Another Shutout, Another Sweep

GAME RECAP: Braves Blank Phillies 2-0

The bottom two teams in the National League East are trending in opposite directions, which was magnified as the Braves finished a sweep of the Phillies with a 2-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Julio Teheran and Jake Thompson matched zeros for all but the second inning, when Matt Kemp provided the lone run off Thompson in Atlanta's sixth win in a row and second straight sweep. Conversely, the loss was the Phillies' sixth in a row and closed out a winless homestand that was bookended by shutouts of the home team. Philadelphia didn't score more than four runs in any of the six losses and averaged only 1.8 per game. "We're striking out too much. We don't have a good two-strike approach," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin after his team struck out 13 times on Sunday. "I keep preaching about plate discipline; we're not showing a lot of plate discipline. It looks like we're behind fastballs and not putting the ball in play with two strikes." Freddie Freeman added another blast off Michael Mariot in the eighth. Freeman had already doubled earlier to extend his on-base streak to 26 games -- the longest active such streak in the Majors -- and his hitting streak to 11. Ender Inciarte singled in the sixth to move his streak to 15 games. The Braves own the longest active on-base and hitting streaks in the big leagues. "They're threats every time they go up there, both those guys," Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Freeman and Kemp. "You saw today what they can do. They carried us." With 6 1/2 games separating them in the standings, the Braves and Phillies are now the closest they've been since June 27, less than a week after Atlanta's only other winning streak of six games.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Thompson's last two starts have been much more like what the Phillies envisioned when they called up the 22-year-old last month. Thompson allowed just one run in seven frames, going that distance for his second start in a row. He's lowered his ERA from 9.78 to 6.48 in his past two starts. "After his first four outings with us, we weren't sure what we were seeing," Mackanin said. "His last two outings, especially today, he pitched extremely well. That was great to see." 
• It took only 52 seconds to overturn what was initially called a diving catch by Aaron Altherr on a fly ball into shallow center by Jace Peterson in the seventh inning. It was an impressive defensive effort regardless, but replay clearly showed the ball bounce into Altherr's outstretched glove.
• The Phillies unsuccessfully challenged a call later in the seventh, when Franco tried to tag out Peterson to start a double play. Peterson avoided the tag and was called safe at third, which was confirmed by replay, but Franco still threw out pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski at first to get an out on the play.
• The Phillies and Braves combined to load the bases in four consecutive half innings, and neither team scored a run. Eleven runners were stranded in the process. Franco grounded out to third base in the bottom of the fifth. Nick Markakis grounded into a double play to end the top of the sixth. Peter Bourjos roped a line drive to right field, but it was right at Markakis. Adonis Garcia then grounded out to third to leave three men on in the seventh inning, the last for Thompson. After taking a moment to think, Snitker couldn't recall a time where he saw teams load the bases and proceed to not score for four consecutive half-innings. "I live inning to inning," Snitker said. "Once the inning's over, I'm turning the page and thinking about the next one. In the seventh, I was trying to figure out who to pitch in the eighth. … I guess any team could have blown this thing wide open, but their starter did a really good job. He's pretty good at getting out of trouble, too."
• Sunday's game came close to breaking a Major League record. At 3 hours and 13 minutes, the Phillies and Braves came 20 minutes short of playing the longest nine-inning, 2-0 game in MLB history. The longest remains the Yankees' 2-0 win over the Twins on July 12, 2013, checking in at 3 hours and 33 minutes.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies open at three-game series in Miami on Monday at 1:10 p.m. ET. Jerad Eickhoff will take the mound, making his 28th start of the year. Eickhoff (9-13, 3.90 ERA) enters Monday with the team lead in innings pitched at 161 2/3.

PHILS PHACTS:

Wasted Effort – It's unclear how long Jake Thompson will continue to pitch this season, but the 22-year-old has been making the most of his innings lately. Thompson pitched seven strong frames in a 2-0 loss to the Braves on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, allowing just one run and striking out six. It was the second consecutive start Thompson has gone seven innings after he posted a 9.78 ERA in his first four Major League starts. "It's nice to get a little momentum going," said Thompson, who gave up his only run on a solo homer to Matt Kemp. "Now I've got a pretty good bulk of innings to work off of. I know what to expect, now I've got to work off that." On Sunday, Thompson skirted through trouble in the sixth and seventh innings. The Braves loaded the bases in both frames, and Phillies manager Pete Mackanin allowed Thompson to stay in the game and work his way out of the jams. Thompson did not allow a run in either inning. In the sixth, the right-hander temporarily lost his control. Thompson issued his first two walks of the game, including a few pitches in the dirt, to load the bases with one out. But he zoned back in after a meeting with pitching coach Bob McClure and got Nick Markakis to ground into an inning-ending double play. In the seventh, Thompson almost got another double play to get out of a jam, but third baseman Maikel Franco did not successfully tag Jace Peterson on the basepaths. An intentional walk to Ender Inciarte gave the Braves another bases-loaded opportunity. Even with his pitch count above 90, the Phillies let Thompson remain in the game, and he got Adonis Garcia to ground out to end the seventh inning on his 100th pitch. "We're trying to develop pitchers who go deep into games," Mackanin said. "I saw no reason to not let him battle his way out of that. He did a great job. I couldn't be happier with his performance. "That's what we're looking for. We're looking for people who will fit in in the future." Combined with his work at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Thompson has pitched 163 innings in 27 games this year. The Phillies -- who shut down 24-year-old righty Vince Velasquez after his Saturday start -- are monitoring Thompson's workload closely, but it seems he'll get a few more starts in 2016. "The last one was really encouraging," Philadelphia general manager Matt Klentak said before Thompson's Sunday start. "Much like we went into the season without a specific target for Vince, we're going to have to play it out with Jake as well." Added Thompson: "I understand their plan. That's not saying that I won't put up a fight in it. I understand what they're doing. I understand the long-term goals, and whatever is best for this organization, I'm going to do."

