Game 11 - Phils Look Awful in Loss to Giants

Philadelphia Phillies	0
San Francisco Giants	6

2026 Topps Heritage #357

Late Tuesday Night, April 7th

Oracle Park - San Francisco, CA
6-5, Tied for 3rd Place, 1 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped a sloppily played ballgame, 6-0 to the Giants, managing four hits in a late night defeat.

What It Means:  West Coast road trips seem to be kryptonite for this team, and I question my sanity every time I decide to stay up late (or later) and watch lackluster baseball.

What Happened:  Cristopher Sanchez was hit early and often, allowing four runs (two earned) over five innings, but giving up 11 hits.  Left field adventures from Otto Kemp, errors from Trea Turner and Rafael Marchan and an offense that went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position didn't help matters.  J.T. Realmuto departed the game early after fouling a ball off his foot.  Orion Kerkering made his season debut and ironically had the first batter he faced ground a ball back to him, which he wanted nothing to do with.  Giants' starter Robbie Ray baffled the righty-heavy line-up.

Featured Card:  New Giants' outfielder Harrison Bader is struggling mightily to start the season.  He entered this game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and went 0 for 2 to drop his season average to .125.  Here's his card from the 2026 Topps Heritage set, commemorating his brief, but successful, stint with the Phillies last season.

Transaction:  In the first roster move of the season, Kerkering (rhp) was activated from the injured list and Kyle Backhus (lhp) was optioned to the IronPigs.

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2025 Chachi #47 Harrison Bader

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  210
Opening Day 2025 Age:  30

Born:  June 3, 1994, Bronxville, NY
Acquired:  Traded by the Minnesota Twins for Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria, July 31, 2025

Contract Status:  Granted free agency, November 4, 2025
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 2017-22; New York Yankees 2022-23; Cincinnati Reds 2023; New York Mets 2024; Minnesota Twins 2025; Philadelphia Phillies 2025

Postseason Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 2019-21; New York Yankees 2022; New York Mets 2024; Philadelphia Phillies 2025

2025 Topps Now #546

I was really hoping Harrison Bader would find his way back to the Phillies in 2026, and while it's not yet official as I'm composing this post, the popular outfielder has opted to sign with the Giants.  Bader provided a much-needed offensive and defensive spark for the club, playing the game with a little bit of mustard, and endearing himself to Phillies fans for it.  In 50 games with the Phillies, he batted .305 with 11 doubles, five home runs and 16 RBIs.  Sadly, an injury limited his playing time during the NLDS, and he was 1 for 2 in the series, with just four plate appearances.  I'm excited to see what Adolis Garcia can do in 2026, but I also would have loved to see more of Bader in red pinstripes.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2016 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #CPA-HB
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  2018-25
Favorite 2025 Card:  2025 Topps Now #546
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  5 as of 1/30/26, 5 added in 2025

TCDB Stats:  2,451 total as of 1/30/26, my 21 cards overall are ranked 196th, 1st is Cardsfan345 with 357

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2025 Chachi #47

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2025 Chachi #46 Jhoan Duran 

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2025 Chachi #48 David Robertson

Game 108 - Phils Acquire Duran, Bader at Trade Deadline

2025 Topps #687

2025 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs (Series 2) #16

2025 Choice Clearwater Threshers #1

Philadelphia Phillies	3
Chicago White Sox	9

Wednesday Afternoon, July 30th

Rate Field - Chicago, IL
61-47, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The White Sox banged out 17 hits against five Phillies pitchers, and the offense was mostly quiet on a day highlighted by the acquisition of new closer Jhoan Duran.

What It Means:  The game was definitely an afterthought, following a 3 1/2 hour rain delay at the outset and the anticipation created by the upcoming trade deadline.

What Happened:  Taijuan Walker gave up the first seven White Sox hits, departing after five innings with  the game tied at 2-2.  Max Lazar, who had been excellent of late, got hit hard in the seventh, allowing six runs on seven hits and retiring just one batter.  RBI singles in the fourth from Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp gave the Phillies their only two runs.

Featured Card / Transactions:  Word leaked during the game the Phillies had acquired Duran from the Twins, and the deal became official shortly after the game ended.  Duran (rhp) was acquired for Mick Abel (rhp) and Eduardo Tait (c).  Duran has been one of the game's best closers recently, and in 3 1/2 seasons with the Twins, he was 17-23 with a 2.47 ERA and 74 saves.  He's struck out 292 in 233 2/3 innings pitched.  Abel made his big league debut earlier this year, picking up a win and striking out nine Pirates over six innings.  Overall with the Phillies, he made six starts and was 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA in 25 innings pitched.  Tait, the team's top catching prospect, is a few weeks away from his 19th birthday and is likely years away from the majors.

2025 Topps #356

2025 Choice Reading Fightin Phils (Series 2) #8

On Thursday's off-day, the Phillies completed another big trade, acquiring Harrison Bader (of) from the Twins for minor leaguers Hendry Mendez (of) and Geremy Villoria (rhp).  Brett de Geus (rhp) was designated for assignment to make room for Bader on the 40-man roster.  Bader is a veteran of nine seasons, mostly with the Cardinals.  In 96 games so far this season with the Twins, he's batting .258 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs.

Finally, in a smaller deal, Matt Manning (rhp) was acquired from the Tigers for Josueth Quinonez (of).  Manning was optioned to Lehigh Valley and Devin Sweet (rhp) was DFA'd for a 40-man roster spot.

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