Phillies Fail To Deliver Gift On Harang’s Birthday

GAME RECAP: Mets Edge Phillies 3-2

Mets center fielder Juan Lagares picked the perfect time to snap a slump in Saturday night's 3-2 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He crushed a two-run home run in the seventh inning against Phillies right-hander Aaron Harang to give the Mets a one-run lead. It snapped an 0-for-16 skid for Lagares, who connected on his first home run of the season. "It was a little struggle the last couple games," Lagares said. "I went out there looking for a good pitch to hit, and I hit it out." The Mets' bullpen dodged a major bullet in the eighth inning when Carlos Torres and Alex Torres loaded the bases with one out. But right-hander Buddy Carlyle got Carlos Ruiz to ground into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. "We kept fighting," Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis said. "We couldn't win today. We'll go after it tomorrow."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Harang had been pitching efficiently and effectively through six innings when he allowed a leadoff single to Mets pitcher Jon Niese in the seventh. Two batters later, Lagares homered. Harang allowed eight hits, three runs (two earned), one walk, one home run and struck out two in seven innings.
• Galvis started the eighth inning with a double against Carlos Torres. He advanced to third on a fielder's choice, then Alex Torres walked Grady Sizemore and Cesar Hernandez to load the bases. The Phillies needed a ball hit out of the infield to score the tying run. Instead, Carlyle entered and induced the rally-killing double play.
• The Mets had runners at the corners with two outs in the fifth when Lucas Duda hit a routine ground ball to second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who was positioned in shallow right field. Hernandez got caught between hops and did not come up with the ball. The error allowed the Mets to take a 1-0 lead, which loomed large in a one-run outcome. Hernandez said the ball caught the lip of the outfield grass. "Unfortunate play on a routine ground ball bouncing like that," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "That's an out right there."
• Chase Utley notched a pinch-hit single to right-center field in the ninth inning. It snapped an 0-for-19 slump and pushed his batting average to .109. Utley's average had dropped to .099 following Friday's series opener. "It's good to see Chase have a real good at-bat there," Sandberg said. "A nice line-drive stroke. Maybe that's something that'll get him started."

NEXT GAME:

Right-hander Chad Billingsley makes his home debut in Philadelphia and hopes to see improvement from his first start in more than two years. On Monday in Atlanta, he allowed five runs in five innings. Expect to see Utley, Ryan Howard and Cody Asche back in the lineup. They sat Saturday with Niese, a left-hander, making the start for the Mets.

PHILS PHACTS:

Too Many Gifts – Some birthday wishes don't come true. In the Phillies' 3-2 loss to the Mets on Saturday night, right-hander Aaron Harang left two pitches over the plate in the seventh inning. One was a 72-mph curveball to pitcher Jon Niese. The other was a 90-mph cutter left higher in the zone than intended to center fielder Juan Lagares. After the game, Harang, who turned 37 Saturday, said he wished he could've had those two pitches back. Harang worked Niese into a 1-2 count after throwing two fastballs and a changeup, none of which Niese even took a hack at. For the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Harang opted for a curveball, a pitch he had only thrown three times in the game. In his mind, the mistake was the pitch selection, not location. "I probably should've thrown a slider or just a fastball with him," Harang said. "Instead I threw my fourth-best pitch. I went back and watched it and it was down, and he just got it and was able to catch it out in front and hit it with the end of the bat and get it out of the infield." With the pitch to Lagares, Harang also harped briefly on pitch type but said he believed that mistake was more an issue of location. "It was supposed to be a cutter down and away, and I just totally missed my spot," Harang said. "You could tell by the swing he was looking fastball, he was looking something hard and straight. I think a straight four-seamer doesn't run out to the barrel and probably gets him to pop it up and he just wouldn't have hit it as well." Coming off a sixth inning when the Phillies took a 2-1 lead, Harang said he thought Lagares was looking to swing the lead back the other way. "Any other hitter in their lineup is probably taking that pitch," Harang said. "But playing down one, he was hunting a fastball and trying to do anything he could to change that game." Those pitches aside, Harang (3-3, 2.38 ERA) continued the script of his season. In seven innings, he allowed only two earned runs, both on the home run, striking out two. The outing was Harang's sixth quality start of the season, a mark that ties him for the Major League lead. In Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg's mind, one or two bad pitches shouldn't tarnish a strong outing. "Harang was outstanding," Sandberg said. "One high fastball he would like to have back. Everything else was down at the knees and quality."

Coming Up Empty – At the very least, the Phillies should have tied the game. Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis started the bottom of the eighth inning of Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Mets with a double. He advanced to third on Darin Ruf's groundout to first base, putting the potential tying run 90 feet from home. But after Mets left-hander Alex Torres walked Grady Sizemore and Cesar Hernandez to load the bases, Mets right-hander Buddy Carlyle got Carlos Ruiz to hit into an inning-ending double play. The Phillies came up empty. "I had a chance to turn around the game," Ruiz said. "I didn't get it done." Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg had Ryan Howard and Chase Utley at his disposal in the inning. They started the game on the bench with the Mets sending out left-hander Jon Niese. Sandberg said he considered them but stuck with Ruiz. "There was some thought there," Sandberg said. "We also knew we would like to have them in the ninth with the bottom of the order [coming up]. You know, [Ruiz] was already swinging the bat pretty well early in the game. He's also a contact-type of a guy with the whole field." The inning was setting up nicely with Ruiz at the plate. He hit a hard grounder to the right of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada, who made a nice backhanded grab. He threw the ball to Mets second baseman Dilson Herrera, whose throw just beat Ruiz to first base. One wonders if Herrera would have made such a perfect throw if Hernandez had slid through the bag instead of popping up. "You're looking for a double-play ball there," Carlyle said. "Luckily, with [Ruiz] running down the line, he hit it pretty hard, so Ruben did a great job fielding it and Dillson turned it with someone right on him. You think double play off the bat because of the angle, but sometimes those are hits. This time it was a double play." "He hit it pretty hard, so I tried to keep the ball down," Tejada said. "When I saw my glove, it's in there, so I threw the double play. Good play, in a good situation." In the ninth, Utley snapped an 0-for-19 slump with a pinch-hit single to raise his batting average to .109. Howard, who has a 1.017 OPS in his last 16 games, flied out to center in the next at-bat.

