Game Report: 2016 09 12 - Pirates 2 @ Phillies 6

The Phillies turned another page in their 2016 rebuild during Monday Night's 6-2 victory over the struggling Pirates.

Not one but two of their prospects crossed milestones: Jorge Alfaro made his Major League Debut and Roman Quinn got his first home start. Even sweeter each of the rookies recorded their first hits as well.

Snapshots

Roman Quinn got to bat at CBP for the first time and had a pretty good night. He went 2-4 with a pair of doubles, 2 RBIs and a walk.

After a tough first inning Jeremy Hellickson settled down and pitched into the 7th only allowing 1 unearned run and three singles.

Gerrit Cole's first start off of the DL didn't go well. He was lifted after two innings. He gave up 5 Runs on four hits and four ugly walks.

 Freddy Galvis homered for the Good Guys.

I understand how Roman Quinn got the Anonymous Treatment in the Topps Starting Lineup department. However....

How is it that Jeremy Hellickson doesn't have a card yet?

GGA

Good Guy Awards go out to the Pirates Josh Harrison (above) and David Freese who each signed a bunch of autographs pregame.

 I picked up my first Rob Manfred Baseball on Monday Night.

Moving on Up

Now that school is back in session tix for selected games are even cheaper $14 for a night at the ballpark ain't bad, even if your watching a fourth place team. The Phillies recorded their 64th Win last night which guarantees they will finish with an improved record over the 63-99 of 2015.

Sources
Baseball-Ref

SNAPSHOTS: 2016 08 30 Nationals 3 @ Phillies 2

Just a couple of pictures from the most recent Team Phungo trek to the ballpark, a 3-2 loss to the Division leading Nationals.

2016 0830 Max Scherzer vs Cameron Rupp @ Philadelphia PA

The Phillies may look ugly on the diamond but the field still can look nice.

2016 0830 Max Scherzer vs Ryan Howard @ Philadelphia PA

The Phillies didn’t have many highlights in the game. Both runs came courtesy of a Ryan Howard Homer. The above in the above shot is not the from the Home Run AB, this is the Bottom of the 5th - one of two times when Howard Struck Out.

2016 0830 Max Scherzer

The Star of the night was Max Scherzer who took a no-hitter into the sixth and struck out 11 over eight innings. As a batter he also successfully executed a suicide squeeze to give the Nats their third run – which ended up being the difference in the game.

I am Pretty happy with this photo as it sort of captures the oft mentioned differences of Scherzer's eye color

2016 0830 Jerad Eickhoff

The Phillies starting pitcher, Jerad Eickhoff, fought through some early control issues and was able to give the club six innings. If it weren't for a misplayed fourth inning fly ball by Aaron Altherr in the fourth inning, Eichoff may have left the game deadlocked 2-2 with the Nats and Scherzer. 
 

2016 0830 Trea Turner

Nats Rookie Trea Turner is having a good season. The outfielder had a pair of hits on Wednesday boosting his average to .344.

Familiar Faces

 Ben Revere

Jayson Werth

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref

Game Report: Dodgers 15 @ Phillies 5 - Chase Utley Returns

There are things you expect - Chase Utley Getting a Standing Ovation, and there are things that your happy to see but don't really expect - Chase Utley's Ovation extends for a second beat, and he needs to settle the fans so the game can start or Chase Utley hits a Home Run in his return.

Then there are thing that you wonder if they would ever happen - Chase Utley gets a Curtain Call as an opposing player

And Then there are miracles - Chase Utley and Ryan Howard turned back time.

Utley Hit a Grand Slam and got a second curtain call, at this point what was a game at moved into theater. It was watching "the Natural' unfold in real life.

Later Ryan Howard would hit a moonshot Home Run into the Phillies Bullpen, after narrowly missing one earlier in the game.

It was as much fun as a fan can have in a 15-5 Loss.

The Philllies may have been down 10 runs, but for a few hours it felt like 2008 again. The crowd was good size, Everyone was excited and engaged - and I felt eight years younger, Now that's a miracle!

Snapshots

 Chase Utley in Blue :(

Warm Ups

Utley and Ryan Howard Pregame. I think Howard is saying "well if you hit a Home Run, I am going to have to hit one too.."

Just a few #26 Jerseys

Utley signed a number of autographs pregame. The fans were four of five deep down the Left Field line. Good Guy Awards go out to Corey Seager and Chris Taylor who also were spotted signing for the fans.

Fifth Beatle?

Ryan Howard MopTop

Last night was Beatles Night - in celebration of the 50th anniversary of an appearance of what turned out to be the bands US Farewell tour.

Field Report
Our friends over at the Phillies Room were also at the game and they have their own field report which can be found here.

Sources and Links
Chase Utley Player Collection Index
Baseball-ref
Beatles Bible

Game Report 2015 0721: Rays at Phillies - Aaron Nola Debut, Nathan Karns HR

Citizen's Bank Park provided some excitement on Tuesday night as their 2014 top draft pick Aaron Nola made his Major League Debut

It was a fun night for everyone, there was a buzz across the stadium as fans followed Nola from his Long Toss routine all the way through his six inning start.

