Morgan Turns Corner As Phillies Beat Marlins

GAME RECAP: Phils Fluster Fish 4-3

Games are starting to run out on the Marlins' playoff chances, and the Phillies are thoroughly happy to take on the role of spoiler as they develop their own young talent. On Tuesday night, left-hander Adam Morgan kept Miami off stride, allowing one run in six innings, and Philadelphia held on for a 4-3 victory at Marlins Park. Odubel Herrera had two hits, reached four times and scored three runs for the Phillies, who have taken the first two games of the series, while the Marlins dropped their fifth straight and 10 of 11. With 23 games remaining, the Marlins are struggling to stay in reach of the second National League Wild Card spot, falling to six games behind St. Louis. "A big part of it is catching a team when they're scuffling," said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. "[The Marlins] have been scuffling, and we took advantage of it. These last two games reminds me of games we were winning early in the season where we'd scuffle, scratch and claw and come out on top." Morgan had lost nine straight decisions, the longest skid in the Majors this season, and hadn't won since beating the Phillies on May 10. Herrera recorded his 33rd multi-hit game of the season and 18th on the road. The sluggish Miami offense came to life in the eighth inning. Ichiro Suzuki belted his first career pinch-hit home run, a two-run drive to right off reliever Hector Neris. The Marlins threatened with two on and two out in the inning before Neris struck out Jeff Francoeur. And they threatened again in the ninth, putting runners on first and second with one out against closer Jeanmar Gomez after third baseman Maikel Franco's throwing error. But Gomez ended the threat by striking out Dee Gordon looking. The Phillies scored twice off Jose Urena in the first inning, on Tommy Joseph's sacrifice fly and Freddy Galvis' RBI single. Herrera had a triple and scored on Joseph's double, making it 3-0 in the third, and Galvis knocked in a run in the fifth. "This team is grinding it out, it was big," said Morgan, who came into the game getting an average of just 2.67 runs per nine innings of support over his nine-game losing streak -- lowest of any NL starter. Adeiny Hechavarria had an RBI single off Morgan in the fifth, and the Marlins received a boost in the inning when Giancarlo Stanton, reinstated on Tuesday after sustaining a Grade 3 left groin strain on Aug. 13, delivered a pinch-hit single. Stanton immediately was removed for pinch-runner Robert Andino, who was stranded.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• For a team with recent trouble scoring runs, the Phillies wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. They put the first three batters of the game on base, with two of them scoring. Cesar Hernandez and Herrera opened with consecutive singles before Franco drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Joseph followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Hernandez, and Galvis sent Herrera home with single to make it 2-0. "That was huge," Mackanin said of the fast start. "It was nice to jump out to a 2-0 start, and then we added on after that. But we still left 11 men on base. We had opportunities to score more runs and blow it wide open, but we didn't." Urena was tagged for four runs in five innings. "Early on, it didn't seem like we had a whole lot going on," Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. "Jose, they got him early. He was out of the zone, and it basically seemed like he was up more today than we'd seen in the last couple of outings. More balls up in the zone, more offspeed up in the zone, more unfavorable counts, things like that."
• In addition to his contributions at the plate, Herrera made a nice running catch of a long fly ball in center field off the bat of Jeff Francoeur in the second inning that kept the Marlins off the scoreboard. That's because the next batter, J.T. Realmuto, lined what could have been an RBI double. Instead it became just a two-out hit, and Realmuto was left stranded. "Defense made some awesome plays behind me, helped me minimize the damage," a grateful Morgan said.
• In his remarkable career, Ichiro has collected 3,019 big league hits in 9,646 at-bats. On Tuesday night, the 42-year-old celebrated another first. When he connected off Neris in the eighth inning, it was his first career pinch-hit home run. Ichiro's drive over the wall in right field pulled Miami to within 4-3. According to Statcast™, the home run landed a projected 369 feet away with an exit velocity of 97 mph. It also was Ichiro's first home run of the season. Ichiro is now one hit shy of matching Rafael Palmeiro (3,020) for 26th on MLB's all-time list. "It gives us a little bit of life," Mattingly said. "So that was obviously big for us."

NEXT GAME:

