1999 Flair Showcase Row 2 #88 Bobby Abreu

Mets 4, Phillies 1
Game 51 - Thursday Night, May 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 23-28, 5th Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies struck out 15 times and had just four hits as the Mets took game one of the five game series, 4-1.

What It Means:  The loss dropped the Phils into sole possession of last place.

What Happened:  David Buchanan looked a little more pedestrian in his second start, scattering seven hits over his 6 2/3 innings of work.  Unfortunately, the offense just couldn't get anything going save for a solo home run from Marlon Byrd in the seventh.

Featured Card:  Bobby Abreu returned to Philadelphia for the first time since June 2012 (when he was with the Dodgers) and grounded out in his sole plate appearance as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.  Abreu is limited in what he can do on defense, but he's proven to be a steady bat off the bench for the Mets.  I doubt he would have been a difference-maker with the Phillies this year had he made the team out of spring training, but I know it would have been more fun to watch him hit than it is to watch the current crop of Phillies bench players.

I flipped through my rarely seen 1999 Phillies binder to find this card of Abreu from the very confusing Flair Showcase set.  The set was released in three different versions with three different designs, with Row 3 cards being the most prevalent and Row 1 cards (numbered to 3,000 or 6,000) being the most "rare."  This was right around the time I decided that trying to collect every single Phillies card was going to be futile.

2007 Chachi #61 RBI Leaders - Howard, Utley & Burrell

Phillies 6, Rockies 3
Game 50 - Wednesday Night, May 28th in Philadelphia 
Record - 23-27, Tied for 4th Place, 4 games behind the Braves 

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard's dramatic, three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth gave the Phillies a 6-3 walk-off win.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies took the series from the Rockies, and somehow following this game they're only four games out of first place in the N.L. East.  If they could just get hot . . .

What Happened:  Howard's heroics in the ninth were made possible by Chase Utley's game-tying RBI single, putting runners on first and third.  Lost in the afterglow of Howard's big hit was the performance turned in by reliever Mike Adams in the seventh.  Antonio Bastardo began that inning by walking the bases loaded and the Rockies could have (should have) easily blown the game open at that point.  Adams came in from the bullpen and induced a double play ground out and then struck out Troy Tulowitzki on a called check-swing.

Featured Card:  I've enjoyed going through old Chachi sets recently, and I thought I'd post this card, paying tribute to the good ol' days and the team's 2007 RBI leaders.

Mets at Phillies: May 29th to June 2nd

Thursday and Friday 7:05, Saturday 3:05, Sunday 1:35, Monday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Mets 24-28, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves
Phillies 23-27, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Braves

Mets Probables:  Zack Wheeler (1-5, 4.63), Rafael Montero (0-2, 4.96), Jacob deGrom (0-2, 1.83), Jon Niese (3-3, 2.74), Bartolo Colon (4-5, 4.73)
Phillies Probables:  David Buchanan (1-0, 3.60), A.J. Burnett (3-4, 3.51), Kyle Kendrick (1-5, 4.04), Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.43), Roberto Hernandez (2-2, 3.76)

At the Ballpark:  This is a rare five-game series, necessitated by the rain-out back on April 30th.  Monday was originally scheduled to be an off-day for both teams.

Tonight is Jewish Heritage Night at the ballpark.  On Friday, all kids will receive the latest Phanatic children's book in the ongoing series.  Saturday will see the return former Phillie Roy Oswalt to throw out the first pitch.  Finally, all kids on Sunday will receive a Cliff Lee "action figurine," which I may need to track down via eBay following the game.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .335

Runs:  Chase Utley - 30

Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 9

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 34

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 12

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 4

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 3.18

Strikeouts:  Cliff Lee - 61

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 13

1988 Topps #164 and #254

1988 Topps Appreciation:  I've been working my way through the 2014 Chachi manager and coaches cards recently, so I thought the timing was right to look back at the Mets and Phillies managers as featured in the original 1988 Topps set.

Davey Johnson played a season and a half with the Phillies in 1977 and 1978, after spending the previous two seasons in Japan.  Playing first, second and third base, Johnson appeared in 122 games with the Phils, hitting .273 with 10 home runs.  He went 1 for 4 in his lone postseason appearance with the club in game one of the N.L.C.S. against the Dodgers.  He had a fairly successful career as a player, but he found even more success as manager of the Mets, Reds, Orioles, Dodgers and Nationals between 1984 and 2013.  In 17 total seasons as a manager, Johnson compiled a career record of 1,372-1,071.

