided soon.

Finally Some Support – In a bit of a shock, Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels found his way to the mound in the bottom of the seventh with a lead after the Phillies scored three runs for him in the top half of the inning on Monday night at Busch Stadium. The Phillies had scored just three runs for Hamels in his first four starts this season, which was the fourth-worst run support in baseball. "It really does energize anybody, because you want to hold the lead for your team," Hamels said after the 4-1 victory over the Cardinals. Cody Asche led off the inning with a single. The Phillies then executed a hit-and-run to perfection with Carlos Ruiz lacing a single to right field to put runners on the corners with no outs. "That's our game," said Ruiz, who went 4-for-4 with a double to raise his batting average from .196 to .260. "That's what [Phillies manager Ryne] Sandberg said in Spring Training. We have to do the little things and make something happen. We had a big hit right there. That was great baseball." Freddy Galvis hit a ground ball to Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter, who caught Asche in a rundown for the inning's first out. Sandberg then elected to have Hamels hit for himself, rather than calling for a pinch-hitter. Hamels had allowed one run in six innings to that point. "It played in the decision to let him have an at-bat in the seventh inning," Sandberg said. "Not only can he handle the bat and bunt, but also to give him another chance for a win. I thought that would be big for him." Hamels executed a sacrifice bunt to advance runners to second and third. Ben Revere then dropped a ground-rule double on the left-field line to score both runners to make it 2-1. Odubel Herrera followed with a single to score Revere to make it 3-1. It would be plenty for Hamels. Then again, on most nights, it is more than plenty.

Brown’s Uncertain Return – Domonic Brown told reporters Sunday he would rejoin the Phillies on Wednesday. Not so fast. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said Monday afternoon at Busch Stadium that while there has been no official conversations about Brown's status, "From what I've seen, I don't know that he's ready for Major League pitching or to come up and really give us a punch the way that things have gone for him there." Brown has been on the 15-day disabled list since the season started because of tendinitis in his left Achilles. He has been on a rehab assignment since April 9. Once a position player begins a rehab assignment, he has 20 days to be activated from the DL. Brown's 20th day is Tuesday, which means a decision must be made by Wednesday. Brown might have assumed he would be activated and join the Phillies. But the Phillies could activate him and option him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He has hit .129 (4-for-31) with one double, two RBIs, four walks and six strikeouts in eight games with the IronPigs. "Maybe it's just not enough at-bats," Sandberg said about Brown's struggles in the Minor Leagues. "He's had some fly-ball outs. He just hasn't connected and hasn't hit for average, which you'd like to see." Asked if he would prefer Brown did not tell people he would be back before a decision had been made, Sandberg said, "Unless he's player-GM."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 8-12. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 39-49-0 on this day.