Jeremy Hellickson (10-8, 3.88 ERA) takes the mound on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET to wrap up the series at Marlins Park. The right-hander is looking to shake off his last two outings in which he gave up a combined nine runs over 10 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Ending The Skid – It was a long time coming, but Phillies starter Adam Morgan got just enough run support to come out a winner in Tuesday's 4-3 decision over the Marlins. The lefty went six innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He struck out five, and for the second consecutive outing, he did not walk a batter. Morgan came into the game having lost nine consecutive decisions while posting a 6.72 ERA over his last 15 games, which included 13 starts and two relief appearances. It was the longest losing streak in the Majors this season, and longest by a Phillies pitcher in a single season since Kyle Abbott, who dropped 11 consecutive decisions from April 10-July 6, 1992. Hugh Mulcahy holds the franchise record for consecutive losses. He dropped 12 straight from Aug. 4-Sept. 23, 1940. Continuing to develop a two-seam fastball, which Morgan began throwing upon his recall from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, is making a big difference in his game. "The two-seamer, the changeup and he's keeping the ball down better," said Phils manager Pete Mackanin. "He needed to make a change and pitch differently than he had in the past, and he's starting to do that." The new pitch is paying dividends for Morgan, who said he still has some work to do with it. "It definitely can get better, more consistent. For now, I'll take it," said Morgan, who struggled with the idea of adding a new pitch mid-season. "You've got to buy into it. You can't go into it half-hearted. It was one of those things where I needed a pitch that goes away to righties and into lefties that gets them to mis-hit it." What makes Morgan's big league streak even more unusual is that upon being called up from Triple-A, Morgan had a six-game win streak going. He allowed three runs or fewer in each of those six starts with the IronPigs, and had a 2.72 ERA over that span. Morgan was named International League Pitcher of the Week prior to his recall for the week of Aug. 1-7, after going 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. "It's been the same game plan; keep it down, keep it simple," said Morgan, whose game plan for the Marlins remained just as simple. "Don't try to do anything too crazy. This is an aggressive team. I just went out and executed." Morgan said he stayed focused through the tough times as hard as that was at times. "I wouldn't say that I lost confidence," he said. "It did get tough there for a while. But you can't lose confidence; you can't lose belief in yourself. You do that and this game will kick you out real fast." Besides, it hasn't been all on Morgan. He'd only gotten 20 runs of support in 67 1/3 innings. That's 2.67 runs of support per nine innings, the lowest for any National League starter. On Tuesday, four runs were enough to give Morgan his first win since May 10.

Asher Returns – Phillies utility player Darnell Sweeney was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday, and it was made official after Tuesday's 4-3 win that right-handed pitcher Alec Asher will take his place on the roster. Asher, just off an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use, will get the start on Thursday when the Phillies open a four-game series in Washington. The 24-year-old from Lakeland, Fla., was a fourth-round pick by Texas in the 2012 Draft and acquired by the Phillies as part of the Cole Hamels trade. With Phils starter Vince Velasquez shut down for the rest of the season and the team in need of arms to finish out the year, Asher could be an option to fill that spot in the rotation. Asher scuffled with the Phillies late last season, posting an 0-6 record with a 9.31 ERA in seven starts. He got a no-decision in the only game the Phillies won during that span. Over 29 innings, Asher yielded 30 runs on 42 hits, including eight homers. He struck out 16 and walked 10. Opposing batters hit .339 over that stretch. In five Minor League seasons with the Rangers and Phils, "The Big Cat," as the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder is also known, has put together a 32-33 record with a 3.39 ERA. This season in the Minors, he went 4-2 with a 2.37 ERA, with 46 strikeouts and 10 walks over 64 2/3 innings. "I haven't seen him," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I've heard he's now throwing a very good two-seam fastball, which he didn't have last year. I'm anxious to see him." Asher fills the 40-man roster spot opened up when Sweeney was outrighted. Sweeney cleared waivers and will finish out the season with the IronPigs, where he hit .232 in 443 plate appearances this season. Sweeney was acquired by the Phils as part of the Chase Utley trade, but the 25-year-old struggled last season with the team, hitting just .176 in 37 games. He played second and third base, as well as all three outfield positions. "He's got to hit, it's pretty simple," Mackanin said. "Improve his defense. At this level you have to produce. Numbers matter and he doesn't have numbers." Mackanin said that while Sweeney still possesses great potential, it hasn't been realized yet. "At some point you have to live up to your potential," Mackanin said.

Howard Nominated – Ryan Howard's legacy is secure, both for his works on the field with the Phillies and off the field in Philadelphia. Howard has been nominated for Major League Baseball's Roberto Clemente Award. The league announced the 30 club nominees Tuesday for its annual recognition of a player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. Each club nominates one player to be considered for the award in tribute to Clemente's achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Wednesday marks the 15th annual Roberto Clemente Day, which MLB established to honor Clemente's legacy and to officially acknowledge local club nominees of the Roberto Clemente Award. Clubs playing at home on Wednesday will recognize their local nominees as part of Roberto Clemente Day ceremonies. Visiting clubs will honor their nominees before another September home game. Beginning on Roberto Clemente Day, fans are encouraged to participate in the new process of selecting the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award by posting any nominee's voting hashtags to MLB's official social media accounts, @MLB on Twitter and Facebook.com/MLB. Howard's hashtag is #VoteHoward. As part of the league-wide celebration, the Roberto Clemente Day logo will appear on the bases and official dugout lineup cards, and a special tribute video will be played in ballparks. The original "Commissioner's Award" for philanthropic service was renamed in 1973 in honor of Clemente, the Hall of Famer and 15-time All-Star who died in a plane crash on New Year's Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Howard's works in the community are almost too numerous to mention. He and his wife, Krystle, created The Ryan Howard Big Piece Foundation in 2013. The foundation focuses on "engaging children, specifically those who lack athletic and educational opportunities, in the fundamental area of literacy." Its first program, "The Ryan Howard Reading Challenge," challenged students in a Philadelphia public school to read 20 minutes a day, seven days a week. The program resulted in more than one million minutes of reading by students, which Howard used as an incentive to award the school a grant for a new reading room. The interactive, baseball-themed room, dubbed "Howard's Homeroom," is filled with books, computers and iPads for students to read, create and dream. Howard raised $75,000 to provide the room by holding events on his off-days. Of course, the new Phillies Urban Youth Academy was unveiled this summer in South Philadelphia, and it was named the Ryan Howard Training Center. "It's been our passion to give back to our community, especially when it relates to baseball and education," Howard said in July. "It's an extreme honor to be part of something we hope will help thousands and thousands of kids." Ryan and Krystle wrote a children's book series called "Little Rhino." Howard and Krystle invited students for a pregame "Little Rhino Read-Along," where he and his teammates acted out scenes from one of the books. The performance shared the joy of reading with K-5 grade students and raised funds for The Phillies Urban Youth Academy. Ryan and the Phillies will soon announce his significant and long-term commitment toward the construction of the Academy's educational building. Ryan's reading program will also be announced as a featured part of the curriculum.

