Phils Suffer Rare Spring Loss To O’s

EXHIBITION GAME RECAP: Orioles Edge Phillies 8-7

Maikel Franco grabbed the Major League lead in home runs and RBIs this spring, but the Orioles rallied for an 8-7 victory over the Phillies on Monday afternoon at Ed Smith Stadium. Franco, who smacked 14 homers in 80 games as a rookie last year, went deep in each of his first two at-bats on Monday, against Orioles right-hander Yovani Gallardo. The 23-year-old ripped a solo blast over the left-field seats in the first inning, then launched a three-run shot in the same direction two frames later. He now has six homers and 14 RBIs in 11 Grapefruit League games. Paul Janish poked a go-ahead two-run single to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Baltimore scored three runs to jump in front. Manny Machado and Adam Jones both hit their second home runs of the spring for the Orioles, who improved to 2-11-2 in Grapefruit League play. Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel led off the game with a homer, and Cedric Hunter singled three times for the Phillies, who dropped to 10-4-2. Gallardo, who signed a two-year deal with Baltimore in late February, was hit hard for the second time in as many starts. He surrendered five earned runs on four hits -- including three homers -- over 2 1/3 innings, walking two and striking out one. The veteran now has allowed eight runs over 4 1/3 innings this spring. "I felt pretty good," Gallardo said. "The results weren't there. I made some mistakes, more with the slider. That's the frustrating part, that the consistency and the command's not there with it, but I'm happy I was able to command the fastball. That's probably one of the positive things that I did today, command the fastball away to the right-handed hitter, so that's a good sign." Phillies starter Alec Asher retired the first six batters he faced but gave up four runs in his final inning. Caleb Joseph hit an RBI double to get the Orioles on the board, and Ryan Flaherty launched a deep sacrifice fly before Machado's two-run shot. After going 1-for-3 with an RBI double in his Baltimore debut on Sunday, Pedro Alvarez served as the club's designated hitter on Monday and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Aaron Nola makes his third Grapefruit League start Tuesday afternoon against the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla. at 1:05 p.m. ET. Nola is 0-1 with an 11.57 ERA this spring. He typically has excellent command but has not shown it so far this spring. He hopes for improvement against the Rays. The game can be heard on a free, live exclusive webcast on MLB.com.

PHILS PHACTS:

Rule 5 Pick Having An Impact – The Phillies have 14 more Grapefruit League games to play, which means there is plenty of time to win a job on the Opening Day roster. But it seems like Rule 5 Draft pick Tyler Goeddel will make the team in some capacity. Goeddel has played well this spring. He homered and walked twice in Monday's 8-7 loss to the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Goeddel is hitting .273 (9-for-33) with two doubles, one home run, five RBIs, four walks and seven strikeouts in 11 games. Also, the Phillies' outfield is thin. Aaron Altherr is expected to miss four to six months following left wrist surgery. Odubel Herrera received X-rays on his right middle finger this week. He hurt the finger sliding head first into home plate earlier this spring. The Phillies said the X-rays were negative, and he could play as early as Wednesday. Outfielder Cody Asche also remains sidelined with a strained right oblique. There is no timetable for his return. "The thing I like about him is he seems to have good plate discipline," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said of Goeddel. "He seems to take a lot of pitches. I even mentioned to Larry (Bowa) and (Steve Henderson), this guy, the way he works the count, he's almost like a leadoff-type guy you're looking for. He makes the pitcher throw him a lot of pitches. Every time he comes to the plate it seems like it's 0-2 on him, then it's 3-2. He works the count a lot."

