Phillies Nation

On a beautiful Wednesday afternoon, the Phillies beat the Marlins, 6-1, finally getting back to the .500 mark with a sweep. They’re back level ground for the first time since they were 6-6. It’s also the first time the Phils have won four straight games.

As my colleague Corey Seidman pointed out via twitter, the Phillies have scored at least six runs in four consecutive games for the first time since late September 2010.

Lucky #7

-In the seventh inning, the Phillies broke it open. They scored five in the frame, busting through with a Jimmy Rollins RBI single to start. Ryan Howard brought home two runs with his first triple since April 22, 2011. The Big Piece needed a big hit, and he got one.

-Not to be outdone was Man of the Year, Domonic Brown. He launched a two-run Dom Bomb into the seats in right for his 18th home run of the season. Brown was in a quick 0-for-8 “slump” just before he exploded for another homer. Wow, what more can you say.

-John Mayberry Jr. got the first hit of the day off of Jacob Turner in the second inning, a smoked single to left field. Erik Kratz continued his hot streak, getting the Phillies on the board one batter later.  With his second inning RBI-double, Kratz now has hits in 9 of the last 10 games.

Hamels Back in Top Form

-Hamels line: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1 HR, 1 HBP. His ball-to-strike ratio was impressive, throwing 81 of his 108 pitches for strikes. The issue had been, of course, run support. In his first three starts against the Marlins, the Phillies offense provided him with one, zero, and one run. It was slightly better today as the Phillies gave him six just before he left the game.

-It was the 23rd time in his career Hamels struck out 10 or more batters in a game, and the third time this season.

-Hamels allowed a fourth inning home run to Derek Deitrich, which tied the game at 1-1. It was a cutter, a pitch that Hamels has grappled with this season. Going into the game, Hamels had thrown 223 cutters, four of them leaving the yard (make that five with this one).

-Home plate umpire John Hirschbeck left the game in the seventh inning after taking a pitch off his right hand. It was a scary scene as he went down in a heap; Jim Reynolds replaced him.

Jenny Dell of NESN

Phillies Nation TV is back after a Memorial Day break and the crew has some fresh Phillies analysis for you. Pat and Corey decide if the Phillies are .500 team or better, break down Domonic Brown’s torrid hitting stretch and figure out what’s wrong with Cole Hamels.

Jay and Ian are in Lehigh Valley where they speak with Phillippe Aumont on getting demoted, Darin Ruf on living up to expectations and Cody Asche on moving through the Phillies minor league system. As always, Ryann brings questions from viewers like you.

Plus, Pat talks with Jenny Dell of NESN while she was in town for the Red Sox series last week.

With the All-Star game fast approaching, we all know which Phillies are likely to make the team. But how good are you at spotting All-Stars on other teams?

Here’s a chance to show off your own All-Star skills by participating on our 1-day Fantasy Baseball league. Sign up for free today and select your roster before 7pm on Friday (it only takes a few minutes) and you’ll have a chance to win cash prizes! Thanks to DraftStreet.com, we have $300 to give away to players in this week’s competition. Build your team now.

KK threw his second complete game this year. (PHOTO: AP)

For the first time since early April, the Phillies scored seven runs or more in back-to-back games. Last night, they jumped out to a big lead early. Tonight, they did it mostly via the long ball in somewhat of a comeback effort.

They went down 2-0 after three innings, but in the fifth, they put three runs on the board, followed by four more in the sixth. Kyle Kendrick pitched a solid game, and NL player of the week and month Domonic Brown hit yet another home run.

BROWN STAYS HOT

Domonic Brown had another nice night at the plate. He went 3-4 with another home run and 2 RBI. Over the homestand, he’s batting .545 with six home runs, and the first Phillie to hit nine home runs in ten games since Bobby Abreu. Simply outstanding.

He now has 17 home runs on the year, 42 RBI, and he’s hitting .291/.329/.592. Get this guy to the All Star Game.

FUN NIGHT FOR KENDRICK

Not only did Kyle Kendrick throw a full nine innings of two-run ball, he also tripled, and later tagged up on a fly ball to center. He slid headfirst into third on the triple, getting his uniform dirty and tearing up his elbows, and hat to pitch with that dirty uniform the next inning. It was fantastic.

His full line was 9 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. His ERA is now 3.12 on the season.

SLUGGING LINEUP

The Phillies hit six extra base hits, including three home runs (from Domonic Brown, Erik Kratz, and Delmon Young). Kyle Kendrick and Freddy Galvis added triples, and Ryan Howard added a double. Ben Revere had a couple hard-hit balls, and Howard’s double was scorched. This kind of production from the offense has been a rarity, and it was great to see.

The Phillies are back at it tomorrow with Jonathan Pettibone going for the Phils and Ricky Nolasco going for the Marlins.

Phillippe Aumont, Photo- Jay Floyd

The Phillies saw enough of their dismal middle relief and began making adjustments to that portion of their roster back on May 22nd, sending imposing right-hander Phillippe Aumont down to the minor leagues after a shaky stretch to open the season.  Since the demotion, Aumont has continued to have control issues and has looked troubled through five contests.

