Phillies Tie Ferris At Nine!

GAME RECAP: Twins Top Phillies 6-5 

Max Kepler was in danger of being the goat after his two-run fielding error keyed a three-run rally that gave the Phillies a lead in the fifth, but he was instead the hero of a 6-5 Twins victory on Wednesday night after driving in the tying run, the go-ahead run and making a highlight-reel diving catch in the eighth to help preserve the late lead at Target Field. Trevor Plouffe led the way with three hits for the Twins, who did the brunt of their damage against Phillies starter Adam Morgan in the fifth on a two-run triple by Eduardo Escobar and Kepler's game-tying single. Escobar and Robbie Grossman each had two hits and a run scored, as every Minnesota starter hit safely in a 13-hit outburst. "We came back tonight, and I thought we swung the bats well," said Twins manager Paul Molitor. "We didn't capitalize too much. We left some people out there, but we got some hits with runners in scoring position. "It was one of those games where we had to fight. They put together a big inning. ... But overall, we'll take the win. We had to grind to get it, but we found a way to get it done." After hitting four home runs in Tuesday's series opener, the Phillies continued to do damage with the long ball on Wednesday, tagging Twins starter Kyle Gibson for two homers in his six innings of work. Cameron Rupp went yard for the second straight game with an opposite-field solo shot in the second, and Andres Blanco homered in the third as part of a three-hit evening. "We're going to come back from the dead, but now we're at the bottom," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about the team's nine-game losing streak. "We're going to climb out, that I'm pretty sure of. But right now is the time I've got to figure out a way to keep them motivated without being too harsh."

PHILS PHACTS:

• Mackanin said Morgan needed a good start to prove he should stay in the rotation, with Vince Velasquez's return from the 15-day disabled list looming, but the lefty struggled. Morgan allowed 11 hits, five runs (four earned runs), one walk and struck out three in five innings. "Yeah, there's not much I have to say," Morgan said. "The only thing I know to do is to keep going. You go through these times and the only way to get out of them is to keep going." 
• The Phillies' bullpen is very thin, following a 14-10 loss Tuesday and Morgan pitching only five innings Wednesday. Compounding its problems, right-hander Andrew Bailey left the game after just one inning because of a strained left hamstring. He will be reevaluated Thursday and is day to day. "I didn't feel anything pop or pull or anything like that," Bailey said. "I just kind of felt fatigued after that. I don't think it's anything serious. I think it should be fine."
• Velasquez pitched five innings in a rehab start Wednesday with Double-A Reading. He allowed two hits, one run, one walk and struck out three. Velasquez is hopeful it will be his only rehab start and that he will rejoin the Phillies' rotation next week. 
• The Phillies have lost nine consecutive games, matching their longest losing streak since 1999, when they had an 11-game losing streak in September. The Phillies also have lost 26 of their last 32 games. It is their worst 32-game stretch since a 6-26 run in '99.
• Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp's average exit velocity on batted balls is an MLB-high 96 mph, according to Statcast.
• Twins first baseman Joe Mauer has hit safely in 13 of 14 career games against the Phillies.
• Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki had six RBIs Tuesday to give him 495 in his career. He has the most RBIs among Hawaiian-born players, moving past former Phillies favorite Shane Victorino (489).

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jared Eickhoff has been on a roll, and he hopes to keep it going in Wednesday afternoon's series finale against Ricky Nolasco and the Twins at Target Field. Eickhoff is 2-2 with a 2.13 ERA in four starts in June. He has allowed 22 hits, eight walks and has struck out 23 in 25 1/3 innings. The Twins counter with Nolasco, who has a long history against the Phillies. He is 8-6 with a 3.75 ERA in 22 appearances (19 starts) against Philadelphia, although he won't recognize too many folks in this Phillies lineup. Other than Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz, who are in reserve roles these days, he has not faced a Phillies batter more than six times.

PHILS PHACTS:

