2017 Chachi #40 Nick Pivetta

#43
Nicholas Jhoncarlo Pivetta
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  210
Born:  February 14, 1993, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Home:  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Drafted:  Selected by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Traded from the Washington Nationals for Jonathan Papelbon and cash considerations, July 28, 2015

2016 Grandstand Reading
Fightin Phils #23

6 Pivetta Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2016 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #23
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A*
Latest Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #21

*There was a 2017 Phillies Team Issue card produced especially for Pivetta to sign at the Phillies Phestival in May, but I don't have this card in my collection (yet)

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi Almost #10
2017 Chachi #40
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15

Card statistics through 6/21/17.

2017 Phillies Team Issue #58 Jeremy Hellickson

Cardinals 8, Phillies 1 (11)
Game 69 - Tuesday Night, June 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-47, 5th place, 20 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies and Cardinals were locked in a 1-1 tie until Casey Fien imploded in spectacular fashion in the 11th inning.

What It Means:  The Phillies website dubbed the start by Jeremy Hellickson as a "showcase," and we're about a month away from the Phillies most likely trading away some of their veterans to contending teams.

What Happened:  Hellickson had his best pitching performance in a while, limiting the Cardinals to a run on six hits over seven innings.  Edubray Ramos started the massacre in the 11th with back-to-back walks.  Fien allowed those two runs to score, along with five of his own.

2017 Topps Heritage #184

Featured Card:  Hellickson's outing was the highlight of the game, at least from a Phillies fan's perspective, so he gets the featured card.

Transactions:  The Phillies made a flurry of roster moves before the game, designating both Michael Saunders (.205 average) and Jeanmar Gomez (7.25 ERA) for assignment and placing Jerad Eickhoff on the disabled list with a back strain.  Outfielder Cameron Perkins and pitcher Hoby Milner were purchased from Lehigh Valley while Brock Stassi was recalled to take Eickhoff's spot on the roster.

Phillies Debuts:  After parts of six seasons in the minors, Perkins finally got the call on Tuesday afternoon.  He became the seventh player to make his big league debut with the Phillies this season.

15.  Cameron Perkins (of) - Pinch-hit for Pat Neshek in the bottom of the 10th and flied out to center.

2017 Chachi #39 Ty Kelly

#15
Tyler Patrick Kelly
Outfield-Infield

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  July 20, 1988, Dallas, TX
Drafted:  Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 13th round of the June 2009 draft
Teams:  New York Mets 2016-2017; Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Purchased from the Toronto Blue Jays, April 22, 2017

0 Kelly Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #39
2017 Chachi In Action #1
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #6

Card statistics through 6/20/17.

Series Preview - Cardinals at Phillies: June 20th to June 22nd

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Cardinals 31-37, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Brewers
Phillies 22-46, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 19 games behind the Nationals

Cardinals Probables:  Mike Leake (5-6, 3.14), Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.78), Carlos Martinez (6-5, 2.86)
Phillies Probables:  Jeremy Hellickson (5-5, 4.91), Nick Pivetta (1-3, 4.46), Aaron Nola (3-5, 4.76)

At the Ballpark:  It's Star Wars night on Wednesday, with fans holding a theme night ticket receiving a fantastic Phillie Phanatic bobble head wearing his X-Wing Fighter uniform.

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Jedd Gyorko - .291
Runs:  Dexter Fowler - 38
Home Runs:  Matt Carpenter and Dexter Fowler - 13
RBIs:  Matt Carpenter - 38
Stolen Bases:  Tommy Pham - 6

Wins:  Adam Wainwright - 7
ERA:  Carlos Martinez - 2.86
Strikeouts:  Carlos Martinez - 107
Saves:  Seung-hwan Oh - 15

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .278
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 40
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 12
RBIs:  Aaron Altherr - 37
Stolen Bases:  Howie Kendrick - 7

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jerad Eickhoff - 4.81
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 65
Saves:  Hector Neris - 6

1982 Topps Traded #108T

1982 Topps Traded #29T

1982 Topps Appreciation:  On November 20, 1981, the Phillies, Cardinals and Indians pulled off a five-player, three-way trade with Bo Diaz coming to the Phillies, Lonnie Smith going to the Cardinals and Silvio Martinez and Lary Sorensen going to the Indians.  The Phillies also sent Scott Munninghoff to the Indians to complete the trade on December 9th.

