Series Preview - Cubs at Phillies: August 31st to September 2nd

1978 Topps #123

1978 Topps #222

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

Cubs 79-54, 1st place in the N.L. Central, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Cardinals
Phillies 71-62, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves

Cubs Probables:  Jose Quintana (11-9, 4.33), Kyle Hendricks (10-10, 3.86), Jon Lester (14-5, 3.67)
Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (7-10, 4.76), Zach Eflin (9-5, 3.99), Aaron Nola (15-3, 2.10)

At the Ballpark:  On Sunday afternoon, all kids will receive a Phillies backpack cooler, just in time to head back to school.

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Ben Zobrist - .314
Runs:  Javier Baez - 81
Home Runs:  Javier Baez - 29
RBIs:  Javier Baez - 97
Stolen Bases:  Javier Baez - 21

Wins:  Jon Lester - 14
ERA:  Jon Lester - 3.67
Strikeouts:  Kyle Hendricks - 131
Saves:  Brandon Morrow - 22

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .271
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 82
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 27
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 83
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 17

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 15
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.10
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 177
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Game 132 - 2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-275 Carlos Santana

Phillies 8, Nationals 6
Game 133 - Wednesday Night, August 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 71-62, 2nd place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Carlos Santana gave the Phillies a temporary lead with a 5th inning grand slam and Jose Bautista drove in the winning run with a 7th inning single in this much-needed 8-6 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies have the day off today before opening up a weekend series with the Cubs.  They are 8-14 since sweeping the Marlins to begin August.

What Happened:  Jake Arrieta's only contribution was a 2-run single in the 2nd.  He lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on four hits.  Tommy Hunter pitched the final two innings, shutting down the Nationals and earning his 3rd save.

Santana's slam was the first exciting moment for the Phillies in quite some time.  Bautista then came through in the 7th with a big two-out single to score Cesar Hernandez with the eventual winning run. Rhys Hoskins added some insurance with an RBI double in the 8th.

Roman Quinn was 3 for 5 with two runs scored, raising his average to .369.

Featured Card:  Santana became the first switch-hitter in franchise history with at least 20 home runs and 90 walks in a season, and the first to do it since Jayson Werth in 2009.  (Source - Meghan Montemurro Tweet.)

2018 Chachi #53 Jose Bautista

#19
Jose Antonio Bautista
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  205
Opening Day Age:  37
Born:  October 19, 1980, Santo Domingo, DR
Drafted:  Drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2000 amateur draft, June 5, 2000
Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 2004; Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2004; Kansas City Royals 2004; Pittsburgh Pirates 2004-2008; Toronto Blue Jays 2008-2017; Atlanta Braves 2018; New York Mets 2018; Phillies 2018
Acquired:  Acquired from the New York Mets for a player to be named later or cash, August 28, 2018

2002 Topps Traded #T180

2018 Topps Heritage #139

2 Bautista Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2002 Topps Traded #T180
First Card:  2018 Topps Heritage #139
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card:  2018 Topps Heritage #139

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  July 1, 2011 - Meet the Jays:

Manager - John Farrell is in his first season as manager of the Blue Jays
Starters - J.P. Arencibia (c), Adam Lind (1b), Aaron Hill (2b), Jose Bautista (3b), Yunel Escobar (ss), Juan Rivera (lf), Rajai Davis (cf), Eric Thames (rf), Edwin Encarnacion (dh)
Rotation - Ricky Romero (lhp), Jo-Jo Reyes (lhp), Brandon Morrow (rhp), Carlos Villanueva (rhp)
Bench - Jose Molina (c), John McDonald (inf), Jayson Nix (3b), Corey Patterson (of)
Closer - Frank Francisco (rhp)
Bullpen - Shawn Camp (rhp), Brett Cecil (lhp), Octavio Dotel (rhp), Jason Frasor (rhp), Luis Perez (lhp), Jon Rauch (rhp), Marc Rzepczynski (lhp)
Disabled List - Jesse Carlson (lhp), Casey Janssen (rhp), Jesse Litsch (rhp), Dustin McGowan (rhp)

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #53

Card statistics through 8/29/18.

