Stanton Dominates Derby

GAME RECAP: Stanton Tops Frazier 20-13

Giancarlo Stanton turned the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Petco Park into a contest of "Can you top this?" For most of the night, the Miami Marlins right fielder found himself trying to outdistance himself, and in the process, he stole the show. In the finals, the fifth-seeded Stanton blasted 20 home runs -- giving him 61 total in three rounds -- as he topped defending champion Todd Frazier of the White Sox, 20-13. Not only did Stanton bring the crowd to its feet with his massive home runs, he also reset Statcast™ home run highs for distance (497 feet) and exit velocity (120.4 mph). In front of an energized crowd and a worldwide audience on ESPN and MLB.com, Stanton showcased his remarkable strength in all three rounds. In the finals, he went first and put the third-seeded Frazier on the defensive. Of Stanton's 20 homers, 11 went 440 feet or more. He became the first Marlins player to win the Home Run Derby. "I grew up watching this," Stanton said. "That's where you built it up, childhood memories; now I will have kids saying the same thing. They watched me do this. I like to return the favor. Can't speak for anyone else." Stanton added a home run with a launch angle of 12.3 degrees, lower than any regular-season home run tracked by Statcast™. The previous lowest also is by Stanton, who hit one at a 13.5-degree angle on April 23, 2015, off Justin DeFratus of the Phillies. "He was hitting moonshots," marveled Frazier afterward. "I thought I was a high school hitter compared to him hitting them that far. I said it was going to be one of the most epic home run battles, and I think it really stepped up to the name." A native of Sherman Oaks, Calif., Stanton relished the opportunity to take part in his second Home Run Derby in his home state. "For sure, being on the West Coast and taking the flight out here just for this, you know," Stanton said. "I figure it's a waste if I don't bring this bad boy home." In the first round, Stanton was matched against the Mariners' Robinson Cano, the fourth seed. It became a mismatch as Stanton racked up 24 homers to Cano's seven. In the semifinals, Stanton toppled Baltimore's Mark Trumbo, the No. 1 overall seed, 17-14. In a meeting of arguably the two strongest in the event, 14 of Stanton's homers traveled 440 feet or farther, matching Trumbo's entire total for the round. As advertised, Stanton was a show stopper whose first round will go down in Home Run Derby lore. His 497-foot drive is the longest home run ever projected by Statcast™. The farthest regular-season homer is by Kris Bryant of the Cubs, who connected on a 495-foot shot on Sept. 6, 2015, off Arizona's Rubby De La Rosa. Also in his first four minutes, Stanton blistered another laser that had an exit velocity of 120.4 mph, the hardest-hit homer Statcast™ has ever tracked. The previous high on a homer by Stanton is 119.2 mph on June 23, 2015, against St. Louis' Carlos Martinez. With four Marlins players in tonight's All-Star Game presented by MasterCard (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX), Stanton also had time in the first round to take a timeout, catch his breath and pose for a selfie with his Miami teammates -- Jose Fernandez, Marcell Ozuna and A.J. Ramos. "That's great. That's what it's about," Stanton said. "Having them, and on the flight over, they were like, 'This is what we're going to do, this and that.' So we had a plan going, and I'm glad it worked out." At the conclusion of Stanton's round, all the All-Stars showed their appreciation, with David Ortiz giving some Big Papi praise by bowing to the Miami slugger. Over the course of the night, Stanton decisively established power readings at a historic rate: Stanton had the 20 hardest-hit home runs of the night; He had the 10 longest home runs; Stanton's average home run distance was 446 feet. The next highest was Trumbo at 432.8 feet. The other seven hitters combined for an average home run distance of 412 feet; His average exit velocity on home runs was 111.9 mph. The next highest was Trumbo at 108.5 mph. The other seven hitters had an average exit velocity of 105.4 mph on their homers; Stanton's home runs traveled a total projected distance of 27,187 feet, which is 5.15 miles and 9,918 feet more than any other competitor. Frazier was second with a total distance of 17,269 feet. "I didn't hit one over 440," said Adam Duvall, who lost out to Frazier in the semifinals. "He hit most of his over 440. That's just unreal, man. The power that he has is unreal." Stanton picked Pat Shine, the Marlins' Major League administrative coach, as his designated pitcher. Many Miami players praise Shine's tosses, because they are right down the middle. "No-brainer," Stanton said of going with Shine. "I don't think I took more than five balls, so he is just as important to this as I was." Stanton, like Frazier, was selected to the Derby without being picked for the All-Star Game. With a single-minded focus on one event, Stanton was locked in to bringing the Derby trophy to South Florida. "I have been around him for three years, so I am just really happy for him," Shine said. "He's one of the most intense competitors that anybody has ever been around. So I knew he wanted to win it." Stanton actually is a three-time All-Star, but he was able to only take part in 2014, missing in '12 and '15 due to injuries. Despite posting a .233/.328/.495 slash line in the first half, Stanton heated up in Miami's last five games, belting five home runs while driving in 10 runs. The slugger entered the break with 20 homers and 50 RBIs. "I'm so proud of him," Ozuna said. "He was struggling a little, and then they invited him to the Home Run Derby, and he wins it. That's beautiful."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Left-hander Daniel Stumpf returned to the Phillies July 10 after serving an 80-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs. Philadelphia acquired Stumpf from Kansas City last December in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched in three games before being suspended.
• Active members of the Mets have hit a combined .307 against Hellickson, with Jose Reyes having recorded a .381 batting average to go along with one homer and four RBIs.
• Mets manager Terry Collins has expressed hope that Yoenis Cespedes would be ready to play by the end of the All-Star break. Cespedes, who sustained a right quad strain July 8, leads the Mets with 21 homers and 52 RBIs. In 26 at-bats against the Phillies in the first half of the year, Cespedes hit .269 with three homers and six RBIs.