The 1988 season is one Lee Elia would most likely want to forget.  With just a week left in the season, Elia was fired with the 60-92 Phillies firmly entrenched in last place.  He had taken over for the fired John Felske part-way through the 1987 season.  In his short time managing the club, Elia put together a 111-142 mark, with all of those losses meticulously and painfully tracked in my Phillies scrapbooks back in the day.

2014 Topps Gypsy Queen Autographs #GQA-BR Ben Revere

Rockies 6, Phillies 2
Game 49 - Tuesday Night, May 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-27, Tied for 4th Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Ben Revere hit his first career home run, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome the Rockies as the Phillies lost, 6-2.

What It Means:  It means a nice effort from Cole Hamels was wasted yet again.

What Happened:  Hamels was nearly flawless through six innings, but then allowed a three-run home run to Phillie-killer Wilin Rosario in the seventh.  The Phillies scored via two solo home runs - Darin Ruf's first of the year and Revere's "historic" blast.

Revere's home run came in the seventh inning against Rockies pitcher Boone Logan in his 1,466th career at-bat.  That's the longest homerless streak at the start of a player's career since Frank Tavares went 1,594 at-bats without a home run between 1972 and 1977.

Featured Card:  I had toyed with the idea of creating a Season Highlights card to honor Revere's feat, but then the thought of drawing further attention to a symbol of this team's mediocrity sort of made me glum.  So instead, here's a sharp looking autographed card of Revere in an effort to stave off the glumness.

2014 Chachi #28 Steve Henderson CO

#5

Steven Curtis Henderson

Hitting Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  240

Born:  November 18, 1952, Houston, TX

Home:  Tampa, FL

Teams - As Player:  New York Mets 1977-1980, Chicago  Cubs 1981-1982, Seattle Mariners 1983-1984, Oakland Athletics 1985-1987, Houston Astros 1988

Teams - As Coach:  Houston Astros 1994-1996, Tampa Bay Rays 1998, 2006-2009, Phillies 2013-

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2013 Phillies Team Issue #5

#3 - 2014 Phillies Team Issue #5

First Chachi Card:  2013 Chachi #26

2014 Chachi #27 Larry Bowa CO

#10

Lawrence Robert Bowa

Bench Coach

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  170

Born:  December 6, 1945, Sacramento, CA

Home:  Conshohocken, PA

Teams - As Player:  Phillies 1970-1981, Chicago Cubs 1982-1985, New York Mets 1985

Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 1988-1996, Anaheim Angels 1997-1999, Seattle Mariners 2000, New York Yankees 2006-2007, Los Angeles Dodgers 2008-2009, Phillies 2014

Teams - As Manager:  San Diego Padres 1987-1988, Phillies 2001-2004

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 1970 Topps #539

#81 - 2014 Phillies Team Issue #10

First Chachi Card:  2014 Chachi #27

At long last, Bowa graces his first Chachi card.  This is one of my favorite cards in this year's set.

2006 Chachi #6 Ryan Howard

Phillies 9, Rockies 0
Game 48 - Monday Afternoon, May 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-26, 4th Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  No-hit the day before, the Phillies offense punished the Rockies with a 9-0 drubbing.

What It Means:  Baseball is a funny game.  Manager Ryne Sandberg ran out the same line-up that had been no-hit by Josh Beckett on Sunday afternoon, and they pounded out nine runs on 12 hits.  Maybe they should consider wearing the camo hats and jerseys (worn to honor our veterans) again tonight.

What Happened:  The veteran trio of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each had three hits, with Howard knocking in five runs.  Howard's two-run home run in the eighth inning was his first in 53 at-bats, dating back to May 8th against the Blue Jays.

Kyle Kendrick got the win, breaking his personal 10-game losing streak and keeping Matt Beech's 17-year record intact.  (See here for reference.)

Featured Card:  This is Howard's card from the sophomore Chachi set, virtually released in 2006.  If I were to ever re-use an already used Topps design for a future Chachi set, it would be the 1981 Topps design.

One of the things I'd like to do on this here blog is go back and post each of the Chachi cards I've created in the set's now ten-year run.  I kind of envision it being a nice off-season diversion instead of letting the blog go mostly dormant in November and December, as I've done in the past few years.  If nothing else, we at The Phillies Room headquarters are always thinking ahead.

