2021 Topps Phillies Team Set

#428 Phillies Team Card

#317 Jake Arrieta

#277 Alec Bohm

#308 Jay Bruce

#460 Zach Eflin

#561 Didi Gregorius

#250 Bryce Harper

#590 Adam Haseley

#162 Rhys Hoskins

#244 Spencer Howard

#464 Scott Kingery

#622 Rafael Marchan

#431 Andrew McCutchen

#510 Adonis Medina

#457 Mickey Moniak

#171 Hector Neris

#537 Aaron Nola

#79 Roman Quinn

#611 J.T. Realmuto

#508 JoJo Romero

#109 Jean Segura

#653 Vince Velasquez

#160 Brandon Workman

Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: June 29th to July 1st

2021 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

1986 Topps Traded #47T

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies Room staff is currently taking its first of two summer sabbaticals, and the blog will be on auto pilot until early July.  Thanks for your continued support and Go Phils!

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 75 - 2021 Topps #261 Zack Wheeler

Phillies 4, Mets 2
Game 75 - Sunday Afternoon, June 27th in Flushing
Record - 36-39, Tied for 3rd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies spotted Zack Wheeler a 4-0 lead and the ace settled in, as the Phillies pulled out the 4-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies earned the series split, but they easily could have won all four of these games and finished the weekend only a game behind the Mets.  They'll next head to Cincinnati to make up the game rained out back on June 2nd.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler cemented his staff ace status with seven shutout innings, striking out eight and allowing only four hits.  Wheeler won his sixth game of the season.  Both Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley allowed Mets runs in their innings of work, but Bradley was able to lock down his first save of the season.  The Phillies scored three in the third, capped by an RBI double from Nick Maton and an RBI single from Ronald Torreyes.  Andrew McCutchen and Torreyes both had three hits in this game.

Featured Card:  As long as Wheeler continues to dominate, I'll continue to post his Topps Now cards from prior dominant outings.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 74 - 2001 Topps Archives #183 Kent Tekulve

Mets 4, Phillies 3
Game 74 - Saturday Afternoon, June 26th in Flushing
Record - 35-39, Tied for 3rd Place, 6 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  For the third consecutive game, a Phillies reliever couldn't hold a one-run lead in the seventh, nor could they lock down the save when the Phillies somehow scored again, and it's miserable being a Phillies fan.

What It Means:  🤷‍♂️

What Happened:  The positives from this game were Zach Eflin going toe to toe with Jacob deGrom and allowing one less run over six innings, and Nick Maton coming through with clutch RBIs in the second and ninth innings.  Andrew McCutchen also delivered a big sacrifice fly in the sixth to give the Phillies a brief 2-1 lead.  The negatives were, as usual, anything coming out of the Phillies bullpen.  After Maton gave the team a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Hector Neris once again emerged to try for the save.  Only a few minutes into the bottom of the ninth, Rhys Hoskins had booted a ball and Neris had walked the next batter.  It was only a matter of time before the Mets walked-off with the win, this time on a Michael Conforto sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  Kent Tekulve had nothing to do with this game, but I wanted to cleanse the blog's palate and feature a card of a closer who made me happy more often than sad.

Transactions:  Before the game, Andrew Knapp (c) was activated from the 7-day concussion IL and Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley.  Rafael Marchan (c) and Matt Vierling (of) were both optioned back down.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 73 - 2021 Topps 1965 Topps Redux #T65-37 Bryce Harper

Phillies 2, Mets 1 (Game 2 - 8 Innings)
Game 73 - Friday Night, June 24th in Flushing
Record - 35-38, Tied for 3rd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were nearly swept in this double header, but somehow pulled out a 2-1, extra-inning win.

What It Means:  It was a win, but I still think I need a break from the Phillies.

What Happened:  Matt Moore turned in a great start for the Phillies, throwing five scoreless innings.  He yielded to Connor Brogdon (scoreless sixth) who in turn yielded to closer du jour Archie Bradley who promptly loaded the bases in the seventh and blew the save on a James McCann sacrifice fly.  He would have been out of the inning with the save if not for another costly error from Alec Bohm.  

