Phillies Continue Talks As Trade Deadline Approaches

GAME RECAP: Braves Edge Phillies 2-1

While Vince Velasquez auditioned for the crowd of scouts that came to see him at Turner Field on Friday night, Tyrell Jenkins provided a more encouraging glimpse of his potential as a starting pitcher and helped the Braves claim a 2-1 win over the Phillies. Gordon Beckham and Nick Markakis recorded RBI singles during a two-run second inning that doomed Velasquez and proved sufficient for Jenkins, who allowed just one unearned run over six innings en route to claiming his first career win. The Phillies had won each of the past five games played against the Braves. "[Velasquez] was tough, and our guys hung in there pretty good against him," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "You're not going to get a whole lot, and thank God we didn't give up a whole lot. It was a good ballgame." Velasquez escaped multiple threats as he surrendered two earned runs and seven hits over six innings. The Dodgers and Rangers were among the teams that had scouts in the stands to watch the Phillies right-hander, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 12 of his 18 starts. Philadelphia's only run was tallied in the third inning, when Cesar Hernandez scored from first base after Jace Peterson bobbled Odubel Herrera's single in left field. "Their guy was effectively wild, let's put it that way," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We had him on the ropes early."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• The Phillies acquired Velasquez from Houston in December as part of the Ken Giles trade, so would they really trade him less than eight months later? It is unlikely, but the presence of scouts, particularly three from the Rangers, is noteworthy and the rebuilding Phillies certainly will listen to what teams have to say. After all, what if they get an offer they can't refuse? "Am I aware of it? Yeah," Velasquez said about the trade speculation. "I can't control anything. If they trade me, they trade me. I can't do anything about it. What am I going to do? The only thing I can do is pitch. That's my job." 
• Ryan Howard hit a pinch-hit double to center field with two outs in the ninth inning to put the tying runner on base, and Hernandez worked a walk to put the go-ahead run at first. But Herrera grounded out to shortstop Aybar, who threw to third to end the game. "The play to end the game was a good play," Mackanin said. "It just worked out perfect, going to his backhand. There's nothing [pinch-runner Tyler] Goeddel could have done. Just a [heck] of a play."
• "Our whole goal was to get young pitchers, because they're the most expensive commodity. If you can develop young pitchers like him and have four or five of those guys, then you're ahead of the game, but at the same time I'll listen to any offers if you get three guys for him that are really good looking prospects. You've got to consider it." -- Mackanin, on trade talks between the Rangers and Phillies for Velasquez.
• The Phillies challenged a call in the seventh inning that Chase d'Arnaud successfully stole second base. The replay official in New York ruled that d'Arnaud failed to maintain contact with the base as Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis applied the tag. He overturned the call and d'Arnaud was out.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson is scheduled to start the third of a four-game series on Saturday at 7:10 p.m. ET against the Braves at Turner Field. Hellickson (7-7, 3.65) is the mostly likely Phillies player to be traded before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline and talks could pick up with Andrew Cashner traded Friday to the Marlins, which removed one more starter from the board.

PHILS PHACTS:

Calm Among The Rumors – Matt Klentak made Vince Velasquez the centerpiece to his first major trade as Phillies general manager in December. Could Velasquez really be traded again, fewer than eight months later? The Phillies and Rangers are having serious talks about the possibility, although sources told MLB.com on Friday they do not believe anything is close. But three Rangers' scouts, including one of their top talent evaluators, watched Velasquez pitch in Friday night's 2-1 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. Texas would not be wasting the manpower if talks were not legitimate, although they are expected to watch Jeremy Hellickson pitch Saturday night, too. MLB Network's Jon Paul Morosi first reported earlier this week that Texas wants Velasquez. "Am I aware of it? Yeah," Velasquez said about the trade speculation. "I can't control anything. If they trade me, they trade me. I can't do anything about it. What am I going to do? The only thing I can do is pitch. That's my job." It is safe to say the Phillies would have to be very impressed with a trade package to deal a young and talented pitcher under team control through 2021. Klentak and Phillies president Andy MacPhail have repeatedly stressed they believe they key to returning to the postseason is building a talented and deep rotation. That said, it would be foolish for the rebuilding Phillies to cover their ears and not listen to what teams had to say. Even Phillies manager Pete Mackanin acknowledged that. "Our whole goal was to get young pitchers, because they're the most expensive commodity," he said. "If you can develop young pitchers like him and have four or five of those guys, then you're ahead of the game, but at the same time I'll listen to any offers if you get three guys for him that are really good looking prospects. You've got to consider it." And the Phillies are listening. The trade with Houston almost fell apart in December when the Phillies had concerns about Velasquez's physical. The Phillies and Astros eventually reconfigured the trade, including right-hander Mark Appel as insurance. Velasquez missed some time in June because of a strained right biceps, but it was not serious. He has pitched six or more innings in each of his past five starts, including on Friday against the Braves. He allowed seven hits, two runs, two walks and struck out five in six innings. "He did a good job," Mackanin said. "But Vince is a power pitcher, and he didn't look like a power pitcher today. I bet he used more two-seam fastballs, changeups and breaking balls than he did his four-seam fastball. He pitched well, obviously, but he's pitching differently than you would expect him to pitch." Of course, the next time Velasquez pitches, it could be for somebody else. Asked after the game if it would disappoint him to be traded again, Velasquez said, "No, no. At first, when I got traded from the Astros, it was kind of tough for me. But you have to move on, you have to make the best of what you've got. If things happen, just let it happen. If I go to another team, then I've got to make the best of what I've got there. "There's a lot of things that are in the future. I don't know what to expect is what I'm saying. Again, all I can do is live in the present and live another day tomorrow. If something happens, something happens. I've got to make the best of what you've got today."