GM Pleased – Phillies general manager Matt Klentak told Vince Velasquez on Wednesday that the right-hander would be making his last start of 2016 on Saturday. Klentak was hoping the 24-year-old would end his first full Major League season year on a high note. Seven innings and eight strikeouts later, the GM got his wish. After hitting a rough patch in August, Velasquez looked like a potential future rotation fixture for the Phillies in his last two outings. In starts against the Mets and Braves, Velasquez combined to allow just three earned runs in 12 innings, and he had 15 strikeouts and just one walk in that span. "That's all we really could have hoped for," Klentak said. "... We didn't know exactly when that would be. But as we monitored his workload, his innings, his pitches, the intensity of those innings and outings, this was going to be the right time to do it. We told him on Wednesday. Vince was good with it. Obviously we wanted him to go out on a positive note, and credit to him, that's exactly what he did [Saturday] night." Velasquez ended the year with a 4.12 ERA, throwing 131 innings in 24 starts. The most eye-popping statistic for Velasquez were his strikeouts. He had 152 on the season, including 16 in a shutout against the Padres on April 14. His 10.4 strikeout/nine inning mark was the best among Phillies starters. "It's not easy to strike out 10 hitters per nine in the big leagues," Klentak said. "It's not easy to do that at any level as a starting pitcher, especially in this league. For him to be able to do that for five straight months, that's really impressive." Velasquez had 10 starts in which he went five innings or fewer, including a June 8 outing against the Cubs when he was pulled in the first inning due to an injury. Klentak noted he's hoping to see Velasquez figure out how to go deeper in games as his career continues. "I think we've seen that throughout baseball history, strikeout pitchers mature and become more comfortable in the league," Klentak said. "They understand when it's time to miss a bat and put a hitter away, and when it's time to get some contact. I'm thrilled with the progress Vince made this year." Klentak added it's likely right-hander Alec Asher would take Velasquez's spot in the rotation and start Thursday at Atlanta. Asher is serving an 80-game PED suspension, but it is set to conclude prior to that game. Asher, 24, made seven starts for the Phils last season, going 0-6 with a 9.31 ERA. He is not currently on the Phillies' 40-man roster. Klentak said that he expects approximately six additional players to be called up to the Majors once Triple-A Lehigh Valley wraps up the International League postseason. The Phillies called up three players -- Patrick Schuster, Darin Ruf and Colton Murray -- on Sept. 1.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies ended their double header in 1913 having only scored 1 run but coming away without losing a game (winning 1-0 in game 1 and ending in a 0-0 tie in game 2). The Phillies released Hack Wilson on this day in 1934. Curt Simmons became the 1^st MLB player to be called into service in response to the Korean Conflict when he was inducted into the Army on this day in 1950 (he made one more regular season start but missed the World Series that season). 2 years later, Robin Robert won his 23^rd game of the season after pitching 17 innings and securing the victory on a Del Ennis homerun. 3 years later, Dodger Don Newcombe defeated the Phillies from the mound and at the plate securing his 20^th win and hitting his, NL record for pitchers, 7^th homerun. Larry Christenson hit 2 homeruns and got the win against the Mets in 1976. 2 years later, the Phillies claimed current manager Pete MacKanin off waivers from Montreal. With 2 long balls by Mike Lieberthal and Jimmy Rollins on this day in 2004, the Phillies set a record for most homeruns at home in a season, surpassing the mark of 101 set in 1977. Also on this day, Pat Combs made his MLB debut in 1989. Finally, happy birthday to Nap Lajoie who was born on this day in 1874 and Rod Barajas who was born 101 years later.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-76 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 49-63-3 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.