In the top of the eighth, ghost runner Rafael Marchan advanced to third on a  Brad Miller ground out and came in to score when Odubel Herrera grounded a ball to Mets third baseman Luis Guillorme that he couldn't handle.  Hector Neris shut down the Mets in the bottom of the eighth to record his 11th save.

The defensive play of the game for the Phillies came in the second inning when Andrew McCutchen robbed a home run from Albert Almora, leaping over the wall to make the catch.

Featured Card:  Before the Phillies needed an extra run, Bryce Harper had given them a 1-0 lead with his 11th solo home run of the season in the sixth.  He blew kisses to the Mets fans behind the Phillies dugout after touching home, and he gave a faux curtain call as well.

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 72 - Nola K's 10 in a Row; Effort Wasted in Loss

2021 Chachi #54

Mets 2, Phillies 1 (Game 1 - 8 Innings)
Game 72 - Friday Afternoon, June 25th in Flushing
Record - 34-38

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola tied a major league record with 10 consecutive strikeouts, but the Phillies couldn't close it out, losing in extras to the Mets, 2-1.

What It Means:  I think I need a break from the Phillies.

What Happened:  Nola pitched 5 1/3 innings, striking out 12 overall and connecting for two of the Phillies' three hits.  His double in the fifth scored their only run, driving home Nick Maton.  Jose Alvarado, the team's newly appointed closer, came into the game to try for a five-out save, wriggling out of trouble in the sixth.  In the seventh, Luis Guillorme reached when Rhys Hoskins couldn't catch a ball thrown by Alvarado.  Guillorme would come around to score the tying (unearned) run and the Mets walked it off in the eighth when Dominic Smith singled home Francisco Lindor.

Featured Card:  Nola blew away the Phillies franchise record, which had been seven consecutive strikeouts by Steve Carlton (1981), Curt Schilling (1996) and Jerad Eickhoff (2018).  His 10th straight strikeout, against Michael Conforto, tied him with Tom Seaver for the all-time record.  Seaver did it on April 22, 1970 against the Padres.

Transaction:  In a flurry of pregame moves, Sam Coonrod (rhp) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm injury and David Hale (rhp) was designated for assignment, most likely ending his Phillies tenure.  Maton (ss) was once again recalled from Lehigh Valley and Neftali Feliz (rhp), who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2017, had his contract selected.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was added to the roster as the 27th man for the double header.

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Series Preview - Phillies at Mets: June 25th to June 27th

1986 Topps #505

1986 Topps #547

Friday Double Header 4:10, Saturday 4:10, Sunday 1:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

At the Ballpark:  The Mets are giving away a few t-shirts with the first 12,000 fans on Friday receiving a Pride Night shirt and the first 12,000 fans on Saturday and Sunday receiving a Ya Gotta Believe shirt.

Phillies 34-37
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 5 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Aaron Nola (5-4, 2.36)
Matt Moore (0-1, 7.36)
Zach Eflin (2-6, 4.39)
Zack Wheeler (5-4, 2.36)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .278
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 39
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 16
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 43
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 6

Wins:  Three tied with - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.36
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 122
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

Mets 38-31
1st Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games ahead of the Nationals

Mets Probables
Taijuan Walker (6-3, 2.42)
David Peterson (2-5, 5.31)
Jacob deGrom (7-2, 0.50)
Jerad Eickhoff (0-0, 0.00)

Mets Leaders
Average:  Pete Alonso - .250
Runs:  Francisco Lindor - 38
Home Runs:  Pete Alonso - 11
RBIs:  Pete Alonso - 35
Stolen Bases:  Jonathan Villar - 8

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 7
ERA:  Jacob deGrom - 0.50

Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 117
Saves:  Edwin Diaz - 16

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Game 71 - 2021 Topps #171 Hector Neris

Nationals 13, Phillies 12
Game 71 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 34-37, Tied for 3rd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost leads three times in this brutal, bullpen-led debacle of four-hour-plus game.

