Grand Nostalgia Enough To Top Rockies

GAME RECAP: Phillies Rock Rockies 10-6

The Phillies got a little nostalgic Friday night. Prior to their series-opening 10-6 win over the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils inducted Jim Thome into the club's Wall of Fame. Not three hours later, the man who took Thome's job back in 2005, Ryan Howard, looked like his old self and hammered a grand slam into the Rockies' bullpen, 455 feet away per Statcast™, to break a tie for good. "You want to go out there and try to get a win on a special night like this," Howard said. "Being able to get something to hit and having it land on the other side of the fence -- it's the bonus." After circling the bases, Howard re-emerged from the dugout for a curtain call. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done so. "It's been a while," Howard said. "Felt great. I mean, to be able to do it in that situation in a night like tonight, it was pretty cool." Howard's slam, the 14th of his career and first since 2014, continued the Rockies' downward spiral. Colorado had pulled a game over .500 and three games back of a Wild Card spot, but the Rockies have lost seven of nine games since. Friday's pitching matchup was anything but nostalgic, featuring a pair of rookies in the Rockies' slumping Jon Gray and the Phils' Jake Thompson, making his second MLB start. Thompson bounced back nicely from a 4 1/3-inning, six-run debut to toss five innings of three-run ball, though not without the red-hot Charlie Blackmon touching him for a home run. The Rockies' center fielder added two more big flies in the seventh and ninth for his first career three-home run game. Over the last week, Blackmon is 19-for-33 (.576) with six home runs. "I felt pretty good -- I imagine that's what it's like to be Nolan Arenado on a day-to-day basis -- that's as close as I get," said Blackmon, referring to the Rockies' third baseman, who has 30 homers this season. But with Gray throwing 111 pitches and lasting just 4 1/3 innings, the Rockies didn't get the starting pitching a team that was coming off a 4-hour, 3-minute game in 100-plus degree heat needed to keep up its energy level. "No question, you're already a little bit low and then you're standing around out there on defense, it doesn't help," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said.

PHILS PHACTS: 

• After a 13-pitch at-bat to lead off the first, Cesar Hernandez ripped a ball into the right-center gap. As Gerardo Parra scrambled to field it, Hernandez was wheeling around the bases and landed on third for his MLB-leading ninth triple of the season. Odubel Herrera poked a fastball into left the next play, scoring Hernandez to give the Phillies an early 1-0 lead, and followed it by swiping his 19th bag of the season. Hernandez matched Herrera on the bases the next inning, stealing his 12th base after an eight-pitch walk.
• Hernandez had plate appearances of 13, eight and 13 pitches against Gray. He tripled, walked and struck out in those and saw 34 of Gray's 111 pitches (30.6 percent).
• The Rockies hoped to erase a baserunner and possibly make the fifth easier on Gray when they challenged a safe call at second base on Maikel Franco's fielder's choice grounder with one out. But after 2 minutes, 25 seconds, the replay official ruled that there was no angle that showed definitively that shortstop Daniel Descalso's right foot was on second base when he received DJ LeMahieu's throw in an atempt to retire Aaron Altherr. The call stood, Gray faced Howard with nowhere to put him, and Howard smashed the Rockies -- again.

NEXT GAME:

Jerad Eickhoff (7-12, 3.78 ERA) looks to avenge his last start against the Rockies on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET. In his first meeting vs. Colorado at Coors Field, the Rockies put up a six-spot in the sixth, en route to a season-high eight runs allowed by Eickhoff in 5 1/3 innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