Offense Remains MIA Against Nationals

GAME RECAP: Nationals Sweep Phillies 2-1

The Nationals will enter September in excellent shape in the National League East. They swept the Phillies in a three-game series with Wednesday night's 2-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park. The win maintained a nine-game lead in the division, which is the largest lead for an NL East team entering September since the Braves had a 15-game lead in 2013. The Nationals also close out a stretch where they played 20 games in 20 days and went 11-9. "I'm proud of these guys, 'cause that's a tough stretch," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "There are some teams that had that same 20-game stretch that didn't do as well. There are a few that did pretty good. The main thing is, we finished strong. I always tell my guys: 'Finish strong.'" Jayson Werth crushed a solo home run over the batter's eye in center field in the first inning to give the Nats the early lead. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth, but Wilson Ramos hit a two-out single to right field in the seventh inning to score Anthony Rendon from second base to hand the Nats a one-run lead. Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez allowed just two hits and one run in six innings to earn the win. The Nats allowed just nine hits in the series against the Phillies, who tied a franchise record with four or fewer hits in three consecutive games (last accomplished Aug. 19-21, 2010). "We're up and down," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We have our streaks where we're hot and cold. Still, if you look at the season-long statistics, we're still close to the bottom in a lot of categories. So we need to improve in that department."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Phillies left-hander Adam Morgan's season has not gone as planned, but Mackanin said this might have been the best he had ever seen him pitch. He allowed three hits, two runs and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings. He is hoping to finish the season strong to remain in the conversation for a rotation spot next season. "It was definitely not a bad one," Morgan said. "I definitely want to improve, get out of the seventh inning, finish strong, but it's a good one to build off of."
• Galvis hit seven home runs in 603 plate appearances last season, but he hit his 15th homer of the season in his 512th plate appearance in the fifth to tie the game at 1. Galvis is just the third shortstop in Phillies history to hit 20 or more doubles and 15 or more homers in a season. Jimmy Rollins (six times) and Granny Hamner are the others.
• "Not really. Actually, now I'm hungrier. I want to go back there. I know that it takes a lot of work to be there with all those star guys. I know why you would think that it made me feel comfortable because I'm not doing what I was doing before, but no, no, I'm hungry. I want to get better." -- Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera, on if he has become too comfortable since making the NL All-Star team. He has a .656 OPS since he learned he made the team. He had an .833 OPS beforehand.
• Werth's homer in the first is the fourth longest at Citizens Bank Park in the Statcast™ era. Only Cameron Rupp (461 feet on Aug. 24, 2015), Ian Desmond(458 feet on June 28, 2015) and Ryan Howard (455 feet on Aug. 12, 2016) have hit homers farther than Werth. "I've been in some pretty cool places in this ballpark, but never there," Werth said.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies open a three-game series against the Braves on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET at Citizens Bank Park. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson (10-8, 3.80 ERA) faces Braves right-hander Joel De La Cruz (0-7, 4.66 ERA) in the series opener. Hellickson is 1-0 with a 3.09 ERA in two starts this season against the Braves.

PHILS PHACTS:

Where’s The Offense? – The Phillies believe strong starting pitching is the key to their next step up in the National League East standings. The first few weeks of the 2016 season strengthened that case, as the Phils surprised almost everybody in baseball with a 24-17 start, thanks almost entirely to a better-than-expected rotation. But as the Phillies lost to the Nationals on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, 2-1, it also is clear they eventually need to find some offense, too. The Phillies managed just nine hits in the series sweep. They had four hits Monday, three hits Tuesday and two hits Wednesday. They tied a franchise record with three consecutive games of four or fewer hits. It last happened in August 2010. "We're up and down," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "We have our streaks where we're hot and cold. Still, if you look at the season-long statistics, we're still close to the bottom in a lot of categories. So we need to improve in that department." The Phillies are averaging 3.7 runs per game, last in MLB. They are last with a .296 on-base percentage, and they are 29th with a .385 slugging percentage. The team is on pace for its lowest runs-per-game average since 1988 (3.69) and its lowest on-base percentage since '68 (.294). "We're going to continue looking [for offense]," Mackanin said. "You take a guy like Cesar [Hernandez] -- he's really made strides. You look at Freddy [Galvis] -- 15 home runs and going on 60 RBIs, plays an outstanding shortstop. [Maikel] Franco needs to get back to where he needs to be. There's enough guys. [Odubel] Herrera is hitting .280, even though he's not having a good second half. [Aaron] Altherr looks like he's got a good-looking future ahead of him. "So we have enough here to get excited about, but they have to start producing." Herrera had been one of the team's brightest spots in the first half of the season, earning his way as the Phillies' only representative on the National League All-Star team. Since he learned he made the team on July 5, he has hit .247 with three home runs, 10 RBIs and a .656 OPS. He hit .303 with 10 homers, 32 RBIs and an .833 OPS beforehand. "I wouldn't call it regressing," Mackanin said about Herrera's second half. "You talk about the sophomore jinx. If this is his sophomore jinx and he's hitting .280, I'll take it. He's got a lot of things to figure out, but perhaps the All-Star Game changed him a little bit and made him a little more comfortable. It's hard to say." Herrera said he doesn't think he has become lax since the All-Star Game. "Not really," he said. "Actually, now I'm hungrier. I want to go back there. I know that it takes a lot of work to be there with all those star guys. I know why you would think that it made me feel comfortable because I'm not doing what I was doing before, but no, no, I'm hungry. I want to get better." The Phillies hope more than just Herrera picks up their hitting entering the season's final month. They need it.