What It Means:  After this ridiculous loss, the Phillies find themselves three games under .500 and only the Marlins, Pirates, Rockies and Diamondbacks have a worse winning percentage than the club.

What Happened:  The Phillies were up 5-0 after four innings when the Nationals scored five runs in the fifth against Vince Velasquez and Archie Bradley.  They were up 9-5 after five innings following a pinch-hit grand slam from Andrew McCutchen.  Sam Coonrod and David Hale allowed six Nationals runs to score in the sixth, capped by a grand slam off Hale by Josh Bell.  The Phillies took the lead one more time in the eighth, only to have Hector Neris blow his fifth save, sending the Nationals to a 13-12 win.

Wasted in the loss was Alec Bohm's first four-hit game of his career, and a three-hit, three-RBI effort from Travis Jankowski, including his three-run home run in the second.

Featured Card:  David Hale's status on this team baffles me.  The current owner of a 6.41 ERA, he's made 17 appearances, allowing his own or inherited runners to score in 12 of those appearances.  But with no Hale cards to post, I'll fall back on closer Neris, who has been frustratingly inconsistent this season.  Maybe it's time he gets a break from the closer's role?

Transaction:  Matt Moore (lhp) was activated from the injured list and Nick Maton (ss) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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Game 70 - 2011 Topps Gypsy Queen Sticky Fingers #SF2 Chase Utley

Nationals 3, Phillies 2
Game 70 - Tuesday Night, June 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 34-36, Tied for 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete their comeback against Max Scherzer and the Nationals, losing this game, 3-2.

What It Means:  Zack Wheeler picked a bad night to be off, as the presumed All-Star lasted only three innings and threw 106 pitches.  He allowed all three Nationals runs on six hits.

What Happened:  The Phillies scoring came on solo home runs from Bryce Harper in the second and Rhys Hoskins in the eighth.  The offense went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.  A positive from this game was the six innings of scoreless relief thrown by the bullpen, led by 1 2/3 innings from Ranger Suarez as he lowered his ERA to 0.67.

Featured Card:  In accordance with Major League Baseball's new kind of silly policy to check pitchers for foreign substances as they're leaving the field each half inning, this game suffered from the distraction of pitchers having to partially disrobe after every three outs.  Phillies manager Joe Girardi noticed Scherzer running his pitching hand excessively through his hair in the fifth inning and he requested the umpires check him out.  Finding nothing, Scherzer retired the side and stared down Girardi as he walked back to the dugout.  Girardi challenged Scherzer to a fight on the field and was quickly ejected.  The whole thing was ridiculous.

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Series Preview - Nationals at Phillies: June 22nd to June 23rd

1986 Topps #421

1986 Topps #532

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

At the Ballpark:  Weather permitting, tonight marks the grand opening of the Miller Lite Liberty Landing, a refurbished bar area now located where Harry the K's used to be.  There will be photo opportunities with former Philllies Tommy Greene, Greg Luzinski, Mickey Morandini and Milt Thompson.  Personally, I'll miss Harry the K's, as we enjoyed several pre-game meals there over the years.

Nationals 33-36
Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 5 games behind the Mets

Nationals Probables
TBD
Erick Fedde (4-4, 3.33)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Trea Turner - .313
Runs:  Trea Turner - 37
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 18
RBIs:  Kyle Schwarber - 42
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 15

Wins:  Patrick Corbin and Max Scherzer - 5
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.21

Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 104
Saves:  Brad Hand - 15

Phillies 34-35
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (5-3, 2.15)
Vince Velasquez (2-2, 4.44)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .238
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 38
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 15
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 42
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 6

Wins:  Three tied with - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.15
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 118
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

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2021 Chachi #52 Matt Vierling

#44
Matthew Gregory Vierling
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  215
Opening Day Age:  24
Born:  September 16, 1996, St. Louis, MO
How Obtained:  Selected by Phillies in 5th round of June 2018 amateur player draft
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2021

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #29
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #9

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

4 - Vierling baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 6/20/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi #52

Matt Vierling impressed during spring training as a non-roster invitee and began the 2021 season with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.  His .345 average and six home runs in 24 games in Double-A earned him a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he appeared in only three games, batting .417 (5 for 12).  When Matt Joyce landed on the injured list with a bad back, the Phillies selected Vierling's contract, adding him to their 40-man roster.  In his big league debut on June 19th, he collected a pinch-hit, a stolen base and his first run.