2015 0721 Aaron Nola in his Major League Debut

Aaron Nola looked good giving up run on 5 Hits and a walk over the course of six innings in his first start.

He did have one bad pitch.

2015 0721 Nate Karns

Typically a gift pitch with an AL Pitcher batting isn't a problem, but on Tuesday night it was. Nate Karns had never had a hit in the Majors and only one in the minors, but he made his first in the Majors count. Karns Homered off of Aaron Nola in the 3rd inning and it was the only run the Rays needed. 

 2015 07 21 Linescore

How often do you get a 1-0 game where the only run is the result of a Pitcher hitting a Home Run.

Not often.

Yovani Gallardo did to give the Brewers a 1-0 victory over the Pirates in 2009. Karns was the first AL Pitcher to do it since 1962 when Milt Pappas did it for the Orioles versus the Yankees.

GGA

Kevin Kiermaier

There were a number of Rays that came out to sign autographs, one of them was Kevin Kiermaier who had a really good night in Centerfield. In addition to a couple of nice catches he also picked up and outfield assist when Cody Asche attempted to go first to third on a single.

Line Up Card Aaron Nola

The Phillies even had a new LineUp card posted for Aaron Nola.

Citizens Bank Park 

It is a little hard to tell but the flags at CBP were lowered to honor the memory of the servicemen killed in Chattanooga.

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref
The Sporting News
Phillies Radio Broadcast

Game Report 2015 0516: DiamondBacks @ Phillies

An hour-plus rain delay could not spoil the fun for team Phungo as we got to see a 7-5 victory for the good guys who ran their win streak to four games.

This may not have been a great game for a bunch of reasons but there was a lot of offense.

 

Jeff Francoeur 2015 05 16

The Phillies had Francoeur in Right and Grady Sizemore in left. Ryne Sandberg had not paired those corners with Odubel Herrera in the outfield prior to Saturday night, The way things worked out it may happen more often in the future. Frenchy had a home run and Sizemore had his first four hit game since 2008

In the above photo that is former Reading Phillies farmhand Tuffy Gosewisch wearing the tools of ignorance.

Jerome Williams 2015 05 16

I wanted to get a decent shot of Williams and the pink glove that he wears to honor his mother and her battle with cancer. 

Archie Bradley 2015 05 16

I had been checking the probables in anticipation of a potential start by Archie Bradley. Aside from seeing a Phils W my game priorities are seeing opposition stars and buzz worthy prospects.

Saturday night was Archie Bradley's first start since being struck by a line drive on April 28th.

During the rain delay a bunch of fans wearing Bradley jerseys took shelter near my spot on the rail. I got involved in a short conversation with Archie's uncle. About a dozen family and friends had made the journey out from Bradley's native Oklahoma to see his return. They all seemed very nice and enjoyed the trip despite the young pitchers tough outing.

Yasmany Tomas 2015 0516

The Diamondback Cuban rookie Yasmany Tomas had a good game which included his first career Home Run.  However at the eye test level I felt as if he was a bit of a free-swinger. I am not sure if he is going to make it by swinging at the first pitch in every AB. He also appeared to have an issue communicating on the bases - At some point early in the game when Tomas was on 2nd base it was obvious he was having communication issues with a coach on the bench.  

2015 05 16 Maikel Franco

The D-Backs were not the only team sending out prospects on Saturday Night. Phillies Rookie Maikel Franco, who got  a look last September, made his 2nd start of 2014 and collected his first hit.

VittlesPop

Jim Cramer acknowledges crowd prior to ceremonial first pitch 2015 0516

Philadelphia native and host of Mad Money Jim Cramer threw out the first pitch for the game. Perhaps he was trying to get a card in the Topps First Pitch Insert.
 

2015 0516 Citizens Bank Park

While it is tough putting up with a rain delay, it can still be fun to watch at a stadium. Most folks don't have this type of view of rainstorm at their disposal and Saturday night's rainfall was pretty epic. It is hard to see it in a picture, but in the shot above I did try to capture the sheets of rain migrating across the field.

Observations
I never played baseball above Little League, therefore I am no authority but IMO the D-backs looked AWFUL on their cutoff formations. At least twice I thought they would have had a play at second had they had a player covering.

Jerome Williams was able to resume pitching after the rain delay which was officially listed as 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Freddy Galvis can foul off a pitch. Not sure if he will hit .340+ all year but the fact that he can battle with 2 strikes is a nice asset to have.

Apparently AZ reliever Brad Ziegler was drafted by the Phillies. This is something I either never knew or had forgotten

We have noted this before but it is worth reiterating - No matter how bad the Phils team is there will be a solid tailgate crowd. 

Source and Links
Beckett
baseball-ref
ESPN LA
MLB
Chase's Calendar of Events
 

SNAPSHOTS 2015 05 08: Mets @ Phillies

As a fan it is tough to watch a bad team, but if you look hard enough there are appealing games on the schedule. Friday Nights was one of those:

-It was a Friday Night, a good opportunity for a worker bee like myself to get to a game
-The weather was favorable
-The Division Leading New York Mets were in town
-And there was a Big Time Pitching matchup, Matt Harvey vs Cole Hamels

SnapShots

2015 04 08 Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels was the Ace that won out this time. He held the Mets to four hits and a manufactured run through seven innings. The Phillies southpaw recorded 8 Ks against 2 walks. The bullpen did the rest, Ken Giles perfect inning, Papelbon recovers from a leadoff single with a couple of Ks and a line out.