Moving To The Outfield – Phillies infielder Cody Asche is not in the lineup Saturday for the second game of a three-game series against the Mets, but he still is seeing some time on the field. Asche is continuing to shag fly balls in the outfield during pregame warmups. It is anticipated that the third baseman will be asked to move to the outfield when highly touted prospect Maikel Franco is recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Before Saturday's game, Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said Asche has been progressing well in learning to play the outfield. "He's looked fine," Sandberg said. "He seems to have the moves and the foot speed for it. He seems to be doing all right if that would ever be the case." Given Franco's Triple-A numbers this season, this change would be unsurprising. Franco, 22, is hitting .342 with an OPS of .904 in 27 games with three home runs and 12 doubles. That being said, Sandberg indicated that no timetable exists for when Asche might be ready to play in the outfield. "That's yet to be determined," Sandberg said.

No Comparison – Mike Schmidt wanted no part of the conversation, because he sees no similarities between May 1989 and May 2015. But this is the way sports works, fairly or not. Chase Utley sat on the bench Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park with a .099 batting average -- the lowest batting average among qualified hitters through his team's first 30 games since 1914, according to Baseball Reference -- and Phillies fans have been asking if his struggles are similar to Schmidt's before he abruptly retired in 1989. "I don't think it's time to start thinking about Chase Utley being at the end or anything like that," Schmidt said just inside the Phillies' dugout. "I put money on him being Player of the Month next [month]. It'll turnaround that fast. A couple of scratch hits, a couple of balls find holes, the whole aura of the game can turnaround for you like that. You have to have that feeling. "I've seen it happen. A broken-bat hit, I don't know, you do something and it just lets the air out of the balloon, you relieve the pressure and you go, 'How the heck did I ever do what I did?' You find yourself in a 15-for-30 streak or something like that with a couple game-winning home runs. All that stuff that happened in the early part of the year is over with." Schmidt hit .203 with seven doubles, six home runs, 28 RBIs and a .668 OPS in 42 games when he retired at age 39. He hit .088 with seven RBIs and a .316 OPS in his final 70 plate appearances. Utley entered the night hitting .099 with three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .373 OPS in 103 plate appearances. Schmidt said he still sees the same player, the same bat speed from Utley. "I don't see anything [different]," Schmidt said. "I don't see any difference in Ryan Howard, either. I really don't see it. "Chase is what, 36? I would say I would have never dreamed Chase could have the results he's had because of his hitting ability. I always figured Chase was, worst case, always going to get hits. I admire the way he seems to have handled it. Every day seems to be a new day to him. He's trying to figure out a way to help the team win a ball game every time. Ryne [Sandberg] keeps putting him in the two- and three-hole. A lot of respect, which he deserves. I had my share of slumps when I was a player. Not many guys could say they've gone through 9-for-100 or whatever it is. That's pretty tough. He's a mentally tough guy." Schmidt said Saturday is the first time anybody had mentioned any possible comparison between the two Phillies legends. "No, none," Schmidt said. "I don't think there are any parallels, actually. I don't see any reason to even think in those terms. Count me out of that conversation."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 11-20. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 35-54-0 on this day.

Hamels And Howard Travel Back To 2008

GAME RECAP: Phillies Top Mets 3-1

It felt a little like old times for the Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. A pair of homegrown veterans led them to a 3-1 victory over the Mets. Cole Hamels allowed four hits, one run, two walks and struck out eight in seven innings, while Ryan Howard went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBIs and one walk. "It's awesome," Hamels said about Howard's night. "Ryan and I have played a lot together, and obviously I've seen a lot of his home runs. It's really good to see. He's been working his tail off. It's just like Chase [Utley] -- you want those guys to go out there and put up the numbers we're accustomed to seeing. It's great to see Howie do that right now." Mets ace Matt Harvey couldn't contain the Phillies, who entered the night averaging 2.83 runs per game, the lowest in baseball. He allowed three runs in six innings to take the loss. "I needed to put up zeros tonight, and I didn't do that," Harvey said. "[I have] got to go back to square one and get back to where I was. Tomorrow I just begin to get ready for my next start."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• It has been an up-and-down season for Hamels, but he stepped up in a big way Friday. He loaded the bases with two outs in the fourth inning, but struck out Harvey to end the threat. He cruised the rest of the night, retiring 10 of the final 11 batters he faced to improve to 2-3 with a 3.68 ERA.
• Howard entered the game hitting .255 (13-for-51) with two doubles, one triple, five home runs, 11 RBIs and a .949 OPS in his last 14 games. He singled in the first, beating the defensive shift, to score a run to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead. He then hit a solo homer to left-center field in the fourth to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
• File this under improbable: Utley went 0-for-4 to drop his batting average to .099. According to Baseball Reference, it is the lowest batting average for a qualified hitter through his team's first 30 games since 1914. Utley declined comment about his slump earlier this week in Atlanta. He was not in the clubhouse more than 40 minutes following the final out Friday.
• Papelbon picked up the save to tie Jose Mesa for the franchise record (112). Papelbon already is Boston's all-time saves leader (219), which makes him one of two pitchers in baseball history to lead two franchises in saves. Robb Nen is the other. He has 108 saves for the Marlins and 206 saves for the Giants.
• "It means a lot, actually. A lot of people might not think that, but it means a lot. It's really humbling to be at the top with Jose Mesa. I didn't necessarily come here to do this and break this milestone. I came here to hopefully win some championships." -- Jonathan Papelbon, who tied Jose Mesa for the Phillies' record with 112 saves.