Game 132 - Another "Worst Loss" of the Season; Phils Add Bautista

2018 Topps Heritage #139

Nationals 5, Phillies 4
Game 132 - Wednesday Night, August 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 70-62, 2nd place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola's Cy Young-worthy performance was wasted due to poor defense, bullpen issues and a horrendous baserunning blunder.

What It Means:  The Phillies have not been 4 1/2 games out of first place since June 19th when the bullpen duo of Tommy Hunter and Seranthony Dominguez coughed up five runs late to the Cardinals in one of the many heartbreaking losses of the season.  This team is hard to watch.

What Happened:  It seemed as if Nola would win in his battle against Max Scherzer, for the second time in a week.  Nola departed after 7 innings with a 3-2 lead, and the final run scored against him was unearned as a result of Carlos Santana's throwing error.

In the 9th, Tommy Hunter was brought back out to try to record his 4th out but he ended up walking Bryce Harper.  Pat Neshek entered the game and allowed a go-ahead 2-run home run to Anthony Rendon.  Another run scored on a Jorge Alfaro throwing error.  The Nationals led 5-3.

In the bottom of the 9th, Nick Williams doubled and Wilson Ramos doubled him home.  With a depleted bench (Roman Quinn had replaced Rhys Hoskins for defensive purposes in the top of the inning), Vince Velasquez ran for Ramos and was called out when he inexplicably tried to tag up on an Alfaro fly out to center.  Velasquez left too early, the Nationals tagged second and the game ended.

Featured Card/Transaction:  On Tuesday afternoon, the Phillies finalized their deal to acquire Jose Bautista and a player to be named later will eventual head to the Mets.  After a pinch-hit strikeout in this game, Bautista is hitting .196 with the Braves, Mets and now Phillies this season.  Mark Leiter, Jr. was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster and Andrew Knapp was optioned to the IronPigs.

Bautista has a ton of baseball card appearances, especially during his peak years with the Blue Jays between 2010 and 2015.  His 2018 baseball card appearance have been limited, and he appears in both the Topps flagship and Topps Heritage sets with the Blue Jays.  He has a few Topps Now cards featuring him with the Mets, but no baseball card appearances with the Braves.

Arrived During the 2018 Season

Trevor Plouffe (4/23/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Texas Rangers organization.
Asdrubal Cabrera (7/27/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for Franklyn Kilome.
Wilson Ramos (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash.
Aaron Loup (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jacob Waguespack.
Justin Bour (8/10/18) - Acquired with cash from the Miami Marlins for McKenzie Mills.
Luis Avilan (8/22/18) - Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Felix Paulino.
Jose Bautista (8/28/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for a player to be named later or cash.

Departed During the 2018 Season
Drew Hutchison (6/5/18) - Designated for assignment and elected free agency.
Hoby Milner (7/15/18) - Sold to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Zac Curtis (7/31/18) - Designated for assingnment and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, 8/7/18.
Jake Thompson (8/14/18) - Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations.

2018 Chachi #52 Luis Avilan

#70
Luis Armando Avilan
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  28
Born:  July 19, 1989, Caracas, VZ
Signed:  Signed by the Atlanta Braves as an amateur free agent, August 22, 2005
Teams:  Atlanta Braves 2012-2015; Los Angeles Dodgers 2015-2017; Chicago White Sox 2018; Phillies 2018
Acquired:  Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Felix Paulino, August 22, 2018

2015 Topps Update #US298

0 Avilan Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2013 Topps Update #US298
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card:  N/A

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  August 23, 2018 - Earlier in the day, the Phillies announced another trade, sending Double-A pitcher Felix Paulino to the White Sox for lefty reliever Luis Avilan.  Pitching prospect Jose Taveras was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Avilan.  In 58 games this season with the White Sox, Avilan has a 3.86 ERA and a 14 walks to 46 strikeouts over 39 2/3 innings pitched.