Bullpen Race Heating Up – The Phillies need to find seven relief pitchers before the season opens, and there are only a few locks. Right-hander David Hernandez figures to be one, although he has not pitched since March 1 because of right triceps tendinitis. It's unclear when he could appear in another Grapefruit League game, although he had hoped to pitch early this week. Jeanmar Gomez figures to be another lock, too. Brett Oberholtzer is out of options, so if he doesn't make the rotation, he will be in the 'pen. Non-roster invitee Edward Mujica walked one and struck out one in two scoreless innings Monday. He has thrown four scoreless innings this spring. Ernesto Frieri, who also is a non-roster invitee, allowed a home run to Adam Jones in the sixth inning. Frieri has allowed six runs (five earned runs) in 4 2/3 innings this spring. Mujica has an out clause in his contract for March 26. Frieri's is March 31. "We've got another couple weeks," Mackanin said regarding Frieri's struggles. "I'm not going to condemn a guy for what he did early in the spring." Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf allowed four hits, three runs and three walks in two innings to blow the save and take the loss. (All three runs came in the eighth inning.) He had allowed just one run in five innings in his previous three appearances. "We brought in Stumpf to put a little pressure on him," Mackanin said. "We've got to make a decision on him, so that's why we let him go two innings. The command; he threw a few too many fastballs, and he didn't locate well. We're going to keep running him out there, especially in high leverage situations so we can get an idea if he can handle it."

Leading The League – Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco looks ready for Opening Day. Franco homered twice against Orioles right-hander Yovani Gallardo in Tuesday's 8-7 loss in a Grapefruit League game at Ed Smith Stadium. He has six home runs and 14 RBIs this spring, the most in MLB. He had no homers his previous two Spring Trainings. "I tried too much," Franco said about his previous springs. "Now I feel comfortable at the plate. I know I'll be in the lineup every single day. That's made me more patient, more relaxed." "He seems like he's got a pretty good idea at the plate and takes advantage of mistakes," Gallardo said. But does Franco's spring success mean anything? John Dewan of Baseball Info Solutions once found a correlation between Spring Training power numbers and regular-season power numbers. At one time, he found 60 percent of hitters that boosted their career slugging percentage (minimum 200 career at-bats) by 200 or more points in Spring Training (minimum 40 at-bats) experienced an increase in power that season. Dewan has found his formula to be less successful in recent seasons, but it once correctly predicted big seasons for Pat Burrell and Placido Polanco in 2005, Ryan Howard in 2006,Chase Utley and Greg Dobbs in 2007, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz in 2009, Ruiz in 2012 and Domonic Brown in 2013. Of the four Phillies who fell short between 2005-13, two were not everyday players (Eric Bruntlett in 2009 and Pete Orr in 2011) and one got injured midway through the season (Jim Thome in 2005). Jimmy Rollins fell 18 points short of his career slugging percentage in 2009. So while it is far from a sure bet, it is worth noting that Franco has a career .453 slugging percentage in 360 career at-bats in the regular season and a .967 slugging percentage in 31 at-bats (nine at-bats short of the threshold) this spring. That is a 514-point increase. Perhaps it translates into another step forward in Franco's career. He began to enter the conversation for National League Rookie of the Year, until he broke his left wrist in August. "I'm just trying to be healthy this year," Franco said. "I know if I'm healthy something good is going to happen." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said he sees Franco as somebody capable of challenging the National League's best in home runs. That said, Mackanin believes Franco needs to improve his defense. He said it has gotten "sloppy" at times. "We don't want him to get carried away with that and forget about his defense," Mackanin said about Franco's six homers.