Pitching Near The Deadline – Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he expects Jeremy Hellickson to pitch Saturday night against the Braves. If not, he will figure out something else. Hellickson remains the Phillies' most likely candidate to be traded before Monday's non-waiver Trade Deadline. Contending teams need starting pitching, and Hellickson is 7-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 21 starts. He has allowed one earned run in 14 innings in his last two starts, and he has a 2.20 ERA in his last seven starts. His past few starts have been heavily scouted. "Everybody is anxious to find out," Mackanin said Friday. "There's a little bit of drama there." Hellickson is a free agent after the season, so if the Phillies can acquire a legitimate prospect for him, it makes sense to move him. But ESPN.com reported earlier this week that the Phillies' asking price is very high -- they're reportedly looking for an organization's top-five prospect -- because the Phillies feel they could make a qualifying offer to Hellickson if he is not traded. The Phillies believe Hellickson would reject the one-year contract, which could be worth more than $16 million. If he does and signs elsewhere, the Phillies would receive a compensatory Draft pick. In other words, the Phillies want a player comparable in talent to the player they potentially could select in next year's Draft. And if Hellickson accepts the qualifying offer? Well, the Phillies could afford it. They have almost no financial commitments beyond this season. And while the Phillies theoretically have five young starting pitchers that could fill out the 2017 rotation --Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin and Jake Thompson -- the attrition rate for starting pitching is high, so the Phillies probably would pursue a veteran starter in the offseason, anyway. Of course, most of this could be posturing on the Phillies' part. It is worth mentioning that one option for contenders fell off the board Thursday when the Padres traded Andrew Cashner to the Marlins. The Cashner deal could heat up talks for the Phillies. "To be very honest, I don't know anything," Mackanin said. "I think it's better off that way. I might say the wrong thing without meaning to. I'd rather not know. I'm not in the decision-making process, as far as who they're going to trade for. The scouts are scouting. The people in the front office make their decision based on what information they have on these other players. "I would like to think, if we were playing for a pennant down the stretch, I would get a little bit of input on what we need. It's not what I need right now to help win. It's, 'What is the best deal?' So I don't want to know about it."  But whether or not a trade is made before Monday's Trade Deadline, Mackanin thinks something will happen afterward. "After the smoke clears, then we'll evaluate and maybe bring up a young guy and maybe make a change in-house, I'm guessing," he said.

Today In Phils History – Pinky Whitney led the Phillies to victory in 1929 when he hit for the cycle against the Pirates. In 1937, 1B Dolph Camilli played 9 innings without recording a putout. 20 years later, Ron Northey, who was signed earlier in the day, hit a pinch hit 2 run homerun (an MLB record tying 8^th of his career). 2 years later, Willie McCovey went 4 for 4 (2 triples) in his MLB debut for the Giants as they beat the Phillies 7-2. In 1995, Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn were inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame. Ryan Howard drew a MLB record tying 5 walks on this day in 2006. As we near the trade deadline it is not surprising that there are a lot of transactions that occurred on this day including the departures of Bobby Abreu and Corey Lidle (2006) and Ryan Franklin (2006). However, the acquisitions are more interesting as there are a number of players that we forget were once Phillies including Todd Jones (2004), Felix Rodriguez (2004), Kyle Lohse (2007), Hunter Pence (2011). During trade season there are a lot of debuts as well including the Phillies debuts of Larry Anderson (1983), Roy Oswalt (2010), and Hunter Pence (2011) as well as the MLB debuts of Chuck Klein (1928), Art Mahaffey (1960), Michael Bourn (2006), and Cody Asche (2013). Finally, happy birthday to Casey Stengel who was born on this day in 1890.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 47-58 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 67-47-0 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.

No Phillies Game For You!

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

The Phillies actually earned this summer respite!

PHILS PHACTS:

• One of the hottest hitters in baseball, Bourjos scored the game-winning run and finished 2-for-5 in the series finale at Chase Field. He racked up six hits in the series, including the crucial one-out single in the 10th inning and a two-run home run in the first inning. 
• Hellickson is 1-2 with a 5.45 ERA in six starts -- a span of 33 innings -- against the Royals in his career. He's struck out 25 and walked nine.
• Kennedy is seeking back-to-back wins for the third time this year.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies' record only tells part of the story of their season. Yes, the club is coming off its first series win since May, but the pitching staff has thrown nine shutouts this season, the most in the Major Leagues this season. Peter Bourjos has been the hottest hitter in baseball during the last few weeks, and the team's offense ranks among Major League leaders in extra-base hits, average, slugging, OPS and runs since it went on the road on June 21. Now, the Phillies are coming home after nine games on the road. After Thursday's day off, the Philllies will send Jeremy Hellickson, who allowed just one earned run in six innings Saturday at AT&T Park, to the mound against Ian Kennedy and the Royals in the first of three games at Citizens Bank Park on Friday. Kennedy struck out 11 while giving up three hits, one walk and one run against the Astros in his last outing.