NEXT GAME:

Aaron Harang will make his seventh start of the season for the Phillies on Saturday, his 37th birthday. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.35 ERA and has a 29:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. All of those marks are tops among Phillies starters.

PHILS PHACTS:

Return To Form – When Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels emerged from the dugout to pitch the second inning of Friday night's start, he walked back onto the field to an unfamiliar sight. The Phillies were winning. After the offense combined to score a mere six runs while he was in the game in his first six starts combined, Hamels benefited from an early 1-0 lead and worked into a groove, retiring nine of the first 11 batters he faced in the Phillies' 3-1 win. Hamels couldn't maintain the same level of performance in the fourth inning, relenting a run on two singles, two wild pitches and two walks, one of which was intentional. The lefty threw 25 pitches that inning, just under a quarter of his total for the night. In the mind of Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, the fourth inning was just a hiccup on an otherwise smooth night for his starter. "Cole was really in control of the game the whole night," Sandberg said. "He had the one inning in the fourth with the run scoring on the wild pitch. He got out of that. But other than that, he was in control." Once Hamels had worked out of the bases-loaded jam in the fourth, it only took his offense one pitch to give him back the lead. First baseman Ryan Howard drilled a Matt Harvey pitch over the 387-foot marker in left-center field to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Hamels never looked back, retiring the next eight batters he faced and nine of his last 10 overall. Hamels said having this lead motivated him to keep his pitches in the zone, daring the Mets to beat him rather than allowing his mistakes to benefit the opponents as they did in the fourth. "We've got a lead, so you want to make sure they earn it," Hamels said. "Not walking guys, I know that's kind of been my problem in the past. So I was just trying to go after them, and if they get on with hits, they get on with hits. I didn't really want to give them free passes." In total, Hamels went seven innings, fanning eight Mets and allowing just four hits in a winning effort. The win improved Hamels' record to 2-3 and dropped his ERA to 3.68. Despite the win, the day wasn't without a little bit of embarrassment for Hamels. In the home half of the fifth inning, Hamels was credited with a sacrifice bunt that moved catcher Carlos Ruiz into scoring position. Ruiz scored one at-bat later. However, Hamels didn't think his bunt attempt landed in fair territory and turned his back to the field. Mets catcher Kevin Plawecki promptly tagged Hamels out, and the pitcher walked back to the dugout confused. As aware as he was of where he was placing the ball on the mound, Hamels admitted it took him a long time to realize where that ball was. "I think [it was] when I was walking back to the dugout," Hamels said.

Papelbon Ties Mesa – Jonathan Papelbon knows his words might be difficult to believe considering everything that has happened since he joined the Phillies in 2012, but he said Friday night's events meant something to him. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn a save in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. It was the 112th save of his Phillies career, which tied Jose Mesa for the most saves in franchise history. "It means a lot, actually," Papelbon said. "A lot of people might not think that, but it means a lot. It's really humbling to be at the top with Jose Mesa. I didn't necessarily come here to do this and break this milestone. I came here to hopefully win some championships. We're still trying to get to that realm. For me, it's very humbling to be atop this organization with all the history it has."  Papelbon already is Boston's all-time saves leader (219), which makes him one of two pitchers in baseball history to lead two franchises in saves. Robb Nen is the other. He has 108 saves for the Marlins and 206 saves for the Giants. Papelbon has had quite a run since he joined the Phillies. He is 12-10 with a 2.40 ERA and 112 saves. He has struck out 226 batters in 210 1/3 innings. He has done his job. But he also has upset some Phillies fans over the years with critical comments about the city, the organization and the fan base. He even got suspended late last season for an inappropriate gesture following a blown save. He has said he relishes the villain role. So when Papelbon said he appreciates his new place in Phillies history and is humbled, he knows some fans might not get past the other stuff and believe it. "I think me going out there and the way that I play and the way that I go about my business and try to play with intensity and passion," Papelbon said, "I think that should kind of speak for itself. And hopefully some fans will see that. And I understand that some fans won't." Papelbon came to Philadelphia to win. That hasn't happened, and it might not as long as he is here. But while he has been brash on and off the field, he has mentored the relievers in the bullpen. By most accounts, he has been a good teammate. But he knows better than anybody that winning is the only thing that matters. It matters to him. It matters to the city. "Hopefully the fans can understand my passion for this game," he said. "It hasn't been an easy road since I've come here. And I know that we haven't been to the playoffs, and I know that's tough for me. I am who I am. Like I said, to be at the top here is a really humbling experience for me. I've been fortunate enough to stay healthy. Hopefully I can continue to stay healthy and help this club win."

Howard Turning Corner? – Everybody wondered what type of hitter Ryan Howard might be in 2015. Maybe this is the guy. He went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBIs and one walk in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. He singled to right field in the first inning, beating the defensive shift, to score Freddy Galvis from second base to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead. He hit a solo home run to left-center field in the fourth inning to make it 2-1. Howard is hitting .278 (15-for-54) with two doubles, one triple, six home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.035 OPS in his last 15 games. He hit .175 (7-for-40) with three doubles, two RBIs and a .464 OPS in his first 11 games, which included Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg dropping Howard from fourth all the way to seventh in the lineup. Howard left the clubhouse Friday before reporters could speak to him, but Sandberg and others said plenty. "The contact, the quality of the at-bats, laying off pitches, taking some walks," Sandberg said about Howard's turnaround. "Howie looks like he's gained a lot of confidence. That goes with the quality at-bats he's had." Galvis helped Howard pick up his first RBI of the night. The Mets moved third baseman Daniel Murphy to right-center field for Howard's at-bat, leaving shortstop Wilmer Flores as the only defender on the left side of the infield. Flores played a little closer to third on the first pitch to Howard, but inched closer to second after that. Galvis, who went 3-for-3 to raise his batting average to .351, saw an opportunity and took off for third on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, and Howard laced it to right field. Murphy knocked down the ball, but by the time he recovered, Galvis had rounded third, and Murphy had no play. "I just went for it," Galvis said. "If I wasn't going, I think they could have thrown to home plate." And Howard's performance lately? "He's hitting the ball right on the good spot," Galvis said. "I know he's going to keep doing it."