4 K Inning – When Jake Thompson struck out four Rockies in the second inning of the Phillies' 10-6 win Friday night, it was more than just a fun anecdote. It proved he can put away Major League hitters. The one knock on Thompson has been that he doesn't have strikeout stuff. Despite his dominant run at Triple-A before making his Major League debut on Saturday against the Dodgers, Thompson didn't fan more than six in a single outing, even while posting a 1.08 ERA over his final eight Triple-A starts. Thompson had so ignored the punchout, he didn't even realize he had completed the rare four-strikeout inning until he was back in the clubhouse icing his arm. "That's definitely a first," Thompson said, which is not surprising, as he had seven starts just this season with fewer strikeouts than he recorded in the second inning. It was hardly a breeze to get there, though. Thompson's first victim wasn't so much a victim as a benefactor. David Dahl swung at and missed a curveball in the dirt and hustled to first. A single and an error brought Dahl home. But Thompson stranded Gerardo Parra and Nick Hundley, the two batters who reached after Dahl's strikeout. Parra and Hundley didn't even advance a bag, as Thompson sent down Ben Paulsen, Daniel Descalso and Jon Gray consecutively on strikes to end the inning and the scoring threat. "A lot better than the first one, that's for sure," Thompson said, reflecting on his debut, when he struck out one and allowed six runs in 4 1/3 innings. "I felt more comfortable out there. I was able to spin the ball for more strikes, which I wasn't able to do in my first outing." Although Thompson progressed a mile in one start, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin is still excited about what's to come. Thompson allowed only two hits, but he issued three free passes. "He was a little erratic," Mackanin said. "His command wasn't the greatest, but he battled, and like I said, this is a very tough team. They've got a great offense." Thompson sees greener pastures ahead, too, after picking up his first MLB win. "It's kind of nice to get the first one out of the way," Thompson said. "Hopefully I'll gain more confidence on the mound and keep it rolling."

Phillies Honor Thome – No player on the Phillies' Wall of Fame had a shorter tenure with the Phillies than Jim Thome. But perhaps no player better represented the rebirth of baseball in this city than he did. The Phillies had been perennial doormats in the National League East for years, when former general manager Ed Wade signed Thome to a six-year, $85 million contract in December 2002. "Overnight he changed the way people looked at the Phillies," former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said during Thome's Wall of Fame induction ceremony Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Thome led the National League with 47 home runs in 2003, as the Phillies fell just short of the National League Wild Card. He hit 42 homers in 2004 and seven more in 2005, finishing the season on the disabled list. Ryan Howard emerged in his shadow, winning the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year. The Phillies traded Thome to the White Sox that winter, but the baseball renaissance he started in Philadelphia did not fade. "I don't think one guy actually comes in and changes things," said Thome, who rejoined the Phillies briefly in 2012. "I think what happens is, if a guy signs, you see other guys follow. And even though you don't see at that moment, say a world championship that season, eventually you're working towards that. When I came here and Ed and Ruben [Amaro Jr.] and Mr. [Bill] Giles and Mr. [David] Montgomery, all those guys kind of told us what the plan was. It put us in a position where we felt really good about what Philadelphia could be. I felt the love in a lot of areas, not only in the organization. You could see there was something special here that was about to emerge." Manuel introduced Thome, who stood alongside fellow Wall of Famers like Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Darren Daulton, Mike Lieberthal, Tony Taylor and Jim Bunning. Former teammate Bobby Abreu unveiled Thome's Wall of Fame plaque. A highlight video captured the excitement of Thome's arrival and his many big moments with the Phillies, including his 400th career home run. Former teammates Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, David Bell and Nick Punto wished Thome congratulations with recorded messages on Phanavision. So did country music star Tim McGraw. Of course, Thome never got his World Series with the Phillies or anybody else over the course of his career. It is perhaps the only thing on his baseball bucket list he could not check off. But Thome still rooted hard for the Phillies, who won the World Series in 2008. He showed up to Game 4 at Citizens Bank Park and watched Game 5 at home. "The business of the game, that's kind of how things work," Thome said. "I moved on, [Howard] got to emerge, which helped the Phillies along with my other teammates that I got to play with. I was just so happy that they were able to accomplish that, because when you play as many games as we do, we're ultimately brothers. You do root for your brothers." And Friday night Thome joined an elite Phillies brotherhood. "You are humbled that they would think that highly of you to put you in a great fraternity," Thome said. "Baseball Hall of Fames -- they just don't give people that honor. To be voted by the fans -- that's something special. I know that I didn't play here long, and I know there are so many guys that are going to be in this that are deserving. I just feel so honored that they would think of me to put me in."