PHILS PHACTS:

Today In Phils History – What many people don’t realize is that one of the greatest managers of all time was once a member of the Phillies… on this day in 1921 Casey Stengel was traded away as part of a 6 payer swap with the New York Giants. 10 years later, the Phillies shined on offense and defense as for the first and only time in MLB history a team turned a triple play and a player, Chuck Klein, hit for the cycle. 7 years later saw the end of an era as the Phillies reached an agreement with Connie Mack to share Shibe Park putting an end to baseball at the Baker Bowl. In 1951 Russ Meyer and Jim Konstanty combined to hold the Dodgers to 1 hit but still lost the game 2-1 to the Dodgers. 7 years later, 1B Ed Bouchee was reinstated following a suspension issued in the spring due to a sex charge conviction. In 1965 Johnny Callison appeared on the cover of Sport magazine. 2 years later, Dick Allen and Jim Ryun shared the same honor.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 35-45 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 56-57-0 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.

Bullpen Gives Up Lead, Loses Game In Unique Way

GAME RECAP: Brewers Top Phillies 4-3

The Brewers found an interesting way to win, 4-3, Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Or it could be said the Phillies found an interesting way to lose. Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz called time on a 0-2 pitch to Carlos Gomez with two outs in the eighth inning, which Gomez swung at and missed. Ruiz's call for time extended Gomez's plate appearance against Phillies right-hander Ken Giles. Gomez singled and the inning continued from there as the Brewers scored twice to take a one-run lead, then stranded a slew of Phillies runners to complete Milwaukee's sixth victory in eight games. "It's a good win," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "It's a win you feel like you kind of snatched from them a little bit." The Phillies' eighth-inning meltdown wasted another fine start from Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels, who allowed just two runs in seven innings. "It's tough," Hamels said about Ruiz calling time and Giles' subsequent struggles. "Sometimes it works to your advantage. Sometimes it doesn't. It's part of the game. You know you have to get the next guy. I think that's what I've had to learn. Bad situations where you think you have the guy, but you have another pitch and you have to get the job done. It just teaches guys in general that you just have to bear down a little bit more sometimes."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Giles appeared to have the eighth inning over when he threw a 0-2 pitch to Gomez, who swung and missed. But Ruiz's call for time kept the Brewers alive. Gomez followed with a single to left field to put runners on first and second. Aramis Ramirez then singled to score Ryan Braun to tie the game. Giles imploded at that point, walking Gerardo Parra in an 11-pitch at-bat and pinch-hitter Adam Lind to force in the go-ahead run. "I think he knows what he did," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said about Giles. "He made a couple of bad pitches after that. But Kenny has done so well for us. He's going to be part of the future."
• Lind stayed in the game to play first base and saved the Brewers' lead with his glove. Milwaukee reliever Jeremy Jeffress inherited a bases-loaded, one-out jam and induced a double-play grounder to third base off the bat of Darin Ruf, with Lind making a terrific scoop of second baseman Scooter Gennett's one-hop relay throw. "We made plays at the end," Counsell said. "The double play was huge. It was good all the way around, all three guys. Scooter with a nice turn, Adam with a nice pick, [Jeffress] getting the ground ball."
• If Hamels wants contending teams to step up to the plate to acquire him, he will need more nights like this before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out seven in seven innings, putting a disappointing start last week against the Yankees (five runs in five innings) behind him. But once again, he did not get the win. He is winless since May 23.
• Ruiz homered for the first time since Sept. 5, 2014, in the sixth inning to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead. It snapped a run of 244 plate appearances without a home run.
• Braun collected four more hits and boosted his lifetime average at Citizens Bank Park to .438 (42-for-96). The only player with a higher average in 40-plus at-bats here is Brewers teammate Lucroy, at .479 (23-for-48).
• Brewers manager Craig Counsell is among the many who have taken notice of the month Phillies rookie third baseman Maikel Franco has been having. Counsell said that though Franco might have "flown under the radar" compared to other hyped rookies such as Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant or Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, he thinks Franco has "played as well as any of them so far."
• Just as Lohse has struggled in recent weeks, so too has Phillies slugger Ryan Howard. That being said, their matchup will be an interesting one. Howard has batted below .200 since June 10, but is a lifetime 12-for-31 with three home runs and 11 RBIs vs. Lohse. The only players who have more RBIs off Lohse than Howard are Carlos Beltran, Magglio Ordonez and Alfonso Soriano, each of whom have at least 25 more plate appearances against Lohse than Howard.
• Outfielder Khris Davis, who the Brewers placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 31, will begin a rehab assignment at Class A Wisconsin Wednesday. He has been sidelined with a right knee injury.

NEXT GAME:

Two veteran right-handers who endured forgettable Junes will look to reset on July 1, as the Phillies' Aaron Harang and Brewers' Kyle Lohse will start Wednesday's third game of a four-game series in Philadelphia. Over five June starts, Lohse allowed 19 earned runs in 29 1/3 innings for an ERA of 5.83. Harang's month was even rockier. The 37-year-old allowed 24 earned runs in 29 2/3 innings (a 7.28 June ERA), raising his 2015 ERA more than 1.50 points. Both pitchers have losing records, with Lohse at 4-9 and Harang at 4-10, but Harang has been more of a hard-luck loser -- his 3.56 ERA is almost half of Lohse's 6.28.