More Than Just A Glove – Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams is not pitching on Mother's Day, but he promises something special for the occasion. "It's a cool tribute," Williams said. "I've got a couple things. You'll see it. Trust me." Phils fans certainly have seen Williams pitching with a pink glove this season. He wears the glove to honor his mother, Deborah, who died of breast cancer in 2001. But Williams also has green, blue, purple and gold gloves. Green represents liver cancer, blue represents prostate cancer, gold represents childhood cancer and purple represents pancreatic cancer. Williams has not yet worn the other gloves in a game, but it could be coming. "It's random," he said. "It could be a random day when I decide to use one." Williams came up with the idea for the colored gloves in the offseason with Wayne Lee, who works for Williams' glove manufacturer. Lee asked Williams which colors he wanted, so Williams asked friends about any forms of cancer that affected them. Williams could have quietly donated money to the American Cancer Society, but the fact people have asked him about the gloves is exactly why he did it. "We're in the spotlight on the field and on TV," Williams said. "I could donate money, but it doesn't show any type of awareness. Going out there and using a different glove and having people wonder why and then when I say why, the people that have been affected by it are looking at it like, 'That's kind of cool. We appreciate that.' That's the whole thing behind it. I want people to appreciate what I'm doing, because I'm doing this from my heart. Everybody knows the story about my mother, but I want to branch out to other cancers, because we don't look at them like breast cancer and prostate cancer." Williams said Mother's Day remains an important day for him. "It's almost like a holiday for me," he said. "Like a really big holiday for me. It's a celebration for mothers out there. But for me, it's a celebration of my mother. That day has been very tough on me over the years. You see mothers coming in and throwing out first pitches and their sons are catching and things like that. I kind of get worked up."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 11-19. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 46-44-0 on this day.

At What Point Do You Start Calling A Season Ugly?

GAME RECAP: No Game Yesterday

At least there was no game scheduled while the Phillies took the day off.

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Hamels went through a similar early slump last season, going 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA over his first six starts in 2014. He finished the season with a 2.46 ERA.
• Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is expected back in the lineup after sitting the last two games in an attempt to clear his mind and reset. Utley is hitting .103 through 87 at-bats. With Thursday's off-day, Utley will have three consecutive days away from the game.

NEXT GAME:

Matt Harvey and Cole Hamels match up on Friday as the Mets and Phillies begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. It's been a tale of two seasons for the two aces, and the same could be said of the ball clubs for which they pitch. Harvey has a 2.41 ERA and is tied for the Major League lead in wins, with five, whereas Hamels has struggled to a 1-3 record and 4.14 ERA. New York enters the weekend still the surprise of the National League, with a healthy lead in the division. The Phillies enter the series in last place, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets.

PHILS PHACTS:

MLB.com Phillies Beat Reporter Todd Zolecki answers another batch of questions from Phillies fans about Utley, Brown, and Franco. Read the full Q&A here.

Things weren’t looking much better last year either!

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 10-19. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 38-50-0 on this day.

Phillies Drop Series To Braves

GAME RECAP: Braves Edge Phillies 7-5

The Braves salvaged a 10-game homestand Wednesday night with a 7-5 victory over the Phillies at Turner Field. Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons led the way offensively with a single, double and home run and Freddie Freeman added three hits and three RBIs. The Braves won the series to split the homestand at 5-5. They have won four of their last six games. "We hadn't won a series in a few," said Freeman, referring to the Braves 0-3-1 mark over the last four series. "Just ending the homestand, it was definitely a nice way to go. Going into Washington you wanted to feel good with a couple of wins back-to-back and we did that." The Phillies, meanwhile, limped home following a 3-7 road trip as Jerome Williams and the bullpen could not hold down Atlanta's offense. Williams allowed eight hits and six runs in just 4 1/3 innings. "The only thing you can do is just continue to play," Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard said. "This game is over. Go into the off day, just rest, relax and try to forget about this road trip and start fresh on Friday."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• Phillies right fielder Ben Revere tried his best to counter Simmons' big night with four hits, the 13th four-hit game of his career. He doubled in the third, fifth and sixth innings for a career-high three doubles. It was Revere's first game with three extra-base hits.
• Phillies relievers have had a well-documented problem walking batters this season. They entered the night with 54 to lead Major League Baseball. But inherited runners have been a problem, too. The Phillies have allowed 13 of 28 inherited runners to score, including two in the fifth inning.
• Howard hit a solo home run to left-center field in the sixth inning. It was the 50th home run of his career against the Braves, making him one of just 12 players to hit 50 homers against the franchise. The list includes Willie Mays (83), Mel Ott (73), Ernie Banks (71), Willie McCovey (71) and Stan Musial (60). Howard is hitting .255 (13-for-51) with two doubles, one triple, five home runs, 11 RBIs and a .949 OPS in his last 14 games.
• The Braves lost a challenge in the sixth inning when Odubel Herrera reached base on an infield single. Replay officials in New York could not definitively determine if the ball touched the interior of Freeman's glove prior to Herrera reaching base. The play stood as called.
• Hamels went through a similar early slump last season, going 1-2 with a 4.30 ERA over his first six starts in 2014. He finished the season with a 2.46 ERA.
• Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is expected back in the lineup after sitting the last two games in an attempt to clear his mind and reset. Utley is hitting .103 through 87 at-bats. With Thursday's off-day, Utley will have three consecutive days away from the game.