On The Bubble – Hours before Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan threw a pitch on Wednesday night at Target Field, an inquiring mind asked Phillies manager Pete Mackanin about Vince Velasquez's seemingly imminent return from the 15-day disabled list. Did Morgan need a big start against the Twins with Velasquez's return looming? "Yes," Mackanin said bluntly. But Morgan struggled in a 6-5 loss. He allowed 11 hits, five runs (four earned), one walk and struck out three in five innings against a Twins team that entered night 25th in baseball with an average of 4.03 runs per game. Morgan is 1-6 with a 6.55 ERA in 11 starts. "It wasn't a good start," Mackanin said. "Eleven hits in five innings. … I don't know what to say. I'm not happy with his performance and we'll talk about everything with Matt [Klentak, GM] tonight, and hopefully have something for you tomorrow." Morgan joined the Phillies' rotation in April when Charlie Morton suffered a season-ending hamstring injury. He got the nod because he pitched well in Spring Training - narrowly losing the No. 5 job in a tight competition with Velasquez -- and because he pitched competently last season, posting a 4.48 ERA in 15 starts. But with Morgan's continued struggles this season, the Phillies might decide to give rookie right-hander Zach Eflin a longer look. Eflin, who is the organization's No. 13 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, joined the rotation when the Phillies placed Velasquez on the DL earlier this month with a strained right biceps. "That's something you have to deal with," Morgan said. "You can't really think about it. I know that I haven't been doing my job, and I need to get better at it." Velasquez might still need another rehab start, although he has insisted in the past week he only needed the one he made Wednesday night with Double-A Reading. Either way, Mackanin is a bit surprised Morgan has looked so wildly different than the pitcher he watched last season and this spring. "Up in the zone, pitch selection is not good," Mackanin said. "I don't know what the plan is right now, but I'm sure I'll talk to Matt. I know Velasquez pitched pretty well today, so we'll just have to see tomorrow. I don't have an answer for you on that."

Locking Up Selections – The Phillies are locking up their Draft picks. They announced Wednesday afternoon they either had agreed to terms or signed right-hander Kevin Gowdy (second round), shortstop Cole Stobbe (third round), left-hander JoJo Romero (fourth round) and outfielder Josh Stephen (11th round). The Phillies on Monday signed No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak to a $6.1 signing bonus. The slot value for the No. 1 pick was set at $9.015 million. The Phillies used the savings to pay Gowdy $3.5 million, nearly twice the allotment for the 42nd overall pick, as well as pay other Draft picks over their slot value. Gowdy, 18, had committed to UCLA, but the Phillies paid a high price to lure him away from college because they consider him first-round talent. Stobbe signed for $1.1 million, nearly $300,000 over slot value. Romero signed for $800,000, nearly $250,000 over slot value. Fifth-round pick Cole Irvin, a left-hander from Oregon, is the only Draft pick in the first 10 rounds who has not agreed to terms.

Who Will Represent The Phillies? – Considering pitcher Aaron Nola's recent struggles, Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera might be the Phillies player with the best shot to make the National League All-Star team. But he is not among the top 15 NL outfielders in votes in the latest Esurance All-Star ballor update, which means he will have to find another way on the team. Herrera entered Wednesday hitting .305 with six doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 24 RBIs. He is eighth in the NL in on-base percentage (.401) and eighth in walks (40). Herrera is 16th among NL outfielders with an .823 OPS. Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez is fifth in the league with 19 saves, so he could be a candidate to make the team. Nola had been pitching well this season before posting a 15.83 ERA in his last three starts. Fans can cast their votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on their computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Ballot until Thursday, June 30, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Vote up to five times in any 24-hour period for a maximum of 35 times. Fans may also receive the ballot by texting VOTE to 89269 (USA) or 101010 (Canada). Or text VOTA for a ballot in Spanish. Message and data rates may apply. Up to five messages. No purchase required. Reply STOP to cancel. Reply HELP for info. Following the announcement of the 2016 All-Stars, be sure to return to MLB.com and cast your 2016 Esurance MLB All-Star Game Final Vote for the final player on each league's All-Star roster. On Tuesday, July 12, watch the 2016 All-Star Game presented by MasterCard live on FOX, and during the game visit MLB.com to submit your choice for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet via the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote. The 87th All-Star Game, in San Diego, will be televised nationally by FOX, in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS, and worldwide by partners in more than 160 countries via MLB International's independent feed. ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB.com, MLB Network and SiriusXM will also provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information, please visit allstargame.com.

Today In Phils History – The grand start for the day begins in 1929 when Phillies pitcher Phil Collins (not the guy from Genesis) hit a grand slam in a loss to Boston. In 1961, the Phillies score 10 runs in the final 2 innings to complete the come from behind win against the Pirates. 2 years later, the Mets Jimmy Piersall celebrated his 100^th career homerun (off of Dallas Green) but circling the bases backwards… this would lead to his release 2 days later. Rick Wise fared better against the Reds in 1971 when he became the first pitcher in MLB history to throw a no hitter and hit 2 homeruns in the same game (future Phillie Pete Rose made the last out). Two years later another pitcher was going deep as Ken Brett hit a homerun in his 4^th consecutive game. In 1986, the Phillies obliterated the Cubs by a score of 19-1 and hit a team record 11 doubles in the process. And, finally, it was on this day 4 years ago when Jim Thome hit his MLB record 13^th walk off homerun of his career against the Rays which secured Charlie Manuel his 900^th career managerial win.  