Sharing the fate of most middle relievers, Avilan's baseball card appearances have been scarce in spite of appearing in almost 400 games the past 7 seasons.  His most recent mainstream card is from the 2016 Topps set, picturing Avilan with the Dodgers.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #52

Card statistics through 8/28/18.

Game 131 - 1989 Tastykake Phillies Update #23 Randy Ready

Nationals 5, Phillies 3
Game 131 - Monday Night, August 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 70-61, 2nd place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Sloppy defense, sloppy base running and Zach Eflin's latest shaky outing contributed to this lifeless 5-3 loss to the Nationals.

What It Means:  This team needs a jolt of energy.

What Happened:  With the score tied at two in the 4th, the Nationals took a 4-2 lead on an Eflin error and on a ball that should have been caught by Rhys Hoskins but dropped in for a single.  The Phillies ran themselves out of a rally in the 6th when Wilson Ramos was easily thrown out at 3rd trying to gain an extra base when Asdrubal Cabrerea singled.

The only excitement for the Phillies came in the 3rd when Roman Quinn tripled and was singled home by Cesar Hernandez and in the 8th when Hoskins hit his 27th home run.

Featured Card:  The current state of the Phillies is making me very cranky, so here's a card that I recently added to my collection that made me happy.  (Need to offset those negative vibes.)  In 1989, the Phillies produced a 9-card update set to compliment its 37-card set available throughout the season and sponsored by Tastykake.  The nine cards featured players added to the roster throughout the season, most of whom came to the club in the big Chris James, Steve Bedrosian and Juan Samuel deals.  Unable to find a complete 9-card set for sale over the last few decades, I've slowly cobbled together the set and recently added this Randy Ready card to my collection.

As of this writing, I now just need the John Kruk card, featuring him wearing the #11 he first wore when he came to the Phillies (with Ready) from the Padres.

Transaction:  The Phillies traded minor leaguer Jack Zoellner (GCL) to the Orioles for international bonus money.  The team has also reportedly claimed Jose Bautista off revocable waivers from the Mets and the two teams are in the process of working out a deal.

Game 130 - 2018 Topps Now #601 Wilson Ramos

Phillies 8, Blue Jays 3
Game 130 - Sunday Afternoon, August 26th in Toronto
Record - 70-60, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Wilson Ramos paced the offense going 4 for 5 with a home run, double and 3 RBIs as the Phillies salvaged their weekend series with the Blue Jays, winning 8-3.

What It Means:  Assuming it will take 87 wins to at least clinch one of the two Wild Cards, the Phillies need to go 17-15 the rest of the way.  (Now 17-14 after Monday night's loss to the Nationals.)

What Happened:  Rhys Hoskins (26), Maikel Franco (22) and Carlos Santana (19) also homered in the win.  Nick Williams and Asdrubal Cabrera had multi-hit games.  Vince Velasquez lasted five innings for the win, allowing two runs on three hits.

Featured Card:  Ramos' first (and only, to date) Phillies card arrived in my mailbox on Saturday, his Topps Now card highlighting his three extra base hits in his Phillies debut against the Red Sox on August 15th.

Series Preview - Nationals at Phillies: August 27th to August 29th

1978 Topps #495

2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #132

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

Nationals 65-66, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves
Phillies 70-60, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables:  Stephen Strasburg (6-7, 4.23), Max Scherzer (16-6, 2.13), Gio Gonzalez (7-11, 4.35)
Phillies Probables:  Zach Eflin (9-4, 3.93), Aaron Nola (15-3, 2.13), Jake Arrieta (9-9, 3.37)

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies have a bunch of theme nights going on during the series, the best of which (in my opinion) is their Marvel theme night on Wednesday for which a special ticket gets you a Hulk-Phillies bobble head.