Trimming The Roster – The Phillies on Monday reassigned shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Nick Williams to Minor League camp and optioned outfielder Roman Quinn and right-hander Edubray Ramos to Double-A Reading. Crawford, Williams and Quinn are three of the Top 100 Prospects in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com. Some believe Ramos is the Phils' closer of the future. Expect to see at least one of them in a Phillies uniform before the end of the season. "Tomorrow or any day, but it's not up to me," Williams said when asked when he might be called to the big leagues. "If I'm in Triple-A the whole year, so be it. But I'll try to force their hand as best as I can." The Phillies moved the foursome out of camp because they want them to get ready for the Minor League season. None of them has played above Double-A, so they need more seasoning before they warrant a promotion to the big leagues. But it is not a stretch to think any or all of them could be with the Phils before the end of the season. In the case of Crawford, Williams and Quinn, the Phillies also want them to play every day when they are promoted. There will be no part-time status for them, so at-bats are critical. "It's definitely exciting for the organization," Quinn said. "To know there are a bunch of young players that can possibly be pretty good. It's exciting. Hopefully we'll all put in the work and get there pretty soon." "If it happens, it happens," Crawford said of a potential promotion. "I'm not really going to think about that. But if I do, I do. If I don't, I don't." Williams, 22, is the No. 64-ranked prospect in baseball. He lost eight pounds earlier in camp because of the flu and wound up hitting .227 (5-for-22) with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, two walks and seven strikeouts. But Williams went 3-for-9 with two doubles and one homer in his final three appearances, with those extra-base hits coming against Bobby Parnell, Roberto Hernandez and CC Sabathia. "I got my confidence up, that's for sure," Williams said. Quinn, 22, ranks No. 99. He hit .300 (6-for-20) with three triples, one home run, three RBIs, three walks, five strikeouts and two stolen bases. "It was definitely a great experience, because most of these guys had yet to see me play," Quinn said. "So it was cool to go out there and actually play for them, play for the manager and learn from the veterans. I feel pretty good. I felt confident. I feel really good, man. And seeing the Major League pitching, it definitely helps and now I already know what to expect." Ramos, 23, had a 2.70 ERA in four appearances. He allowed three hits, one run, five walks and struck out three in 3 1/3 innings. There is no question that Phillies fans are most excited to see how Crawford, Williams and Quinn progress. Can Crawford push Freddy Galvis at shortstop? Can Williams and Quinn get themselves into the outfield mix? The outfield is particularly thin with Aaron Altherr expected to miss four to six months following left wrist surgery. "I just want to play a full season, to be honest with you," said Quinn, who has had injury issues of his own. "That's all I want to do, play a full season, be healthy. Hopefully that will be this year." But each of them got a little taste of big league life. They enjoyed it, and they want more of it. "The food is better, the meal money and all of that," Williams said with a smile. "The game play is more fun. You have fans and people are cheering you on and things like that. "After the last few days hitting a lot of these good pitchers, it made me realize it could be any day from the Minor Leagues to come here in the starting lineup being an everyday player. I could see that happening a lot sooner than later." If they play well, the Phillies will have decisions to make. If they struggle, they won't. That should keep them hungry. "It'll help about how I go about my business," Williams said. "It'll also be a little chip, saying I know I can play there, so I'm going to make my way."

Today In Phils History - The Phillies did once hold spring training in Cape May but they only held the preliminary practices in New Jersey one year in 1898. There are a bounty of birthdays for today including Fred Mollenkamp (1890), Dave Watkins (1944), Jim Kern (1949), and Kim Batiste (1968). 

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies have begun the spring with a 10-4-2 record (11-4-2 if you include the exhibition game against 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!

Mets Mistakes Get Royal Treatment

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

There is something to be said about the persistent pressure that the Royals have exerted on the Mets this series. Once again, mistakes cost the NL champions the game in the late innings as hits continued to fall for the Royals and they did just enough to take a daunting 3-1 series lead over New York. We will have to see if the Dark Knight rises or if the Royals will prove to be the bane of his existence in game 5.