Hoping For A Quick Recovery – The Phillies still need a starter Sunday against the Rockies and possibly one Wednesday against the Dodgers. Triple-A Lehigh Valley left-hander Adam Morgan is an option to start Sunday. The IronPigs scratched him from Friday's start, making him available to face Colorado. Phillies right-hander Jeremy Hellickson said he still has some soreness in his back after leaving Wednesday's game against the Dodgers after the fifth inning. He was scheduled to see a team doctor Friday night, but he thinks he is likely to pitch Wednesday. "It feels better," Hellickson said. "Just a tad sore. All the stuff they had me do today felt fine." The Phillies placed Zach Eflin on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with patellar tendinopathy in his knees. He had a MRI exam scheduled Friday, but those results were not available. It is unclear if Eflin will pitch again this season. "He's had enough good starts where he's been impressive at times," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "And he's had chronic knee issues as it is. If they decide to take care of it now, I think that may be a good idea. But I'll leave that up to the medical people. Bring him back 100 percent next year. We'll see what they say."

Waiver Claim – The Phillies claimed Patrick Schuster off waivers from the A's. and optioned the left-hander to Lehigh Valley. He allowed nine hits, eight runs, six walks and struck out six in 6 2/3 innings in five appearances this season with Oakland. He had a 1.16 ERA in 32 appearances with Triple-A Nashville.

Today In Phils History – It was a record setting day for pitcher Bill Kerksieck and the Phillies on this day in 1939 as the pitcher surrendered 6 homeruns including 4 in 1 inning to tie 2 MLB records. The team turned the tables on the Giants in 1948 as the 1^st 9 Phillies to come to the plate scored before a single out was made setting a new NL record. Karl Wallenda returned to the Vet on this day in 1972 to traverse a cable strung between the foul poles between the games of a double header. On this day in 1985, Darren Daulton hit his 1^st MLB homerun off of the Mets Rick Aguilera. 2 years later, the Cardinals defeat the Phillies 4-2 in 13 innings despite not recording a single OF putout or assist (it was the 1^st time it had happened since 1905). The following season, in 1988, Paul Owens was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Hall of Fame (the precursor to the Wall of Fame).

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 54-63 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. All time, the Phillies are 48-49-0 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.

Nola And Phillies Fall Back Down To Earth

GAME RECAP: Braves Blast Phillies 7-1

Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis extended an unexpected power surge as they combined to record three home runs that backed Matt Wisler's strong start and helped the Braves claim Friday night's 7-1 win over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Freeman drilled a two-run shot off Aaron Nola in the third inning and added another in the ninth inning against Brett Oberholtzer to complete the seventh multi-homer game of his career and his first multi-RBI game of the season. Markakis also hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning, during which Nola was dinged for three unearned runs. The Braves have hit nine home runs over their past five games, equaling what they had totaled over the 36 games played before Monday. "That's good to see, Freddie getting hot, and Nick swung the bat really well tonight," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said. "Matt Wisler was really good. He had a little trouble at the beginning of the ballgame, but he settled in. It's fun watching him. He did a really good job." The Braves have hit nine home runs over their past five games, equaling what they had totaled over the 36 games played before Monday. On the flip side, Nola had not allowed a homer since April 16, and Freeman's home run in the third inning was the first Nola gave up in 36 innings. Wisler recovered from the command issues he experienced during the first inning and matched a season-high seven strikeouts while limiting the Phillies to one run over 6 2/3 innings. The Braves have now won three games during each of their past two road trips. They have gone 2-17 at home.

PHILS PHACTS:

• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco made two errors, doubling his season total. Franco was charged with his first on the first play of the game as Braves leadoff man Ender Inciarte hit a shot down the third-base line. Franco made another gaffe in the seventh inning, allowing Mallex Smith to reach on a two-base error as his throw sailed into the stands. Smith came around to score to put Atlanta ahead, 3-1. Franco was almost charged with a third error in the eighth inning after he bobbled an Erick Aybar grounder, but Aybar was called out at first after a replay review. "It was a tough moment, I want to make every play," Franco said. "Today just happened, it's part of the game. I'm going to try to forget it."
• Cameron Rupp provided two of the Phillies' six hits, going 2-for-4 with a double. It was Rupp's first multi-hit game since April 19 (14 games), but the catcher was stranded on second base in both the fourth and sixth innings.
• The Braves won their first challenge of the season when a replay review awarded Smith an infield single in the third inning. Atlanta had been unsuccessful with each of its 10 previous challenges.
• The Phillies won a challenge when a replay review overturned first-base umpire Gerry Davis' ruling that Aybar safely reached on what would have been Franco's third error of the night.