NEXT GAME:

After limping into the All-Star break with a slew of injuries to key players, the Mets turn to Jacob deGrom (5-4, 2.61 ERA) to set the tone for the second half of the season July 15 against the Phillies, who counter with Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 3.92 ERA). deGrom and Bartolo Colon have been the only regular members of the Mets' starting rotation to avoid injury issues in recent weeks. Matt Harvey opted for season-ending surgery to repair his thoracic outlet syndrome, while Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard have both been pitching through bone spurs; Syndergaard left his start July 8 with a "dead arm." Hellickson has provided a veteran presence in a young Phillies pitching staff, but his name has floated around in trade rumors. The Mets could be in the market for a starter given all their issues, but there's been no indication Hellickson could be an option for them.

PHILS PHACTS:

From Rule 5 To All Star – Tonight, Odubel Herrera will suit up in yet another All-Star Game. This one, however, will be in a league of its own. Just two years ago, Herrera was a little-known player in a prospect-rich Rangers organization, performing well enough to earn Texas League (Double-A) All-Star honors for a second straight season but going unprotected in the 2014 Rule 5 Draft. That allowed the Phillies to add him that December, and since then he's risen at a rapid pace. On Monday he appeared at media day in advance of the Midsummer Classic (7:30 tonight on FOX), and he was joined by his proud parents, Odubel Sr. and Nerida, who flew to San Diego to share in this special day. But for as much as Herrera is a prominent part of the Phillies' future, the 24-year-old leadoff hitter carries great appeal in the way he reminds folks of the last Phillies powerhouse. With a style resembling that of Shane Victorino -- the club's other golden Rule 5 ticket (from 2004) -- the native Venezuelan brings a great deal of passion to the ballpark each day. A bat-flipper following homers and sac flies alike -- and a clapper after taking his walks -- Herrera has made major contributions in multiple categories this year. Entering the Midsummer Classic, he ranks fourth among National League outfielders in on-base percentage (.378), fifth in hits (96) and 10th in batting average (.294). He's also chipped in 12 steals. Much of Herrera's success can be ascribed to his improved plate discipline, as he's walked at an impressive 11.6 percent clip following a meager 5.2 rate as a rookie. "Last year, I was striking out a lot. During the offseason, it was a goal that I put to myself to improve [my plate discipline]. And I think that's what we've seen," he said. "He's a special guy," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. "I call him a hit collector. I don't know how he does it sometimes." Odubel Sr. agreed with the skipper's sentiments. "Basically, [when he reached] the age of 12, I started to realize he could be a great player, possibly a professional player," Herrera's father said at MLB's media day on Monday. Both of Herrera's parents are visiting the United States, carefully following Phillies games. Despite a few bumps in the road along the way, the sophomore Major Leaguer has accomplished something rare in earning All-Star accolades just 19 months after his Rule 5 selection. Players picked in the December Draft are essentially viewed as lottery tickets, with only a select few making it big. While the 42-48 Phillies have room to improve during the season's second half, core pieces are already in place in Herrera, slugging third baseman Maikel Franco and several promising starters. "It makes me feel really good to be on a team with so much young talent -- talent that can evolve," Herrera said. But with multiple promising prospects in Philadelphia's pipeline, including several young outfielders, some have speculated that Herrera could one day revive his work as an infielder. "I came up as a second baseman, but now I am playing outfield. I am feeling good in the outfield and will continue to work hard [out there]," he said. Regardless of where he plays, Herrera will almost certainly continue to contribute a keen eye at the plate, enviable athleticism and an unbridled love for the game.