Rockies at Phillies: May 26th to May 28th

Monday 5:05, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Rockies 27-23, 2nd Place in the N.L. West, 5 games behind the Giants
Phillies 21-26, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Braves

Rockies Probables:  Jhoulys Chacin (0-3, 4.76), Jorge De La Rosa (5-3, 3.91), Jordan Lyles (5-1, 3.45)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (0-5, 4.53), Cole Hamels (1-2, 4.30), Roberto Hernandez (2-2, 3.83)

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies will be saluting our veterans in a special pre-game ceremony prior to this afternoon's Memorial Day matinee.  It's also another Dollar Dog game and both teams will be wearing special camo hats and jerseys.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .328

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 26

Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 7

RBIs:  Marlon Byrd - 29

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 12

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 4

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 3.18

Strikeouts:  Cliff Lee - 61

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 13

Happy Memorial Day!

Updating the Phillies No-Hitter Blob List

1978 Hostess #71

Dodgers 6, Phillies 0
Game 47 - Sunday Afternoon, May 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-26, Tied for 4th Place, 6 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Josh Beckett pitched a no-hitter against the hapless Phillies as the Dodgers won, 6-0.

What It Means:  This was the first regular season no-hitter in the ten-year history of Citizens Bank Park and the first no-hitter thrown against the Phillies since the Expos' Bill Stoneman did it back on April 17, 1969.  Roy Halladay owns the first overall no-hitter thrown at the ballpark, but he did it in the postseason in game one of the 2010 N.L.D.S. against the Reds.

Also, is this the lowest point of the season for the Phillies or is that yet to come?

What Happened:  The Phillies offense looked clueless the entire afternoon and there weren't many hard hit balls or balls that came close to being base hits.  Chase Utley struck out looking to end the game and seal Beckett's place in history.

Featured Cards:  Not counting Pascual Perez's rain-shortened, five-inning no-hitter against the Phillies back on September 9, 1988, there have been ten no-hitters thrown against the Phillies since 1960.  In honor of Dodgers' fan Night Owl and his self-coined baseball definition of The Blob, here are the last ten no-hitters thrown against the Phillies and the Phillies player to have made the last out in each of those games, aka The Blob.  Utley replaces Larry Bowa as the most recent Phillies No-Hitter Blob.

2014 Topps Heritage #119

8/18/60 - Lew Burdette, at Milwaukee - Bobby Smith flew out to right field
9/16/60 - Warren Spahn, at Milwaukee - Bobby Malkmus grounded out to short
5/17/63 - Don Nottebart, at Houston - Wes Covington flew out to left field
6/4/64 - Sandy Koufax, vs. Los Angeles - Bobby Wine struck out swinging
7/29/68 - George Culver, vs. Cincinnati - Cookie Rojas popped out to first
4/17/69 - Bill Stoneman, vs. Montreal - Deron Johnson grounded out to short
7/20/70 - Bill Singer, at Los Angeles - Byron Browne popped out to catcher
4/16/72 - Burt Hooten, at Chicago - Greg Luzinski struck out
4/16/78 - Bob Forsch, at St. Louis - Larry Bowa grounded out to third
5/25/14 - Josh Beckett, vs. Los Angeles - Chase Utley struck out looking

Transaction:  Prior to the game, Cody Asche was placed on the disabled list with a hamstring injury and reliever Justin De Fratus was recalled from the IronPigs.

2013 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #14 David Buchanan

Phillies 5, Dodgers 3
Game 46 - Saturday Afternoon, May 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 21-25, 4th Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Backed by timely offense from the top of the order, rookie David Buchanan won his Major League debut, as the Phillies defeated the Dodgers 5-3.

What It Means:  Buchanan certainly has ginormous shoes to fill as he (hopefully) temporarily takes Cliff Lee's spot in the rotation, but the rookie righty looked good in his first start.

What Happened:  Chase Utley gave Buchanan a two-run lead in the first with a home run to right scoring Ben Revere.  Utley should have been out on the pitch before, but Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis dropped what appeared to be a routine foul pop-up, giving Utley new life.  Revere finished the day with four hits, tying a career high, and three runs scored.  Jimmy Rollins also added two RBIs.