Today In Phils History – In a battle of the titans, the Phillies and Pirates faced off on this day in 1901 with the Phillies having lost 10 in a row and the Pirates having lost 9 (the Phillies won the game). 10 years later, in his rookie year, Pete Alexander defeated 44 year old Cy Young who was playing his last season in MLB. With a homerun off of Don Newcombe at Crosley Field in 1959, Wally Post had recorded at least 1 homerun in every NL park. Greg Luzinski hit his 1^st MLB homerun into the 500 level at the Vet on this day in 1971. That same day, Mike Anderson appeared in the resumed portion of the game which was started on August 1^st and suspended in the 12^th inning… given the original start date of the contest this is considered his first game despite appearing in 7 games the week prior. The following season Steve Carlton defeated St. Louis for his 100^th career win and 23^rd victory of the season setting a new franchise record for lefties… he also brought his season strikeout total to 272 surpassing Jim Bunning's team mark of 268 set in 1965. In 1996, Scott Rolen is hit in the hand ending his season 1 at bat shy of losing his rookie status… he would win rookie of the year the following season. The next year, Expos shortstop Mark Grudzielanek hit his 49^th double of the year against the Phillies breaking the NL record set by Phillie Dick Bartell in 1932. Finally, 1 notable MLB debut occurred on this day in 1980 when Marty Bystrom took the mound for the Phillies.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 62-76 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 55-65-1 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.

Velasquez Solid, Joseph Goes Deep, And Goeddel Saves The Game

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Rockies 5-3

Tommy Joseph emerged from a recent funk to deliver a three-run, pinch-hit homer in the seventh inning and lift the Phillies over the Rockies, 5-3, at Coors Field on Friday night. Joseph's 455-foot shot came off lefty Jake McGee, who let the two runners he inherited from effective starter Jon Gray and two others score in his fourth appearance since his return from missing three weeks with a left knee injury. Gray fanned eight in 6 1/3 innings. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said of his homer. McGee, who entered because manager Walt Weiss watched Gray's leadoff four-pitch walk and saw fatigue signs, had increased the use of the slider since coming off the disabled list. But for much of his career he has thrown the fastball around 95 percent of the time. "Most of my career, I've got to stick with my fastball and not get beat with a secondary pitch," McGee said. "My slider, in that situation, lost the game and kind of spoiled Gray's good outing." The Joseph homer made a winner of Phillies starting pitcher Vince Velasquez, who gave up eight hits but held the Rockies to two runs in six innings. The Phillies prevailed on a night when Rockies All-Star right fielder Carlos Gonzalez had three hits, including a double, and Trevor Story drove in two runs.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Joseph might be getting his mojo back after struggling since a hot start. His pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh was the Phillies' first pinch-hit homer of the season and Joseph's first pinch-hit of his career. He had been 0-for-7 in pinch-hitting opportunities. He is 6-for-12 in his last four games. "To feel like you did something for the team, it feels pretty good," Joseph said.
• Tyler Goeddel replaced Cody Asche in left field in the eighth inning and it paid off with a game-saving catch. The Rockies had a runner on second with two outs when DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted in from his position and made the diving catch. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there."
• "I'll take it. Everyone has their ups and downs. You're not going to be perfect all the way through." -- Velasquez, speaking about his first half. He finished 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA.
• Joseph's homer traveled a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing Maikel Franco's 449-foot homer, which he hit Monday. It is the Phillies' longest homer since Cameron Rupp's 461-foot long ball on Aug. 24, 2015.
• The Phillies announced outfielder Aaron Altherr began a rehab assignment Friday with the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies. He is recovering from a torn tendon in his left wrist. The team also announced right-hander Andrew Bailey had been activated from the 15-day disabled list. Bailey had been sidelined with a strained left hamstring.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff (6-9, 3.30 ERA) makes his final start before the All-Star break on Saturday night at 8:40 p.m. ET against the Rockies at Coors Field. Eickhoff is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA in his last seven starts.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rule 5 Dive – Tyler Goeddel is trying to make his mark this season, but the opportunities at times have been scarce. He made the most of his chance Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. He pinch-hit in the top of the eighth inning for Phillies left fielder Cody Asche and remained in the game. He then made a lead-saving catch with a runner on second and two outs in the bottom of the inning when Rockies second baseman DJ LeMahieu hit a blooper into shallow left-center field. Goeddel sprinted from his spot in left to make a spectacular diving catch to end the threat. "I got a good read off the bat," Goeddel said. "I knew if that ball dropped that run would score. I knew I had to make an effort to make a play. When I hit the ground the ball sort of squirted in my glove a little bit. It stayed in there." Not bad for a converted third baseman, who started playing the outfield last year. "I love selling out, making those plays," Goeddel said. "That's the best part of playing the outfield." The Phillies selected Goeddel with the first overall pick in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft. He is hitting .221 with three doubles, three triples, three home runs and 13 RBIs in 59 games, although his playing time has been reduced recently due to the torrid hitting of Peter Bourjos and Asche. "It's been fun, really fun," Goeddel said of his first half. "A learning experience, for sure. At the start of the year I was getting my feet wet. It took a little bit of time, but the more I played, the more I felt comfortable. Any way you can contribute up here is awesome. Whatever my role is I want to help the team win. I think this first half I feel like I've helped out quite a bit. Hopefully I'll continue to improve as the season goes on and continue to make some plays."