Royals Beat Mets 5-3

It just keeps happening. These Royals just hang around and hang around and wait for one key mistake. Then they pounce. For the seventh time this postseason, the Royals came from behind to win. Fueled again by a patient offensive approach and a devastating defensive mistake -- this one by Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy -- Kansas City grabbed a 5-3 win in Game 4 of the World Series on Saturday night at Citi Field. The Royals, up 3-1 in the Series, are one win away from their first World Series championship since 1985. Game 5 is set for Sunday. Murphy may be the most significant reason the Mets won the National League pennant, willing them to victory after victory in postseason play. But his eighth-inning fielding error on a routine grounder by Eric Hosmer allowed Ben Zobrist to scoot home with the tying run. Moments later, Mike Moustakas singled in the go-ahead run past the glove of a diving Murphy, and Salvador Perez knocked in another insurance run. Then Royals manager Ned Yost called for closer Wade Davis to come in and get six outs, which he did. Checkmate. Davis had the Royals' first two-inning save in postseason play since Dan Quisenberry in Game 4 of the 1980 World Series. "We feel like if we can keep the game close, we're going to find a way to win it," Yost said. "Our bullpen is so dynamic, they give us a chance to win those type of games. And it's a team that just looks for a little crack. If we find a little crack, they're going to make something happen." Teams holding a 3-1 lead in best-of-seven postseason series are 68-12 (.850) all-time, and 39-6 (.867) in World Series play. No team has come back from a 3-1 deficit in the World Series since the Royals in 1985. "When you win the first two games at home, going into it your goal coming in here is winning two games here," Yost said of having a chance to clinch on Sunday in New York, before the Series would go back to Kansas City. "But you know if you win one here, you've got two games at home, where we're really, really tough." Trailing, 3-2, entering the eighth inning, the Royals drew consecutive one-out walks against Tyler Clippard, prompting Mets manager Terry Collins to call on closer Jeurys Familia to try for a five-out save. The first man he faced, Hosmer, sent a bouncing ball to the right side, where it scooted under Murphy's glove and into right field. As the largest Mets crowd in Citi Field history (44,815) grew mostly silent, Zobrist raced home. "I tried to one-hand it," Murphy said. "It probably deserved to be two-handed. I just misplayed it. It went right under my glove. They made us pay for it. It put us in a really bad spot, and that's frustrating." The result was the second blown save of the Series for Familia, who also served up a game-tying homer to Alex Gordon in the ninth inning of Game 1. "They truly don't ever stop," Collins said of the Royals' offense. "They have a very good lineup from top to bottom. They can do a lot of things. They're athletic. So like I say, you've got to make pitches and you've got to get outs when you have the opportunity." Familia's misstep undid the early work of Mets rookies Michael Conforto and Steven Matz. The former became the third-youngest player to homer twice in a World Series game, while the latter delivered five-plus innings of two-run ball had New York poised to tie the Series. Right-hander Chris Young started for the Royals and gave up two runs through four innings, then Danny Duffy, Luke Hochevar and Ryan Madson (1-0) bridged the gap to Davis. "We can smell it now," Young said. "But we know we have work to do yet."

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6^th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 3-1

Kansas City at New York

Game 5: Sunday, November 1, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies didn’t have any tricks or treats to report from yesterday!

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, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Phillies Pitching Continues To Falter Down The Stretch

GAME RECAP: Red Sox Route Phillies 9-2

David Ortiz went deep, Wade Miley went the distance and the Red Sox relied on a huge inning to secure a 9-2 win over the Phillies on Saturday at Fenway Park. Miley allowed both runs on five hits and tallied eight punchouts in the first complete-game effort of his career, improving his record to 11-10 in the process. The left-hander carried a perfect game into the fifth before Jeff Francoeur ended his bid with a bloop single. "He was just on the attack from the first inning on," said Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo. "A little bit of a hiccup after we had the eight-run inning. There was a little bit of a pause there. But all in all, that was the only time he got nicked up. He was in control of all of his innings, pitch count-wise. A complete effort by him." Ortiz mashed career home run No. 496 around the Pesky Pole in the fourth inning, the slugger's fourth in eight games, to cap off an eight-run outburst by Boston. Phillies rookie Alec Asher faded early in his second Major League start and finished charged with seven runs, eight hits and two balks in 3 2/3 innings. Right-hander Jerome Williams completed 3 1/3 frames of one-run ball in mop-up duty. Catcher Carlos Ruiz provided the only Philly offense with a two-run single in the fifth. "Asher [was] up in the zone. No command of his secondary pitches," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "In his defense, it's his second Major League start, in Fenway Park. So there's something to that. It's a big deal for him."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• After only giving up one hit in his first time through the Boston order, Asher quickly collapsed in his second go-round, allowing seven of the nine batters he faced to reach base in the fourth. Asher's outing came to an end when Bogaerts cleared the bases and left him still searching for his first career win at 0-2. "I thought the first three innings went really well," Asher said. "I started elevating the ball a little too much that last inning and it came back to hurt me."
• Coming into the game with the bases loaded and one out, Phillies closer Ken Giles did his best to make the most of a non-save situation by inducing groundouts from Bogaerts, which scored an inherited runner, and Ortiz. It was the 24-year-old's first appearance in seven days. "I wanted to get him in the game," Mackanin said. "That's the best thing that worked out for us, he only threw six pitches and he got some work on the mound."
• "I've seen Miley before. That's the best I've seen him. He pitches extremely well. Nine innings, worked fast, changed speeds, used both sides of the plate, kept the ball down. He did a great job." – Mackanin.
• After dropping the weekend series Saturday, the Phillies have a 1-11-2 series record against the Red Sox since 2004, and they have not won a series in Boston since July 1999.
• Although Mackanin repeated his wish to give Cody Asche a majority of the starts at third base moving forward, he sat him against Red Sox lefty Wade Miley on Saturday. Asche is hitting .237 with just three extra-base hits off southpaws this season. "He'll get the brunt of the playing time. I didn't want to play him against a lefty because he needs to build his confidence back up," Mackanin said.
• The Double-A Reading Fighting Phils captured their first Eastern League Eastern Division title in 15 years on Thursday night with a 2-1 victory over Binghamton. In addition, Reading catcher Andrew Knapp earned League Player of the Month honors after batting .404 with nine doubles, eight homers and 28 RBIs in August.
• Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval is day to day with back stiffness. He was a late scratch on Friday and remained out of the starting lineup Saturday.