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Anthony Rendon - .295
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 82
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 30
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 84
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 33

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 16
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.13
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 244
Saves:  Sean Doolittle - 22

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .276
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 81
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 26
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 81
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 16

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 15
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.13
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 169
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Game 129 - Yoga on the Field Soothes Frayed Phillies Nerves

Blue Jays 8, Phillies 6
Game 129 - Saturday Afternoon, August 25th in Toronto
Record - 69-60, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Pivetta and a shaky bullpen coughed up a 5-run lead as the Blue Jays crushed the Phillies' spirits once again, 8-6.

What It Means:  Online game summaries for this loss contain words and phrases such as gut-wrenching, collapse, "worst loss of the season," agonizing and brutal.  Phillies have lost 6 of their last 7 and 12 of their last 18.

What Happened:  The Phillies were up 5-0 heading into the bottom of the 4th when the Blue Jays started to chip away.  Pivetta allowed three runs that inning and then bounced back with a 1-2-3 6th.  In the 7th, manager Gabe Kapler opted to leave Pivetta in the game to face lefty Billy McKinney and McKinney slammed a 2-run home run to pull the Jays to within a run.  In the 9th, Seranthony Dominguez loaded the bases before yielding to Victor Arano.  Aledmys Diaz slugged a bases clearing double off Arano, Ken Giles threw a scoreless bottom of the 9th and all was not well in Phillies land.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  On Saturday morning my wife Jenna and her friend Winnie attended the Phillies Yoga on the Field event, ridding themselves of toxins created by bad Phillies baseball (among other things).  They both thoroughly enjoyed the event and had pictures taken with Mickey Morandini and the Phanatic, decked in what we assume was his yoga gear.

Game 128 - 1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #25 Ray Borucki

Blue Jays 4, Phillies 2
Game 128 - Friday Night, August 24th in Toronto
Record - 69-59, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Missed chances and a pair of home runs allowed by Jake Arrieta led to this latest loss, 4-2 to the Blue Jays.

What It Means:  The Phillies are making me cranky.

What Happened:  The offense went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.  With the tying run on base in the 9th, Ken Giles struck out Cesar Hernandez swinging and Rhys Hoskins looking to end the game.  Scott Kingery hit his 7th home run in the 7th and his 2 for 3 night raised his average to .229.

Arrieta threw six innings, allowing all four runs on six hits.

Featured Cards:  Jays' starting pitcher Ryan Borucki pitched 6 1/3 innings and won his third game of the year.  Borucki's father Ray played five seasons in the minors for the Phillies between 1979 and 1983, giving me an excuse to pull his card from the 1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots (Color) set for this post.  Ray Borucki made it up to Triple-A Oklahoma City in 1982, but he never advanced to the big leagues.

The Pilots were a Class A affiliate of the Phillies between 1976 and 1985.  The 1980 club had a big year with a record of 100-40 and eventually winning the Carolina League championship over the Durham Bulls.  Beckett's database notes that 2,500 color team sets were produced and there's also a rarer black and white team set of which only 1,100 sets were produced.  The color team set was sponsored by Burger King while Pepsi sponosored the black and white team set.

Within the 27-card color team set are four players who would eventually make it to the Majors:  Don Carman (1983-1992), Wil Culmer (1983), Julio Franco (1982-2007) and Roy Smith (1984-1991).  Culmer and Smith were traded to the Indians in September 1982 for John Denny, while Franco was one of five players swapped to Cleveland in December 1982 for Von Hayes.

One time Phillies coaches Bob Tiefenauer (1979) and Bill Dancy (2005-2006) are also in the set, as is the Pilots' general manager Bob Neal along with his fantastic, era-appropriate checkered sport coat.

