Marvel Superheroes Prevail In Gotham

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

The Mets returned to Citi Field and they looked comfortable being at home as Captain America came through at the plate and Thor dropped the hammer from the mound. The once lopsided series now looks to be a race to the finish but the questions still remain as to whether the Mets offense can have another night like they did last night or if the experience, grittiness, and textbook execution by the Royals will resurface in game 4? Seems like someone will have a trick and the other will have a treat tonight!

Mets Romp Royals 9-3

The largest Mets crowd in Citi Field history, 44,781, was already frothing, enthused by a pregame procession of Billy Joel, Mike Piazza and all the pomp and circumstance this postseason-starved borough could muster. The Mets may have been trailing at the dawn of Game 3 of the World Series, but they weren't dead. All they needed on Friday night was a spark. Noah Syndergaard provided it with a high-and-tight fastball that knocked Royals leadoff man Alcides Escobar to the ground, and over the next 3 1/2 hours, the tone of the World Series transformed. Charged by David Wright's homer and four RBIs, the Mets rolled to a 9-3 win that sliced the Royals' lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic to 2-1. And Syndergaard, in teammate Michael Cuddyer's words, was the one who "woke everyone up." "Incredible … incredible," was how Wright described the atmosphere at Citi. "We knew what to expect coming into this based on playing here throughout the postseason, but this was at a different level. To be able to fight back the way that we did, we were relentless tonight. And it seemed like every time they had an answer, we had an answer right back. That's the type of baseball that got us here." Twenty-nine teams have won Game 3 after losing the first two, and 11 of them went on to win the World Series, giving the Mets plenty of hope heading into Game 4 here on Saturday, Halloween night. "We were so looking forward to coming back here," said Mets reliever Tyler Clippard, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. "We didn't feel the pressure. We came in here expecting to win and got it done." Wright set the tone early with a two-run homer off Royals starter Yordano Ventura, who also gave up a third-inning homer to Curtis Granderson. Ventura allowed five runs on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings. Syndergaard outperformed Ventura, but not without resistance. The rookie appeared shaky after what he admitted was a game-opening purpose pitch to Escobar. Six of the seven hits he allowed came during the first and second innings, with Eric Hosmer and Alex Rios driving in runs, but Syndergaard found his stride in the third, reeling off a run of 12 consecutive outs before getting in and out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. "I was able to stay locked in for the entire game," Syndergaard said. The Mets iced the game with a four-run sixth inning against Kansas City relievers Franklin Morales and Kelvin Herrera, with Wright's two-run single capping the rally. The Royals then spent their postgame hours vowing the only type of revenge that matters. "We have to forget about this," Escobar said. "The plan in here is to win."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 2-1

Kansas City at New York

Game 4: Saturday, October 31, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Unique Way To Celebrate – On Tuesday, grand mascot arbiter "Good Morning America" surveyed MLB and named the Phillie Phanatic the best mascot in baseball in 2015. It was a well-deserved title, earned on the backs of countless souvenirs given and Darth Vaders trolled. But true champions never settle. They know that there's always a furry green alien or giant mustachioed brewer coming for their crown, and there's no time for resting on mascot laurels. So, just days after his coronation, the Phanatic was back at it, knowing he needed to go bigger than ever. Like, "31-foot-skyscraper" bigger. The stunt was for a good cause, too, raising funds for the Outward Bound School. And while Sixers mascot Franklin may have made it down first, he also doesn't have a hot dog cannon, so we all know who's really the winner here. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Phillies Rookie Makes A Grand Statement