NEXT GAME:

Matt Harvey and Cole Hamels match up on Friday as the Mets and Phillies begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. It's been a tale of two seasons for the two aces, and the same could be said of the ball clubs for which they pitch. Harvey has a 2.41 ERA and is tied for the Major League lead in wins, with five, whereas Hamels has struggled to a 1-3 record and 4.14 ERA. New York enters the weekend still the surprise of the National League, with a healthy lead in the division. The Phillies enter the series in last place, 8 1/2 games behind the Mets.

PHILS PHACTS:

Producing Regardless Of Position – Ben Revere plans to produce no matter where the Phillies play him in the outfield. He finished last season in center field, started this season in left field and moved to right field Tuesday before he doubled three times and singled once in Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. Revere, whose three extra-base hits were a career-high, is hitting .375 (18-for-48) with four doubles, one triple, five RBIs and a .912 OPS in his last 12 games. "April, I kept saying I'm going to keep hitting the ball hard and sooner or later the balls are going to fall," said Revere, who was hitting .172 through April 24. "Luckily, I've been finding the holes. Keep battling. Baseball is a mental game. A lot of stuff can go through your head when you're struggling, but good players get through the struggles and come over the top and find a way to get back on top." Revere doubled and scored in the third inning to tie the game, 1-1. He doubled with two outs in the fifth. He doubled to score Cesar Hernandez in the sixth to cut Atlanta's lead to 6-4. "He's peppering the ball all over the field," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He's added a little pop with some doubles. I think he's just squaring the ball up better and finding holes, a lot of confidence." It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Revere. He moved to right this week to give Darin Ruf more opportunities to play. But Revere could see more time there in the future, especially if Triple-A third baseman Maikel Franco continues to hit. Franco could be promoted in the next few weeks. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that if and when Franco's promotion happens he expects him to play nearly every day. Franco can play first base, but his best position is third and he is expected to see the majority of his time there. The Phillies already have asked Cody Asche to start practicing in left field to keep him in the lineup. So if those things happen and Domonic Brown rejoins the Phillies, how will everybody fit? Time will tell, but if Revere keeps hitting the way he is he seems likely to fit somewhere. "As long I'm in the lineup it really doesn't matter to me," he said. "It started in high school. Minor Leagues, same deal. I wanted to play everywhere because in the long run if I had to play a different position I didn't want to go over there and not like it, and then it becomes a mind game in the clubhouse. I didn't want to do that."

Successful Return – The Phillies need some good news and they got a little on Wednesday. Top prospect J.P. Crawford returned to action with Class A Clearwater and went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, a run scored and a walk in a 7-3 victory over Brevard County. He had opened the season on the disabled list with a strained left oblique. Crawford is the organization's No. 1 prospect and the No. 22 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline.com.

Debut During A Wild Week – Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo has had quite a week. He pitched two scoreless innings April 29 with Double-A Reading and three days later Reading manager Dusty Wathan called him into his office for a talk. Araujo thought he might be in trouble when Wathan asked him to take a seat, but instead he asked the pitcher if he had been in the big leagues before. "No," Araujo said. Wathan then broke the news. Araujo had been promoted to the Phillies. Araujo made his big league debut Tuesday in a 9-0 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. He allowed hits to the first two batters he faced before striking out a pair of batters to pitch a scoreless inning. "I told [Reading teammate Nefi] Ogando," Araujo said, recalling the moment he learned about his promotion. "He's my roommate. We go everywhere together. He started jumping and screaming. He couldn't control his emotions. He started hugging me and almost kissed me." It was an emotional moment. The Phillies signed Araujo to a Major League contract in November, despite the fact he had never pitched higher than Double-A. But the Phillies loved the arm that accompanied his size (6-foot-6, 280 pounds) and believed they could harness his potential. Then when it came time to add a pitcher to the bullpen they chose Araujo, despite the fact he had 7.45 ERA in seven appearances. The Phillies need another left-hander to complement lefty Jake Diekman. Araujo acknowledged he felt a little nervous entering the game Tuesday, and his nervousness grew once the first two batters reached base. He recovered nicely. "I don't believe it," he said. "I don't believe that I'm here. I'm just trying to do the same work I did in the Minor Leagues. Just keep the same routine. Keep calm."

Bullpen Lacking – The Phillies' bullpen has had a well-documented problem walking batters this season. It finished Wednesday's 7-5 loss to the Braves at Turner Field with 56 walks to lead Major League Baseball. The bullpen allowed a walked batter to score a run in each of the final nine games of a 3-7 road trip. "It's the growing pains of it," Ryan Howard said. "They're going to get better. I have confidence in those guys. It's all a learning curve I guess." But another bullpen problem resurfaced in the sixth inning when Phillies left-hander Jake Diekman allowed a one-out double to Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, which scored a couple runs. They were the 12th and 13th inherited runners out of 28 to score this season. The bullpen's 46.4 inherited runners scored percentage is 29th in baseball. Those runs proved big as the Phillies scored three runs in the sixth inning and another run in the ninth. "I thought Diek had an opportunity for a shutdown, maybe minimize there facing the left-handers," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "Especially Freeman. Went to a 3-2 count. Kind of erased any doubts of a slider there." Freeman hit a 97 mph fastball over the middle of the plate to clear the bases. "He had to go to his fastball," Sandberg said. "We have to get better with control and command and strikes out of the bullpen. We fall behind in the count. Pitching behind in the count turns into hitters' counts. That combination right there is what we have to get better at in the bullpen."

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now at the bottom of the NL east at 10-19. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 42-51-0 on this day.