1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #5

1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #9

1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #12

1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #17

1980 TCMA Peninsula Pilots Color #27

Series Preview - Phillies at Blue Jays: August 24th to August 26th

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #36

2018 Chachi Fan Favorites #37

Friday 7:07, Saturday 4:07 and Sunday 1:07
Rogers Centre - Toronto, Ontario

Phillies 69-58, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Braves
Blue Jays 58-69, 4th place in the A.L. East, 31 games behind the Red Sox

Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (9-8, 3.25), Nick Pivetta (7-10, 4.66), Vince Velasquez (8-9, 4.06)
Blue Jays Probables:  Ryan Borucki (2-3, 4.27), Aaron Sanchez (3-5, 4.52), Marco Estrada (7-9, 4.88)

At the Ballpark:  The first 20,000 fans will receive a Blue Jays replica batting helmet on Saturday and kids can run the bases following Sunday's game.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .279
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 79
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 25
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 77
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 16

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 15
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.13
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 169
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Blue Jays Leaders
Average:  Kevin Pillar - .257
Runs:  Teoscar Hernandez - 56
Home Runs:  Justin Smoak - 19
RBIs:  Justin Smoak - 61
Stolen Bases:  Kevin Pillar - 13

Wins:  J.A. Happ - 10
ERA:  N/A
Strikeouts:  J.A. Happ - 130
Saves:  Roberto Osuna - 9

Happ was traded to the Yankees and Osuna was traded to the Astros before the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline.

Game 127 - 2018 Stadium Club #253 Aaron Nola

Phillies 2, Nationals 0
Game 127 - Thursday Afternoon, August 23rd in Washington
Record - 69-58, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was dazzling in this 2-0 win over the Nationals, besting Max Scherzer thanks to a two-run home run from Odubel Herrera.

What It Means:  After two nights of absolutely brutal losses, Nola stepped up and carried the team to victory.  The Phillies need to take care of business now in a weekend series in Toronto.

What Happened:  In a battle of Cy Young candidates, Scherzer's only mistake was the home run he allowed to Herrera in the 7th.  Nola scattered five hits over his eight innings, striking out nine in the process.  His biggest strikeout closed out the 8th when he retired Bryce Harper swinging with runners on first and second.  Pat Neshek pitched a scoreless 9th to record his 4th save.

Featured Card:  I'm hoping this is the card of the 2018 N.L. Cy Young Award winner.

Transactions:  I can't recall a season in recent memory with as many transactions as this season.  There seem to be several roster moves on a daily basis.

Luis Avilan was added to the active roster and Andrew Knapp re-joined the team from Lehigh Valley.  Edubray Ramos landed on the disabled list again, this time with a right index finger blister.  Justin Bour also joined the DL with the dreaded left oblique strain.

Game 126 - 2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #38 Seranthony Dominguez

Nationals 8, Phillies 7
Game 126 - Tuesday Night, August 22nd in Washington
Record - 68-58, 2nd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  With two outs in the 9th and the Phillies holding a 7-6 lead, Juan Soto doubled and Ryan Zimmerman homered off Seranthony Dominguez to give the Nationals an 8-7 win.

What It Means:  I was going to rank the most painful loses of the season for purposes of this post, but then I decided I didn't want to dwell on that nonsense and I moved on.  "There is no panic," according to Rhys Hoskins.

What Happened:  This was a back and forth game all night and ultimately the Phillies bullpen just couldn't keep the Nationals off the scoreboard.  Zach Eflin suffered one of his worst starts of the year, lasting 3 1/3 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on 10 hits.  Cesar Hernandez (11), Maikel Franco (21) and Justin Bour (1st with the Phillies) all homered.

The Phillies loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 9th, but Asdrubal Cabrera popped up and Bour struck out to end the threat.

Featured Card:  Dominguez is only 23, and while these losses are painful, it's important to remember that at this point last season he was a starting pitcher for High-A Clearwater.

Transactions:  Yacksel Rios was optioned back to the IronPigs and Eflin was recalled to make the start.

Earlier in the day, the Phillies announced another trade, sending Double-A pitcher Felix Paulino to the White Sox for lefty reliever Luis Avilan.  Pitching prospect Jose Taveras was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Avilan.  In 58 games this season with the White Sox, Avilan has a 3.86 ERA and a 14 walks to 46 strikeouts over 39 2/3 innings pitched.