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Nationals 8-2

Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr soured what was likely Jordan Zimmermann's final home start with the Nationals, knocking a pair of home runs off the right-hander, including baseball's first inside-the-park grand slam of the 21st century in an 8-2 win at Nationals Park on Friday night. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also went deep as the Phillies clubbed a season-high-tying four home runs. Washington (78-75) fell 8 1/2 games back of the Mets in the National League East and dropped their elimination number to one. New York (87-67) beat Cincinnati, 12-5, on Friday night. When manager Matt Williams was asked how he felt about the looming elimination, his answer expressed the urgency of the situation. "Like we need to win tomorrow," he said. Meanwhile, Phillies rookie Jerad Eickhoff was impressive in his seventh Major League start, limiting the Nationals to two runs and five hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out 10. "I'm going to enjoy it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about his team's sixth win in its last 22 games. "They've been too few and far between. It was fun to see those guys go off."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Altherr busted out of a slump in a major way, hitting an inside-the-park grand slam in the third, a solo homer in the fifth and a double in the seventh. Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18 games. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said of the inside-the-park grand slam -- which got past a diving Michael Taylor in center field and rolled just short of the warning track, allowing Altherr to score with no throw to the plate. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock [third-base coach John Mizerock] still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could."
• Eickhoff tried to match Altherr with a strong performance on the mound. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out 10 in seven innings to improve to 2-3 with a 3.07 ERA in seven starts. His 10 strikeouts were the most by a Phillies rookie since Aug. 5, 2009, when J.A. Happ struck out 10 Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. National League MVP frontrunner Bryce Harper had three of those strikeouts. "He's a great hitter," Eickhoff said about Harper. "I was fortunate enough to get some pitches in the right location."
• All of Washington's scoring on Friday night came off the bat of Jayson Werth. It wasn't enough to slow down the Phillies, but it was the continuation of a resurgent several weeks by the 36-year-old outfielder. After his first-inning, two-out RBI single and his sixth-inning solo home run, Werth has recorded 10 home runs and 30 RBIs since the start of August.
• "Not that I remember. I'm sure I have over 47 years, but I can't remember. I hit into a triple play once." -- Mackanin, showing some comic timing when asked if he had ever seen an inside-the park grand slam before.
• Altherr's inside-the-park grand slam was the Phillies' first since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also became the first player to have an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has been on the DL since Aug. 12 because of a broken left wrist, but he could be be back next week. He played three innings in an intrasquad game Friday in Clearwater, Fla, going 0-for-2 with a walk. He will play four innings Saturday and will play Monday in a Florida instructional league game. The Phillies will evaluate Franco's status at that point. Franco's wrist reportedly felt "perfect."

NEXT GAME:

Phillies rookie right-hander Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.84) faces the Nationals in the second game of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m ET. The Phillies have been monitoring Nola's workload closely, but he said he feels great so they are going to give him at least one more start before the end of the season. Stephen Strasburg (10-7, 3.81) will look to build on his phenomenal second half for the middle game against the Phillies on Saturday. He's 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break.

PHILS PHACTS:

Altherr’s Big Night – Just a couple of weeks ago, Xander Bogaerts brought us the wonders of the Little League grand slam, and the world rejoiced at the shenanigans gifted upon us. But the Phillies' Aaron Altherr was far from satisfied -- while he no doubt appreciates the Benny Hill theme as much as the next ballplayer, he couldn't help but long for the olden days of the pure inside-the-park home run. "What if we married the tension of a bases loaded situation with the thrill of a guy rounding the bases as fast as possible?" Altherr thought to himself, we're assuming. So, during Friday's Phillies-Nationals game, he set out to make that dream a reality. And when he looped a line drive that got past a diving Michael Taylor, he had his chance. Cue the merry-go-round! OK, so maybe not the most suspenseful play at the plate, but hey -- this was his first try, it's a work in progress. No doubt exhausted from all that sprinting, Altherr figured he'd take a more leisurely route to home plate in his next AB. What, Aaron, no inside-the-park cycle?

2016 Should Be Interesting – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr had never done that before. Of course, who had? Altherr hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning of Friday night's 8-2 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park grand slam since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds, according to Elias Sports Bureau. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth, a double to right-center field in the seventh and a single to right in the ninth for the first four-hit game of his career. He had 11 total bases on the night. The Nationals had 11. "I don't know. It was a good day, I guess," Altherr said with a smile. "It was a lot of fun." Altherr became the first player to hit an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987. He ripped a line drive to Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor, who dove for the ball. But Taylor missed and the ball flew behind him toward the center field wall. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock (third base coach John Mizerock) still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could." "Sometimes it's a tough call right there," Taylor said. "Right there, I felt like I had a good bead on the ball. I thought I had a chance on it. I know in that situation you better catch the ball, and I wouldn't have gone for it if I didn't think I could. It's still a bad play once I miss it, so, it's a tough play." Altherr has good speed, so he scored without even a throw to the plate. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park home run (any variety) since July 31, 2012, when Jimmy Rollins hit one against the Nationals in DC. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also homered for the Phillies, who tied a season high with four homers in the win. "I had an inside-the-park homer in rookie ball or something, but it doesn't really matter," Altherr said. "Rookie ball doesn't count." Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18. He is back to .252 (27-for-107) with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 16 RBIs and an .866 OPS in 31 games. "I've felt pretty good the past couple days," Altherr said. "Hopefully I can keep riding that feeling the rest of the year." No matter what happens in the Phillies' final eight games, Altherr has made a strong case for more playing time in 2016. Friday night's effort drove home that point.

