Braves at Phillies: September 26th to September 28th

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

Braves 77-82, Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 72-87, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 21 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Braves Probables:  Ervin Santana (14-10, 3.88), Aaron Harang (11-12, 3.60), Alex Wood (11-11, 2.78)
Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (4-2, 2.45), A.J. Burnett (8-17, 4.57), Cole Hamels (9-8, 2.47)

At the Ballpark:  Sunday is fan appreciation day at the ballpark with all fans receiving a Citizens Bank Park Fathead which includes a 2015 schedule.  Recently added to the promotional schedule is that all fans 14 and under attending Sunday's game will also receive the Ryan Howard bobble head, previously given away in August.  I guess they're trying to unload the extras?

It looks as if this also marks the end of the line for the Fan Appreciation Day postcard set, which made their debut in 2008.  Since that magical season, the Phillies have given all fans attending the final home game of the season a small postcard set commemorating the past year's highlights.  I suspect the powers that be deemed there weren't enough 2014 highlights to actually merit a set, which is sad on several levels.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .308

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 78

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 93

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 48

1988 Topps #188

Wins:  Kyle Kendrick - 10

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.47

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 191

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 38

1988 Topps Appreciation:  John Russell, current bench coach for the play-off bound Orioles, is the final 1988 Topps Phillies card to be featured in these series preview posts this year.  Russell spent the first five seasons of his big league career catching for the Phillies before he was sold to the Braves in March 1989.  In his one season with the Braves, Russell hit just .182 in 74 games.

Following the regular season, I'll take a look at the Phillies-related cards from the 1988 Topps set that weren't featured throughout the season.

Phillies at Marlins: September 23rd to September 25th

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10, Thursday 4:10
Marlins Park - Miami, FL

Phillies 71-85, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 20 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Marlins 74-81, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 17 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (9-7, 2.47), Kyle Kendrick (9-13, 4.73), David Buchanan (6-8, 3.77)
Marlins Probables:  Henderson Alvarez (11-6, 2.82), Brad Hand (3-8, 4.59), Tom Koehler (9-10, 3.76)

At the Ballpark:  Thursday afternoon is the final 2014 home game for the Marlins, and all fans will receive a 2015 schedule magnet.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .308

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 78

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 93

1988 Topps #126 and #66

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 47

Wins:  Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick - 9

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.47

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 187

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 37

1988 Topps Appreciation:  We're nearing the end of the road for the 1988 Topps Appreciation segments that have been featured throughout the season in these series preview posts.  Both Shane Rawley and Steve Jeltz had no other logical fit throughout the season, so here they are, tacked on like a cruel afterthought to this Marlins series preview post.  They both deserved better than this.  (Well Rawley definitely did.  Maybe not Jeltz so much.)

Phillies at Athletics: September 19th to September 21st

Friday 9:35, Saturday and Sunday 4:05
O.co Coliseum - Oakland, CA

Phillies 70-83, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Athletics 83-69, 2nd Place in the A.L. West, 11 1/2 games behind the Angels

Phillies Probables:  David Buchanan (6-7, 3.75), Jerome Williams (3-2, 2.84), A.J. Burnett (8-17, 4.40)
Athletics Probables:  Jon Lester (5-3, 2.30), Drew Pomeranz (5-4, 2.53), Scott Kazmir (14-9, 3.44)

At the Ballpark:  First of all, the A's stadium is called O.co Coliseum?  When did that happen?

Moving right along, following tonight's game there will be a Star Wars themed fireworks show.  On Saturday, the first 10,000 fans will receive an A's Oktoberfest Stein and on Sunday, the first 10,000 fans will receive a team photo.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .309

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 78

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 92

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 47

Wins:  Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick - 9

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.47

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 187

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 37

1988 Topps #476, #272, #424 and #527

1988 Topps Appreciation:  It's a whole mess of A's for this installment of 1988 Topps Appreciation.  At the time these cards were released, only Dave Stewart was already an ex-Phillie, having pitched for the Phillies for parts of the 1985 and 1986 seasons, only to be released in May 1986.  Stewart would go on to finish in the top four of the A.L. Cy Young voting for the next four seasons, and he'd help lead the A's to the 1989 World Championship.  (And we think the current management team makes bad decisions!)

The next three guys - Steve Henderson, Steve Ontiveros and Dwayne Murphy - had all left Oakland by the time they became an A.L. powerhouse in the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Ontiveros appeared in 11 games for the Phillies in injury-plagued 1989 and 1990 seasons.  He'd bounce back somewhat and actually make the All-Star team in 1995 during his second stint with the A's.  Murphy wrapped up his 12-season career with 98 games for the 1989 Phillies, hitting .218.

Henderson is the Phillies current hitting coach, a position he's held since last season.  It will be interesting to see if there's any shake-up with the team's current coaching staff following the season.  It's never the hitting coach's fault that a team just can't hit, but there's no doubt the Phillies offense might benefit from a different voice.