Expanding The Roster – The Phillies should have a few new faces on their roster Friday, when they open a three-game series against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. They can expand their roster beginning Thursday, but they do not play that day. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said before Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Nationals that the organization could promote three players come Friday. "A couple of relievers, maybe a hitter," Mackanin said. "They don't know who they are yet, so I can't tell you who they are." The Morning Call in Allentown reported late Wednesday night that left-hander Patrick Schuster, right-hander Colton Murray and first baseman Darin Ruf will be promoted. Ruf has been hitting well -- .298 with 20 home runs, 65 RBIs and an .895 OPS -- with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "I would like to give [Ruf] another chance, but there are so many guys we have to look at," Mackanin said. "I don't know what we're going to do." Prospects such as Jorge Alfaro and Roman Quinn also could join the team once Double-A Reading's season is finished. It seems unlikely that Triple-A prospects J.P. Crawford and Nick Williams join the Phillies before the end of the year. Others could be promoted, too. But playing time already is tight, which is something Mackanin will have to work through. "It can sometimes be too crowded, and you know," Mackanin said, "it is what it is. It happens every September. I can't give playing time to a lot of guys. Perhaps guys who have earned the opportunity to come up, maybe that's the main reason for it. For the prospects -- we're not going to bring up a prospect to sit. We want him to play."

Heading To Arizona – The Phillies will have at least six players on the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. The Phillies in the AFL include right-handers Victor Arano and Miguel Nunez; left-hander Brandon Leibrandt; second baseman Scott Kingery; third baseman Mitch Walding and outfielder Aaron Brown. The Phillies could add one more player to the Scorpions. Arano is a combined 4-2 with a 2.23 ERA in 44 appearances with Class A Advanced Clearwater and Double-A Reading. Nunez is 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 49 appearances with Clearwater and Reading. Leibrandt is 3-1 with a 1.91 ERA in nine starts with the Rookie-level GCL Phillies and Clearwater. He is coming back from a shoulder injury. The Phillies selected Kingery in the second round of the 2015 Draft. He is hitting .267 with six doubles, one home run, 15 RBIs and a .631 OPS since being promoted from Clearwater to Reading. He is the organization's No. 14 prospect, according to MLBPipeline.com. Philadelphia picked Walding in the fifth round of the '11 Draft. He has posted a combined .807 OPS with Clearwater and Reading. Brown, whom the Phillies selected in the third round in 2014, has a .689 OPS in 248 plate appearances with Reading.

Today In Phils History – In 1945, Vince DiMaggio tied the MLB record for grand slams in a season with his 4^th. Robin Roberts appeared on the cover of Sport Magazine in 1953. Facing his former team, Cardinals pitcher Curt Simmons defeated the Phillies in 1963 by throwing a 6 hitter and also stealing home on a suicide squeeze (after hitting a triple). The following season the Phillies defeated Houston at Connie Mack Stadium thanks to 4 solo homeruns and despite several days of rioting in the city. In 1971, the Pirates fielded the 1^st ever all African American lineup in a win over the Phillies. The Phillies signed free agent Tim McCarver on this day in 1980 making the catcher 1 of few players to have played in 4 different decades. Notable debuts on this day include Rick Schu (1984), Mickey Morandini (1990), Ryan Howard (2004), and Matt Stairs (2008). Finally, happy birthday to Garry Maddox (1949), David West (1964), and Sean O’Sullivan (1987).    

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 60-73 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 51-60-0 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.

Phillies Overcome Errors To Complete Sweep

GAME RECAP: Phillies Sweep Rockies 7-6

In a game that wasn't the prettiest contest, featuring fielding and mental errors for both sides, the Phillies prevailed, 7-6, to sweep the series from the Rockies -- their first sweep since taking three from the Braves in the first week of July. Cesar Hernandez missed an easy tag of Charlie Blackmon at second that led to a Rockies run in the third. Odubel Herrera dropped a routine popup on the first play of the game and later broke his bat in frustration over a called strike three. Severino Gonzalez balked runners into scoring position. But those were overshadowed by a rare multi-error game from the Rockies' Gold Glove third baseman, Nolan Arenado, Ryan Raburn struggling to field a ground ball then still trying to get the lead runner and a dubious throwing error-wild pitch combo from Tyler Chatwood, who surrendered six runs (four earned) over four-plus innings. Chatwood had allowed eight earned runs in his previous nine road starts, entering Sunday with a 1.30 ERA on the road but exiting with it up to 1.82. "I think because it was one of the hottest days we played on this year, I think that had a lot to do with it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "You've got to give credit to the guys that kept hustling throughout. I'm sure there's a lot of weight loss by both teams." Upper-back tightness, the repeat of an injury that landed him on the disabled list earlier this season, limited Chatwood to throwing to one side of the plate, inside to right-handed hitters, outside to lefties. Chatwood had allowed eight earned runs in nine previous starts on the road this season, entering with a 1.30 road ERA but exiting with it up to 1.82. "It spasmed in the first and it stayed tight," said Chatwood, who added that the pain has generally been manageable. "I tried to pitch through it. I know we were short in the bullpen. But obviously, that wasn't the smartest thing to do." The Rockies lost for the ninth time in 11 games, and sloppy play negated a two-homer day from Blackmon, who set a club record with five home runs in a three-game series. "Objectively, you're looking at the game saying, 'We didn't do this well.' … Then we battle back and at the end of the game you lose by a run," said Blackmon, who improved his career-high home run total to 20. "That really hurts, because looking back there are a lot of missed opportunities over the last three and a half hours that could've helped us win."