Featured Card:  Buchanan will hopefully receive some consideration for set inclusion late in the season, but for now this is his most recent baseball card.

Transaction:  Buchanan took the roster spot of reliever Luis Garcia, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Field Report:  This was the first game my four-year-son Ben and I had ever attended where it was just the two of us.  I checked with Ben on the ride home, and he confirmed that he had had "a lot of fun" and that "the game was exciting."  We just missed visiting with the Phanatic before the game and if returning alum Pedro Feliz was signing autographs before the game, we missed that too.  However, after a hot dog, half a box of popcorn and a full inning in the Phanatic Phun Zone, the game was deemed a success.

Phanatic Phun Zone

Visiting the Phanatic's bedroom

Tom Gordon & Pedro Feliz

Another highlight (mostly for me) was watching Feliz throw out the first pitch to fellow alum and Dee Gordon's father, Tom Gordon.  I also took my chance on a $40 autographed baseball grab bag (all proceeds go to charity) and came away with a signed Carlos Ruiz ball.  I'm proud to say it's now officially the first autographed baseball in Ben's collection.  The win raised my personal 2014 record to 2-3.

2013 Panini Hometown Heroes #53 Juan Samuel

Dodgers 2, Phillies 0
Game 45 - Friday Night, May 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 20-25, 5th Place, 6 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies played like a lost and confused team in a rainy 2-0 loss to Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers.

What It Means:  The team dropped to five games under .500 and they're back in the N.L. East cellar.

What Happened:  Kershaw book-ended a 43-minute rain delay with six scoreless innings with only two hits allowed.  The Phillies went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, including a painful seventh inning in which they loaded the bases with nobody out but still failed to score.

Featured Card:  You know it's bad when the most exciting aspect of the game from the Phillies perspective was the ejection of first base coach Juan Samuel in the fifth inning.  Samuel was arguing that the ball Yasiel Puig beat out for an infield single actually went off Puig's foot and should have been called foul.  Samuel was tossed and was spared having to sit through the final few innings of the game.  Hopefully there's a little more excitement than that at the ballpark this afternoon.

If you look closely at this card, you'll find a stray Phillies logo that the license-less Panini overlooked when they were de-logo-ing their cards.  Shhh . . . don't tell Topps.  (Hint - Check out Sammy's wrist band.)

2014 Chachi #26 Ryne Sandberg MG

#23

Ryne Dee Sandberg

Manager

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  190

Born:  September 18, 1959, Spokane, WA

Home:  Phoenix, AZ

Teams - As Player:  Phillies 1981, Chicago Cubs 1982-1994, 1996-1997

Teams - As Coach:  Phillies 2013

Teams - As Manager:  Phillies 2013-

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 1993 Upper Deck Then and Now #TN6

#9 - 2014 Phillies Team Issue #23

I have 20 total Sandberg cards in my "Phillies" collection.  I consider nine to be true Phillies cards, seven are minor league cards both from his time in the Phillies minor league system and from his time as the IronPigs' manager and four cards feature him on the Cubs, but have some sort of Phillies connection.

First Chachi Card:  2013 Chachi #29

Dodgers at Phillies: May 23rd to May 25th

Friday 7:05, Saturday 3:05 and Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Dodgers 25-23, 3rd Place in the N.L. West, 4 1/2 games behind the Giants
Phillies 20-24, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 5 games behind the Braves

Dodgers Probables:  Clayton Kershaw (2-1, 4.43), Dan Haren (5-2, 3.18), Josh Beckett (2-1, 2.89)
Phillies Probables:  Roberto Hernandez (2-1, 3.98), David Buchanan (0-0, 0.00), A.J. Burnett (3-3, 3.32)

At the Ballpark:  Saturday afternoon is the annual Bark in the Park event and fans are invited to meet and/or adopt a shelter dog or cat and donate new pet toys and blankets.  Former Phillie Pedro Feliz will also be on hand to throw out the first pitch.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a special Ryne Sandberg Louisville Slugger bat.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Chase Utley - .337

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 26

Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 7

RBIs:  Marlon Byrd - 29

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 12

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 4

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 3.18

Strikeouts:  Cliff Lee - 61

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 12

1988 Topps #481 and #780

1988 Topps Appreciation:  The pair featured here were teammates first with the Dodgers from 1985 to 1989 and then again with the Phillies in 1994.