NEXT GAME:

Philadelphia will look to even the series behind Adam Morgan. The left-hander's lone win of the season came against the Braves on May 10, when he allowed one run in seven strong innings.

PHILS PHACTS:

Not The Same Nola – Two swings of the bat hurt Aaron Nola on Friday night, and to his displeasure, they both came with two outs and one runner on base. Nola, who had not given up a home run since April 16, was taken deep by both Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis in the Phillies' 7-1 loss to the Braves. Nola gave up five runs (just two were earned) in seven innings, and all but one came via those long balls. Freeman put Atlanta ahead in the third inning, when he sent the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall. Markakis, a left-handed hitter like Freeman, went the opposite way in the seventh inning as his two-run shot -- Markakis' first homer this season -- broke the game open. Both blasts came on fastballs Nola left over the plate. "Solo home runs are better [than two-run homers]," the right-hander said afterward. "That kind of hurt me, those two, two-run home runs. I made some mistakes. That ball to Freddie leaked over the plate too much, I was trying to go a little farther inside. And that ball to Markakis, I left it over the middle." Nola entered the game with just three homers allowed in 53 innings this season, and the last one he gave up was to Bryce Harper. He had gone 36 consecutive innings without giving up a home run before Freeman's blast. Freeman added a second two-run shot in the ninth off Brett Oberholtzer. Nola did strike out six batters -- doing so mostly with his changeup or curveball. But the 22-year-old did not get much aid from the Phillies' offense or defense. The Phillies could not solve Braves starter Matt Wisler, scoring their only run in the first inning on a Ryan Howard groundout. They did not have a runner advance past second base in the final eight innings. Philadelphia did not have a strong night with its gloves, either. Third baseman Maikel Franco was charged with two errors. His first came on the first batter of the game as he could not handle a sharply hit ball off Ender Inciarte's bat. Franco's second defensive gaffe was more costly. He did not field Mallex Smith's seventh-inning grounder cleanly and threw the ball away, allowing Smith to reach second base with no outs. Smith scored when Gordon Beckham hit a blooper over a drawn-in infield, and Markakis made it a four-run game two batters later. Franco doubled his error total for the season and nearly had a third error in the eighth inning, when he bobbled an Erick Aybar grounder. However, Franco was off the hook when Aybar was called out after a replay review. "It was a tough moment, I want to make every play," Franco said. "Today just happened, it's part of the game. I'm going to try to forget it." Added Phillies manager Pete Mackanin: "Everybody goes through a stretch where they're not playing their best, and Maikel is in that little lull. I think he's letting his at-bats carry over to his defense a little bit. "But he's been working extra, he's been doing everything we're asking him to do. He just needs to get out of the funk he's in and put together a good game or two in a row and get back on track."