Sharing the fate of most middle relievers, Avilan's baseball card appearances have been scarce in spite of appearing in almost 400 games the past 7 seasons.  His most recent mainstream card is from the 2016 Topps set, picturing Avilan with the Dodgers.

2016 Topps #494

2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #36

2018 Chachi Almost #8

Arrived During the 2018 Season

Trevor Plouffe (4/23/18) - Signed as a minor league free agent, formerly with the Texas Rangers organization.
Asdrubal Cabrera (7/27/18) - Acquired from the New York Mets for Franklyn Kilome.
Wilson Ramos (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later or cash.
Aaron Loup (7/31/18) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Jacob Waguespack.
Justin Bour (8/10/18) - Acquired with cash from the Miami Marlins for McKenzie Mills.
Luis Avilan (8/22/18) - Acquired from the Chicago White Sox for Felix Paulino.

Departed During the 2018 Season
Drew Hutchison (6/5/18) - Designated for assignment and elected free agency.
Hoby Milner (7/15/18) - Sold to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Zac Curtis (7/31/18) - Designated for assingnment and claimed off waivers by the Texas Rangers, 8/7/18.
Jake Thompson (8/14/18) - Traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash considerations.

Game 125 - 2018 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #10 Roman Quinn

Nationals 10, Phillies 4
Game 125 - Tuesday Night, August 21st in Washington
Record - 68-57, 2nd place, 2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Rainy weather, a quiet offense and a beat-up bullpen conspired to hand the Phillies a 10-4 loss in Washington.

What It Means:  I'm battling a late summer cold, so once the tarp went on the field I went to bed.  I made the right choice.  The Phillies are 10-13 in their last 23 games.

What Happened:  Earlier in the day, the Nationals traded away key players Daniel Murphy and Matt Adams, prompting the headline of "Nats raise white flag - then beat Phils over the head with it," by NBCSports.com.  The Phillies scored four runs in the top of 6th, only to have the Nationals score five of their own in the bottom of the inning.  The big blows came from back-to-back home runs from Andrew Stevenson and Wilmer Difo off the usually reliable Victor Arano.  Starter Vince Velasquez was forced out after four innings due to a 1:42 rain delay and the bullpen combined to allow 9 runs on 11 hits in the final four innings.

Featured Card:  One bright spot came when Roman Quinn hit his first career home run in the 6th off Nationals pitcher Matt Grace.  Quinn played one game for the Double-A Fightin Phils this season in what I believe was a rehab start, and that somehow earned him a card in the Reading team's recently released update set.

Transaction:  Andrew Knapp, the 26th man in the Little League Classic, was returned to Lehigh Valley.

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: August 21st to August 23rd

1978 Topps #297

1978 Topps #348

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

Phillies 68-56, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Braves
Nationals 62-63, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 7 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (8-9, 4.13), Zach Eflin (9-4, 3.70), Aaron Nola (14-3, 2.24)
Nationals Probables:  Tanner Roark (8-12, 4.13), Stephen Strasburg (6-7, 3.90), Max Scherzer (16-5, 2.11)

At the Ballpark:  There are special theme tickets available for Wednesday and Thursday for Swim Night and Business Professionals Day, respectively.  Nick Jonas will be performing in a post-game concert following Thursday's game.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .281
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 77
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 25
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 77
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 16

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 14
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.24
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 160
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Anthony Rendon - .292
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 78
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 30
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 79
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 32

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 16
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.11
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 234
Saves:  Sean Doolittle - 22

Game 124 - Little League Classic: Former Williamsport Crosscutters Return

2008 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #30

2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #21

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #10

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #19

2012 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #24

2013 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #11

2013 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #26

2014 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #14

2016 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #5

Mets 8, Phillies 2
Game 124 - Sunday Night, August 19th in Williamsport
Record - 68-56, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Against a Mets starting pitcher, Jason Vargas, with an ERA over 8, the Phillies failed to hit and ultimately lost this game in Williamsport, 8-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies and Mets participated in the 2nd annual Little League Classic, playing in front of about 3,000 youth baseball players and their families.  Both teams wore youth baseball-appropriate jerseys with the players' nicknames on the backs.  Todd Zolecki Tweeted this was the first time the Phillies had played a regular season game at a neutral site since September 3, 1957 when they played the Dodgers at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, NJ.