PHILS PHACTS: 

• Typically relegated to pinch-hitting duties, Jimmy Paredes got the start in left field and made the most of it. By the fifth inning, he was a triple away from the cycle. He followed an RBI single in the second with a solo homer in the fourth, before doubling home Herrera in the fifth. It was Paredes' first three-hit game since June 26 of last year, with the Orioles, and only his third multi-hit game since joining the Phillies. "It's good," Paredes said. "You try to help your team to win and do the best you can. That's all. I was ready for my chances. They gave me my chance and I did the best I can." 
• Morgan's day was cut short by a Nick Hundley line drive that hit him on the left forearm. Hundley's liner left the bat at 86 mph and forced Morgan out after three innings. Gonzalez replaced Morgan and immediately balked the two inherited runners into scoring position, though only David Dahl scored, leaving Morgan with two runs allowed over three-plus innings. Morgan exited with what the Phillies called a left forearm contusion, and X-rays came back negative on his forearm.  Morgan was lucky it hit him where it did. "It kind of gets dangerous around the elbow area," he said "But it got me pretty much in the meat of the forearm." With the off-day Monday, Mackanin will "mull it over and see where he's at" before deciding if Morgan will make his next scheduled start. 
• It didn't take long for the first review on Sunday's sweltering series finale. Herrera dropped a popup, allowing Blackmon to reach first to lead off the game. With the next batter, DJ LeMahieu, at the plate, Blackmon broke for second. He appeared to have gotten in under Hernandez's tag and was ruled safe. But the Phillies challenged, and the call was overturned. Mackanin is 20-for-34 (59 percent) on challenges this season. Blackmon earned a measure of payback when he gave a foot and then took it away to slip into second with a third-inning double. It took a 2-minute, 9-second replay review to overturn the out call.
• Phillies infielder Cesar Hernandez enters Tuesday's series opener with a 21-game on-base streak. He's the third Phillies player this season to reach base in 20 more straight games.
• The series win over the Phillies was the Dodgers' fifth in their last six. Combined with the Giants' recent struggles, Los Angeles has rallied from 6 1/2 games back to within one of the division lead.
• The Dodgers took two of three from the Phillies when they met in Los Angeles last week, winning the first two before losing to Jeremy Hellickson in the series finale.

NEXT GAME:

By now, the Phillies and Dodgers should be pretty familiar with each other. At least they're about to be, with a three-game series starting in Philadelphia on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Only one series separates their three games in Los Angeles and the Dodgers' upcoming visit to Philadelphia. Vince Velasquez doesn't get a break from his hometown team. The Pomona, Calif., native pitched in front of more than 100 friends and family at Dodger Stadium in his start Tuesday. Velasquez didn't exactly put on a show, as he allowed nine runs -- a career-high -- and exited with just one out in the fifth. Tuesday's series opener is a rematch of Velasquez and Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda exactly one week later. In their last matchup, Maeda walked a batter for the first time in three starts. He walked two, giving him just three over his past six. Over that stretch, Maeda is averaging less than a walk per nine innings and has a 35:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The game will also be Chase Utley's first at Citizens Bank Park since the Phillies traded him last August. He recently admitted that his return "might be a bit emotional."

PHILS PHACTS:

Bats Backing Pitching – After Nick Hundley shot a line drive back at Adam Morgan that hit the Phillies starter's left forearm in the fourth inning of the Philadelphia's 7-6 win over the Rockies, manager Pete Mackanin took a look at his chart of starts from the past couple weeks. "We've been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our starters," Mackanin said. "That really taxes the bullpen. … It's concerning. We don't want that to happen. Every team has injuries but we don't want that to happen now, especially starting pitching." Two pieces of good news: First, Morgan's forearm doesn't appear to be serious. He left the clubhouse with it wrapped but X-rays were negative and he only has a bruise. The second: Despite the poor showing by their starting pitchers, the Phillies are 8-4 in August. The dog days of summer are upon us and the temperature outside is rising. So is that of the Phillies' lineup. Only three teams in baseball are averaging more runs in August than the Phils. Through the first 12 games of the month, the Phillies are averaging more than six runs a game, including showings of seven, six and 10 in their first sweep of the Rockies since 2012. And they did so while also allowing 15 runs over the three games. It's the most runs allowed over any stretch of three wins for the Phillies all season. Colorado has scored the third-most runs in baseball this season. "It's great to sweep a team like the Rockies, with their offense," Mackanin said. "Everybody's contributing," he continued. "I feel like everybody's getting opportunities. It's good to see. When you win a game, the more players that are involved in that game, the happier I am. I think it unites the team." Although the seven runs Sunday were a team effort, as Mackanin said, Jimmy Paredes led the charge. By the fifth inning, Paredes was a triple away from the cycle. Making a cameo in the starting lineup, Paredes drove in three of the Phillies' run, including one on a solo shot that just cleared the left-center-field wall in the fourth. "You never know when they're going to give you a chance and when they're going to call you to play," Paredes said. "I was ready for my chances. They gave me my chance, and I did the best I can." The win was the Phillies' fourth straight -- their longest streak since the first week of July. They scored four runs in each of the four games, making for the longest such streak by the team since June 2013.