Lee About To Fall Off The Cliff – The Phillies will scatter across the Americas following their final game of the season Oct. 4. Cliff Lee scattered long ago. He has been home in Arkansas since March, when the Phillies announced his second attempt to rehabilitate a torn common flexor tendon in his left elbow did not work out. Lee said he planned to rehab the injury a third time, acknowledging he needed a miracle to pitch again. He never did. Lee's time with the Phillies unofficially ended in March. It officially ends no more than five days following the World Series. It is then the Phillies must inform Lee, who made $25 million this season, if they plan to exercise his $27.5 million club option for 2016. They will not. But they will pay him a $12.5 million buyout, which is due Nov. 30. "He was all about winning," said Phillies interim general manager Scott Proefrock, who helped bring back Lee to Philadelphia in Dec. 2010. "He helped us make the World Series in '09 and the postseason in '11. He pitched very well in '12 and '13. It just didn't work out. I'm sure he would have preferred things would have worked out differently because he is a great competitor." Lee, 37, went 41-30 with a 2.89 ERA in 106 starts from 2011-14. His ERA ranked fourth out of 90 qualified pitchers in that span. His 1.08 WHIP ranked fourth. His 6.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio easily ranked first. Clayton Kershaw's 4.74 placed second. But then Lee got hurt in 2014. He went on the DL in May and returned to make three starts in July before getting hurt again. "It was a situation last year where we were looking to trade him and obviously his injury short circuited that," Proefrock said. "The one thing about Cliff is, we met with him at the end of the 2013 season and he said the only thing he wanted to do is win. This was going to be his last contract. He wanted to win and he wanted to talk about what we were going to do. And in '14 we tried. Then he got hurt. We had to make an adjustment." Lee quietly visited Philadelphia a handful of times this season, essentially to meet with doctors to discuss his rehab. But his rehab never really went anywhere. Doctors recommended surgery, but Lee declined because he seemed uninterested in pitching past this contract anyway. "It was still worth pursuing because it was the only thing left to do," Proefrock said of Lee's rehab. The Phillies will recoup some of the $25 million they paid him this season because they insured his contract. How much is unclear. Regardless, Lee returned to Philadelphia in December 2010, with great fanfare. He said he hoped to win multiple World Series with the Phillies. It turns out the Phillies only made the postseason once while he was here.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 58-96. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 49-51-0 on this day.

Phillies Continue Their Regression In Loss To Brewers

GAME RECAP: Brewers Beat Phillies 3-1

Khris Davis' solo home run and RBIs from Jean Segura and Jonathan Lucroy backed seven scoreless innings from starter Wily Peralta to give the Brewers a 3-1 win over the Phillies on Friday at Miller Park. The victory was Milwaukee's fifth in as many games against Philadelphia this season. Friday's performance was Peralta's best since returning from the disabled list on July 28. The big right-hander scattered six hits over seven innings while striking out three. The outing was a positive sign for the Brewers, as Peralta had allowed nine runs in his last 10 1/3 innings (two starts) entering Friday. "I'm feeling better and better each start," Peralta said. "Tonight felt pretty good. I felt strong and commanded my pitches." Phillies starter Adam Morgan retired the final 11 batters he faced and surrendered just three hits to the Brewers over six innings, while potential trade candidate Chase Utley collected four of Philadelphia's nine hits. "We got a lot of hits, but couldn't get any big hits," said Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin, whose team went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• He got no run support, but Morgan pitched well in six innings. He allowed three hits, three runs, one walk and struck out one. He has allowed four earned runs in 12 innings in his last two starts. "Everything felt great today, shoulder, body, everything," Morgan said. "I felt like I could go more, but my spot was up and I haven't been hitting that good. I'm just looking forward to the next one."
• After driving in Milwaukee's second run with a single to center, Segura scored from second on Lucroy's deep sacrifice fly to right-center field. Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera stumbled over right fielder Domonic Brown while making the catch after miscommunication between the two, allowing Segura to narrowly beat the relay throw and Cameron Rupp's tag at the plate. "You don't see it a lot," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of the play. "You make a play like that, you add a run, it turns out to be a big play. How you run the bases is important, and [Segura] cut the corner as well as he could."
• The Angels, Cubs and Giants remain the top three choices for a potential trade for Utley. Those teams liked what they saw Friday. Utley went 4-for-5 with one double and an RBI. He is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with four doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored since returning from the disabled list on Aug. 7. "Over the last few years he's been trying to stay up the middle and use left field probably because of that shift. But he's pulling the ball. He's showing his bat speed. The bat speed is there," Mackanin said of Utley's recent success.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco still is recovering from a bruised left wrist he sustained Tuesday in Arizona. Mackanin said there are no plans to place Franco on the 15-day disabled list. Franco, who could trying hitting as early as Saturday, remains day to day.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jerome Williams (4-8, 5.73 ERA) pitches the second game of the three-game series Saturday night at 7:10 p.m. ET against the Brewers. He has pitched better in his last two starts, allowing two runs in 12 innings. Milwaukee will turn to right-hander Jimmy Nelson on Saturday and hopes he can continue his recent run of good form. Nelson is 6-1 with a 2.26 ERA over his last nine starts. He allowed four runs in five innings against the Phillies on June 29.