Regaining Form – Tommy Joseph never felt it. He crushed a pinch-hit, three-run home run to left field in the seventh inning Friday night in a 5-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field. It was the Phillies' first pinch-hit home run of the season, and the first pinch-hit of Joseph's career. "No doubters, you don't feel them," Joseph said. It came at a huge moment of the game. The Phillies' offense had been quiet since arriving in Colorado, but had just scored its first run in the seventh to cut the Rockies' lead to 2-1. Joseph stepped into the batter's box and three pitches later mashed a 1-1 breaking ball against Rockies left-hander Jake McGee a projected 455 feet, according to Statcast™. It is the Phillies' longest homer of the season, surpassing the 448-foot blast Maikel Franco hit Monday at Citizens Bank Park. "Thanks to him," said Phillies right-hander Vince Velasquez, who picked up his eighth win of the season. Joseph might be finding his mojo again. He hit .323 (21-for-65) with two doubles, seven home runs, 12 RBIs and a 1.010 OPS in the first 21 games of his big league career. He played so well Phillies manager Pete Mackanin officially put Ryan Howard into a bench role. But since homering twice against the Nationals on June 10, Joseph hit just .114 (8-for-70) with three doubles, one home run, three RBIs and a .325 OPS in 19 games. "It was quite a funk," Joseph said. But following the towering homer Friday, Joseph is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with one double, two home runs, five RBIs and a 1.622 OPS in his last four games. Joseph said adjustments he has made recently have helped. Some helpful words from teammates have been beneficial, too. "Creating movement with the legs," Joseph said. "I got away from that." He is back at it and Friday it might have helped him crush a ball a country mile.

Huge Potential – The Phillies will have one heck of a story if Simon Muzziotti makes the big leagues. They signed the 17-year-old outfielder from Venezuela to a $750,000 bonus Friday. Muzziotti comes to the Phillies in a very unusual way. He was a free agent, despite the fact the Red Sox paid him a $300,000 bonus last summer and despite the fact he hit .317 in 17 games this summer for the Red Sox in the Dominican Summer League. Muzziotti became a free agent again recently only because Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for trying to circumvent the rules during the previous international signing period. The Red Sox were not permitted to sign players for more than $300,000 during the 2015-16 signing period because they exceeded their bonus pool in the 2014-15 signing period. But the Red Sox instead made package deals, essentially paying a group of players $300,000 each only to have a few of those players funnel much of their bonus to the most valuable player in the group. Major League Baseball penalized the Red Sox for their actions, which included making the players they signed free agents. Only $450,000 of Muzziotti's bonus counted against the Phillies' signing pool of $5,610,800. They had purposely not spent their entire signing pool just in the event something unexpected came their way. Muzziotti did. One scout told MLB.com last summer that Muzziotti compared to a young Jacoby Ellsbury. Muzziotti had been clocked at 6.5 seconds in the 60-yard dash. The Phillies previously agreed to terms with five other international players: right-hander Francisco Morales ($720,000 signing bonus), shortstop Brayan Gonzalez ($900,000), shortstop Nicolas Torres ($665,000), catcher Juan Aparicio ($475,000) and shortstop Jose Tortolero ($450,000).