What Happened:  Nick Pivetta got knocked around in his 3 2/3 innings of work, allowing six runs on eight hits.  The only Phillies runs came on a two-run home run from Carlos Santana (18) in the 6th.

Featured Cards:  Rhashan, the official Director of Smiles for the Williamsport Crosscutters, made the sign below to welcome back one-time members of the short season Class A team.  Crosscutters baseball cards for 9 of the former players/coaches mentioned in the sign are featured above.

Transaction:  Due to the "inconvenience of travel," Andrew Knapp was added to the active roster as the 26th man for this game.

2019 Chachi Preview #1 Rhys Hoskins

Topps released the first images of its 2019 flagship set this past Tuesday, and with that announcement it's time for me to introduce the first preview card from the upcoming 2019 release.  As evident from the card at the top of this post, I ultimately decided to go with the 1971 Topps design for next year's set.

The idea of using the 1971 Topps design for a Chachi set has been kicking around in my brain since at least 2009, when it was one of four choices I presented in a poll to help me decide the design for the 2010 Chachi set.  I again toyed with the idea of using the set for the 2013 Chachi release, and then a few years later it was my top choice for the 2016 Chachi release.  Every other set presented in my 2010, 2013 and 2016 polls has since been used as a Chachi set design with the exception of the 1971 Topps set.  So that set's time has come.

It's a fairly easy design to replicate, and I can see myself using red or blue borders (instead of black) for some limited edition insert sets next season.

I appreciate all the input I received with comments to this post, along with comments made via Facebook.  For what it's worth, and if you'd like to get a very early look at the potential ordering of future Chachi sets, my personal rankings of this year's choices ended up being:  1971, 1991, 1984, 1972, 1986, 1965, 1987.

Memory Lane
2014 Chachi Preview #1 (8/8/13)
2015 Chachi Preview #1 (8/15/14)
2016 Chachi Preview #1 (8/11/15)
2017 Chachi Preview #1 (8/10/16)
2018 Chachi Preview #1 (8/7/17)
2019 Chachi Preview #1 (8/20/18)

Game 123 - 2018 Topps Big League #10 Odubel Herrera

Mets 3, Phillies 1
Game 123 - Saturday Night, August 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 68-55, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Neither the offense or a rain delay could knock out Jacob deGrom as the Mets topped the Phillies, 3-1.

What It Means:  The Rockies mounted a late-inning comeback to beat the Braves so the deficit remains just a half game behind the top spot in the division.

What Happened:  deGrom threw a complete game, allowing an unearned run while scattering seven hits and striking out nine.  Jake Arrieta threw a good game, allowing one run in his six innings of work, but then the Mets scored two off Luis Garcia in the 7th putting the game out of reach.  Odubel Herrera thwarted a potential 7th inning rally when he was caught leaning towards second after reaching on a force out and was tagged out trying to return to first.

Featured Card:  I'm in the camp of fans who want to start seeing more Roman Quinn and less Herrera.  Herrera's on-field brain cramps seem to be increasing in frequency and he's hitting just .236 with a .299 OBP since the All-Star break.  He's been more frustrating than fun to watch for most of this season and I'd like to see what Quinn can do in an everyday role.

Field Report:  I'm battling some sort of late summer cold, so Jenna took Doug to this game.  Doug picked up his Snake t-shirt featuring Jake Arrieta's nickname, but the rain chased them off early.  Jenna took a few pictures of the ballpark situation from their cover provided by Section 107 before and during the deluge.