Morgan Recovering – With nobody out and a runner on first base in the fourth inning of the Phillies' 7-6 win over Colorado on Sunday, Nick Hundley lined a ball right back at Adam Morgan on the mound. Morgan attempted to shield himself with his glove, but the 86-mph line drive got him on his left forearm. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin, head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan and the Phillies' infield huddled on the mound around Morgan, who was crouched over in pain. A few hours later in the clubhouse, though, Morgan said he was feeling fine. And he was especially happy to hear X-rays came back negative on the left forearm contusion that forced him from the game. "It's not as bad as it sounds, I guess," Morgan said. "It's just a bruise. [Once] that bruise goes away, I'm good." Mackanin didn't commit to Morgan being able to make his next start. "We're going to take the day off tomorrow, mull it over and see where he's at," Mackanin said "We'll see." Morgan left the clubhouse with his left arm wrapped in a compression sleeve. He threw three-plus innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Although it got cut short, Morgan felt he saw the results of what he worked on his five starts back with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. "The two-seam, I've been working on and had a good feel for it," Morgan said. "I was just up today; the two-seam, and confidence in the slider and changeup. Really just a simple game plan: get ahead, strike one. It wasn't apparent today, but it'll get better." The southpaw was replaced by Severino Gonzalez. Morgan threw three-plus innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk without registering a strikeout. Morgan's exit could be yet another blow to an already depleted Phillies rotation. Morgan was already filling in for Zach Eflin, who is on the 15-day DL and could be done for the year with injuries to his knees and right foot. Jeremy Hellickson's start was pushed back to Saturday, as he deals with a sore back, and Charlie Morton hasn't pitched since April 23 and will miss the remainder of the season. Mackanin was more concerned with the present state of his bullpen, though, rather than the potential future issues on the starting staff. "I looked back at my chart, and we've been five innings, four innings, five innings, three innings with our starters," Mackanin said. "That really taxes the bullpen. Today was kind of hairy for us, because we didn't want to get in a situation late in the game where it was a tie game and I didn't have any pitchers left. So I had to go the extra mile with some of those guys. They did a real good job. ... We don't want that to happen. Every team has injuries, but we don't want that to happen now, especially starting pitching."

Today In Phils History – Don Demeter hit a pair of homeruns for the Phillies on this day in 1962 both coming off of Bob Miller which was actually 2 completely different Mets pitchers. 3 years later, Masanoni Murakami became the 1^st pitcher born in Japan to start a MLB game when he took the mound for the Giants against the Phillies (he debuted the previous season but had only pitched in relief). Mike Schmidt hit his franchise record 7^th grand slam on this day in 1983 against the Cubs. However, the most memorable moment on this day is the performance of Terry Mulholland on this day in 1990 when he completed a no hitter against the Giants (ironically, Charlie Hayes made a great play to end the game but cost Mulholland the perfect game earlier when he committed an error).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 56-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 53-59-0 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.