Lessons Learned – The moment remains embedded in Phillies manager Pete Mackanin's memory. It was May 4, 1980. Mackanin was a bench player with the Twins. He was hitting .231, and at the age of 28, he was battling to stay in the big leagues, where he had appeared in 73 games the three previous seasons -- combined. "I am in the outfield, shagging fly balls, and [manager] Gene [Mauch] walks up and says, 'Pete, when you are trying to move the runner from second to third, a deep fly ball to right-center or center will get it done. Don't sacrifice an at-bat with a ground ball to the right side. "I told him, 'I have to stop hitting .230,' and he says, 'You're going to hit .270, .275 when it's all over. He walks away and I'm thinking, 'Dang, he thinks I can hit. It's little things like that that makes a difference. A guy with his stature in the game believes in me and I start thinking, 'Maybe I am a better hitter.'" Mackanin hit .271 his final 79 games that season, finishing at .266. Another year with the Twins and his big league playing career was over. More than 35 years later, however, Mackanin, 24 days shy of his 65th birthday, is enjoying his first season as a non-interim big league manager, and those moments with Mauch are with him every day. It has helped Mackanin handle the challenges of managing a big league team, especially a young team like the Phillies, where the ups can be way up and the downs way down. This is a team that opened the season 25-19, lost 19 of its next 24 and went into Friday having won 10 of the past 14. Mackanin has a driving desire to win. He can be as frustrated as the next guy when a hit-and-run is missed or an outfielder throws to the wrong base. But he maintains a calm exterior. It's what he learned from Mauch. "Gene would have a meeting when things weren't going well and you were thinking he's going to yell and scream, but it was just the opposite," Mackanin said. "I played for Billy Martin [as a rookie] in Texas, and you hear a lot of stories about Billy. Some of them are true. But with Billy, the only time he would yell and scream at [players] was when we were winning. When we were losing, he was looking for a way to pick everybody up." Over the years, Mackanin had plenty of opportunities to test that method, just not in the big leagues. He coached in the Majors and Minors and had a short stint as a pro scout with the Yankees, and he managed 14 seasons in the Minors with a composite 985-914 record. Mackanin even went 27-26 with the Pirates' affiliate in the Rookie level Gulf Coast League in 2006 after finishing the previous season as the interim manager of the big league club. He wanted to remain in the game, so at the age of 54, the former ballplayer welcomed the chance to take on the Minor League team. That, as much as anything, underscores that Mackanin is a baseball lifer. Even when he felt jilted, he never felt bitter. Like so many people in the game, Mackanin had a strong desire to be a big league manager, but he finally gave up that dream nine years ago. He had that interim opportunity with the Pirates when they fired Lloyd McClendon with a 55-81 record and 26 games remaining in 2005. Pittsburgh won 12 of the final 26 games with Mackanin in charge, but when it came time to hire a manager for '06, the Pirates went with Jim Tracy, who had managed the Dodgers the previous five seasons. A coach with the Reds when Jerry Narron was fired after a 31-51 start to 2007, Mackanin took over as the interim manager, saw the team go 41-39, but then Cincinnati hired Dusty Baker, a veteran of 14 years managing the Giants and Cubs. Mackanin did get interviews for managerial jobs with the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Astros and D-backs, but he wasn't hired. "I remember one question in Boston: 'You're 60 years old, why do you think you would get an opportunity to manage?'" Mackanin said with a smile. "I said, 'I don't want to introduce age into this decision. I don't think it is fair to take advantage of the youth and inexperience of the other candidates." Bobby Valentine got the job. Mackanin got the message. "I was at ease with everything," he said. "I still loved the game and wanted to be part of it, but I knew my time had passed [to be a manager]." Well, he thought his time had passed. Mackanin did take a coaching job with the Phillies, and when he was dismissed after the 2012 season, he became a scout with the Yankees. When Ryne Sandberg became the Phillies' manager, he hired Mackanin to be the third-base coach, and it was Mackanin who assumed the interim managerial job when Sandberg stepped down. He never thought he would be managing the team on a full-time basis in 2016. But he is. "I'm happy," Mackanin said. "I'm not out to prove anything. If I was 50, I would probably be a lot more anxious about things, but I turn 65 the first of August, and I'm managing in the big leagues. I am just doing what I have always done." Mackanin is doing the things he learned from those days, playing for the likes of Mauch and Martin.

Today In Phils History – On Wally Post’s 20^th birthday, Phillies phans harassed Boston manager Billy Southworth in 1949 for not including Robin Roberts and Ken Heintzelman on the All Star roster. 4 years later, Robin Roberts was pulled in the 8^th inning ending a streak of 28 straight complete games dating back to August of the previous season. In 1967, Dick Allen hit a monster homerun over the 40 foot high center field wall at Connie Mack Stadium. 20 years later, with his 513^th career homerun, Mike Schmidt passed Eddie Matthews and Ernie Banks for 11^th all time. Ricky Bottalico represented the Phillies well as their lone representative in the 1996 All Star Game at the Vet by pitching a scoreless inning of relief. Lastly, this is the day when newly acquired Joe Blanton made his Phillies debut in 2008.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 41-47 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 44-51-0 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record.