Billingsley Blasted In Rough Return To Majors

GAME RECAP: Braves Bash Phillies 9-0

Shelby Miller proved to be dominant and efficient as he tossed a three-hit shutout and led the Braves to Tuesday night's 9-0 win over the Phillies at Turner Field. Miller needed just 99 pitches (75 strikes) to pick up the third shutout of his young career. The 24-year-old right-hander notched two of his eight strikeouts during a perfect ninth inning. He totaled 31 pitches while facing the minimum over the first four innings and allowed the Phillies to advance past first base just once -- when Ryan Howard began the fifth with a double. "He had the ball darting around pretty good," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said of Miller. "We had some awkward swings and not too many good looks at him. He had pretty good stuff." Freddie Freeman provided Miller an early lead with his two-run home run and Kelly Johnson added to Phillies starter Chad Billingsley's woes when he highlighted a four-run fourth inning with his sixth homer of the season. But this night belonged to Miller, who has posted a 1.66 ERA through his first six starts. "Other than a perfect game or a no-hitter, this was pretty good," Braves catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Three hits and one was a bunt. [Miller] threw the ball and commanded every pitch. He was just in complete control of the game."

OTHER NOTES FROM THE DAY:

• The Phillies suffered their fourth shutout of the season, which ties Pittsburgh and Milwaukee for the most in baseball. The Phillies entered the night averaging 2.85 runs per game, making them the only team in baseball averaging fewer than 3.12 runs per game.
• Phillies left-hander Elvis Araujo made his big league debut in the sixth inning. He allowed hits to Johnson and Jace Peterson to put runners on second and third, with help from right fielder Ben Revere, who overthrew the cutoff man. But Araujo got a groundout and a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam and pitch a scoreless inning. "Araujo did a nice job getting out of it," Sandberg said. "He pitched well. He threw some good quality pitches with the men on base. He showed a good fastball, a good breaking pitch."
• Miller threw more than 10 pitches in just four innings and totaled 21 pitches from the start of the second inning through the end of the fourth inning. Cesar Hernandez's third-inning bunt single, Howard's double and Grady Sizemore's two-out single in the eighth accounted for Philadelphia's only hits.
• Chad Billingsley will hope for better results in his next start. He allowed eight hits and six runs in five innings in his first big league start since April 2013. Billingsley had Tommy John surgery in April 2013 and right flexor tendon surgery in June 2014. "Obviously he didn't have the start he wanted," Miller said. "But just getting back to the Major Leagues after what he's gone through is special. You tip your cap to guys like that who battle for their career."
• "Not the way I envisioned it going, but a couple of mistakes and I paid for it. It's part of being back out there again. But I felt good." -- Billingsley, on his first start since 2013.
• Chase Utley is expected to be on the bench for the second consecutive game. He is getting a mental break after hitting .103 through his first 87 at-bats this season. Utley is available to pinch-hit, but the Phillies would like to stay away from him if possible.
• Ben Revere played right field for the Phillies on Tuesday to give Darin Ruf more playing time in left field. Revere could be seeing more time in right in the future, especially if Cody Asche moves to left field whenever Triple-A Lehigh Valley third baseman Maikel Franco is promoted.

NEXT GAME:

Braves right-hander Mike Foltynewicz hopes to build on his first big league start Wednesday night against the Phillies at Turner Field. He allowed six hits, three runs (two earned runs), three walks and struck out two in five innings in his debut Friday against the Reds. Cincinnati stole three bases against him in a 28-pitch first inning and five bases overall. Foltynewicz added a hip turn to his delivery, which has slowed his time to the plate. It has seemingly provided opponents an invitation to run on him. Phillies right-hander Jerome Williams has allowed three or fewer runs in four of his five starts, including three in 6 2/3 innings against the Braves on April 26.

PHILS PHACTS:

Long Road Back – Chad Billingsley persevered through two elbow surgeries in 14 months to return to the big leagues Tuesday. The challenge of persevering through one rough start must seem minor by comparison. "Definitely not the way I envisioned it going but a couple of mistakes and I paid for it," Billingsley said following Tuesday's 9-0 loss to the Braves at Turner Field. "It's part of being back out there again, but I felt good." Billingsley allowed eight hits, six runs, one walk and two home runs in five innings in his first appearance in a big league game since April 2013. He had Tommy John surgery that same month and followed that procedure with right flexor tendon surgery in June 2014, making Tuesday's comeback the result of more than two years of rehab. "It really didn't kick in until about an hour before the game getting ready," Billingsley said about any nerves. "It was very exciting." But he allowed a two-run home run to Freddie Freeman in the first inning and a three-run home run to Kelly Johnson in the fourth inning as the Braves took a 6-0 lead. The fourth inning started with a couple hits, but unraveled when Phillies third baseman Cody Asche let a potential double-play ball roll past him. "Turn one more double play and that's two runs off," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "It's a closer game and it's a whole different feel to the game, I think. But it's also an outing that [Billingsley] can build on. I think he got some things behind him as far as how he felt. His velocity was pretty good and he showed some good curveballs and changeups." Billingsley will have the opportunity to make amends Sunday afternoon against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Of course, he will get his opportunities to pitch regardless. The Phillies are terribly thin in starting pitching and they need him. Cliff Lee is lost for the season with an elbow injury. David Buchanan has been optioned to Triple-A. Sean O'Sullivan, who opened the season as the team's No. 5 starter, is on the DL, although he is making a rehab start Thursday. Severino Gonzalez made a couple starts on the road trip, but he was just optioned back to Triple-A. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez had been signed in August 2013 to be a starter, but he is injured again and might never come close to living up to his $12 million contract. "I got a lot of ground balls today," said Billingsley, who got seven groundouts and two fly outs. "That's the positive thing I took away from today. Made some pitches, got some ground balls, double play there. Overall, not the results, but very encouraging. "Arm feels good and just going to keep getting better every time out there, feeling more comfortable and I'm looking forward to it." The Phillies signed Billingsley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in January. They figured it was a low-risk move. If Billingsley comes close to the way he pitched for the Dodgers from 2008-12, when he posted a 3.70 ERA, they could have a nice rotation piece that contending teams might want before the July 31 Trade Deadline. If not, then it didn't cost them much. "It was two pitches I would like to have back. You can always say that after every start," Billingsley said. "Sometimes it goes the other way where they pop it up or something or swing through it. It's nice to be able to say that. I haven't been able to say that for the past couple of years."