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Game 69 - 1952 Berk Ross Del Ennis

Giants 11, Phillies 2
Game 69 - Sunday Afternoon, June 20th in San Francisco
Record - 34-35, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Zach Eflin couldn't contain the Giants offense and the Phillies managed four hits in this Father's Day 11-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies have their fifth off-day of the month on Monday before opening a quick two-game series with the Nationals on Tuesday night.  That's followed by their sixth off-day of the month on Thursday.

What Happened:  Eflin labored through five innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits - including a staggering four home runs.  J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run home run in the third accounting for the only scoring by the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I had a wonderful day with my family for this Father's Day, and of course I thought of my Dad who left us way too soon almost ten years ago.  Here's a card of one of his favorite players, Del Ennis, in his honor.  It's getting harder for me to find cards to post of either Ennis or his other favorite player, Dick Sisler, on this blog that haven't been featured before given the number of times over the years I've used either one of Ennis' or Sisler's cards any time I've wanted to honor or remember my Dad.  Chances are I'll run out of unfeatured cards at some point, and I'll just start re-posting cards I've already shared as there's no chance I'll ever stop wanting to celebrate my Dad.

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Game 68 - 2021 Topps Now #135 Rhys Hoskins

Phillies 13, Giants 6
Game 68 - Saturday Afternoon, June 19th in San Francisco
Record - 34-34, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Rhys Hoskins enjoyed a two-home run, six-RBI day as the Phillies slugged past the Giants, 13-6.

What It Means:  The team is once again at .500 and they'll attempt the series win this afternoon with Zach Eflin on the mound.

What Happened:  The Phillies won, but there's still some concern around Aaron Nola who was chased in the third inning after allowing six runs on six hits.  He's struggled mightily lately and hopefully pitching coach Caleb Cotham can help get him back on track.  

The game was tied at 6-6 heading to the fourth, but the Phillies plated seven unanswered runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings.  Contributing to the team's 16 hits were Hoskins (two homers and a double), Alec Bohm (three hits, two RBIs) and Ronald Torreyes (two hits, including his second home run of the season, three RBIs).  The Phillies bullpen pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, led by Ranger Suarez's 2 2/3 inning outing.

Matt Vierling, who had his contract purchased earlier in the day, made his major league debut pinch-hitting for Suarez in the sixth.  He singled to right, stole second and came in to score on Hoskins' double.

Featured Card:  Hopefully Hoskins is heating up.  His six RBIs marked a career high, and it's the first time a Phillies hitter had two home runs and six RBIs in a game since Ryan Howard did it on April 29, 2011 against the Mets.

Transaction:  Andrew Knapp (c) was placed on the seven-day concussion protocol injured list and Matt Joyce (of) was placed on the 10-day IL with a lower back strain.  Vierling (of) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley and Rafael Marchan (c) was also recalled.

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Game 67 - 1983 Donruss #119 Mike Krukow

Giants 5, Phillies 3
Game 67 - Late Friday Night, June 18th in San Francisco
Record - 33-34, 2nd Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Little defensive miscues led to big problems as the Giants prevailed in the series opener, 5-3.

What It Means:  The game was annoying for several reasons, including the sloppy play on the field.  After downloading the Peacock app, signing up, and starting our stream, we realized the feed was a full batter behind and the video kept going blurry on us.  After five innings, I called it a night.