Moving On Up – J.P. Crawford is one step closer to the big leagues. The Phillies announced Friday morning that they had promoted Crawford, who MLBPipeline.com considers the third-best prospect in baseball, from Double-A Reading to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Crawford hit .265 with eight doubles, three home runs, 13 RBIs and a .787 OPS in 166 plate appearances with Reading. He walked 30 times and struck out 21 times. He also stole five bases. "He's ready," Phillies player development director Joe Jordan said. Coincidentally, Crawford homered Thursday night in his final game with Reading. "We looked at the box score and thought, 'Heck, let's send him to Triple-A,'" Jordan joked. Of course, the reality is the organization had targeted May 20 for Crawford's promotion. Including last season, Crawford had 571 plate appearances with Reading, giving him a good test at that level. The timing also worked, as Reading finished a six-game road trip Thursday, and Lehigh Valley opens a three-game homestand Friday night against Toledo. "J.P. has done just fine at Double-A," Jordan said. "We all believe he's going to be a really, really good player. I just think there comes a point in time -- and it's probably been like this for a little while -- he's had his eyes set on Allentown, and maybe to some degree it's been a distraction. But his work has been good. "I like the idea of him being on that club, being on a little older roster, to some degree. Good influences in that clubhouse. It's fun. It's time to go." The next question is: could Crawford join the Phillies before the end of the season? They entered Friday night's series opener against the Braves at 24-17, just a game out of first place in the National League East. Phils shortstop Freddy Galvis was hitting .238 with a .639 OPS in 157 plate appearances. His OPS ranks 19th out of 25 qualified shortstops, but his defense has been tremendous. Galvis is fifth out of 29 qualified shortstop in Defensive Runs Above Average at 5.8, according to FanGraphs. This measures a player's defensive value relative to league average. It is not a stretch to think Galvis could move to second base to replace Cesar Hernandez, who has also posted a .639 OPS, when Crawford is ultimately promoted to the big leagues. Galvis played brilliantly at second base in 2012 and '13 in place of an injured Chase Utley. "That's an organizational decision, and a lot of people will be involved in that," said Jordan, when asked about Crawford's presumed promotion to the big leagues. "There will be different challenges in Triple-A that you don't face at Double-A, just with the style of pitching and the veteran pitchers he's going to face. He needs to go experience that. I really believe that he's going to do well." Phillies manager Pete Mackanin got to do some work with Crawford in Spring Training and said Friday he thinks the shortstop "obviously has a lot of talent." Mackanin added he thought the Phillies' early success makes it easier to let players develop longer in the Minors. "The fact that we're playing and winning makes it a lot easier to give them even more time," Mackanin said. "To me, there's no rush to get anybody up here right now as long as we're holding our own. I think it's in the best interest of our guys who could possibly help to get extra Minor League at-bats." Crawford has performed well at every level so far. There is no reason to think he will not produce at Triple-A. "He's a player that obviously is talked about a lot," Jordan said. "We're counting on him being a good Major League player for us at some point in the future. It's just a new challenge. We trust the guy. It's time for him to face another level."

Today In Phils History – In 1936 the Phillies welcomed back Chuck Klein for his second of three tours with the team. In a few oddities the Phillies were first caught in a triple play in 1950 without ever making contact with the ball, the team struck out 16 times against future teammate Steve Carlton in 1970 who, in 1976, would help the Phillies in winning their 13^th straight road game setting the franchise record, and Brian Hunter led the squad to a grand victory in 2000 by hitting one of a record 6 grand slams in the major leagues that day. Other events from the day include an 18 inning walk off win against the Reds in 1967 and Pete Rose’s first appearance at a Phillie on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1979.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies are currently 24-18 this season putting them on pace to beat most preseason predictions. The Phillies finished the spring exceeding most expectations compiling a record of 15-11-3 (18-11-3 if you include the exhibition games against Reading and the University of Tampa). All time, the Phillies are 47-48-1 on this day. I expect the Phillies to finish in the bottom half of the division but not last in the NL East by finishing the season with a 77-85 record. Let the rebuild begin!