Selected in the 1st round by Seattle in the 2007 draft, Aumont was later traded to the Phillies, along with Tyson Gillies and J.C. Ramirez, in the December, 2009 deal for Cliff Lee.  This year, Aumont opened the season on the same roster as Lee, with the Phillies, but while Lee steadily performs like an All-Star, the 6-foot-7, 260-pounder lacked command and the team took notice.

Following his two outings on May 18th against Cincinnati and May 20th against Miami, in which he allowed three earned runs in one total inning, Aumont’s ERA spiked from 2.25 to 4.15 and he lost his spot on the Phils’ big league roster.

On the bright side, the 24-year-old Aumont didn’t walk anyone in those two outings, or the one before them, after issuing 10 free passes in his first 12 innings this season.  However, with more pitches in the strike zone came greater damage from the opposition, as he surrendered five hits to eight batters faced.

“It was a walk an inning and, you know, and that frustrated me a little bit, so I started working on it…and I started throwing more strikes and strikes came along, but then hits came along too,” Aumont explained.  “I wasn’t executing the fastball inside, the curve ball below the zone.  Everything was in the strike zone.  And that’s where I got hurt and they saw that.  They told me I was making progress, but I just didn’t have what it takes, right now, for me to be up there.” Continue reading Aumont’s Struggles Continue at Lehigh Valley

The Phillies held on to win the finale of their three game series with Milwaukee on Sunday, 7-5, and avoided the sweep.

The Phils jumped out to an early lead in the first, scoring five runs off Brewers starter Mike Fiers. Domonic Brown hit a three-run home run, while Erik Kratz and Freddy Galvis each drove in a run in a first inning during which Philadelphia batted around. They then added another two runs in the second to jump out to a large 7-0 lead.

With seven early runs and Lee on the mound, there was a definite feeling of comfort.. .until there wasn’t. Antonio Bastardo pitched the ninth instead of Jonathan Papelbon, who was nowhere to be found, and nearly let the game slip away. A game that was already too close for comfort because of Justin De Fratus’ struggles. Turns out Papelbon was unavailable due to a stomach illness.

Dom Brown’s Power Carrying Offense

At this point, you feel spoiled if Brown does not hit a home run in a key spot with men on base. The Phillies left fielder cranked his 16th homer of the year in the first inning, a three-run blast off the facing of the upper deck in right. He followed that up with an RBI triple in the second, a single in the fifth, and a walk in the seventh inning.

Brown’s power has been almost hard to comprehend. In his last nine games, he has eight home runs and 14 RBI, which is more than any other player in the majors over that span. He has also raised his average from .243 on May 19 to .282, which is no easy feat two months into the season.

Walks from Howard a Key to Scoring Runs

One thing that happened in Sunday’s game that has been happening more often of late is Ryan Howard working a walk out of a tough count, and having that extend the inning for Brown, who drives in the runs. In the last three days Howard has three walks after having just one in his previous seven games. When your best hitter is doing what Brown is doing, Howard getting on base (especially with two outs) is key because it gives Brown an opportunity to drive in runs like he did today, and does not bring him up with the bases empty in the next inning.

Lee is Lee, did you expect anything else?

We have come to expect Cliff Lee to do what he did today, and has done the last several outings. The southpaw has been almost untouchable in his last six starts. He has been mixing up his pitches, forcing weak contact and pounding the strike zone. At one point in the seventh inning, when he hit the 80 pitch mark, he had thrown 64 strikes and 16 balls.

Lee finished the game with 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. He did allow three earned runs, but that was mostly due to Justin De Fratus allowing the two runners he inherited to score on a bases-clearing triple by Jonathan Lucroy. It could have been even worse as a grand slam was overturned on replay.

In his career, Lee is 72-7 when his team has scored six runs or more for him.

Up Next…

The Phillies will remain at home for a three game series with the last place Miami Marlins. The Phillies are 6-4 against Miami this year, which is not all that good considering they have only 16 wins all season and more than a quarter of those are against the Phillies. On Monday night Philadelphia will send Kyle Kendrick to the hill. He pitched well his last time out and has a 5-3 record and 3.27 ERA this season.

Philadelphia Phillies (26-30) vs. Milwaukee Brewers (21-33)

Cliff Lee (6-2, 2.34 ERA) vs. Mike Fiers (1-3, 5.6 ERA)

Time: 1:35, Citizens Bank Park

TV: PHL 17

Weather: 85, some clouds and chance of T-storms

Media: Twitter and Facebook

Cliff Lee will be sent to the mound Sunday afternoon with the task of salvaging a game in the Phillies’ series finale with Milwaukee. Lee is in the midst of one of his dominant stretches, and has been the winner in each of his last five starts. In those five starts, he has allowed just five earned runs in 39 innings (1.15 ERA), which is the lowest in all of Major League Baseball in the last month by almost half a run. He has not had success against the Brewers in his career, however, pitching to a 0-1 record and 5.08 ERA in five starts against them.

