Monday, May 29, 2017

1998 Fleer Tradition #220 Midre Cummings

Reds 8, Phillies 4
Game 48 - Sunday Afternoon, May 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 17-31, 5th place, 12 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Zach Eflin allowed four home runs as the Reds cruised to an 8-4 victory.

What It Means:  As Todd Zolecki Tweeted, the Phillies have now lost nine straight series, which is their longest series losing streak since 1997 when they lost ten straight series.

What Happened:  Eflin was chased after five having allowed seven runs on nine hits.  Andrew Knapp (3) hit a three-run home run in the second.  Aaron Altherr had another multi-hit game, raising his team-leading average to .303.

Featured Card:  This season is taking on a 1997 vibe, so here's a card of one of the contributors to that awful season, Midre Cummings.  And how have I never featured a Midre Cummings card on the blog before?

Cummings was selected off waivers from the Pirates on July 8, 1997.  In half a season with the Phillies, he'd appear in 63 games and hit a respectable .303 with a home run and 23 RBIs.  He stabilized the center field position for the club, which had tried Wendell Magee, Jr., Ricky Otero, Rex Hudler, Ruben Amaro, Jr. and Rob Butler at the position before settling on Cummings to finish out the season.  Cummings appeared on four Phillies baseball cards in 1998 - this Fleer Tradition card, along with cards in the Collector's Choice, Pacific Invincible and Upper Deck sets.

Transaction:  Eflin was optioned to Lehigh Valley following the game.

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