PHILS PHACTS:

Finding New Ways To Lose – The Phillies found a unique way to lose, 4-3, Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park, and the Brewers could not have been happier about it. Phillies right-hander Ken Giles had not allowed a run since May 30, striking out 18 in 12 scoreless innings, when Carlos Gomez stepped into the batter's box with a runner on first and two outs in the eighth inning. The Phillies had a one-run lead, but a series of missteps turned a win into an improbable loss. "It's a win you feel like you kind of snatched from them a little bit," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. That is because the comeback started with Giles appearing to strike out Gomez swinging on an inning-ending 0-2 pitch. Except … wait a minute. Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz called time before the pitch, which meant the strikeout never happened. Gomez had a second life and he took advantage. He fouled off the next pitch before singling to left field to put runners on first and second. "I don't know if I heard 'timeout' or 'balk,' so that's the reason that I swung. I didn't lose anything," Gomez said. "If it's a timeout, it's a free swing. If it's a balk, maybe I put on contact. The big thing is we won the game." Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said Ruiz called time because he was concerned about Ryan Braun at first base. "Part of holding a runner is varying your delivery to the plate," Mackanin said. "Braun is the kind of guy that will try to time the pitcher so he can get a jump. Sometimes you come set, you pitch. Sometimes you count to two and you pitch. Sometimes you hold it a little longer. [Giles] just held it longer than Chooch wanted to, basically." Braun has nine stolen bases this season, but shouldn't have Ruiz just forgotten about him, considering Giles has been almost unhittable for a month? "You might say he should have done that, but I don't have a problem with it," Mackanin said. "Because if you don't pay attention to that runner and he gets a jump and steals and gets in scoring position, you don't want that, either. It happens." Aramis Ramirez followed Gomez and stroked a 0-1 fastball to center field to score Braun to tie the game. Giles punched his glove behind the plate as Braun crossed home. He had the inning in hand, but suddenly everything seemed to spiral out of control. Did the 0-2 pitch to Gomez affect Giles? Nobody could say. Not even him. He left the clubhouse almost immediately. Ruiz left almost immediately, too. "Regardless of whether he did or not, I still have a lot of confidence in him," Mackanin said, asked if Giles let the sequence with Gomez unravel him. But the inning got worse for Giles. He walked Gerardo Parra in an 11-pitch at-bat to the load the bases. Giles thought he had Parra struck out on a 3-2 slider, which hit the top of the strike zone, according to MLB Gameday. Home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro thought differently. Giles then walked pinch-hitter Adam Lind on four pitches to score Gomez to give the Brewers the one-run lead. "It was kind of a crazy inning with a lot of possibilities," Counsell said. "Aramis had the big hit, and then we made plays at the end."

Hamels Continues To Be Solid – As the frustration mounts, Cole Hamels knows the only way to stay sane is to stay optimistic. "It's something I've learned to control and learned to get over," Hamels said after the Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Brewers Tuesday night. "Just try to focus and be positive for the guys." Hamels tossed seven innings and allowed two runs, striking out seven Brewers in an effort where his name was left off the win column. It was the 10th time this year Hamels threw at least seven innings and allowed two or fewer runs. It was also the fifth time he had done that and didn't get a win to show for it. Hamels, who is 5-6 with a 3.22 ERA and a WHIP of 1.15, was in line to earn the win at one point as he left the game with a one-run lead, but that lead and the Phillies' chances for victory slipped away in the eighth inning. Since he threw 111 pitches and he'll have to make his next two starts with no built-in rest day, Hamels said he didn't think he could've trotted back to the mound for the eighth. And with the game out of control, Hamels said all that was left for him was to root for his teammates and hope for the best. As small of a cushion as one run may have been, three runs of support is still more than he's been accustomed to this season, especially as of late. Coming into Tuesday, the Phillies had scored three runs in the last 33 innings he had thrown and just 27 runs in all of his starts combined. That averages out to 1.8 runs per start, and that is without factoring out the outlier of when the Phillies scored eight runs in one game. That number rose to 1.875 runs per start after Tuesday. The runs Hamels did allow came early. The 31-year-old gave up two runs on two singles and a walk in the first inning. Both of the RBIs came off one swing, as Aramis Ramirez took advantage of a poorly placed 2-2 cutter to plate Jonathan Lucroy and Ryan Braun. "The cutter just stayed straight and Aramis hit it," Hamels said. "It's probably more of a frustration pitch because I know I've been able to throw that pitch successfully nine out of 10 times. That was the one time it didn't work out, and with two guys on it makes it tough, especially to put your team down early." One of the logical assumptions to make is that Hamels' early struggles were a result of the one-hour, 19-minute rain delay that preceded the game and the fact that it messed with his warmup schedule. Hamels didn't think so, however, because of the entertainment on the team's video board. "I thought it was awesome," Hamels said. "I got to watch the [U.S. Women's National Team] soccer game. So at least I got to watch some soccer with the fans. That was kind of enjoyable."