Offense Comes Alive To Complete Sweep

GAME RECAP: Phillies Sweep Braves 4-3

The Phillies and Braves traded punches Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, but Freddy Galvis delivered the final blow in the Phillies' 4-3 win. His shot into the right-field seats gave the Phils their first lead of the game after playing catch-up for the first seven innings. Atlanta took leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, but Galvis got the last word as the Phillies swept the Braves to go 5-1 on their six-game homestand. "What can you say about Freddy?" Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He needed a couple of hits. He got them, and the home run was obviously huge." Jeremy Hellickson and Tyrell Jenkins traded and evaded jams, as each starter put runners in scoring position in three innings apiece, but both also exited the game with just one earned run each -- and without factoring into the decision. Jenkins, filling in for Julio Teheran, was lifted after only 64 pitches and 4 2/3 innings in his first MLB start. He'd yet to allow a run when manager Brian Snitker pulled him, but Ian Krol immediately allowed an Odubel Herrera RBI double to score his inherited runner and tie the game at 1. "He did a great job stretching the game that far," Snitker said. "I kind of felt it would be unfair to him in that last matchup when he was on his last legs." Hellickson continued to increase his trade value in what was likely his second-to-last home start before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. Despite walking a pair in the third and surrendering four hits, Hellickson made it through six innings, allowing only one earned run.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Maikel Franco became the first Phillie to homer in four consecutive games since Ryan Howard did so in September 2012, taking Braves reliever Chris Withrow deep in the sixth inning. Franco has a chance to tie the record for most consecutive games with a home run on Thursday. Four different Phillies have hit homers in five straight games, and Chase Utley did so twice during the 2008 season. 
• Hellickson provided the Phillies with a reliable right arm for the entire first half of the season, and his start Wednesday was no different. Hellickson gave up just two runs (one earned) and had two separate stretches where he retired seven batters in a row. In his final four starts heading into the All-Star break, Hellickson posted a 2.16 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He could be valuable trade piece for the Phillies by the end of the month, but for now, Mackanin is happy to have the 29-year-old in his rotation. "He's really stabilized our rotation," Mackanin said. "He gives you a good six, seven innings sometimes. He throws strikes, and he's done a hell of a job for us."
• Since Francoeur debuted in 2005, it has been no secret to Major League baserunners that he has a cannon for an arm. Francoeur entered the game leading all MLB outfielders in assists over the last 11 seasons with 117. (Teammate Nick Markakis is second with 100). He added his 118th in the fifth inning. Phillies third-base coach Juan Samuel waved Galvis home on a Cesar Hernandez single to left field. But Francoeur fired a rocket to the plate and A.J. Pierzynski applied the tag on a halfhearted slide from Galvis. Hernandez did come around to score that inning for the Phillies' first run, but Francoeur's throw cost the Phils a chance to take the lead. Jenkins, who was backing up home on the play, waited on the top step of the Braves' dugout for his left fielder as he came off the field. "That was the first time I'd seen Frenchy really put something on it and throw a guy out," Jenkins said. "But no one else was surprised but me." Possibly the person who should have been the least shocked was Samuel. He was Francoeur's third-base and outfield coach in his season with the Phillies. Now Francoeur has some bragging rights over his former coach. "I was pumped when [Galvis] did go," Francoeur said. "Even better now because Juan Samuel, I can hold that over his head for a long time." "A lot of really good things today," Snitker added. "It's a shame, you fight like hell to win a game like that. The guys, you talk about leaving it on the field, they did. Frenchy's play, Adonis coming up big. It's a tough one to lose."
• Phillies rookie Tommy Joseph is coming off a strong series against Atlanta. The first baseman went 5-for-11 and had hits in all three games against the Braves. He had entered the series in an 0-for-18 slump.
• Thursday's game will be the first of seven meetings between the Phillies and Rockies this season. They'll reconvene in Philadelphia from Aug. 12-14 after this four-game set in Denver. The Rockies won the season series against the Phillies, 5-2, last season.
• Bettis has had success against the Phillies in his career. Bettis has a 1.69 ERA in five games (three starts) against the Phillies, his best mark against any team he's faced at least three times. In 21 1/3 innings against Philadelphia, Bettis has struck out 17 batters and walked just one.

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies and Rockies start a four-game series Thursday that will carry both teams into the All-Star break. Adam Morgan is making a spot start for Philadelphia. It will be the 12th start of the season for the left-hander who was moved to the bullpen late last month. Morgan is 1-6 this season with a 6.31 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Morgan is starting in place of Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola, who will throw a simulated game in Colorado and will return to the rotation after the All-Star break. Nola has been hit hard in his last five outings, going 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA. Morgan will be opposed by Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis. Bettis has a 5.31 ERA away from Coors Field this season, but is 2-2 with a 6.69 ERA in seven home starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

The Not So Secret Ingredient – The suddenly slugging Phillies found a fitting way to cap their three-game sweep of the Braves. Freddy Galvis smacked a game-winning, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth on Wednesday afternoon for a 4-3 Phillies win. With Maikel Franco representing the tying run on third base, Galvis got a 2-2, 99-mph fastball from Braves closer Arodys Vizcaino over the heart of the plate and did not miss. "He gave me a good pitch to hit," Galvis said of his line drive which ended up a few rows back in the right-field seats. "I was thinking, 'I'll try to put a good swing on the ball,' and it was a homer." Galvis' homer -- his eighth of the season, a new career high -- sent the Phillies to their eighth win in nine games, capping a 5-1 homestand and marking their fourth sweep of the season. The common theme of the Phillies' last four games has been the long ball. During their four-game winning streak, the Phillies have hit 11 homers, with at least two in each game. Franco has homered in each one of those four games, and his solo shot on Wednesday tied the game in the sixth inning. "If that's what we are, then I'll take it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said when he was asked about his team's home-run-hitting ways. "It's a lot easier to manage when you can sit back and wait for two-run, three-run home runs. It's just because the guys are swinging the bats better. They're taking better approaches. They started doing that in Minnesota on our last road trip, and they carried it over to the homestand." The Phillies' low-water mark of the season came during their last road trip, when a stretch against the Twins and Giants had them 13 games under .500. But they've responded well, going 9-2 in their last 11 games with an offense that is scoring 5 1/2 runs per game. After the offense struggled for much of the month of June, the Phillies are getting production everywhere in the lineup. Seven different players homered in the last four games, and Philadelphia outscored opponents, 30-17, during its final homestand of the first half. "I choose to believe we're the team that has played during the last two weeks," Mackanin said. "I know we had such a bad month of June, and I kept wondering why we weren't better knowing we had the chance to be better, and now we're swinging the bat better."