Phillies at Padres: September 15th to September 18th

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 10:10, Thursday 9:10
Petco Park - San Diego, CA

Phillies 69-80, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Padres 68-80, 3rd Place in the N.L. West, 16 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (3-1, 3.44), A.J. Burnett (8-16, 4.34), Cole Hamels (807, 2.51), Kyle Kendrick (9-12, 4.72)
Padres Probables:  Andrew Cashner (3-7, 2.40), Ian Kennedy (10-13, 3.77), Eric Stults (7-16, 4.49), Tyson Ross (13-14, 2.81)

At the Ballpark:  There are no giveaways scheduled, but according to the promotions calendar on the Padres' website, tomorrow night is Taco Tuesday at the ballpark.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .309

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 78

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 92

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 45

Wins:  Kyle Kendrick - 9

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.51

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 178

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 37

1988 Topps #284, #693, 1988 Topps Traded #121T and 1988 Topps #482

1988 Topps Appreciation:  Larry Bowa has spent his life in baseball and has had two manager's gigs over his long professional career.  His second stint as a manager came with the Phillies, and he managed the team to a 337-308 record between 2001 and 2004.  As rough as that was, his first stint as a manager of the San Diego Padres was much, much rougher.  Bowa took over for Steve Boras following the 1986 season, and the 1987 Padres finished with the National League's worst record at 65-97.  Bowa lasted 46 games into the 1988 season, going 16-30, before he was relieved of his duties.

The three players featured here all played briefly for Bowa, and they all also spent time playing for the Phillies.  Benito (don't call me Benny) Santiago spent one season in Philadelphia in 1996, bridging the catching gap between Darren Daulton and Mike Lieberthal.

Dickie Thon played one season in San Diego before the team sold him to the Phillies in January 1989.  Thon played three seasons in Philly, hitting .259 in 431 games.

Finally, Mark Davis double dipped with the Phillies, coming up with the Phils in 1980 before heading to the Giants in the December 1982 Al Holland deal.  He'd play five seasons with the Giants before hitting his career peak with the Padres between 1987 and 1989.  In his final season with the Padres, Davis won the National League Cy Young Award when he saved 44 games and pitched to a 1.85 ERA in 70 games.  He'd never recapture his 1989 form, bouncing around for the next seven seasons and briefly appearing again with the Phillies in 1993.

Marlins at Phillies: September 12th to September 14th

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

Marlins 71-73, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 11 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 67-79, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Marlins Probables:  Henderson Alvarez (10-6, 2.88), Brad Hand (3-6, 4.45), Tom Koehler (9-9, 3.74)
Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (8-7, 2.56), Kyle Kendrick (8-12, 4.83), David Buchanan (6-7, 3.90)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight, all fans 15 and older will receive a Phillies knit hat.  Saturday night is German Heritage night and on Sunday, all kids receive a Phanatic OYO minifigure and buildable dugout set.  For those of you without young kids, and without any Lego in your life, OYO is a Lego-ish product and the company has been producing minifigures of baseball players for a few years now.  I know I'll probably be hitting eBay following Sunday's game to try to pick up a few of these giveaways for my kids.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .308

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 78

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 92

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 43

Wins:  A.J. Burnett, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick - 8

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.56

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett - 176

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 36

Pirates at Phillies: September 8th to September 11th

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

Pirates 74-68, 2nd Place in the N.L. Central, 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals
Phillies 66-76, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 14 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Pirates Probables:  Jeff Locke (6-4, 3.75), Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.31), Vance Worley (6-4, 3.05), Francisco Liriano (4-10, 3.74)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (8-11, 4.77), David Buchanan (6-7, 3.95), Jerome Williams (3-0, 2.84), A.J. Burnett (8-15, 4.29)

At the Ballpark:  Each night of this series is a theme night (military, nurses, students, police and firefighters) but there are no give-aways scheduled.  I was kind of hoping the team would issue a commemorative print celebrating the combined no-hitter in Atlanta.  Perhaps that's something they're still planning to do before the season ends.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Ben Revere - .315

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 77

Home Runs:  Marlon Byrd - 25

RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 91

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 43

Wins:  A.J. Burnett, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick - 8

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.56

Strikeouts:  A.J. Burnett and Cole Hamels - 172

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 35

1988 Topps #539

1988 Topps Appreciation:  On April 27, 2010, Steve from the fine White Sox Cards blog, finally gave Mike LaValliere the Phillies card he always deserved.  For years, I searched for a nice color photo of LaValliere from his brief time with the Phils, but the only photos I ever found were either black or white or featured a minor league logo prominently.

Before he was known as Spanky, LaValliere was a catching prospect in the Phillies system.  He earned a September call-up in 1984, appearing in six games and going 0 for 7.  He signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in January 1985 and was traded along with Andy Van Slyke to the Pirates in April 1987.  He'd spend seven seasons with the Pirates, earning a Gold Glove in 1987.  He played three seasons with the White Sox before calling it a career following the 1995 season.