Today In Phils History – Cincinnati’s Noodles Hahn starts this day as he no hit the Phillies in 1900. 6 years later, Sherry Magee set a team record by stealing 4 bases in a single game include three in the 9^th when, after being hit by a pitch, he stole 2^nd, 3^rd, and home in the loss. Unbeknownst to many phans Hall of Famer Johnny Evers briefly played for the Phillies after the team claimed him off waivers from the Braves on this day in 1917. 40 years later, Robin Roberts set a dubious MLB record when he surrendered his record setting 280^th homerun, a record he would hold for more than 50 years until it was surpassed by another Phillie, Jamie Moyer. And, finally, Phillies closer Doug Jones earned the win for the NL in the 1994 All Star Game in Pittsburgh.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 42-48 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 36-52-0 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.

LONG Homeruns Bury Phillies

GAME RECAP: Fish Fluster Phils 6-4

Giancarlo Stanton picked an appropriate time to connect on the longest home run tracked by Statcast™ this season. The three-time All-Star blistered a two-run homer in the eighth inning on Friday night that launched the Marlins to a 6-4 win over the Phillies at Marlins Park. The blast was projected to travel 475 feet with an exit velocity of 113 mph. It ran Miami's win streak to four, as the club has won 11 of 12. "They hit them. They don't get cheap shots, do they?" Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. The Marlins struck quickly off Vince Velasquez, scoring twice in each of the first two innings. Christian Yelich tagged him for a two-run homer in the first, and J.T. Realmuto and Martin Prado each had two-out RBI singles, putting Miami ahead 4-0. But the Phillies stormed back against Wei-Yin Chen, who allowed the leadoff batter to reach in each of his five innings. "The momentum switched pretty quickly," Stanton said. "You feel like you're in total control, and then they come back. Usually, that's when the other team keeps it going and wins. So, it was good to put a hold on that and come up big like that." Philadelphia hammered out 11 hits off Chen, tying it at 4 on Maikel Franco's opposite-field homer to open the fifth. "They were pitching me away and I hit the ball [that way]," Franco said. "That's what I'm going to try to continue to do and see what happens."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Batting in the No. 8 spot, Velasquez beat out an infield single with two outs in the fourth inning. It allowed Peter Bourjos to bat with runners at first and second. Bourjos promptly lined a double down the left-field line, scoring both Freddy Galvis, who had opened the frame with a single, and Velasquez to cut the Marlins' lead to 4-3. "I had to help myself out, get on base and get another run on my end and help the team out," Velasquez said. "It's a team thing here. It's a tough loss, but we'll get them tomorrow."
• In the sixth, third baseman Franco went to his right to backhand a line drive off the bat of Chris Johnson, turning it into an inning-ending double play with a quick throw to second. It was just an inning earlier that Franco hit the first pitch for a home run to tie the game at 4. "Every single day I try to put a lot of focus on [my defense]," Franco said. "I try to be ready every single pitch to help my team on offense and defense."