Four In A Row – Maikel Franco went the opposite way for his fourth homer in as many games on Wednesday. The Phillies' third baseman hit a solo shot off of Braves reliever Chris Withrow in the sixth inning of the Phillies' 4-3 win. Franco has now homered in four consecutive games, becoming the first Phillie to accomplish that feat since Ryan Howard did so from Sept. 19-22, 2012. "I'm just really comfortable at home plate," said Franco, who now has 17 home runs this season. "I see the pitches much better, and I try to see the ball and turn that into contact."' Franco, who is in his second full Major League season, is hitting .262 with a .799 OPS heading into the Phillies' final series of the first half. Those numbers are up from .235 and .706 on June 23. Franco's hot bat has been a big part of the Phillies' turnaround in the last two weeks. The Phillies are 9-2 in their last 11 games, and Franco is hitting .395 with 1.237 OPS, five homers and 12 RBIs in that span. "I'm not changing my approach," he said. "I'm still doing the same thing, I haven't changed anything. But I'm seeing the ball much better, and I'll take a walk. That's what I want to see, a really good pitch to hit and then put some contact on it." Franco saw the ball well in the eighth inning on Wednesday when he drew a leadoff walk. It led to Franco scoring on Freddy Galvis' two-out, two-run homer which proved to be the game-winner. "I think if you were a betting man, you wouldn't have bet he took a walk, because he's trying to tie the game up," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "But that's a great sign." The Phillies' record for consecutive games with a home run is five, which has been accomplished five times, including twice by Chase Utley in the 2008 season. Bobby Abreu, Mike Schmidt and Dick Allen have also homered in five straight games for Philadelphia. Franco will have his chance to tie that mark on Thursday in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Morgan Gets The Nod – Adam Morgan will take the mound Thursday for the Phillies when they open their final series of the first half in Denver. Morgan, a left-hander, will make a spot start against the Rockies in place of Aaron Nola. The Phillies announced earlier in the week Nola would skip his final start before the All-Star break. Morgan has made 11 starts this season, but he was moved to the bullpen last month when righty Vince Velasquez was activated from the disabled list. The 26-year-old has a 6.31 ERA in 13 appearances totalling 61 1/3 innings. He last pitched on Saturday, when he allowed one run over three innings of relief against the Royals in a game started by Nola. Nola, in his second year in the Majors, has hit a wall in the last month. The young right-hander is 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts and has not lasted longer than five innings in any of those outings. He started the season with a 2.65 ERA through his first 12 starts, but his season mark has risen to 4.69 since June 5. Nola will pitch a simulated game in Colorado before the Phillies head into the All-Star break.

Minor Monthly Awards – The Phillies announced their Minor League Players of the Month for June on Wednesday. Rhys Hoskins (Double-A Reading) was the Hitter of the Month, as he hit .351 with a 1.198 OPS, 13 homers and 33 RBIs in 27 games. Triple-A Lehigh Valley was home to the other honorees. Righty Jake Thompson was the Pitcher of the Month as he went 3-0 with an 0.76 ERA in five starts. Meanwhile, shortstop and Phillies' top prospect, J.P. Crawford, was the organization's Fielder of the Month with only two errors in 26 games.

Today In Phils History – The Phillies walked 6 straight New York hitters in 1909 to set a new, albeit briefly held, MLB record. In 1920, in a truly rare feat, the Phillies Mack Wheat bunts into a triple play. There was an odd occurrence during the Phillies 5-1 loss to the Dodgers in 1931 when Fred Brickell, advancing on a single by Chuck Klein, was knocked out when he ran into the 3B and called out despite Manager Burt Shotton pulling his foot onto the bag (coach’s interference). When Richie Ashburn entered the game in 1950 no one expected that game to be the first of 730 consecutive games played, a streak that would last until the 1955 opener. An All Star Game legend was born on this day in 1964 when OF Johnny Callison hit a 2 run homerun with 2 outs in the 9^th inning to secure the 7-4 win for the NL at Shea Stadium. 1977 saw the Phillies finish out their longest undefeated homestand in franchise history following consecutive 4 game sweeps of Pittsburgh and New York. Kevin Stocker picked a heck of a game in which to make his MLB debut in 1993 when Mitch Williams blew the 2 run lead in the 9th leading to a 20 inning marathon which saw the Phillies fall behind in what would be the final inning only to have Lenny Dykstra hit a walk off double. And, finally, it was on this day 12 years ago when Bobby Abreu became the 1^st player selected for the NL All Star team by the fans in the “final vote” selection process.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 40-46 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 31-70-0 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.