Mackanin To Remain For Remainder – General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced Tuesday that the Phillies will retain Pete Mackanin as interim manager through the rest of the season. Mackanin took over as interim manager Friday after former manager Ryne Sandberg resigned from his post. At the time, Amaro and team president Pat Gillick said that Mackanin would hold the post at least through the homestand before a decision on the rest of the season was made. Now, with the security of 83 more games to manage, Mackanin said he will be able to do what he and Amaro feel is best for the organization. "Because I have priority players that are young players that we want to try to develop, I'm just going to continue to try to develop them as much as possible and try to get them to where we think they can be and move on to the future," Mackanin said. But despite Mackanin pledging to make future-minded moves, Amaro said that this job does not guarantee Mackanin a managerial job any later than October. "I think it's pretty clear, this does not necessarily mean that he's a candidate to take the job beyond the year by any stretch of the imagination," Amaro said. "I think we're going to have basically a clean slate to make that decision. Pete may or may not be part of that decision-making process, and Pete understands that." Amaro said that though there were some internal candidates to take over aside from Mackanin, he did not believe this was the time to interview outside candidates for any jobs. The factors that differentiated Mackanin from other Phillies coaches with managerial experience, such as Larry Bowa and Juan Samuel, was Mackanin's history as an interim manager -- this is his third time doing so -- and his overall demeanor. To offset the gap on the coaching staff Sandberg left, special assistant director of player personnel Jorge Velandia will take over as a coach. Mackanin said that he will not be given a specific position but will use his rapport with the players to aid Samuel, Bowa and the rest of the staff.

Will Utley Be The Next Pipp? Now that Pete Mackanin is the Phillies' interim manager the remainder of the season, he will be making some important decisions the rest of the way. Like, who plays second base once Chase Utley returns from the disabled list? Mackanin had no update Tuesday afternoon on Utley, who was scheduled to have a cortisone injection in his right ankle last week. But he said Cesar Hernandez is earning the right to play more the rest of the season. "I would like to think that Cesar has proven that he deserves a chance to be the everyday second baseman," Mackanin said. "That remains to be seen. I don't know. I don't want to get ahead of myself. Let's just wait to see when Chase is healthy and how he feels and we'll go from there." Hernandez has hit .436 (17-for-39) with four doubles, seven RBIs and a 1.016 OPS in his last 10 games. He was hitting .277 with 10 doubles, one home run, 16 RBIs and a .730 OPS in 172 plate appearances entering Tuesday. Utley is hitting .179 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs, 25 RBIs and a .532 OPS in 249 plate appearances. Utley also has a $15 million club option for 2016 that automatically vests if he reaches 500 plate appearances. But depending on how much time he misses, the option might no longer be an issue upon his return. "When you see part-time players and perhaps at times they're not doing as well as you'd like them to do, you can see now the benefit, obviously, of playing on a daily basis," Mackanin said about Hernandez. "Cesar has been fantastic. We always felt he had it in him. It's been a long process. I think he's making a good statement for himself in the future." Said Hernandez: "When you play every day, you kind of get used to seeing things. Now that I am playing every day, I am staying comfortable."

Changing The Business Model – The Phillies formally introduced Andy MacPhail, who has had success as an executive with three franchises, as their next club president Monday. At first glance, it looked like a safe, conservative decision. A tee shot down the middle rather than trying for the green with a more risky drive over a water hazard. A second glance, to MacPhail's immediate right on the dais at Citizens Bank Park, disproved that assumption. There sat John Middleton, a member of the ownership group. That's a big deal. It was the first outward and visible sign that the way the Phillies now conduct their business has changed significantly. And it's not just that Middleton revealed that the Phils will jump headfirst into advanced analytics for the first time when their own proprietary computer program -- to be called PHIL -- comes on line in September. For the last 34 years, the Phillies' partnership agreement gave new meaning to the concept of silent partners. The team president, first Bill Giles and later Dave Montgomery, had the final say on all decisions and spoke for the group. The investors remained unseen and unheard, and that's just the way it was. No more. Middleton said he believes it's important that the president represent the organization for baseball-related issues after Pat Gillick steps aside and MacPhail ascends at the end of the regular season. But the 60-year-old billionaire also made it perfectly clear that he isn't going to be content to passively sit in the shadows and root, root, root for the home team. "I foresee it being more of a public role when it deals with more significant ownership-level kinds of decisions," Middleton said. Middleton owns just under half of the Phillies' stock, as do cousins Pete and Jim Buck. He certainly can't be faulted for wanting to have a more active role in looking after his investment. Middleton has been exerting more influence for a while now, attending the quarterly Owners Meetings, for example. Now that involvement is out in the open. Monday's unveiling of MacPhail was his coming-out party as well. This isn't to say that the Phils didn't want to win before. The fact that they've had one of the highest payrolls in baseball for years demonstrates that. Still, the emphasis being placed on success has never been stated quite this bluntly and specifically. "When we were interviewing Andy, we made it clear to him that we expected him to devote the majority of his time to the baseball side of the business," Middleton said early in his preamble. "To improve the farm system and ultimately the Major League team. Every other consideration was secondary to that goal." Turning to MacPhail: "The pledge Jim, Pete and I made to you when we extended the offer is that you will have access to whatever resources you need to succeed." During the question-and-answer portion of the news conference, Middleton was asked directly if his presence signaled a change in approach from ownership. "I think the single most important thing an ownership group does is hire the person in charge of the business," he said. "And I think when you made a decision of that magnitude, the ownership group has to come forward and make sure that people understand that they are the ones who made the decision. Jim, Pete and I had the conversations. Jim, Pete and I had the deliberations privately. Jim, Pete and I reached out to different people. "This is not a decision that we delegated, much less abdicated. We own this decision. That's an important part of the accountability that we think we had." Middleton went on to dispute any notion that his goal is to gain a majority ownership stake in the team. "I'm very happy where I am now," he said. Where Middleton is now is front and center, although he joked that he hopes he doesn't have to appear about hiring a new president any time soon. But he conceded that there's been a significant change in the way the Phillies do business, partly because many of the original owners have sold their shares. "There's been an evolution within the franchise over the last several years," Middleton said. "As the ownership group has shrunk, the Bucks and my family have had an increasingly larger position. And with that comes a responsibility that's a little different from what it was 25 years ago, and you have to kind of step up. "Pete, Jim and I have been much more involved with the issues at an earlier stage than we were five years ago, for example. And that's not going to change. We're going to be there asking questions. You don't want us making baseball decisions, trust me. But I think we need to be asking hard questions of the people who are involved in that process. We need to be comfortable that they're crossing all their T's and dotting all their I's." And, if need be, nudging the organization along. It's not just a coincidence that there will be more of an emphasis on sabermetric analysis in the future. Middleton shook his head when asked if he was surprised at how the Phils have lagged in that area. "No, because I was aware enough with what was going on in previous years to kind of know where we are," he said. And why has that changed? "Because I'm in the position to make a hiring decision and make that happen," Middleton said without hesitation. Make no mistake. Hiring MacPhail is hugely significant with possible longlasting repercussions. But it only begins to suggest the way the Phillies are now a different operation than they've been.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 27-52. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance so far this season, this could end up being the worst team in franchise history! All time, the Phillies are 56-57-0 on this day.