NEXT GAME:

Phillies rookie Jerad Eickhoff will continue to make his case for the 2016 rotation on Sunday afternoon, when he clashes with fellow first-year starter Eduardo Rodriguez and the Red Sox, who will be seeking a sweep of the three-game series at Fenway Park. All three of Eickhoff's Major League outings have been quality starts. The 25-year-old threw six shutout innings agains the Marlins to win his Aug. 21 debut, and then tossed two solid games against the Mets, allowing three earned runs in back-to-back starts. Through 19 innings, he has fanned 15 and walked only four. Rodriguez faces the Phillies for the first time in his career. The left-hander comes in with a 3.77 ERA over his last seven starts, all but one of which saw him limit the damage to three or fewer earned runs. Opposing players are batting .158 against his changeup this season.

PHILS PHACTS:

2^nd Not As Good As 1^st – A rookie making his second career start in the historic confines of Fenway Park would be a natural source of excitement for any young player. For Phillies right-hander Alec Asher, the energy of the moment might have had him a little too adrenalized during Saturday's 9-2 loss to the Red Sox. The Boston bats rocked Asher for seven runs on eight hits and two walks over 3 2/3 innings, with an overwhelming majority of that damage coming in his final frame. The first three innings were scoreless and allowed Asher to more or less match his dominant counterpart, Red Sox lefty Wade Miley. But in the fourth inning, seven of nine batters reached base against the 23-year-old, erasing his early excellence and instead leaving him 0-2 to start his big league career. Did his emotions affect the outcome? "There was a little bit," Asher said. "This is a neat park. It still only being my second start, I think there were maybe still a little emotions. But you just try to work past it the best you can." With the game's 4:05 p.m. ET start time, hitters from both clubs had to contend with awkward shadows cast over the infield. Their dissipation coincided with Asher's shaky fourth inning, perhaps also explaining the drastic drop-off in his outing. "The first three innings with the shadow, both sides you could tell they didn't see the ball well," Phillies interim manager Pete Mackanin said. "Once that shadow got past the mound, then it was a different story and everybody started seeing the ball better." In addition, Asher was called for two balks -- one in which he started and stopped his delivery, and one in which the ball simply fell out of his sweaty hand. Both were possible indicators of what Mackanin called being "overfocused," though Asher maintained that they were simply accidents. "I didn't feel like I balked," Asher said of the first call. "I watched video and there was a little sway." Asher could have stemmed the tides of Boston's scoring in the fourth had he been able to record one more timely out. But he surrendered a couple of hard-hit balls down the foul lines, and ultimately, the rookie accepted the loss as a learning experience and will try to keep from overcomplicating his approach moving forward. "You try to take the human element out of it," Asher said. "You try to just go see what you need to work on, what pitches you execute and go about it like that."