2018 Chachi #51 Wilson Ramos

#40
Wilson Abraham Ramos
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  245
Opening Day Age:  30
Born:  August 10, 1987, Valencia, VZ
Signed:  Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent, July 2, 2004
Teams:  Minnesota Twins 2010; Washington Nationals 2010-2016; Tampa Bay Rays 2017-2018; Phillies 2018
Acquired:  Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations, July 31, 2018

2010 Topps Update #US168

2018 Topps Heritage #228

2 Ramos Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2010 Topps Update #US168
First Card:  2018 Topps Heritage #228
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card:  N/A

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  April 12, 2011 - Know Your Nationals:

Manager - Jim Riggleman took over the team on July 14, 2009
Starters - Ivan Rodriguez (c), Adam LaRoche (1b), Danny Espinosa (2b), Alex Cora (3b), Ian Desmond (ss), Mike Morse (lf), Rick Ankiel (cf), Jayson Werth (rf)
Rotation - Livan Hernandez (rhp), John Lannan (lhp), Jordan Zimmermann (rhp), Jason Marquis (rhp), Tom Gorzelanny (lhp)
Bench - Jesus Flores (c), Wilson Ramos (c), Jerry Hairston (inf), Laynce Nix (of), Matt Stairs (of)
Closer - Drew Storen (rhp)
Bullpen - Brian Broderick (rhp), Sean Burnett (lhp), Tyler Clippard (rhp), Todd Coffey (rhp), Chad Gaudin (rhp), Doug Slaten (lhp)
Disabled List - Elvin Ramirez (rhp), Henry Rodriguez (rhp), Stephen Strasburg (rhp), Chien-Ming Wang (rhp), Ryan Zimmerman (3b)

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #51

Card statistics through 8/17/18.

Game 122 - 2018 Topps Now All-Stars #AS-38 Aaron Nola

Phillies 4, Mets 2
Game 122 - Friday Night, August 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 68-54, 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  In this 4-2 win, Aaron Nola continued his career year, allowing just a run in his 7-inning outing while striking out 11.

What It Means:  The Rockies beat the Braves drawing the Phillies back to within a half game of the division lead.

What Happened:  Nola notched his 14th win, out-dueling the Mets' Noah Syndergaard in the process.  The Phillies plated three runs in the first with the key hits being an RBI-double from Asdrubal Cabrera and an RBI-single from Nick Williams.  Pat Neshek was the closer of the day, pitching a scoreless 9th, lowering his ERA to 0.60 and recording his 3rd save.

Featured Card:  This is Nola's card from the Topps Now N.L. All-Star Reserves set, sold exclusively on the Topps website for $59.99 per set.  Fortunately there were a number of buyers breaking down this set and selling single cards which is how I came to add this card to my collection.  I was surprised how quickly Topps released cards from this set, as I was hoping they'd use actual photos from the game or the overall All-Star weekend.

Transaction:  The Phillies seem to be making daily bullpen moves at this point with Edubray Ramos recalled from Lehigh Valley prior to this game and Mark Leiter, Jr. sent back down.

2018 Chachi #50 Justin Bour

#33
Justin James Bour
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  265
Opening Day Age:  29
Born:  May 28, 1988, Washington, DC
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 25th round of the 2009 amateur draft, June 9, 2009
Teams:  Miami Marlins 2014-2018; Phillies 2018
Acquired:  Acquired with cash from the Miami Marlins for McKenzie Mills, August 10, 2018

2015 Topps Update #US35

2018 Topps Heritage #113

2 Bour Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2015 Topps Update #US35
First Card:  2018 Topps Heritage #113
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Newest Card:  N/A

First Mention on The Phillies Room:  September 14, 2014 - Kyle Kendrick held the Marlins to a run on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, while striking out six.  In what has now become standard operating procedure, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon closed out the seventh, eighth and ninth to seal the victory.  (Wouldn't it be awesome to see that trio in action for a contending team?)

Maikel Franco and Marlon Byrd drove in the only two Phillies runs in the first.  Byrd also threw out Justin Bour at home in the top of the seventh to preserve the slim Phillies lead.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2018 Chachi #50

Card statistics through 8/17/18.