What Happened:  Odubel Herrera misplayed a few balls in center field, Rhys Hoskins couldn't catch a line drive, Andrew Knapp couldn't seem to catch the ball at all and Bryce Harper seemingly didn't run out of the box on a ball to the gap and was thrown out in the sixth trying for a double.  The Phillies runs came on a home run from Herrera to lead off the game and a two-run home run to center in the fourth from Andrew McCutchen.

The game was briefly tied at 3-3 heading to the bottom of the fourth but Vince Velasquez walked the opposing pitcher Johnny Cueto with two outs and LaMonte Wade, Jr. tripled him home.

Featured Card:  The broadcast team was the best part of the Peacock broadcast.  Jon Miller and Mike Krukow from the Giants were joined by John Kruk and Jimmy Rollins from the Phillies.  The latter three were all former Phillies, and I was surprised to see on Twitter that people didn't realize Krukow had played with the club.  He made 33 starts for the Phils in 1982, going 13-11 with a 3.12 ERA, second behind Steve Carlton on the staff in wins and ERA.

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Series Preview - Phillies at Giants: June 18th to June 20th

2021 Chachi 1986 Topps Missing Links #11

1986 Topps #138

Friday 9:45, Saturday and Sunday 4:05
Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA

At the Ballpark:  First off, this entire series will be broadcast exclusively on the Peacock streaming service, which means the less tech savvy among us are going to spend most of the weekend trying to figure out how to watch these games.  The broadcast crew will consist of Jon Miller, Mike Krukow, John Kruk and Jimmy Rollins.

On Saturday, the Giants will celebrate African American Heritage Day with the team wearing throwback jerseys of the San Francisco Sea Lions, a West Coast Negro League team.  And on Sunday, the first 9,000 fans will receive a Father's Day Giants hat.

Phillies 33-33
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (2-1, 4.25)
Aaron Nola (5-4, 3.69)
Spencer Howard (0-2, 5.09)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .234
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 35
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 13
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 36
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 6

Wins:  Three tied with - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.15
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 118
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

Giants 44-25
1st Place in the N.L. West, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers

Giants Probables
Johnny Cueto (4-3, 4.00)
Alex Wood (6-3, 3.71)
Sammy Long (0-0, 5.00)

Giants Leaders
Average:  Brandon Crawford - .249
Runs:  Brandon Crawford - 37
Home Runs:  Brandon Crawford - 15
RBIs:  Brandon Crawford - 44
Stolen Bases:  Austin Slater - 7

Wins:  Kevin Gausman - 8
ERA:  Kevin Gausman - 1.51
Strikeouts:  Kevin Guasean - 103
Saves:  Jack McGee - 13

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Game 66 - 2021 Topps Now #282 Zack Wheeler

Phillies 2, Dodgers 0
Game 66 - Late Wednesday Night, June 16th in Los Angeles
Record - 33-33, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler and two relievers combined for the shutout, despite the Phillies offense going 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

What It Means:  The win avoided a sweep at the hands of the Dodgers and following an off-day Thursday, the Phillies will open a weekend series in San Francisco on Friday night.  They'll try to contain Gabe Kapler and his first place Giants.

What Happened:  Wheeler overcame early struggles to throw six shutout innings.  Jose Alvarado and Hector Neris pitched the final three scoreless frames.  Rhys Hoskins broke an 0 for 33 slump with a solo home run off Dodgers' starter Clayton Kershaw in the first.  J.T. Realmuto doubled home Odubel Herrera (from first base) for the Phillies' second and final run.

Luke Williams went 3 for 4 in his fourth big league start.  He's started at a different position in each of those games - center field, third base, shortstop and at second base in this game.

Featured Card:  Wheeler has been on quite the run, and for a while he was receiving a Topps Now card for each one of his impressive starts.  This card is from his May 29th outing in which he struck out a career high 14 Rays, but the Phillies still managed to lose the game.

Transaction:  Jean Segura (2b) landed on the injured list with a left groin strain, and it's estimated he'll miss at least three weeks.  Nick Maton (ss) was recalled from Lehigh Valley.