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson gets the start for the Phillies at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday. Hellickson looks to rebound from his last outing, when he gave up six runs on seven hits, including three homers, over 5 1/3 innings in St. Louis.

PHILS PHACTS:

Location, Location, Location! – Phillies starter Vince Velasquez struggled in the first two innings, digging himself into an early hole that cost him. Though the Phillies fought back to tie it, the Marlins prevailed, 6-4, on Giancarlo Stanton's titanic two-run homer in the eighth inning. Velasquez, a 23-year-old right-hander, went six innings for the no-decision, giving up four runs on seven hits, including an upper-deck homer to Christian Yelich. He struck out five batters and walked one. Of his 90 pitches, 64 were strikes. Velasquez bounced back after the shaky start to retire 10 consecutive batters, allowing just one hit over his final three innings of work. "Velasquez was a different pitcher after the second inning," manager Pete Mackanin said. "He looked like who he really is. They were all over his fastball [early]. He didn't locate it, and they're a good fastball-hitting team. They've been winning. They've been swinging the bats extremely well." How did he manage to turn things around so quickly? "Keep my composure and not let things get out of hand anymore than they did," Velasquez said. "And then kind of let things go. Things happen. It was a rough start. You can't get behind in the count and then miss locations. Shutting down [the next] 10 guys was something that led me to get the guys back in the dugout and get something going." Velasquez said that he takes full responsibility for the early struggles and had to go back into the clubhouse after the second inning to regroup. "Missed locations. All that falls on my end," Velasquez said. "So you have to figure something out, and you have to change. Do whatever you have to do to prevent that." Velasquez was not himself in the first two innings. "That pitch to Yelich was horrible," Velasquez said. "It was literally on the opposite side of where I was trying to go. Just yanked it, and he hit it out."

Change Is Good – Searching for ways to get his team out of its doldrums offensively, manager Pete Mackanin shook up Friday's lineup with everything from hitting Freddy Galvis fifth for the first time in his career to batting pitcher Vince Velasquez eighth rather than in the traditional ninth spot. It worked, to a degree. The Phillies outhit the Marlins, 12-10, but they still came up short in a 6-4 loss at Marlins Park. "We're last in the league in hitting, [so] I've got to try to do something," Mackanin said. "Freddy's driven in some big runs, and Cesar [Hernandez] likes to hit second, so I went back to that. I just think Freddy might be better off in an RBI spot." Galvis delivered two hits and scored a run to extend his hitting streak at Marlins Park to nine games. He was one of four Phillies with multiple hits. Maikel Franco doubled and homered, driving in two runs. His solo blast on the first pitch of the fifth inning brought the Phillies all the way back from a 4-0 deficit to a 4-4 tie. But Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton provided the game-winner in the eighth inning -- a 475-foot two-run blast, the longest home run of the 2016 season. Leadoff hitter Odubel Herrera collected three hits, all singles, to run his season hit total to 34, which leads all National League center fielders. Peter Bourjos, playing right field and hitting ninth, went 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBIs and a run. Velasquez even got in on the act with a fourth-inning single that Bourjos followed with his two-run double. Despite the outburst, the Phillies still left eight runners on base. "I believe we're going to get better as the season goes on," Mackanin said.

Early League Leader – Cameron Rupp is the hardest hitter in the Major Leagues. That's according to Statcast™, which revealed that the Phillies' catcher had the highest average exit velocity (97.5 mph) on batted balls in play among all big leaguers this season, entering Friday's 6-4 loss to the Marlins. For reference, Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton led the Majors with a 98.5 mph average in 2015. Stanton also launched one off his bat at 120.1 mph against Washington's Joe Ross for a single in a game on April 10 this season. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he isn't a bit surprised: "He hits the ball hard." Despite Stanton's prowess, velocity doesn't always translate into long balls. Rupp hit just one homer in his first 64 at-bats this season. Mackanin explained why. "Exit speed off the bat just means you can hit the ball hard," Mackanin said. "Trajectory off the bat is more important [in hitting homers]." Either way, Rupp has been making solid contact. "That's pretty cool, I guess," Rupp said of the stat. "I wish it gave me more hits. I'm just trying to make good contact. It seems like I've been pretty consistent with it." Rupp's approach is simple: See ball, hit ball. "I'm just looking for a pitch I can drive, something I can handle in the zone, and when it's there, I don't miss it," Rupp said. "It's just one of those things where if it's a pitch I can handle and I recognize it, I just let it go, and it finds the barrel." Rupp said he's seeing the ball well right now. "When I'm making contact, it seems like good, solid contact," Rupp said. Rupp doesn't concern himself with having just one homer. Besides, Rupp slugged eight long balls in his final 38 games of last season, his first full year in the big leagues, after hitting just one dinger through the first 65 games of his Major League career. Seven doubles in his first 17 games is perhaps a more telling stat than his current home run production. "I'm hitting the ball well," Rupp said. "Home runs will come when they come. I'm just going up there trying to drive the ball in the gap [and] drive some runs in when I have the opportunity."