The trade worked out for the Cardinals as Smith was an All-Star in 1982 and he also helped the team win a World Championship against the Brewers.  He'd go on to win his third World Series ring with the Royals in 1985.  (His first of course was earned with the Phillies in 1980.)

Bo Diaz was never an All-Star with the Phillies, but he did bridge the gap between the Bob Boone years and the Darren Daulton years.  In four seasons with the Phillies, Diaz hit .256 with 36 home runs.

2017 Chachi #38 Ben Lively

#49
Edward Bennett Lively
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  190
Born:  March 5, 1992, Pensacola, FL
Home:  Gulf Breeze, FL
Drafted:  Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 4th round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds for Marlon Byrd and cash considerations, December 31, 2014

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #19

2015 Bowman The Farm's Finest Minis #FFM-BL

17 Lively Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #19
First Phillies Card:  2015 Bowman The Farm's Finest Minis #FFM-BL
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2017 Choice Phillies Minor League Top 30 Prospects #16

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #38
2017 Chachi In Action #3

Card statistics through 6/19/17.

2017 Chachi #37 Mark Leiter, Jr.

#59
Mark Leiter, Jr.
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  March 13, 1991, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Home:  Lanoka Harbor, NJ
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Via draft

2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15

2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59

8 Leiter, Jr. Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2014 Brandt Lakewood BlueClaws #15
First Phillies Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue Phillies Phestival #59

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #37
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #18

Card statistics through 6/18/17.

Happy Father's Day!

1982 Fleer #640

Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 4 (10)
Game 68 - Sunday Afternoon, June 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-46, 5th place, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost a tough one to the Diamondbacks on Father's Day, falling in the late innings as Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez couldn't get the job done.

What It Means:  Yet another series sweep drops the Phillies further into the cellar in the division. Following an off day on Monday, the team opens a three-game set with the Cardinals.

What Happened:  Ben Lively bounced back from a three-run first inning to pitch six strong.  Ty Kelly hit a clutch, pinch triple in the sixth to drive home the go-ahead run.  Neris blew the save in the ninth and Gomez allowed a home run to Rey Fuentes in the 10th.

Featured Card:  The Phillies Collector Tweeted out this card earlier today, and I too thought it would be a perfect card to feature in this post.

Field Report:  And we were there!  Our church organized a trip to the game, which included a pre-game tail-gate with a ton of fantastic food.  Our seats in Section 243 were HOT, but the occasional rain shower cooled us off.  Most importantly, we had a great time with our church family and I spent some quality time at the ballpark with my two sons.  Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads out there!

1997 Fleer #406 Matt Beech

Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 1
Game 67 - Saturday Afternoon, June 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-45, 5th place, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff had a good outing, but shoddy relief coupled with a lack of offense helped the Diamondbacks to a 5-1 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try to avoid another series sweep this afternoon.

What Happened:  Eickhoff allowed a run on five hits in his six innings of work.  Edubray Ramos and Casey Fien allowed four Diamondbacks runs to score in the seventh, sealing the loss.  Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders both had a pair of hits, but the offense went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  Meghan Montemurro delivered again via Twitter with this gem:  Eickhoff is the first Phillies starting pitcher to go winless through 14 starts since Matt Beech in 1997.

2017 Chachi #36 Zach Eflin

#56
Zachary Adams Eflin
Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  211
Born:  April 8, 1994, Orlando, FL
Home:  Chuluota, FL
Drafted:  Selected by the San Diego Padres between the 1st and 2nd rounds of the June 2012 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2016-
Acquired:  Traded with Tom Windle from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jimmy Rollins, December 19, 2014

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #16

2016 Chachi #46

2016 Topps Now #211

12 Eflin Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #16
First Phillies Card:  2016 Topps Now #211
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 Update #56
Latest Card:  2016 Topps Heritage High Numbers #659

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #46
2016 Chachi Photo Day #19
2017 Chachi #36
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #5 - with Joely Rodriguez

Card statistics through 6/17/17.

2008 Chachi #31 Brad Lidge

Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 4
Game 66 - Friday Night, June 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-44, 5th place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  A three-run seventh inning from the Diamondbacks sunk the Phillies and Aaron Nola.

What It Means:  The one-game winning streak is over.

What Happened:  Nola was in control until the seventh when he allowed a lead-off single and then a two-run home run to Gregor Blanco to tie the game at four.  Pat Neshek came on in relief of Nola, but the go-ahead run ultimately scored on a sacrifice fly.

The big hit for the Phillies had come an inning earlier when Maikel Franco hit a two-run double to give the team a temporary two run lead.  Cameron Rupp hit a solo home run (5) in the fifth.