Freddy Galvis and Dilson Herrera 2015 05 08

The Offense was led by Freddy Galvis who had 3 hits and a couple of stolen bases along with Ryan Howard who had a pair of RBIs including a solo Homer

Matt Harvey 2015 05 08

Prior to Friday night's start Harvey had handled the Phillies pretty easily. His night wasn't bad just not as dominant as prior outings. Three runs over six for the Dark Knight, one of those runs was pretty much scored by Freddy Galvis' legs in the first inning. Freddy singled, stole 2nd, and came home on a Ryan Howard ground single when Galvis was attempting steal third.

 

Cole Hamels vs John Mayberry Jr 2015 05 08

Beautiful Night for a ballgame, nice to get a W vs a quality starter.

Sources and Links
baseball-ref

SNAPSHOTS 2015 04 25: Braves @ Phillies

 
2015 0425 Citizens Bank Ballpark at Sunset (click to enlarge)
 
The Phillies hosted the Division Rival Atlanta Braves this past Saturday Night. Despite a terrific start by David Buchanan and a rare Home Run by Ryan Howard the Phils took the loss 5-2.

Despite the outcome and the cold, it was a pretty nice night for a game, picturesque sunset photo above.

Snapshots

 2015 0425 David Buchanan

Buchanan had struggled in three 2015 starts, but Saturday Night was different. He didn't allow a hit until the 5th inning and took a 1-hit shutout into the 7th. Unfortunately he couldn't make through that 7th inning and Jake Diekman couldn't help him out.


2015 0425 Ryan Howard

Despite the Loss, Buchanan's start is a positive as was Ryan Howard who had a 2 run homer and looked good in other ABs. The rest of the Phillies offense accounted for zero runs and looked worse that that. Phillies personnel have spun Chase Utley poor start at the plate as bad luck despite good contact. For me there was no evidence of this on Saturday night, Utley had 4 unimpressive ABs.

2015 0425 Shelby Miller

For six innings Buchanan was the better pitcher, but Shelby Miller didn't let this phase him. In his fourth start as a Brave Miller put up six innings allowing only 3 hits including Howard's two run homer. Miller has been steady for the Braves getting 5+ innings in every start and now allowing more than 2 in any of them.

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen #48 Shelby Miller

Not sure but this may be Miller's first card as a Brave, picked it up in a Rack Pack a few weeks back.





2015 0425 Andrelton Simmons

Typically known for his defense Andrelton Simmons showed up with his bat on Saturday night and spoiled David Buchanan's shutout with a line drive home run to lead off the seventh.

Stray Observations
***When Jake Diekman came in to pitch the infielders segregated into two groups. I know that they are geographically separated but it defnitely felt like the Howard/Utley and Asche/Galvis weren't interested in hanging out together.

***Freddy Galvis resurrects memories of former Steelers (and Eagles) QB Bubby Brister. He goes down with what appears to be a major injury and lays on the turf. Then 10 minutes later he is up and returning to the field. 

***I have never seen a player take his fielding as seriously as Andrelton Simmons. After his BP session he took his Shortstop position for repeated grounders with his motor running at a much higher rate than I have seen from other players.

***Shelby Miller was having trouble hitting the right side of the plate during his bullpen warm up. I think this may have carried through to the game, but the Phillies failed to take advantage.

***Jason Grilli gets it, he appeared to be involved in a healthy bit of interaction with the fans prior to the game.

***The Phillies attendance may be down inside the ballpark, but that hasn't hurt the crowds in the tailgate lots. I get to games really early and I was amazed at how many folks were already in the lots.

Sources and Links
Baseball-ref

Snapshots 2014 09 04 Reds @ Orioles

It has been a busy summer and Thursday night I finally made my first trip of 2014 to Camden Yards.  The Orioles won the slugfest 9-7 including  6 runs via the Homer. 

SnapShots

Nelson Cruz

This is Cruz at the plate - This is from the pitch that he would knock out to center for the first of the Orioles 3 home runs.

Brad Brach vs Devin Mesoraco 

Devin Mesoraco had a big night for the Reds. He was 4-4 with a Homer and a Double with 4 RBI.

Chris Tillman 

The Orioles offense spotted Tillman 6 runs unfortunately he was only able to get through six innings and the bullpen couldn't hold the lead.

Yorman Rodriguez 

The Reds #12 Prospect (mlb.com) Yorman Rodriquez made his Major League Debut on Thursday night. He was 0 for 3 prior to being lifted for a pinch hitter.

It was a bit warm but still more than nice enough for a game. Sadly the O's drew just a touch over 21K fans. They are a first place team, hopefully they will pack a few more in as the playoffs near.


Sources
Baseball-ref
mlb