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 30-43 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 49-56-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phils Lose Game And Lose Velasquez

GAME RECAP: Nats Beat Phils 9-6

Stephen Strasburg settled down after a rocky start Friday, retiring the final 14 batters he faced to lead the Nationals to a 9-6 victory over the Phillies. The Washington righty has now won 13 straight decisions, extending a franchise record. Strasburg (10-0) stumbled early, allowing two runs in the second inning and a two-run home run to Tommy Joseph in the third. But after that, he was dominant, reaching double-digit strikeouts for the seventh time this season. "It's just about trying to go out there and [doing] your job," Strasburg said. "They've been swinging the bat great for me, and I'm going to continue to try and keep it close for them." The Nationals' bats provided plenty of offense, with Wilson Ramos, Stephen Drew and Danny Espinosa all going yard, and Daniel Murphy adding two doubles and three RBIs. Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson lasted six innings, ceding seven runs on nine hits, including the three homers. "I made way too many mistakes, and they didn't miss a lot of them," Hellickson said. "The biggest thing was just falling behind. Command wasn't good, especially early in the counts." The Philadelphia bullpen was unable to quiet Washington's lineup, as callup Luis Garcia gave up two more runs in the seventh. Philadelphia got those runs back in the eighth on another two-run homer by Joseph, but Jonathan Papelbon closed the door for Washington in the ninth.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Joseph has now homered four times in the past four games he's started. The right-handed Joseph homered off both right-handed Strasburg and left-handed Felipe Rivero on Friday, supporting the case that he should play every day, regardless of matchup. His batting average is up to .323, and after the game manager Pete Mackanin announced Joseph, not Ryan Howard, would be the Phillies' everyday first baseman moving forward. "You can't say enough about Tommy Joseph," Mackanin said. "He looks like the real deal, and it's great to have him here." 
• Friday marked a bump in the road for Hellickson, who had a 2.53 ERA in his previous five starts. The righty allowed three homers and two doubles over seven innings, consistently leaving pitches up in the zone for hitters to drive. Hellickson said he was particularly frustrated with the loss given the 4-0 lead his team staked him early. "The guys spot me a 4-0 lead in the third inning, I've got to make that stand," he said. "This loss is definitely on me."
• First baseman Ryan Howard is batting only .150 on the season, with a .559 OPS, prompting a gradual decline in his playing time as Tommy Joseph continues to hit well. Howard has only 10 at-bats in June and was not in Philadelphia's lineup Friday against the Nationals. Mackanin said before the game he would talk to Howard, "just to let him know what his status is."

NEXT GAME:

Aaron Nola takes the hill for the Phillies in the second game of their three-game series against the Nationals. Nola is coming off six scoreless innings against the Brewers on Sunday and has now thrown a quality start in nine straight outings. He holds a 2.65 ERA on the season, with 85 strikeouts in 78 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Howard Supplanted – After more than a decade in the center of the Phillies' lineup, Ryan Howard is officially out as the club's primary first baseman. Manager Pete Mackanin spoke to Howard before Friday's game and told the veteran that the hot-hitting Tommy Joseph would get the bulk of the playing time at first base moving forward. Joseph hit two home runs in the Phillies' 9-6 loss to the Nationals on Friday, and he now has seven homers in 65 at-bats since being called up May 13. "I can't sit Tommy Joseph," Mackanin said. "You can't say enough about Tommy Joseph. He looks like the real deal, and it's great to have him here." When Joseph came up last month, the Phillies planned to use him against lefties and Howard against righties. But as Howard struggled (he's hitting .150 on the season) and Joseph stayed hot, Mackanin was forced to give the 24-year-old rookie more opportunities. So on Friday, the manager summoned Howard to his office and told him Joseph would be playing every day. "He was low-key about it," Mackanin said. "I'm sure he's not happy about it, but he didn't have a whole lot to say. You can't argue about Tommy Joseph." Joseph celebrated his promotion by hitting two home runs Friday, one off right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg and the other off left-handed reliever Felipe Rivero. Joseph has now homered four times in his last four starts. Joseph raved about Howard's mentorship, saying the three-time All-Star has been supportive of him throughout the last month, even as they competed for playing time. "He's the best," Joseph said. "He's been great, very easy to talk to. He's been there for me every step of the way. Whenever I need anything, he's there. He's a good guy to learn from, too. Obviously the guy has been in the game for over a decade now, so he's seen a lot of different things, and he's a guy I can go talk to about certain situations in the game." In many ways, Howard's demotion was a long time coming. His numbers have dropped gradually since his mid-2000s peak, when he won 2006 National League MVP Award, with his OPS falling to .704 in 2014 and '15 and .559 in 2016. With Joseph hitting .323/.333/.677, it was time for a change. Mackanin said he would look to get Howard pinch-hit opportunities and give the veteran spot starts from time to time. The manager said benching someone who has accomplished as much as Howard is not ideal but that he felt he had no choice. "I flat-out don't like it," Mackanin said. "I don't like to have to deal with it because of what he's done for the organization over the years. Once again, this is another year where we're looking to the future, and Tommy Joseph looks like he's going to be in the future."