Mariano Duncan enjoyed the finest years of his career with the Reds and Phillies in the early '90s, but he came up with the Dodgers in 1985.  He won two World Series rings in his 12-year career, first with the 1990 Reds and then again with the 1996 Yankees.  His second ring should have come with the 1993 Phillies, but there was the little matter of Mitch Williams pitching to Joe Carter when Roger Mason was clearly ready to go out of the bullpen.  But I digress.

Duncan came to the Phillies prior to the 1992 season as a guy who would be plugged in to play basically every day, but not necessarily always in the same position.  During the Phillies improbable '93 run, he switched between second base and shortstop, spelling both Mickey Morandini and Kevin Stocker, while hitting .282.  He made his first and only All-Star game with the Phils in 1994.

Speaking of the 1994 Phillies . . . Fernando Valenzuela was looking for a job in the summer of '94 after having been let go by the Orioles following a lackluster 1993 campaign.  With the team struggling mightily, the Phillies took a chance on Valenzuela and inserted him into a pitching rotation that consisted of Danny Jackson, David West, Shawn Boskie and Bobby Munoz.  He started 7 games for the Phillies, going 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA and adding 3 hits (including a double) in 12 at-bats.  Sadly, Fernandomania was short-lived in South Philly and Valenzuela landed in San Diego following the season.

2004 Playoff Honors #154 Marlon Byrd

Marlins 4, Phillies 3
Game 44 - Thursday Afternoon, May 23rd in Miami
Record - 20-24

One Sentence Summary:  Marlon Byrd's clutch, game-tying, two run home run was all for naught as Jake Diekman couldn't escape the ninth and the Marlins walked off with a 4-3 win.

What It Means:  It means the three game winning streak is distant history and the Phillies will try to break the current two game losing streak tonight at home against the Dodgers.

What Happened:  The game was scoreless until the sixth when Cole Hamels allowed the first of the three runs he'd eventually surrender.  Byrd tied the game at three a piece with a long drive to deep center field.  The usually reliable Diekman recorded two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but four singles, including an infield single that he booted coming off the mound, led to the Marlins win.

Featured Card:  Byrd has been one of the bright spots in the Phillies line-up, and he's leading the team with 29 RBIs.  He's only had a handful of 2014 Phillies cards to date, but there's plenty in the well from which to draw from during his first stint with the club between 2002 and 2005.

I flipped through my 2004 Phillies binder to find one of Byrd's cards for this post, and for some reason this Playoff Honors card caught my eye.  I can honestly say I have no recollection of acquiring this card, but I liked the action shot of Byrd rounding the bases at the Vet.

1998 Pacific Online #554 Matt Beech

Marlins 14, Phillies 5
Game 43 - Wednesday Night, May 22nd in Miami
Record - 20-23, 4th Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Marlins destroyed Kyle Kendrick and the more questionable members of the Phillies bullpen in this game, winning easily by a score of 14-5.

What It Means:  Kendrick is now 0-10 with a 5.11 ERA in his last 16 starts, putting him close to eclipsing Matt Beech's 11-game losing streak back in 1996 and 1997.

What Happened:  I think Kendrick summed it up best in his postgame comments saying, "Guys put up two runs for me and I go out [and] do that [expletive] [expletive]…it’s just bad.  It needs to stop."

Jeff Manship allowed four runs in the seventh and Luis Garcia was sacrificed in the eighth, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks while throwing 49 pitches.  Had he not retired another batter, shortstop Reid Brignac would have been brought in to record the final out of the inning.

Featured Card:  After five years in this crazy baseball card blogging racket, I'm still surprised when I stumble across a relatively recent Phillies player who hasn't had a card featured yet in any posts.  Beech will make his debut with this post, and I sincerely hope that Kendrick doesn't tie or break his 17-year "record."

2014 Chachi #25 Jonathan Papelbon

#58

Jonathan Robert Papelbon

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  215

Born:  November 23, 1980, Baton Rouge, LA

Home:  Watersound, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 4th round of the June 2003 draft

Teams:  Boston Red Sox 2005-2011, Phillies 2012-

Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox, November 14, 2011

Phillies Cards in My Collection:

#1 - 2012 Topps Heritage #136

#26 - 2014 Topps Opening Day Fired Up #UP-6

First Chachi Card:  2012 Chachi #25