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Game 65 - 2018 Topps Now #490 Chase Utley

Dodgers 5, Phillies 3
Game 65 - Late Tuesday Night, June 15th in Los Angeles
Record - 32-33, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies battled back to tie the game, but once again the bullpen couldn't hold the lead in this 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.

What It Means:  Having lost the first two games of the series, the Phillies will attempt to avoid the sweep on Wednesday night.  (Spoiler alert - they did.)

What Happened:  Zach Eflin only went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.  Andrew McCutchen homered in the second to tie the score at 1-1, and then Odubel Herrera hit a two-run single in the fifth to tie the score at 3-3.  Mookie Betts did the late-inning damage for the Dodgers, hitting a go-ahead home run off Ranger Suarez in the seventh and driving in an insurance run with an RBI-single off Archie Bradley in the eighth.  The Phillies offense went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Both Bryce Harper (back) and Jean Segura (groin) exited this game early, adding horrible news to what was already a bad night for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I don't think he was in attendance for this game, but Chase Utley was in the stands on Tuesday night to watch his two former teams battle it out.  I'll look for any excuse I can find to post an Utley card whenever I can, even if he's wearing a Dodgers uniform.

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Game 64 - 2021 Topps Heritage #148 Spencer Howard

Dodgers 3, Phillies 1
Game 64 - Late Monday Night, June 14th in Los Angeles
Record - 32-32, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Spencer Howard allowed two Dodgers home runs and the Phillies offense went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position in this 3-1 loss.

What It Means:  After a 6-2 homestead and recent offensive outbursts, the Phillies showed some signs of jet lag in Los Angeles.

What Happened:  Howard allowed only two hits - a two-run home run to Will Smith in the fourth and a solo home run to Chris Taylor in the fifth.  Connor Brogdon and Bailey Falter shut down the Dodgers after that with four solid innings of relief.  The Phillies plated a run in the first on a Bryce Harper RBI-single, but then they couldn't find a clutch hit the rest of the night.

Featured Card:  Given his top prospect status, I have a ton of Howard's cards in my collection just waiting for a good excuse to be posted.  With nothing much going on in this game, and Howard pitching relatively well, here's his Boyhood Photos of the Stars card from this year's Heritage release, showing him pitching for his home town Dodgers in his local Little League.  Howard grew up in Southern California, rooting for the Dodgers.

Transaction:  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley with Falter (lhp) getting recalled.

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Series Preview - Phillies at Dodgers: June 14th to June 16th

1986 Topps #158

1986 Topps #109

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10:10
Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA

At the Ballpark:  On Tuesday night, the first 25,000 fans will receive a Justin Turner bobble head, and on Wednesday night the Dodgers are giving away a Mookie Betts jersey.

Phillies 32-31
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Spencer Howard (0-1, 4.61)
Zach Eflin (2-5, 3.89)
Zack Wheeler (4-3, 2.29)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .242
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 34
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 12
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 35
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 6

Wins:  Jose Alvarado and Aaron Nola - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.29
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 112
Saves:  Hector Neris - 9

Dodgers 39-26
2nd Place in the N.L. West, 1 game behind the Giants

Dodgers Probables
Tony Gonsolin (0-0, 5.40)
Julio Urias (9-2, 3.56)
Clayton Kershaw (8-5, 3.39)

Dodgers Leaders
Average:  Justin Turner - .281
Runs:  Chris Taylor - 47
Home Runs:  Max Muncy - 14
RBIs:  Chris Taylor and Justin Turner - 34
Stolen Bases:  Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor - 6

Wins:  Julio Urias - 9
ERA:  Walker Buehler - 2.38

Strikeouts:  Trevor Bauer - 111
Saves:  Kenley Jansen - 15

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Game 63 - 2021 Topps Heritage #275 Aaron Nola

Phillies 7, Yankees 0
Game 63 - Sunday Afternoon, June 13th in Philadelphia
Record - 32-31, 2nd Place, 3 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense remained hot and Aaron Nola found his form in this enjoyable 7-0 win over the Yankees.