Velasquez To DL – It was no surprise Friday when the Phillies announced that they had placed Vince Velasquez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right biceps. Philadelphia called up right-handed reliever Luis Garcia to fill Velasquez's roster spot for the weekend and announced that prospect Zach Eflin will pitch in place of Velasquez on Tuesday. Velasquez left Wednesday afternoon's game against the Cubs after just two pitches -- a pair of fastballs that registered just 86 and 87 mph on the radar gun. Velasquez's fastball had averaged 95 mph this season, so clearly he is not healthy. And knowing how important the 24-year-old right-hander is to the team's future, there was no chance they would risk his health by allowing him to continue to pitch. The Phillies and Velasquez indicated Wednesday, however, they do not believe the injury is serious. Manager Pete Mackanin said Friday that Velasquez's MRI came back "pretty clean," and the pitches reiterated his lack of concern. "It's just a little strain, just a little fluid in there," Velasquez said, citing the results of the MRI. "We'll shoot for 15 days and go from there. I don't know how many days. It might take 10, five, who knows." Velasquez had a 2.42 ERA through his first eight starts this season. But in his previous three outings before the injury, he posted an 8.31 ERA while not making it through five innings in any of those games. Velasquez first felt something while warming up in the bullpen Wednesday, but the injury could have accounted for his recent struggles. Velasquez was the key piece in the Ken Giles trade with Houston in December. The Phillies originally agreed to send Giles to the Astros for a four-player package that included right-handers Velasquez and Thomas Eshelman, left-hander Brett Oberholtzer and outfielder Derek Fisher. However, the Phillies had apprehensions about Velasquez's physical. He had Tommy John surgery in 2010, but sources also said the club had concerns about his shoulder. In the end, the trade got delayed a few days and was reworked. The Phillies sent Giles and Minor League infielder Jonathan Arauz to the Astros for five pitchers: Velasquez, Eshelman, Oberholtzer, Mark Appel and Harold Arauz. Velasquez does not believe the biceps strain could lead to something like another elbow surgery. "It's just more in the biceps area," he said. "It's just something that's probably more minor. This is not something to be too worried about." Eflin will make his Major League debut in place of Velasquez on Tuesday. The Phillies acquired the righty from the Dodgers in exchange for Jimmy Rollins in December 2014. The 22-year-old entered the season as Philadelphia's 13th-ranked prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. He has a 2.90 ERA in 68 1/3 innings this season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Until Eflin arrives, Garcia will join Philadelphia's bullpen. The 29-year-old righty has a 3.90 ERA in 113 career innings and has thrown one scoreless inning at the Major League level in 2016. "He's got stuff to be a real good pitcher at this level," Mackanin said of Garcia. "It's always about command, control. If you can command your stuff, throw quality strikes, he's got the ability to be a real good relief pitcher."