His mound opponent will be right-hander Mike Fiers, who is making just his third start in what will be 11 appearances for Milwaukee this year. In his two other starts he is the owner of an 0-2 record and 10.00 ERA. He also  gave up five home runs in just nine total innings between the two games.

The Phillies offense will need to try to take advantage of yet another struggling pitcher, which is something they have had opportunities to do but have failed to execute. Unlike last night against Peralta, several Phillies players have faced Fiers before, with Ryan Howard (2-for-4, two doubles, RBI) and John Mayberry (1-for-3, solo home run) having the most success.

Lineup: Revere CF, Hernandez 2B, Rollins SS, Howard 1B, Brown LF, Mayberry RF, Kratz C, Galvis 3B, Lee P

Gameday Beer: Shock Top Belgian White

With the recent hot weather it’s time to make the full swing from spring to summer beers, and this Shock Top brew is perfect for that. This wheat ale is brewed with lemon, lime and orange peels to give it a refreshing taste and subtly sour finish. It’s the perfect beer for relaxing on a hot Sunday and watching the ballgame.

The Phillies dropped a very winnable game on Saturday against the Brewers after a late base running blunder (courtesy of a missed call by the umpire) combined with the usual lack of offense allowed Milwaukee to scrape out a 4-3 win. The loss guaranteed a series loss for the Phils, who have either lost or split each of their last four series.

The Phillies put together a rally in the ninth, but it was cut short when Kyle Kendrick was picked off second with one out in the inning. Upon replay it was evident that the second baseman did not catch the ball, less catch it and tag Kendrick out. Kendrick was pinch running for the injured Jimmy Rollins, and if he was on base he would have scored to tie the game on Cesar Hernandez‘s double, which immediately followed.

Milwaukee’s offense struck for four runs, led by catcher Jonathan Lucroy and center fielder Logan Schaeffer who combined to go 5-for-8 with two runs, a double, a homer and two RBI. It was Lucroy’s third homer through the first two games of the series.

Continue reading Blown Call, Error, Lack of Offense Result in Third Straight Loss

Two home runs by Dom Brown weren’t enough against the Brew Crew. (PHOTO: AP)

The Phillies, who were averaging just 3.4 runs per game coming into tonight’s contest,  put up five runs on Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo–but lost the game 8-5. Domonic Brown launched two home runs, but was outdone by Jonathan Lucroy who hit two homers along with a double en route to a 5-5 night at the plate. Cole Hamels gave up seven runs (six earned), and took his ninth loss on the season.

DOWNTOWN DOM BROWN

How about Domonic Brown? He launched two home runs Friday night for a total of four RBI. His slash line is now .272/.306/.549 and he has fifteen home runs on the season. He is turning out to be the Phillies best offensive player this year, and it is a fantastic thing to see after all the undeserved bashing he got.

HAMELS TAKES ANOTHER LOSS

Cole Hamels had yet another tough outing. He surrendered six earned runs in just five innings of work. He allowed twelve hits and only struck out three. He raised his season ERA up to 4.86. It’s shaping up to be a tough year for Hamels, but he’s more mature than he was in 2009, so I think he will bounce back at some point.

THE UNSTOPPABLE LUCROY

Jonathan Lucroy, have yourself a night! It was hittin’ weather–as Charlie Manuel would say–as the Brewers catcher went 5-5 with two home runs, a double, four RBI, and three runs scored. The Phillies simply did not have an answer for him. He hasn’t been a great hitter this year, so when he has a night like this, you know the Brewers will put up runs.

The Phillies are back at it tomorrow afternoon at 4 PM, with Tyler Cloyd on the mound for the Phillies, and Mike Fiers on the mound for the Brewers.

According to the IronPigs’ Director of Media Relations Matt Provence, LHP Mauricio Robles and INF Miguel Abreu are headed to Allentown. Robles, 24, was selected off waivers from Seattle in the offseason and is a member of the 40-man roster. Robles has a 2.77 ERA with 37 Ks in 26 IP for Double-A Reading. Abreu, 28, was hitting .230/.269/.405 with 3 HR for the Reading Fightins. Abreu has played all infield positions except for catcher this year and has experience in the outfield.

In a corresponding move, LHP Bobby Bramhall was assigned to Reading. Bramhall, 27, was quietly signed by the Phillies earlier in the month after being let loose by the Washington Nationals organization. The lefty had a 6.39 ERA in 12.2 IP in long relief work for the Pigs.

In a separate move reported overnight by MLB Daily Dish, the Phillies signed former White Sox, Indians, and Marlins infielder Andy Gonzalez to a minor league deal. Gonzalez, according to Anthony Burkhart of the Republican-Herald, will report to the Reading Fightins. Gonzalez, 31, was a former fifth-round pick of the White Sox in 2001. He appeared at every position in the field except for catcher in 2007 with the White Sox and has a career Major League line of .182/.281/.258. He last played for the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League earlier in 2013 where he hit .273/.337/.312 in 86 PA.