"O" No, Phillies Can’t Hold Lead Despite Solid Performances

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: O’s Edge Phils 8-7

Despite a final spring gem from Aaron Nola (3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER) and homeruns by Maikel Franco (9), Ryan Howard (3), and Carlos Ruiz (5), the Phillies couldn’t pull out the victory in the final match up of the spring finishing the preseason with a 15-11-3 record. Simply put, the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead giving up 2 runs in the final frame. Highlights include the massive power surge by the aforementioned Franco and the solid hitting from three hole hitter Odubel Herrera who finished the spring with a .419 average after going 3-5 in last night’s game. Of course, as Allan Iverson put it, “we’re talkin’ about practice!” We will just have to wait and see if the solid play on display the spring translates into wins during the regular season.

PHILS PHACTS:

The Phillies are 15-10-3 this spring with one game left against a Major League opponent. And

NEXT GAME:

The Phillies continue their two game split series tonight at Citizens Bank Park where the minor league team will look to rebound from the drubbing they received on Thursday night. However, the question remains, with an outstanding offensive display behind them can the two teams show some promise on the mound?

PHILS PHACTS:

Longballs And Acquisitions - Four years before Pete Incaviglia was born, Wally Post shockingly defeated Hank Aaron on national TV during a 1960 broadcast of "Home Run Derby". Over 40 years later, in 2006, Ryan Howard gave us a glimpse of things to come when he hit his franchise record 11th homerun of the spring. 1996 was also a year of surprising power as Benito Santiago (and Todd Zeile) debuted behind the plate. Ten years later another player debuted for the Phillies, Aaron Rowand, who was not know for his power but for running into the outfield wall. However, what seemed inconsequential at the time but would prove to be one of the better trades in team history, the Phillies received Curt Schilling from Houston for Jason Grimsley. 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have an impressive record this spring… 15-11-3 (17-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). With the Phillies having finished the 2015 season with a spectacularly awful record of 63-99 it will be interesting to see what kind of team new President Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak put on the field. At the same time I am definitely looking forward to the games against Boston with former GM Ruben Amaro on the field. Given the departures, lingering contracts, a history of injuries, bipolar performances, and unproven talent, it should, at the very least, be an interesting season for the Phillies. Who knows, maybe they can avoid 100 losses... hopefully by more than one game!

Speaking Of Phillies Pitchers…

PHILS PHACTS:

Loaded AAA Rotation – The Phillies could have one of the most intriguing Triple-A rotations in 2016. Nobody knows what will happen in Spring Training, but on paper, the favorites to make the Phillies' rotation are Jeremy Hellickson, Charlie Morton, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and Vincent Velasquez. That could put three of their top pitching prospects in Lehigh Valley in right-handers Mark Appel, Jake Thompson and Zach Eflin. The Phillies acquired each in a trade. Philadelphia got Appel on Saturday in the Ken Giles trade with Houston. It acquired Thompson in the Cole Hamels trade with Texas in July. And the Phils nabbed Elfin in the Jimmy Rollins trade with the Dodgers in December 2014. Appel, 24, is getting plenty of buzz in Philadelphia because he just arrived and because he is a former No. 1 pick and is ranked 43rd in MLBPipline.com's Top 100 Prospects list. He has excellent stuff, but his Minor League results have not backed that up. Appel has a 5.12 ERA in 54 appearances (53 starts) in the Minors, including a 4.48 ERA in 12 starts last season with Triple-A Fresno. But his repertoire is why some still think Appel can be a front-line starter. "We still believe in the player's talent," Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said Monday. "We still believe in his makeup and his competitiveness. We believe Mark Appel is going to fit right in with what we're trying to do. I would expect he'll be in Major League camp and have the ability to showcase himself there and hopefully make a contribution in 2016 and for a long time. The biggest thing that we still believe in is that Mark Appel has great stuff. He's had great stuff since he was at Stanford, and he still does. Players develop at different rates. And there are different factors for that for everybody." Perhaps Appel leaving his hometown of Houston, where he had the pressure to succeed as the first overall pick in the 2013 Draft, will help him. "I think that's certainly a possibility," Klentak said. "I don't know the person all that well yet. I spoke with him on Saturday, and he seems like a terrific kid. I was really excited, and more importantly, he was really excited. I think there's something to that. Expectations in this game are real, and pressures in this game are real, and sometimes there are good reasons for it and sometimes not. "Sometimes, a change of scenery can really help players. Now we have to do our part [in] helping him change that scenery as well. It's not a matter of just changing uniforms. We are going to have to put him in a good environment and help him do things that will have him reach his ceiling, as we would do with any player. I do think what is encouraging to us is the physical stuff that allowed him to be drafted 1-1 is still there, and that's what's exciting to us."