Hoping For A Reboot – Maybe a rested body and a cleared mind will help Chase Utley at the plate. It cannot hurt to try. Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg benched Utley for Tuesday night's game against the Braves at Turner Field. Utley is expected to sit in Wednesday night's series finale, too. The Phillies do not play Thursday, which means Utley could have three consecutive days away from the game. Utley is hitting .103, which is the lowest batting average among 183 qualified hitters in Major League Baseball. His .389 OPS is 182nd. "I've experienced that," Sandberg said about prolonged slumps. "Sometimes you take a little mental break, get away from the mental grind of things. As much mental work and effort and everything Chase puts into a daily routine of his and not having any luck along with it, that's the way that I'm leaning right now." But are Utley's struggles just a matter of bad luck? Utley has a .082 batting average on balls in play, which indicates some degree of poor luck. The average big league player has a .293 BABIP this season. Utley had a .295 BABIP last season and has a .301 BABIP in his career, so more than a 200-point differential in BABIP hints that something is afoot. But Utley, 36, also has hit .215 with a .610 OPS in 555 plate appearances since May 29, 2014, which indicates his struggles are more than just luck related. Utley's ground ball-to-fly ball ratio this season is 1.57, which is much higher than his career 0.97 average. In other words, Utley is hitting fewer line drives and fly balls than in the past. "It's hard to gauge that when you see him hitting the ball and hitting the ball to the gaps like he has that have gotten caught," Sandberg said. "Sometimes it's said about his lower half and using his legs and all that. But he's very healthy, the way that he runs the bases and slides all over the field and on defense. "So whether that's just a little mechanical thing in the box as far as really getting his legs underneath him and using the strength in his legs in his swing, I don't know. But he has hit the ball very hard right on the nose." Sandberg said Utley's knees and right ankle, which forced him to miss the first few weeks of Spring Training, are healthy. "He has no complains there," Sandberg said. Sandberg spoke with Utley on Tuesday at Turner Field about sitting him the final two games of the series. He said Utley was open-minded about it. Utley declined comment. "You really feel for the guy just because of everything that he does put into it," Sandberg said. "Just to see the results with the bat on the ball, but sometimes not get credited for hits. That's where it starts to get a little bit on the mental side of things. But he shows no signs of that. "Just take a little break. Start fresh and hopefully that'll change on the luck side of things."