Minor Awards – The Phillies have some of the most highly regarded prospects at shortstop, catcher, outfield and on the mound. Two of their top second base prospects had a heck of an April. The Phillies announced on Friday that Class A Lakewood second baseman Josh Tobias, Double-A Reading right-hander Ben Lively and Class A Clearwater second baseman Scott Kingery were named the organization's Minor League hitter, pitcher and defender of the month, respectively. Tobias, 23, batted .347 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, 19 RBIs, 12 walks and a 1.022 OPS in 20 games. Lively, 24, went 3-0 with a 1.55 ERA (five earned runs in 29 innings), 30 strikeouts, 0.90 WHIP and a .189 opponents' batting average. Kingery, 22, played 180 innings without an error and helped turn nine double plays. Kingery, rated the organization's 11th-best prospect by MLBPipeline.com, and Tobias are worth watching as Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has posted a .661 OPS in 809 career plate appearances through Friday, including a .639 mark in 101 plate appearances this season. The Phillies selected Kingery in the second round of the 2015 Draft. They took Tobias in the 10th round. Kingery has started to hit the ball much better after struggling with Lakewood last season, when he had a .652 OPS in 282 plate appearances. He is hitting .269 with eight doubles, one triple, two home runs, four RBIs, nine stolen bases, 12 walks, 14 strikeouts and a .779 OPS in 118 plate appearances. He has not been caught stealing. "Scott Kingery is hitting about as hard a .270 as you can hit," player development director Joe Jordan said. "He really, really has been swinging the bat well. He's a really good looking player. I just watched that club and I was really impressed. He can do a lot of things on the baseball field. But from a defensive standpoint, he's got tremendous feet. He's got really good hands and an above-average arm for a second baseman." Tobias hit safely in 15 of 20 games, and he has batted .611 (11-for-18) with six extra-base hits against left-handers. "Josh has done nothing but hit," Jordan said. "Sitting in the Draft room last year and listening to the scouts discuss him, this is a guy we targeted, and I think they just kind of waited until the right time to take him. [Director of amateur scouting] Johnny [Almaraz] and his guys played the draft perfectly. Josh can hit. He's a legitimate offensive prospect. His bat is ready for probably a bigger challenge than we have in front of him right now." Tobias has committed six errors in 196 innings. "He's making progress defensively," Jordan said. The Phillies acquired Lively from the Reds in December 2014 for Marlon Byrd. He went 8-7 with a 4.13 ERA in 25 starts last season with Reading, but so far he has been much more effective. He is 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA in six starts in 2016. "He's made some adjustments, which is more delivery related than anything," Jordan said. "He's hit on a couple of things that has really helped his fastball command. His breaking ball his sharper. He's just a better pitcher right now than he was last year."

Today In Phils History – There is a bit of a dubious start to this day in Phillies history as Jesse Barnes of the Giants no hit the Phillies in 1922. Nearly a century later, in 2010, Jamie Moyer became the oldest player to throw a complete game shutout. Well, it almost balances things out. However, the opposites continue as on the same day that the Phillies acquired Dick Allen and Johnny Oates from the Braves, Garry Maddox made his Phillies debut. Exactly eleven years to the day later, at age 36, Maddox retires with the third most career gold gloves as an outfielder behind Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 16-14 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 42-51-0 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!