Phillies Rookie Makes A Grand Statement

GAME RECAP: Phillies Beat Nationals 8-2

Phillies left fielder Aaron Altherr soured what was likely Jordan Zimmermann's final home start with the Nationals, knocking a pair of home runs off the right-hander, including baseball's first inside-the-park grand slam of the 21st century in an 8-2 win at Nationals Park on Friday night. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also went deep as the Phillies clubbed a season-high-tying four home runs. Washington (78-75) fell 8 1/2 games back of the Mets in the National League East and dropped their elimination number to one. New York (87-67) beat Cincinnati, 12-5, on Friday night. When manager Matt Williams was asked how he felt about the looming elimination, his answer expressed the urgency of the situation. "Like we need to win tomorrow," he said. Meanwhile, Phillies rookie Jerad Eickhoff was impressive in his seventh Major League start, limiting the Nationals to two runs and five hits in his seven innings of work. He struck out 10. "I'm going to enjoy it," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said about his team's sixth win in its last 22 games. "They've been too few and far between. It was fun to see those guys go off."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Altherr busted out of a slump in a major way, hitting an inside-the-park grand slam in the third, a solo homer in the fifth and a double in the seventh. Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18 games. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said of the inside-the-park grand slam -- which got past a diving Michael Taylor in center field and rolled just short of the warning track, allowing Altherr to score with no throw to the plate. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock [third-base coach John Mizerock] still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could."
• Eickhoff tried to match Altherr with a strong performance on the mound. He allowed five hits, two runs, one walk and struck out 10 in seven innings to improve to 2-3 with a 3.07 ERA in seven starts. His 10 strikeouts were the most by a Phillies rookie since Aug. 5, 2009, when J.A. Happ struck out 10 Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. National League MVP frontrunner Bryce Harper had three of those strikeouts. "He's a great hitter," Eickhoff said about Harper. "I was fortunate enough to get some pitches in the right location."
• All of Washington's scoring on Friday night came off the bat of Jayson Werth. It wasn't enough to slow down the Phillies, but it was the continuation of a resurgent several weeks by the 36-year-old outfielder. After his first-inning, two-out RBI single and his sixth-inning solo home run, Werth has recorded 10 home runs and 30 RBIs since the start of August.
• "Not that I remember. I'm sure I have over 47 years, but I can't remember. I hit into a triple play once." -- Mackanin, showing some comic timing when asked if he had ever seen an inside-the park grand slam before.
• Altherr's inside-the-park grand slam was the Phillies' first since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also became the first player to have an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
• Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has been on the DL since Aug. 12 because of a broken left wrist, but he could be be back next week. He played three innings in an intrasquad game Friday in Clearwater, Fla, going 0-for-2 with a walk. He will play four innings Saturday and will play Monday in a Florida instructional league game. The Phillies will evaluate Franco's status at that point. Franco's wrist reportedly felt "perfect."

NEXT GAME:

Phillies rookie right-hander Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.84) faces the Nationals in the second game of the three-game series Saturday afternoon at 4:05 p.m ET. The Phillies have been monitoring Nola's workload closely, but he said he feels great so they are going to give him at least one more start before the end of the season. Stephen Strasburg (10-7, 3.81) will look to build on his phenomenal second half for the middle game against the Phillies on Saturday. He's 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break.

PHILS PHACTS:

Altherr’s Big Night – Just a couple of weeks ago, Xander Bogaerts brought us the wonders of the Little League grand slam, and the world rejoiced at the shenanigans gifted upon us. But the Phillies' Aaron Altherr was far from satisfied -- while he no doubt appreciates the Benny Hill theme as much as the next ballplayer, he couldn't help but long for the olden days of the pure inside-the-park home run. "What if we married the tension of a bases loaded situation with the thrill of a guy rounding the bases as fast as possible?" Altherr thought to himself, we're assuming. So, during Friday's Phillies-Nationals game, he set out to make that dream a reality. And when he looped a line drive that got past a diving Michael Taylor, he had his chance. Cue the merry-go-round! OK, so maybe not the most suspenseful play at the plate, but hey -- this was his first try, it's a work in progress. No doubt exhausted from all that sprinting, Altherr figured he'd take a more leisurely route to home plate in his next AB. What, Aaron, no inside-the-park cycle?