Minor Report – Players of the Week: Player -- 1B Rhys Hoskins, Lakewood: Hoskins, a 22-year-old first baseman, was the epitome of offensive production this past week. In six games, he hit a lofty .480 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, seven RBIs and four runs scored. Hoskins reached base at a .536 clip and slugged .760 for a 1.296 OPS. After going 1-for-3 with a walk on April 28, Hoskins proceeded to record multi-hit games in his last five, and multi-RBI games in three of his last four, raising his average 55 points during the week and giving him 15 RBIs on the season. He is in the top five in the league in average (.345), hits (30), OBP (.436), slugging (.586), extra-base hits (12) and total bases (51). Hoskins was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft and was signed by Joey Davis. Pitcher -- RHP Ben Lively, Reading: The 23-year-old Lively continued to stand out in Reading's rotation after two more superb starts last week. On April 27, Lively scattered six hits over seven shutout innings, striking out seven en route to his first win of the season. He followed up that performance with a six-inning, nine-strikeout start against Portland on May 3, giving him a 2.08 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 13 innings over those two starts. Lively now has quality starts in each of his first four starts this season, and has added two strikeouts to his game total each outing since he struck out three in his season debut. He holds a 2.16 ERA for the season and opponents are hitting just .231 against him. His two solid outings netted him Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors, making him the second Reading starter this season to win the award. Lively was acquired by the Phillies this past offseason in the trade that sent Marlon Byrd to the Cincinnati Reds. Lehigh Valley IronPigs -- International League North Division … 6-19, 6^th place … It has not been the easiest week for Lehigh Valley, which lost all but one game between April 27 and May 3. Yet, despite the record, they have still been receiving quality contributions in a number of areas. Maikel Franco continues to rank among the league leaders in several offensive categories, and is one of five IronPigs' players hitting over .300. On the hill, Chad Billingsley turned in one of his best performances of the year to help the IronPigs to their one win this week -- a 4-2 victory over Durham. Top hitting performers -- OF Brian Bogusevic hit safely in all seven games he played in, posting a slash line of .346/.433/1.049 over that stretch with a pair of doubles, a triple, a home run, three RBIs and four walks … 1B Chris McGuinnes started his week with a 3-for-3 night against Durham, and has been hot ever since. McGuinnes hit .412 with three runs scored, two RBIs and two walks in five games, raising his average nearly 60 points … 3B Maikel Franco is tied for the league lead in doubles (10) and extra-base hits (12), and is second in hits (31). Top pitching performers -- RHP Chad Billingsley snapped a three-game losing streak for the IronPigs on April 30 with a solid 5 2/3-inning performance against the Durham Bulls, in which he allowed just two unearned runs on five hits, walked one and struck out a season-high six batters. It was his first professional win since April 10, 2013 against the San Diego Padres … LHP Cesar Jimenez appeared in three games -- all out of the bullpen -- and struck out five over 3 2/3 scoreless innings. Reading Fightin Phils -- Eastern League Eastern Division … 13-9, third place … Reading applied some pressure in the East Division standings, taking four of six games to keep them within 2 1/2 games of the torrid New Britain Rock Cats. The Fightins' key has been their starting pitching, which combined for 25 innings pitched, a 2.52 ERA, three walks and 24 hits (1.08 WHIP) and 24 strikeouts in games that Reading won this week. Overall, Reading's starters combined for a 2.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, keeping them in every game. Top hitting performers -- INF Gustavo Pierre hit .500 on the week with 10 total bases, a .533 OBP and a hearty 1.248 OPS … OF Roman Quinn recorded a pair of steals and a pair of runs, keeping him first or tied for first in the league in both categories (10 steals, 19 runs). Top pitching performers -- RHP Ben Lively made the most of his two starts, picking up the win in each while combining to toss 13 innings with just three earned runs allowed (2.08 ERA), 13 hits, two walks and 16 strikeouts. Lively's performances earned him Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Week honors and Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors, making him the second Fightins' starter to win the league-wide award already this season … RHP Aaron Nola tossed seven innings in his only start last week, allowing just five hits and two runs (one earned) to help Reading to a 3-2 win over Richmond on April 28. Nola has now pitched a career-high seven innings in consecutive starts, and in those two starts has a 0.79 WHIP (11 hits, no walks) to go along with 11 strikeouts … RHP Nefi Ogando threw five scoreless innings over three games, recording six strikeouts while holding opponents to a .188 average. He was 1-for-1 in saves, converting his lone opportunity on April 29 against Richmond … LHP Elvis Araujo struck out four during a two-inning relief appearance on April 29 in what was his last outing before being called up to Philadelphia over the weekend. Clearwater Threshers -- Florida State League North Division … 12-12, 3^rd place … The Threshers split their week with three wins and three losses, but it was the scores that stood out for the powerful Clearwater team. The Threshers scored eight runs in their first three games of the week, and added another one in an 8-2 victory over Dunedin on May 2. They are now second in the league in batting with a .260 average and are just one game out of the No. 2 spot in the division. Top hitting performers -- OF Dylan Cozens recorded three multi-hit games, including a four-hit effort on May 2, which tied a career high. Cozens hit .370 in six games, driving in a team-high seven runs with the help of two three-RBI games and a home run … C Willians Astudillo had yet another productive week, batting .346 with a .370 OBP, two doubles and five RBIs in six games. He had multiple hits in three straight games from April 30 to May 2 and has now hit safely in 19 of his last 21 contests … C Andrew Knapp produced quite a few runs last week, scoring nine and driving in another four in six games played. In fact, Knapp either scored or drove in 40 percent of all of the team's runs during the week. His productive week was made possible by a .370 average, .625 slugging percentage and a 1.108 OPS, which helped him to Florida State League Player of the Week honors … OF Andrew Pullin was 8-for-25 (.320) with three doubles, a home run and five RBIs. Top pitching performers -- LHP Brandon Leibrandt struck out a season-high nine batters in his start on May 2, holding Dunedin to just an earned run on two hits over six innings. Leibrandt now has back-to back six-inning, two-hit starts … RHP Colin Kleven's start last week was very similar to Leibrandt's. The righty tossed six strong innings, allowing just one run on three hits while also setting a season high in strikeouts with six … RHP Yacksel Rios dominated in his first outing since returning from the disabled list, yielding just a hit and a walk to Dunedin on May 3 over 3 1/3 scoreless innings. His five strikeouts in that game were the most he has had since July 25 of last year. Lakewood BlueClaws -- South Atlantic League North Division … 13-11, fourth place … All cylinders were clicking for the BlueClaws this past week, as the team rebounded from a couple of losses to Hagerstown to win five out of six contests and move within 3 1/2 games of first place. Lakewood was sturdy in all facets of the game, averaging four runs per game while holding opponents to an average of just 2.5. Top hitting performers -- 1B Rhys Hoskins had quite a week, batting .480 with a 1.296 OPS, a home run and a team-high seven RBIs in six games. He has multiple hits in five straight and multiple RBIs in three of four as he sits second in the league in OPS and total bases. Hoskins was the recipient of the Phillies Minor League Player of the Week award for his achievements … CF Carlos Tocci has been hot all season, but took his performance to another level last week. Tocci hit in all six games, recording multi-hit games in five of them (three three-hit games and two two-hit games). He recorded 14 hits in 25 at-bats -- good for a .560 batting average -- scored eight runs and reached base better than 60 percent of the time. Tocci is now the league leader in batting with an astounding .400 average, and also leads the league in hits (36) and OBP (.476). He also stole four bases, and is now 9-for-9 in stolen-base attempts … C Deivi Grullon went 7-for-20 (.350) with two doubles, two walks and four RBIs. Top pitching performers -- RHP Chris Oliver went seven shutout innings on May 2 against Savannah, scattering seven hits and walking none while recording a season-high six strikeouts … RHP Ricardo Pinto held Augusta to just one run on three hits over seven innings of work on April 28, lowering his ERA for the year to 2.42 … LHP Josh Taylor picked up his first win of the season with a dominant nine-strikeout, one-run performance over seven innings against Augusta … RHP Ranfi Casimiro logged five scoreless and allowed just two hits on May 1, giving him a 0.75 ERA over his last two starts … RHP Matt Hockenberry nailed down three saves in three chances last week, making him six-for-six in saves with a 0.75 ERA and just 10 baserunners in 12 innings this season.

THE BEGINNING

The Phillies are starting the season as expected and are now near the bottom of the NL east at 10-18. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and performance this spring, don’t expect their competitive place in the standings to last. All time, the Phillies are 39-47-0 on this day.