Phillies Can’t Hold Off Mets in Extras

GAME RECAP: Mets Edge Phillies 5-4

Wilmer Flores hit a walk-off single Tuesday at Citi Field, leading the Mets to a 5-4 win over the Phillies in 10 innings. Juan Lagares sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Jeanmar Gomez in the 10th, moving into scoring position when Lucas Duda drew a walk off Elvis Araujo. After Daniel Murphy hit into a double play and Michael Cuddyer walked, Flores then served a single into left-center field to plate Lagares. "It's a good feeling, obviously because we got the win," Flores said. "That's always a good feeling." Fresh off eight shutout innings last time out against the Cardinals, Mets starter Jacob deGrom dominated early to extend his scoreless-innings streak to 15, before Hansel Robles allowed two inherited runners to score in the eighth. Robles also gave up one of his own to turn a three-run lead into a 3-3 tie, before Maikel Franco drove home the go-ahead run with a single off Carlos Torres. But the Mets fought back with a game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth, when Flores plated Duda, who had drawn a leadoff walk, with a sacrifice fly off Phillies reliever Ken Giles. Franco prevented that rally from being fatal when he made a spectacular barehanded play on Darrell Ceciliani's soft grounder to third. "Obviously, we had a rough eighth inning, but we kept pushing," Flores said. "We never gave up. We got it back."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Franco came up with a two-out, go-ahead single in the top half of the eighth inning. Then in the bottom half, the Mets had Murphy on third base with two outs. He represented the go-ahead run when Ceciliani chopped a ball to the left of the mound. Franco charged and made a fantastic off-balance, barehanded snag and throw to first base to end the inning. "That's total instincts and arm strength and ability just taking over," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said.
• The Phillies did not have a runner reach second base until the eighth inning, when Carlos Ruiz and Cesar Hernandez reached on singles against deGrom. He left the game, Robles entered and everything changed in an instant. Ben Revere tripled to clear the bases and Freddy Galvis singled to score Revere to tie the game.
• Utley went 2-for-4 with one walk. It was his fifth multihit game out of his last seven. He is hitting .417 (15-for-36) with five doubles, one triple, six RBIs and a 1.111 OPS in his last 11 games.
• "I didn't get as much on it as I would like in an ideal situation." -- Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, whose flip to Galvis at second base arrived low and late in the third inning. It prevented a double play and led to a three-run rally for the Mets.
• Phillies pitchers have struggled in day games this season, with a 4.65 ERA. That's almost a full run higher than in night games, in which the Phillies have an ERA of 3.70.
• Both teams have been stymied by right-handed pitching so far this season. The Phillies and Mets occupy the National League's last and second-to-last spots, respectively, in batting average against righties.
• Mets right fielder Curtis Granderson has three career hits against O'Sullivan -- all home runs. In 10 career plate appearances, he's also struck out twice.