Featured Card:  Let's remember happier times.  The run allowed by Neshek in the seventh inning had been inherited from Nola, and Neshek escaped without a run being charged to him.  His ERA is now 0.69, which is the lowest by a Phillies reliever through his first 25 innings of a season since Brad Lidge's 0.72 ERA in 2008.  (Via Meghan Montemurro on Twitter.)

2017 Chachi #35 Luis Garcia

#57
Luis Amado Garcia
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  240

Born:  January 30, 1987, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Home:  Dover, NJ

Signed:  Signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent, January 22, 2004

Teams:  Phillies 2013-

Acquired:  Signed as minor league free agent, formerly with the Newark Bears of the independent Canadian-American Association, March 25, 2013

2013 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #8

2013 Chachi #49

2014 Topps #451

11 Garcia Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2013 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Update #8
First Phillies Card:  2014 Topps #451
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2014 Topps #451
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #57
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #57

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2013 Chachi #49
2014 Chachi #37
2015 Chachi #21
2016 Chachi #38
2016 Chachi Fan Appreciation Day #2
2017 Chachi #35

Card statistics through 6/16/17.

Series Preview - Diamondbacks at Phillies: June 16th to June 18th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Diamondbacks 41-26, 2nd Place in the N.L. West, 1 game behind the Rockies
Phillies 22-43, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Diamondbacks Probables:  Patrick Corbin (5-6, 5.38), Zack Godley (2-1, 2.44), Robbie Ray (7-3, 2.62)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (3-4, 4.40), Jerad Eickhoff (0-7, 5.09), Ben Lively (1-1, 3.00)

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday night, all kids will receive a Phillies W.B. Mason collectible truck.  On Sunday afternoon, for Father's Appreciation Day, all men 15 and over will receive a Phillies Hawaiian shirt, modeled here by Tommy Joseph.

Diamondbacks Leaders
Average:  Paul Goldschmidt - .323
Runs:  Paul Goldschmidt - 58
Home Runs:  Jake Lamb - 16
RBIs:  Jake Lamb - 57
Stolen Bases:  Paul Goldschmidt - 13

Wins:  Zach Greinke - 8
ERA:  Robbie Ray - 2.62
Strikeouts:  Robbie Ray - 107
Saves:  Fernando Rodney - 18

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .281
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 40
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 11
RBIs:  Aaron Altherr - 36
Stolen Bases:  Howie Kendrick - 7

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.91
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 63
Saves:  Hector Neris - 6

2016 Choice Reading Fightin Phils Top Prospects (Horizontal) #8 Nick Pivetta

Phillies 1, Red Sox 0
Game 65 - Thursday Night, June 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-43, 5th place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Pivetta's fine pitching performance and a clutch, pinch-double from Ty Kelly led to a 1-0 win over the Red Sox.

What It Means:  The win halted an eight-game losing streak and the Phillies will try to maintain a winning momentum with a weekend series against the Diamondbacks.

What Happened:  Pivetta, Pat Neshek and Hector Neris combined for the team's first shutout of the season.  Pivetta threw seven terrific innings, striking out nine and allowing just four hits.

With Chris Sale on cruise control heading to the bottom of the eighth, Andrew Knapp singled and came around to score on Kelly's big double.

Featured Card:  Pivetta's sole Phillies card right now is a hard-to-find (I'm still searching) team issued photo card used during the mid-May Phillies Phestival for the rookie pitcher to provide autographs. This is his card from one of last year's Reading issues, the "horizontal" version of the team's Top Prospects set.

2017 Chachi #33 John McLaren CO

#9
John Lowell McLaren
Bullpen Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  September 29, 1951, Galveston, TX
Home:  Peoria, AZ
Teams - As Coach:  Toronto Blue Jays 1986-1990; Boston Red Sox 1991; Cincinnati Reds 1992; Seattle Mariners 1993-2002; Tampa Bay Rays 2003-2005; Seattle Mariners 2007; Washington Nationals 2010-2011; Phillies 2016-
Teams - As Manager:  Seattle Mariners 2007-2008; Washington Nationals 2010

2008 Topps #463

2016 Phillies Team Issue #9

2016 Chachi #33

3 McLaren Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
irst Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #9
First Phillies Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #9
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #9
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2008 Topps #463

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #33
2016 Chachi Photo Day #7 - with Steve Henderson
2017 Chachi #33

Card statistics through 6/15/17.