Minor Staff Update – The Phillies announced their player development staff for 2016 on Tuesday. There are no significant changes, with every manager returning. That includes Dave Brundage (Triple-A Lehigh Valley), Dusty Wathan (Double-A Reading), Greg Legg (Class A Advanced Clearwater), Shawn Williams (Class A Lakewood), Pat Borders (Class A Short-Season Williamsport) and Roly deArmas (Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies). The coordinator staff also remains intact: Doug Mansolino (field), Andy Tracy (hitting/assistant field), Rafael Chaves (pitching), Chris Truby (infield), Andy Abad (outfield/baserunning), Ernie Whitt (catching), Joe Rauch (athletic training/rehab) and Jason Meredith (strength & conditioning). Ray Burris will be the rehab pitching coach, and Carlos Arroyo remains the roving pitching coach. Here is a look at the rest of the staff: Lehigh Valley: Sal Rende returns as a coach. David Lundquist is the new pitching coach. Reading: Frank Cacciatore will be Wathan's coach, while Steve Schrenk joins the staff as pitching coach. Clearwater: Rob Ducey will be a coach. Aaron Fultz is the pitching coach. Lakewood: Nelson Prada will be the coach, and Brian Sweeney will be the pitching coach. Williamsport: Hector Berrios will be the pitching coach. Former Phillies assistant hitting coach John Mizerock will be a new coach for Williamsport. Mizerock will coach at Lehigh Valley until Williamsport's season begins in June. GCL Phillies: Rafael DeLima and Eddie Dennis will coach. Hector Mercado rejoined the organization as the pitching coach. Mercado, a left-hander, pitched parts of the 2002 and '03 seasons for the Phillies.

What Could Have Been – There's no shortage of ways for friends and family members to exchange gifts during the holiday season: Secret Santa, that thing where everyone grabs a string and pulls at the same time to get a small present out of the same box... Well, back on Dec. 16, 2009, four MLB teams decided to do a Yankee Swap that ironically didn't involve the Yankees. The Phillies, Blue Jays, Mariners and A's came to terms on an epic nine-player trade that featured seven top prospects, $6 million, two AL Cy Young Award-winning pitchers and a partridge in a pear tree. Here's how it looked. Phillies got: Roy Halladay, Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez and $6 million. Blue Jays got: Kyle Drabek, Brett Wallace and Travis d'Arnaud. Mariners got: Cliff Lee. A's got: Michael Taylor (not that Michael Taylor). The Mariners flipped Lee to the Rangers at the Trade Deadline in 2010, which meant that Lee pitched in and lost two consecutive World Series for two different teams ('09 Phillies, '10 Rangers). Halladay threw a perfect game and a postseason no-hitter for the 2010 Phillies, but the team lost to the Giants in the NLCS. Your browser does not support iframes.  After the 2010 season, Lee -- a free agent -- signed back with the Phillies to join Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in a highly touted rotation. The Phils lost the fofllowing year's NLDS to the Cardinals in five games and have not been back to the postseason since. Lee is looking to make an MLB comeback in 2016.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Red Sox Sweep Phillies As Ortiz Closes In On 500

GAME RECAP: Red Sox Sweep Phillies 6-2

Call it deja vu for David Ortiz. The slugger went deep again Sunday afternoon, inching closer to the 500-homer mark, and drove in three to back Eduardo Rodriguez's impressive start as the Red Sox swept the Phillies, 6-2, at Fenway Park. Ortiz, who also homered Saturday, smoked a two-run shot to right -- his 497th home run -- in the first for a 2-0 lead, though he later exited the game with right calf tightness and is day to day. Jackie Bradley Jr. added a two-run triple in a four-run fourth, his sixth extra-base hit in seven games, and Rodriguez spun seven strong innings of one-run ball in Boston's second three-game sweep. "He controlled his pitch counts, he was on the attack -- great outing [that] kind of set the tone for us to do some things offensively," Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said of Rodriguez. Rodriguez is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA over his last four starts, but Lovullo said the southpaw has an innings limit, which could mean shorter outings for the rest of the season. Right-hander Jerad Eickhoff, the third rookie trotted out by the Phillies in the series, surrendered six runs, eight hits and a pair of walks over four innings in his first real stumbling block. He had recorded quality starts in each of his first three Major League outings. The Phillies are 3-10 in their past 13 games, and their starters own a Major League-high 6.31 ERA on the road in 2015.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The 25-year-old labored mightily through the second and needed 44 pitches to finish the inning. Even after he erased a leadoff double by catching Rusney Castillo trying to swipe third, Eickhoff's shaky command opened the door for Boston to plate four runs on five hits in the frame. Bradley authored the biggest blow when he smacked a 2-2 fastball to right for a triple. Eickhoff settled down somewhat after that, working a perfect four-pitch third inning and a scoreless fourth. "I think I just got back to what makes me good as a pitcher," Eickhoff said. "Just located my fastball a little better. I think I got away from that [early]. I kind of started hot and heavy. But the last two innings I got back to that, what I do best." "These young guys, they're taking their lumps," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "But that's what this year's about and that's what the first time through the big leagues, you got to fine-tune it a little bit and get over the experience of being here for the first time."
• Although the Phillies' offense remained largely dormant, center fielder Odubel Herrera stayed hot by recording his third multihit performance in six games, which raised his average above .300 for the first time since May 3. His .302 mark is the Phillies' best among qualified hitters. "What a Rule 5 [Draft] pick, Herrera. Boy is he fun to watch," Mackanin said. "And he's over .300 now. Playing super defense. I don't know if it was [pro scouting director] Mike Ondo, but somebody did a heck of a job getting that guy."