NEXT GAME:

Noah Syndergaard will make his fourth Major League start Wednesday, closing a three-game home series against Sean O'Sullivan and the Phillies, who will be trying to salvage the finale at Citi Field. After being called up last month, Syndergaard has pitched well, but to mixed results. He carries a 1-2 record and a 3.63 ERA. He struggled with control in his first start -- walking four batters in 5 1/3 innings -- but allowed just one free pass in his last two starts. In five starts this season, O'Sullivan is 1-3 with a 3.54 ERA. He has never faced the Mets as a starting pitcher. Neither right-hander has pitched past the sixth inning this season. Syndergaard could change that after Mets manager Terry Collins announced a switch to a six-man rotation designed to give Syndergaard, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom extra rest.

PHILS PHACTS:

Both Sides Of The Ball – This is why the Phillies think Maikel Franco has a bright future. This is why they want him at third base. Franco came up with a two-out, go-ahead single in the top of the eighth inning in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Mets in 10 innings at Citi Field. He then kept the game tied when he made a fantastic, barehanded play and throw to first base to end the bottom half of the inning. The hit was big. The play was spectacular. The Phillies had runners at the corners with one out when Mets left-hander Alex Torres struck out Ryan Howard looking on a 1-2 fastball. Mets right-hander Carlos Torres entered to face Franco, who had hit just .115 (3-for-26) in his last seven games, including his first three at-bats against Mets right-hander Jacob deGrom on Tuesday. But Franco, the Phillies' No. 3 prospect, laced a 2-0 cutter into left field to score Freddy Galvis to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead. "A big moment for him," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He has that potential of getting a hit in that situation in my book. It was good to see him come through there." But back to the play. Phillies setup man Ken Giles walked Lucas Duda to start the bottom of the eighth and it came back to haunt him as Duda scored on a sacrifice fly by Wilmer Flores to tie the game. The Mets then had Daniel Murphy on third with two outs when Darrell Ceciliani chopped a ball to the left of the mound. Franco charged, barehanded the ball and threw off-balance to first base to get Ceciliani to end the inning. Not many third basemen could make that play. Franco did. "I mean, it's tough," Franco said. "It's really tough." Neither Franco nor Sandberg thought Franco would be able to nab Ceciliani. "Not really," Franco said. "No, I did not," Sandberg said. "When you're talking about a swinging bunt, you're not even in and you might not even have the right angle to defend a bunt. So he has to come straight at the ball, field it ... that's total instincts and arm strength and ability just taking over."

Walk This Way – Walks continue to haunt the Phillies' bullpen. The Phillies scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a one-run lead in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Mets in 10 innings at Citi Field. But a leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth inning led to the tying run and a single and a walk to start the 10th allowed the Mets to win the game. The Phillies' bullpen leads Major League Baseball with 74 walks. The Phillies have lost five of their last six games. They need to win Wednesday's series finale to avoid a sweep. "Walks came into play," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. Phillies setup man Ken Giles walked Lucas Duda on seven pitches to start the eighth inning. Daniel Murphy followed with a double into the right-field corner to put runners on second and third with no outs. Duda scored the tying run on Wilmer Flores' sacrifice fly to center field. "Yeah, he was out of the zone right from the get-go," Sandberg said about Giles. "Looked like he was really struggling to get the ball down and actually throw strikes down in the zone. He was falling behind and it was a little bit of a struggle for him." Jeanmar Gomez pitched the ninth and started the 10th, when he served up a single to Juan Lagares. Sandberg called for left-hander Elvis Araujo to face Duda. Entering the season, this would have been a spot for left-hander Jake Diekman, but Sandberg said they had Diekman slated as their long man if the game were to go deep into extra innings. Diekman has a 7.56 ERA in 20 appearances. Araujo walked Duda to put runners on first and second with no outs. Araujo got Murphy to hit into a double play, but he walked Michael Cuddyer to put runners at the corners. Flores followed with a single to left-center to win it. Sandberg said they did not consider intentionally walking Flores to face the light-hitting Eric Campbell because he wanted to give Araujo some wiggle room. In other words, Araujo already walked two batters on his own. Loading the bases in that situation might have been an issue. Sandberg also said he gave no consideration to using closer Jonathan Papelbon in either inning. Typically, most managers do not use their closer in a tie game on the road. "You've got to have a closer if you get the lead somewhere," Sandberg said. "Then you get burned the other way."