1998 Phillies Team Issue #33 Ruben Amaro

Red Sox 7, Phillies 3
Game 64 - Wednesday Night, June 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-43, 5th place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jeremy Hellickson was hit hard again as the Red Sox rolled to an easy 7-3 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies are mired in an eight-game losing streak.  Their record of 21-43 is their worst through 64 games since 1945.  (Via Matt Gelb on Twitter.)

What Happened:  Hellickson allowed six runs on nine hits in his five innings of work.  Freddy Galvis had a pair of doubles, but the rest of the offense couldn't quite get anything going.

Featured Card:  Current Red Sox first base coach Ruben Amaro, Jr. returned to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since being fired as the team's general manager in September 2015.  If the current state of the Phillies isn't depressing enough for you, here's an article running down the five worst moves made by Amaro during his tenure as GM.

1971 Phillies Photocards Bill Champion

Red Sox 4, Phillies 3 (12)
Game 63 - Tuesday Night, June 13th in Boston
Record - 21-42, 5th place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell again in extras to the Sox, spoiling a solid pitching outing from rookie Ben Lively.

What It Means:  I had no idea, nor could I have predicted, that the Phillies would be this bad.

What Happened:  Lively threw seven innings, allowing three runs on eight hits.  Edubray Ramos and Jeanmar Gomez each pitched two scoreless innings of relief.  Luis Garcia got the loss when he couldn't keep the Red Sox off the board in the 12th.

Maikel Franco had a rare strong performance, going 4 for 5 with three singles, a double and a walk.

Featured Card:  When Lively completed the seventh inning, he became the first Phillies pitcher to go seven or more innings in his first three starts since Billy Champion did it in 1969, via Jayson Stark on Twitter.  Champion earned Phillies cards within the 1970, 1971 and 1972 Topps sets and this is his team issued photo card from 1971.

Transaction:  The Phillies traded pitcher Joely Rodriguez, who had been designated for assignment recently, to the Rangers for a player to be named later or cash.

2017 Chachi #32 Rick Kranitz CO

#33
Richard Alan Kranitz
Assistant Pitching Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  September 15, 1958, San Rafael, CA
Home:  Scottsdale, AZ
Teams - As Coach:  Chicago Cubs 1996-1998, 2000-2002; Florida Marlins 2006-2007; Baltimore Orioles 2008-2010; Milwaukee Brewers 2011-2015; Phillies 2016-

2016 Phillies Team Issue #33

2016 Chachi #32

3 Kranitz Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #33
First Phillies Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #33
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue #33
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #33

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2016 Chachi #32
2017 Chachi #32

Card statistics through 6/14/17.

Series Preview - Red Sox at Phillies: June 14th to June 15th

Wednesday and Thursday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Red Sox 36-28, 2nd Place in the A.L. East, 3 games behind the Yankees
Phillies 21-42, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Red Sox Probables:  Brian Johnson (2-0, 3.44), Chris Sale (8-2, 2.97)
Phillies Probables:  Jeremy Hellickson (5-4, 4.50), Nick Pivetta (1-3, 5.52)

At the Ballpark:  There aren't any give-aways scheduled for this quick two-game series with the Red Sox.  The Phillies really missed their chance by not having a Ruben Amaro, Jr. bobble head night.

Red Sox Leaders
Average:  Xander Bogaerts - .324
Runs:  Xander Bogaerts - 41
Home Runs:  Four tied with - 9
RBIs:  Andrew Benintendi - 38
Stolen Bases:  Mookie Betts - 11

Wins:  Chris Sale - 8
ERA:  Chris Sale - 2.97
Strikeouts:  Chris Sale - 126
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 18

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .286
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 40
Home Runs:  Aaron Altherr and Tommy Joseph - 10
RBIs:  Aaron Altherr - 34
Stolen Bases:  Howie Kendrick - 7

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.50
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff - 63
Saves:  Hector Neris - 5

1982 Topps #256

1982 Topps #781

1982 Topps Appreciation:  I featured Perez's regular 1982 Topps card in the prior series preview post, and here's his true-to-its-word In Action card, flying helmet and all.

In the summer of 1982, one of the most sought after cards in my little baseball card collecting universe was this Pete Rose In Action card. His regular 1982 Topps card had the future hit king in fielding position at first base, but this In Action card was the card we wanted.  Wearing a baby blue road uniform (bring them back!),  Rose had just slapped a single and as he ran to first it was only a matter of time before his glorious bouncing hair knocked the helmet off his head.