PHILS PHACTS:

Resurgent Return – Chase Utley showed up Friday afternoon at Miller Park still a member of the Phillies. He left a member of the Phillies following a 3-1 loss to the Brewers. But his time could be running short. Sources told MLB.com that the Phillies have received multiple offers for Utley, who essentially decides his fate at this point. Those sources indicated the Angels, Cubs and Giants might be Utley's top three choices because they offer the best combination of playing time, postseason contention or proximity to home. As a player with 10-and-5 no-trade rights (10 years in the Majors, five consecutive with the same club) who can reject any trade, Utley is mulling his options. The Astros, Dodgers and Yankees are also in the mix. The Angels are making a hard push. They had two top scouts at Friday night's series opener against the Brewers, but they have been keeping tabs on Utley for much longer than that. Their interest is more than cursory. The Angels have played Johnny Giavotella at second base the entire season. He has a .679 OPS in 442 plate appearances this season, which is better than Utley's .588 OPS. But teams are intrigued with the way Utley has looked since Aug. 7, when he returned from the disabled list with an improved right ankle. He went 4-for-5 with one double and one RBI on Friday, and is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with four doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored since his return. He has looked good running the bases and defensively in the field, too. "He looks as good as I've seen him," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's showing his bat speed. The bat speed is there." Utley declined comment because he knows he would be asked about trade possibilities, but Mackanin had no problem singing his praises. He even found something nice to say about Utley getting thrown out at second in the fifth, trying to stretch a single into a double. "He got a little aggressive," Mackanin said. "I think he's feeling pretty good about himself." The Cubs seem to rank next to the Angels in potential landing spots. They also can offer Utley playing time and a pennant race. It is worth noting that a top Phillies scout has been in Chicago this week watching the Cubs. The Giants have been very aggressive, too. They confirmed Thursday they have made an offer for Utley. "Not sure how it will unfold," Giants general manager Bobby Evans told MLB.com in a text message. Utley spends his offseasons just outside of San Francisco, which would seem to be a factor. But Giants second baseman Joe Panik is expected to return from the disabled list at some point, which would cut into Utley's playing time. Sources said Utley wants to play fairly regularly because he plans to play next season, and for that reason think Utley might decide to go elsewhere. Utley, who cleared revocable waivers earlier this week, is owed about $4 million for the rest of the season, plus a $2 million buyout on a 2016 club option. Teams will want the Phillies to eat some of Utley's salary to facilitate a trade, but they have been willing to do that to make trades in the past. Is a trade imminent? Sources indicated Friday night it is not, but it is ultimately up to Utley. It is his call to make.

NOT A Top 10 Play – Not often do you see a runner tag up from second and score on a fly ball, but Brewers shortstop Jean Segura was able to do so on Friday night in Milwaukee's 3-1 win over the Phillies. After driving in a run with a single, and advancing to second on a throw home, in the third inning, Segura scored on Jonathan Lucroy's deep fly ball to right-center field. Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera stumbled over right fielder Domonic Brown at the base of the outfield wall while making the catch after a miscommunication between the two. "Odubel has been fantastic this whole year. I really like him in center field," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "He caught the ball. Maybe he needs to be a little more vocal. He's definitely aggressive, but a little more vocal. And the corner guys have to peel off. They've got to get out of the way. But that kind of thing happens." "I saw them on the ground in the outfield, so I knew I had a good chance to score," Segura said. "[Third-base coach] Ed [Sedar] sent me and we did it. Any time you can take a chance with two outs like that, you have to take it." Herrera was able to regain himself and make a relay throw, but the throw home was slightly late, allowing Segura to slide in just ahead of catcher Cameron Rupp's tag to give the Brewers a 3-0 lead. "You don't see it a lot," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said of the play. "How you run the bases is important, and he cut the corner as well as he could. ... I think one of Jean's best traits is that he helps you in every area of the game. Tonight was a night where he helped you on the bases."

Phillies System In Top 10 – The consensus pick to win the American League East, the Red Sox instead have posted the worst record in the circuit and are headed toward their third last-place finish in the past four years. Boston fans can take solace in the facts that the one exception, 2013, produced a World Series title and that the organization has enough young talent to make another championship more than just a dream for the distant future. 7. Philadelphia Phillies: Preseason Top 10: Not ranked. Prospects on Top 100 list: 6. The most improved system on this list, the Phils have risen from the bottom third in baseball thanks in large part to adding four Top 100 Prospects since June: right-hander Jake Thompson (No. 59), outfielder Nick Williams (No. 63) and catcher Jorge Alfaro (No. 68) from the Rangers in the Cole Hamels trade, plus outfielder Cornelius Randolph (No. 97) in the first round of the Draft. Having their past two first-rounders, shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 6) and righty Aaron Nola (No. 22), continue to look better and better has helped, too.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies season has taken an unexpected turn for the better as they have officially climbed out of the bottom of the NL East with a record of 46-70. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 53-59-0 on this day.