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.89 ERA) takes the mound as the Phils begin a 10-game homestand at Citizens Bank Park, starting with Monday's 7:05 p.m. ET series opener against the Braves. Harang hasn't won since he last faced Atlanta on July 30, when he allowed one run over five innings. He carries a 0.95 ERA in three starts against the club this season. 

PHILS PHACTS:

Learning Through Adversity – Three times this weekend, the Phillies sent a rookie starter out to face the Red Sox. And though all three occasions ended in defeat, including Sunday's 6-2 loss that completed a sweep for Boston, interim manager Pete Mackanin recognizes that such struggles simply come with the territory of building toward 2016. "These young guys, they're taking their lumps," Mackanin said. "But that's what this year's about, and that's what the first time through the big leagues, you've got to fine-tune it a little bit and get over the experience of being here for the first time." On Sunday, right-hander Jerad Eickhoff took his turn learning just how difficult the Majors can be, allowing six runs on eight hits over four innings. He fell victim to David Ortiz's 497th home run in the first inning, a two-run blast to right field, and then surrendered four runs in a 44-pitch second. After that, however, Eickhoff went on to work two scoreless innings, including a perfect third on four pitches. "We were going to see if he would get away from his fastball and start being real fine with his pitches," Mackanin said. "Actually, I think he was trying to be too fine early in the game. When that happens, you end up making mistakes. And then after the damage was done, he went right back to his fastball and started making pitches. He reacted extremely well. So it was good to see." The shaky performance came after Eickhoff recorded quality starts in his first three games. But the 25-year-old took the tough game in stride, adding that he was glad Mackanin let him continue pitching after the second. "I'm as stubborn as they come," Eickhoff said. "And I want to come up here, and no matter how bad it's looking or how bad it is, I want to go out there for my team and try to get as deep as I can." To give his staff of youngsters some needed rest, Mackanin revealed that the Phillies plan on moving to a six-man rotation starting Wednesday against the Braves. However, the club has not announced who will take the open spot. "We've got a limit on pitches for [Aaron] Nola, and you got to be careful with Eickhoff and [Alec] Asher," Mackanin said. "For everybody, it's good this late in the season, especially the young guys who haven't pitched. Unless they're going to get extra days in between. Because they're not used to going this deep into a season. They're not used to playing in September. So the inning totals are going to be important to keep an eye on." For Eickhoff and his fellow rookies, they at least have the benefit of relying on their shared experiences while continuing to break into the big leagues. "Going through what I went through today, I would've bounced that off other pitchers and just see what they would've done differently, what I could have done instead of doing this, things like that," Eickhoff said. "So I think it's a good reference point, for sure."

Embracing Veteran Role – As Jeff Francoeur scanned the Phillies' lineup card Sunday morning and found his name, he joked that interim manager Pete Mackanin had made him the designated hitter by default. Francoeur's reason? Most of his teammates are too young to DH. "It's kind of new," Francoeur said. "A lot of teams I'd always played on -- Chipper [Jones], [Carlos] Beltran and those guys -- whenever we played, they would DH. I guess now I'm the old guy on the team to DH." Following the midseason departures of Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon, the 31-year-old Francoeur suddenly finds himself in an unfamiliar role as one of the club's elder statesmen. Sunday's lineup featured six players under the age of 26 and rookie starter Jerad Eickhoff on the mound. "It's definitely been weird. But I enjoy the grind of it," Francoeur said. "I enjoy helping some of these younger guys. Odubel [Herrera], Aaron Altherr, and just teaching them the game the best I can." Sitting around in between at-bats is also a fairly fresh experience for Francoeur, who played just his fifth career game as the DH. "Honestly for me, it's just stay in the game, stay focused before each at-bat," Francoeur said. "It can get tough sometimes. It's more just trying to lock in and concentrate the best you can. It's almost like pinch-hitting a little bit. You kind of sit around and relax. I'll come up [in the clubhouse] and stretch, swing a little bit." Now on his seventh team in 11 seasons, Francoeur's up-and-downs leave him well-equipped to assist a clubhouse as young as Philadelphia's. He counts this season in particular as a personal triumph after playing almost all of 2014 with Triple-A El Paso, a Padres affiliate. "It's a humbling thing. I think you ask any guy, growing up, you never would have thought you would play for 11 seasons," Francoeur said. "But at the same time, it shows how hard you work. Especially for me after last year. Spending some of the year at Triple-A, then getting to come back and put a good year together was something that meant a lot to me."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 53-84. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances this season, this could still end up being the worst team in franchise history… at least that is something to hope for this year! All time, the Phillies are 55-65-1 on this day.