Winter Ball? – With Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco hard-pressed to return from a left wrist fracture before the season ends, interim manager Pete Mackanin would like to see the 23-year-old play in one of the Caribbean Leagues this winter. Franco, who is not expected to resume any baseball activities before he is re-evaluated by doctors on Tuesday, should be counted upon heavily in Philadelphia next season. The Dominican slugger has slashed .277/.340/.490 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 77 games for the Phillies this year. "I think it's always good for players to play winter ball. Especially young players," Mackanin said on Saturday. "The more experience you gain, the better off you're going to be. It makes you a better player. You're going to learn from that." Mackanin speaks from experience, having played for three teams across five seasons in the Venezuelan Winter League. He first joined the league in 1973 as a shortstop for the Leones del Caracas and later returned to manage the Aguilas del Zulia for two seasons, guiding them to a Caribbean Series championship in 1989. He called his experience a fruitful one -- even if he had fruit thrown at him from time to time. "There's certainly a lot of pressure down there," Mackanin said. "You learn how to deal with the pressure because having oranges thrown at you and the occasional bottle when you make an error is a good learning experience, as long as you don't get hurt." In addition to dealing with the nuances of a different league -- Mackanin cited a higher number of pitchers who rely on breaking balls -- he said players can benefit from the leagues' high-energy atmosphere, which offers a taste of the tension faced in the big leagues. "It's all about winning there," Mackanin said. "There's no development. Win, and if you don't play well, you're out. They get rid of you. So that pressure in itself is enough to help you manage the pressure when you get to the big ones. It's valuable as far as I'm concerned."

Third Time’s The Charm – Pete Mackanin has paid his dues. He's 64 years old and in his 47th year of making a living in professional baseball. Is he about to get his due? Mackanin is an interim manager at the big-league level for the third time in his career, this time taking over the Philadelphia Phillies 75 games into the season after Ryne Sandberg stepped down. Mackanin has never been a full-time big-league manager, but perhaps the moment has finally arrived. The Phillies lost 14 of the first 17 games Mackanin managed, but they are 24-20 since, and scouts have been impressed with the energy the Phillies have shown on the field. Mackanin is one of four managers who took over a team in mid-season this year. Craig Counsell's status was never in question. He was given a three-year contract when he took over for Ron Roenicke as manager of the Brewers, a team Counsell grew up around. His father worked on the business side with the Brewers from 1979-87. Roenicke was fired after a 7-18 start that came on the heels of the Brewers losing 25 of their final 34 games last season, falling from first place in the National League Central to eight games out. Miami interim manager Dan Jennings, meanwhile, is likely to return to the general manager's job he held prior to being asked by Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria to take over for ex-manager Mike Redmond after the Marlins' 16-22 start to the season. Jennings initially lobbied to keep Redmond, but then relented and took the job -- even though he had no professional managerial experience. The Marlins are 40-57 since Jennings took over. Mackanin and Pat Murphy, who replaced Bud Black in San Diego, figure to at least get serious consideration to return next year, but no decisions have been made. Murphy is a former college coach who was managing the Padres' Triple-A affiliate in El Paso when Black was fired after a 32-33 start. The Padres are 33-36 since Murphy took over. And then there is Mackanin, who had interim managerial opportunities with the Pirates in 2005 and the Reds in '07. He took over for Lloyd McClendon after a 55-81 start with the Bucs, and the team went 12-14 the rest of the season. Jim Tracy was hired to take over full time in '06. A Reds team that was 31-51 under manager Jerry Narron to open 2007 went 41-37 under Mackanin, but Dusty Baker was hired to manage the team in '08. Will Mackanin now get that chance to be a big league manager without an interim title? Time will tell. First, however, the Phillies will decide on how to restructure the front office. Andy MacPhail will take over as team president in the off season. He has been watching from afar, deciding -- among other things -- whether or not to retain current general manager Ruben Amaro.

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 53-83. 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 41-78-0 on this day.