Front Office Face Palm – Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged the firestorm he caused Tuesday in Philadelphia following comments he made about Phillies fans, saying they "don't understand the game" and "then they [gripe] and complain because we don't have a plan." He apologized before Tuesday's game against the Mets at Citi Field. "I'm a fan myself," Amaro said. "I understand the passion and the knowledge that our fans have for our game and the other major sports, all the other sports in Philly. The comments weren't meant to disparage our fans by any stretch of the imagination. I probably used my words incorrectly or poorly. I want to apologize for that." The crux of the comments in a CSNPhilly.com story centered on some fans' desire to see the team's top prospects promoted to the big leagues on a rebuilding team. Amaro has said repeatedly those prospects will not be rushed. Amaro's harsh comments resonated loudly among a frustrated fan base. The Phillies have been losing more and more since they won a franchise-record 102 games in 2011, despite remaining among the top spenders in baseball. They finished 81-81 in 2012 and 73-89 the next two seasons. They entered Tuesday 19-28, which is the fourth-worst record in baseball. The organization initiated a rebuilding plan once Pat Gillick became team president last August, but that has not removed Amaro from the hot seat. Gillick has publicly supported Amaro, but Amaro's contract expires at the end of this season and Gillick has said Amaro's status will not be addressed before then. It is not a stretch to think Amaro's comments this week could come back to haunt him. "The biggest thing that bothers me about it is how the organization is perceived -- not me personally," Amaro said. "We've always been one of those organizations, at least as long as I've been in the front office, to understand the fan and understand that the fans are the people who pay our salaries and support us. Am I worried about it for me? No. I'm worried about it for the organization, because they shouldn't have to suffer because I made a bad quote." Amaro spoke with Gillick on Tuesday. "We had a discussion about it, and he said it was unfortunate and thought it was taken out of context," Amaro said. "If you look at the breadth of the story ... our job is to make sure the fans love this club for a long time, and we have to do what we can to put the team in a position for the fans to enjoy it. Sadly, that point gets lost because of my quote." Amaro said the Phillies will continue to develop their prospects at what the organization considers the appropriate speed. Right-hander and Phillies No. 2 prospect Aaron Nola, who many fans are clamoring to see, has made 20 Minor League starts. That is fewer than Max Scherzer (30), Cole Hamels (36), Clayton Kershaw (44), Matt Harvey (46), Sonny Gray (53) and Shelby Miller (78) made before their big league promotions. "We have to build these guys in a way that prepares them to be Major Leaguers," Amaro said. That part of the message makes sense, but can fans get past the other part? "I think the thing that bothers me the most about this stuff that happened today and the quotes I made is that I don't want to detract from the fact that there are some really positive things happening here in a way that the fans can focus on those," Amaro said. "Hopefully they can focus on the progress as opposed to my misguided quotes."

Draft Time – Three members of the 500 Home Run Club -- Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson and Mike Schmidt -- and 20 other former All-Stars will headline the list of team representatives on the floor at MLB Network's Studio 42 when the 2015 MLB Draft gets underway on June 8. MLB announced the annual list of club reps on Tuesday and it is clear that the 50th anniversary of the event will be celebrated in style on that first night of selections in Secaucus, N.J. Griffey, a likely first-ballot inductee next summer, will sit at the Mariners table in a room that includes current Hall of Famers including Jackson (Yankees table), Schmidt (Phillies), Tommy Lasorda (Dodgers), and Andre Dawson and Tony Perez (both Marlins). Other former All-Stars who will represent the clubs include: Rick Aguilera (Twins), Bob Boone (Nationals), Johnny Damon (Royals), Ryan Dempster (Cubs), Gary DiSarcina (Angels), Steve Finley (Padres), Ryan Franklin (Cardinals), Ralph Garr (Braves), Luis Gonzalez and J.J. Putz (D-backs), Ben Sheets (Brewers), Lee Smith (Giants), Mario Soto (Reds), B.J. Surhoff (Orioles), Robby Thompson (Indians), Alan Trammell (Tigers), Tim Wakefield (Red Sox) and Jack Wilson (Pirates). Surhoff (Milwaukee in 1985) and Griffey (Seattle in '87) were each No. 1 overall Draft picks. MLB Network and MLB.com will have live coverage of the first night at this Draft, covering the top 70 picks -- or through Round 2 -- starting at 7 p.m. ET. MLB.com will provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, starting at 1 p.m. ET. Then rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on June 10, beginning at noon ET. Prior to the start of the Draft, MLB Network and MLB.com will air a Draft preview show starting at 6 ET. Of course, the previewing already is well underway. Go to MLB.com/draft to see the Top 100 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLB.com analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the 2015 order of selection and more. Follow @MLBDraft now to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying. Arizona has the top overall pick, so the first table to see action on that Monday will feature a pair of former All-Stars on the phone with the club's war room back in Phoenix. Gonzalez was a fourth-round Draft pick by Houston in 1988 and Putz a sixth-rounder by Seattle in '99. Shortstops Dansby Swanson of Vanderbilt and Brendan Rodgers of Lake Mary (Fla.) High were 1-2 in Callis' mock draft last week. Ten clubs each have two selections in the first round: Astros (2 and 5), Rockies (3 and 27), Braves (14 and 28), Yankees (16 and 30), Giants (18 and 31), Pirates (19 and 32), Royals (21 and 33), Tigers (22 and 34), Dodgers (24 and 35) and Orioles (25 and 36). The Braves have a Major League-high five selections within the first 75 picks. MLB Network's live coverage will feature news, analysis, interviews with club front office personnel and representatives, footage from club draft rooms, and features and interviews with prospects and newly drafted players. MLB Network's Greg Amsinger, Peter Gammons, Dan O'Dowd, Harold Reynolds and Mayo will anchor the live coverage with contributions from MLB Network's Darryl Hamilton, Al Leiter, Pedro Martinez, Dan Plesac, Bill Ripken, Sam Ryan, John Smoltz, Tom Verducci, Heidi Watney and Matt Yallof, as well as Callis and John Manuel of Baseball America. MLB.com will provide Draft Tracker, the always-popular live interactive app that includes a searchable database of more than 1,500 draft-eligible players with statistics, scouting reports and video highlights. In addition to @MLBDraft for live updates and commentary, follow @MLBDraftTracker for tweets of all picks as they are made.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 19-29. 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 47-55-1 on this day.