Draft Recap – The Phillies believe they got some serious bang for their buck in the first three rounds of the 2016 MLB Draft. They selected three high schoolers: outfielder Mickey Moniak with the first overall pick, right-hander Kevin Gowdy in the second round and shortstop Cole Stobbe, whom they selected in the third round Friday afternoon. The Phillies used their remaining seven picks Friday to select college players. Overall, the Phillies have selected six pitchers and four position players in the first 10 rounds. "We feel we got two first-rounders with the first two picks and really a compensation-type pick in the third round," Phillies amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz said Friday night. "We thought all of those high school players have superior ability over a lot of the college guys." Track every Phillies pick from Day 2 of the 2016 MLB Draft, which consisted of Rounds 3-10. The Draft concludes on Saturday, with exclusive coverage of Rounds 11-40 beginning on MLB.com at noon ET. Round 3 (78th overall), Cole Stobbe, SS-3B, Millard West HS (Omaha, Neb.): MLB Pipeline had Stobbe at No. 47 on its Draft board. He is committed to Arkansas, but they expect him to sign. Scouts love Stobbe's makeup. The right-handed hitter has a quick, compact stroke and hits the ball to all fields. He hit 14 home runs as a senior, and some project him to be a batter who could hit .280 with 15-18 homers per season in the big leagues. He is expected to remain at shortstop. One scout told MLB Pipeline that Stobbe is a poor-man's version of Rockies rookie Trevor Story. Round 4 (107th overall), JoJo Romero, LHP, Yavapai College (Prescott, Ariz.): Romero's junior college knows big leaguers. It has produced players like Curt Schilling and Ken Giles. Romero, who the Phillies also expect to sign, has a four-pitch mix, with his four-seam fastball touching 94-95 mph. He also throws a curveball, a slider and a changeup. Scouts told MLB Pipeline there are some concerns about his durability, so he might end up in the bullpen. But the Phillies view him as a starter. "We followed JoJo throughout the year and we felt he was just a really tough competitor, a good pitcher. He's got three above-average pitches," Almaraz said. "There's still room for growth." Round 5 (137th overall), Cole Irvin, LHP, University of Oregon: MLB Pipeline ranked him 138th on its Draft list. Of the college players the Phillies selected Friday, Irvin could be the fastest mover through the farm system. Irvin had Tommy John surgery in 2014, but he pitched well this season with the Ducks. In fact, his fastball hit 93-94 mph after adding some strength. Irvin also throws a slider and a changeup, and he throws his pitches with the same arm speed, which adds deception. The twice-drafted Irvin is the epitome of the advanced college lefty when he is firing on all cylinders. "He's definitely a polished left-handed pitcher," Almaraz said. Round 6 (167th overall), David Martinelli, CF, Dallas Baptist: MLB Pipeline ranked him 74th on its list. The Phillies love his upside. In fact, they think he might have the highest ceiling of any of the college players the Phillies drafted on Day 2. Dallas Baptist has produced big leaguers Ben Zobrist, Jason LaRue and Lew Ford. Martinelli has plenty of tools, although scouts have been wary about some swing-and-miss issues. He ranked among the NCAA Division I strikeout leaders in each of his first two seasons. He also hit .141 with a wooden bat in the Cape Cod League. That said, Martinelli, who can play all three outfield positions, cut his strikeout rate by almost two-thirds this season. He has been much more consistent at the plate, driving the ball to all fields. "He's really a five-tool player," Almaraz said. Round 7 (197th overall), Henri Lartigue, C, University of Mississippi: The switch-hitting junior led his team with a .353 batting average and a .414 on-base percentage. He also had 11 doubles, four home runs and 31 RBIs in 207 at-bats. He was a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given to the nation's top college catcher. Round 8 (227th overall), Grant Dyer, RHP, UCLA: Dyer went 4-4 with a 4.50 ERA in 13 starts this season. He has pitched in the bullpen in the past, and some think his stuff will play up better there. He struck out 70 and walked 24 in 80 innings. Round 9 (257th overall), Blake Quinn, RHP, Cal State Fullerton: Quinn, who is 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, transferred from Fresno State and pitched well as a junior. He went 4-3 with a 2.16 ERA, striking out 69 in 66 innings. Round 10 (287th overall), Julian Garcia, RHP, Metro State College (Denver): The sophomore went 5-7 with a 2.90 ERA. He struck out 95 and walked 29 in 83 2/3 innings. He is the 11th player in school history to be drafted, but he is hoping to become the first player to reach the big leagues.

Today In Phils History – Five years after former Phillie Frank Thomas was born in 1929, the Phillies acquired Dolph Camilli. In 1951, the Phillies made another addition in Ted Kazanski. 5 years later a truly rare occurrence happened on the diamond when catcher Stan Lopata stole home on the back end of a double steal. In 1983, Steve Carlton recorded his 100^th strikeout of the year which was also his 17^th consecutive season reaching that benchmark tying Warren Spahn’s NL record. 2 years later, in a win against the Mets that saw the Phillies set franchise records for runs scored (26), hits (27), and total bases (47), Von Hayes became the 21^st player in MLB history to hit 2 homeruns in an inning. 5 years later, Lenny Dykstra entered the day with a .407 average (he would finish the year at .325). Another outfielder on that 1990 team was Ron Jones who was born on this day in 1964. And, finally, it was on this day in 1999 when Randy Wolf made his major league debut with the Phillies.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 29-32 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 43-58-0 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!