What It Means:  The game's easy, Harry.  After taking the two-game series from the Yankees, the Phillies next head to the West Coast for three games against the Dodgers followed by three games against the Giants.

What Happened:  Jean Segura was one of the offensive stars, collecting three hits, including a triple and driving in a pair of runs.  Andrew McCutchen had two doubles and two RBIs, and J.T. Realmuto drove in a pair as well.  All told, the Phillies offense had 12 hits, with nary a home run, going 6 for 13 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  After struggling through most of May and his first two starts in June, Nola turned it around with 7 2/3 scoreless innings.  He allowed only three hits and a walk while striking out nine.  Connor Brogdon and Enyel De Los Santos recorded the final four outs for the combined shutout.

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Game 62 - Phils Win With Third Straight Walk-Off

2021 Topps Now
Road to Opening Day #OD-277

Phillies 8, Yankees 7 (10 Innings)
Game 61 - Saturday Afternoon, June 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 31-31, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Once again, the Phillies walked-off with a win despite the bullpen's best efforts to blow a late lead.

What It Means:  This is the first time the Phillies have had three consecutive walk-off wins since August 2013 when the winning RBIs were delivered by Michael Young, Domonic Brown and a bases-loaded walk from Chase Utley.

What Happened:  The Phillies plated four runs in the first inning on six hits, started by a two-run single from Bryce Harper.  They held a 7-2 lead after five innings, but then the Yankees started chipping away.  Runs were allowed by relievers Sam Coonrod and Ranger Suarez (his first earned run of the season), and Hector Neris entered in the ninth with a somewhat comfortable 7-4 lead.  Two walks and a line-drive home run from DJ LeMahieu later, and the score was tied.  Fortunately, Archie Bradley was able to shut down the Yankees in the top of the 10th.  With Ronald Torreyes as the ghost runner at second to start the bottom of the 10th, Travis Jankowski laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt and reached safely on a throwing error by Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman.  With Torreyes now at third base, Segura hit a hard grounder to third, allowing Torreyes to scamper home with the winning run.

Featured Card:  It's Segura again, and this is his third walk-off hit this season.  His first came back on opening day and his second came Thursday afternoon against the Braves.  This one was perhaps the most electric of the three as there were over 38,000 fans in the stands.

Transactions:  On Thursday, the Phillies outrighted Brady Lail (rhp) to Lehigh Valley, clearing up a 40-man roster spot.  That allowed the Phillies on Friday to activate Adam Haseley (of) from the restricted list and option him to Lehigh Valley.  Additionally, Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was recalled with Rafael Marchan (c) sent back down.

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Series Preview - Yankees at Phillies: June 12th to June 13th

1986 Topps #723

1986 Topps #361

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

At the Ballpark:  For the annual Father's Day celebration, all men 15 and over will receive a 1920s-style Phillies hat on Sunday afternoon.

Yankees 33-30
3rd Place in the A.L. East, 6 1/2 games behind the Rays

Yankees Probables
Jameson Taillon (1-4, 5.09)
Domingo German (4-3, 3.12)

Yankees Leaders
Average:  Aaron Judge - .291
Runs:  Aaron Judge - 35
Home Runs:  Aaron Judge - 15
RBIs:  Aaron Judge - 35
Stolen Bases:  Gleyber Torres - 4

Wins:  Gerrit Cole - 7
ERA:  Gerrit Cole - 2.31
Strikeouts:  Gerrit Cole - 113
Saves:  Aroldis Chapman - 12

Phillies 30-31
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 games behind the Mets

Phillies Probables
Vince Velasquez (2-1, 4.33)
Aaron Nola (4-4, 4.06)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Rhys Hoskins - .248
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 33
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 12
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 35
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 6

Wins:  Jose Alvarado - 5
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.29
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 112
Saves:  Hector Neris - 9

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