2016 Should Be Interesting – Phillies outfielder Aaron Altherr had never done that before. Of course, who had? Altherr hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the third inning of Friday night's 8-2 victory over the Nationals at Nationals Park. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park grand slam since Aug. 8, 1956, when Ted Kazanski hit one against the New York Giants at Polo Grounds, according to Elias Sports Bureau. It was the first inside-the-park grand slam in MLB since Oct. 3, 1999, when Tampa Bay's Randy Winn hit one at home against the Yankees. Altherr also hit a solo home run to left field in the fifth, a double to right-center field in the seventh and a single to right in the ninth for the first four-hit game of his career. He had 11 total bases on the night. The Nationals had 11. "I don't know. It was a good day, I guess," Altherr said with a smile. "It was a lot of fun." Altherr became the first player to hit an inside-the-park grand slam in a multi-homer game since 1987. He ripped a line drive to Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor, who dove for the ball. But Taylor missed and the ball flew behind him toward the center field wall. "My heart stopped a little bit," Altherr said. "Then I saw it go by and I was like, 'Oh, man, I might have a chance here.' I just tried to run as fast as I could. I saw Rock (third base coach John Mizerock) still sending me home when I was about halfway to third, so I was like, 'I might have a chance here.' I tried to get there as fast as I could." "Sometimes it's a tough call right there," Taylor said. "Right there, I felt like I had a good bead on the ball. I thought I had a chance on it. I know in that situation you better catch the ball, and I wouldn't have gone for it if I didn't think I could. It's still a bad play once I miss it, so, it's a tough play." Altherr has good speed, so he scored without even a throw to the plate. It was the Phillies' first inside-the-park home run (any variety) since July 31, 2012, when Jimmy Rollins hit one against the Nationals in DC. Darin Ruf and Cody Asche also homered for the Phillies, who tied a season high with four homers in the win. "I had an inside-the-park homer in rookie ball or something, but it doesn't really matter," Altherr said. "Rookie ball doesn't count." Altherr entered the night hitting .171 (7-for-41) with a .658 OPS in his last 12 games after hitting .262 (16-for-61) with an .837 OPS in his first 18. He is back to .252 (27-for-107) with nine doubles, three triples, five home runs, 16 RBIs and an .866 OPS in 31 games. "I've felt pretty good the past couple days," Altherr said. "Hopefully I can keep riding that feeling the rest of the year." No matter what happens in the Phillies' final eight games, Altherr has made a strong case for more playing time in 2016. Friday night's effort drove home that point.

Lee About To Fall Off The Cliff – The Phillies will scatter across the Americas following their final game of the season Oct. 4. Cliff Lee scattered long ago. He has been home in Arkansas since March, when the Phillies announced his second attempt to rehabilitate a torn common flexor tendon in his left elbow did not work out. Lee said he planned to rehab the injury a third time, acknowledging he needed a miracle to pitch again. He never did. Lee's time with the Phillies unofficially ended in March. It officially ends no more than five days following the World Series. It is then the Phillies must inform Lee, who made $25 million this season, if they plan to exercise his $27.5 million club option for 2016. They will not. But they will pay him a $12.5 million buyout, which is due Nov. 30. "He was all about winning," said Phillies interim general manager Scott Proefrock, who helped bring back Lee to Philadelphia in Dec. 2010. "He helped us make the World Series in '09 and the postseason in '11. He pitched very well in '12 and '13. It just didn't work out. I'm sure he would have preferred things would have worked out differently because he is a great competitor." Lee, 37, went 41-30 with a 2.89 ERA in 106 starts from 2011-14. His ERA ranked fourth out of 90 qualified pitchers in that span. His 1.08 WHIP ranked fourth. His 6.48 strikeout-to-walk ratio easily ranked first. Clayton Kershaw's 4.74 placed second. But then Lee got hurt in 2014. He went on the DL in May and returned to make three starts in July before getting hurt again. "It was a situation last year where we were looking to trade him and obviously his injury short circuited that," Proefrock said. "The one thing about Cliff is, we met with him at the end of the 2013 season and he said the only thing he wanted to do is win. This was going to be his last contract. He wanted to win and he wanted to talk about what we were going to do. And in '14 we tried. Then he got hurt. We had to make an adjustment." Lee quietly visited Philadelphia a handful of times this season, essentially to meet with doctors to discuss his rehab. But his rehab never really went anywhere. Doctors recommended surgery, but Lee declined because he seemed uninterested in pitching past this contract anyway. "It was still worth pursuing because it was the only thing left to do," Proefrock said of Lee's rehab. The Phillies will recoup some of the $25 million they paid him this season because they insured his contract. How much is unclear. Regardless, Lee returned to Philadelphia in December 2010, with great fanfare. He said he hoped to win multiple World Series with the Phillies. It turns out the Phillies only made the postseason once while he was here.

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The Phillies have returned to their lackluster ways and regained their grip on last place in the NL East with a record of 58-96. 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 49-51-0 on this day.