Showing posts with label Herrera O.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Herrera O.. Show all posts

Saturday, May 7, 2022

2022 Chachi #36 Odubel Herrera


#37
Odubel David Herrera
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  29
Born:  December 29, 1991, San Jose, Venezuela
How Obtained:  Selected from the Texas Rangers in the rule 5 draft, December 11, 2014
Contract Status:  Signed through 2022
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2015-2019, 2021-

First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Reading Phillies Rehab Series #17
First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #37
Newest Card Added:  2022 Topps Phillies #PHI-12
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  2015-2019

91 - Herrera baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/6/22.
2015 Topps #687
2016 Topps #68
2017 Topps #612
2018 Topps #203
2019 Topps #224


Monday, September 13, 2021

Game 142 - 2019 Stadium Club #184 Odubel Herrera

Phillies 6
, Rockies 1
Game 142 - Saturday Night, September 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 72-70, 2nd Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Zack Wheeler pitched well again and Odubel Herrera contributed a two-run bunt double down the third base line as the Phillies held off the Rockies, 6-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies won and all was right with the world until late Sunday afternoon.

What Happened:  Wheeler went 6 2/3 innings, giving up a solo home run to Trevor Story in the sixth, and striking out eight.  With no runs yet scored in the game, the Phillies used a single, three walks and Herrera's bunt double to score three runs in the fourth.  Jean Segura added a solo home run in the fifth, and Brad Miller and Bryce Harper both homered in the seventh.  It was the red hot Harper's 31st home run.

Featured Card:  Due his arrest for domestic abuse in 2019, Herrera has not appeared on any new baseball cards since the release of the 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter set in late July of that year.  This is his card from the 2019 Stadium Club set, released that June.

Transactions:  In a flurry of pre-game moves, the Phillies recalled Mickey Moniak (of) and Adonis Medina (rhp) from Lehigh Valley and activated Matt Joyce (of) from the injured list.  Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) and Ramon Rosso (rhp) were optioned to Lehigh Valley and Travis Jankowski (of) was placed on the injured list with a right foot bruise.  To make room for Joyce on the 40-man roster, Vince Velasquez (rhp) was designated for assignment, likely ending his tumultuous six seasons with the Phillies.

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

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

2021 Chachi #42 Odubel Herrera


#37
Odubel David Herrera
Center Field

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  29
Born:  December 29, 1991, San Jose, Venezuela
How Obtained:  Selected from the Texas Rangers in the rule 5 draft, December 11, 2014
Contract Status:  Signed through 2022 with club options for 2022 and 2023
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2015-2019, 2021


First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #37
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Reading Phillies Rehab Series #17
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #37

Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Chrome #103

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  2015-2019

88 - Herrera baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 5/31/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi New Additions #3
2015 Chachi #2
2015 Chachi #53 - Hamels No-Hitter HL
2016 Chachi Preview #3
2016 Chachi #2
2016 Chachi #49 AS
2016 Chachi #65 - Batting Leaders with Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco
2016 Chachi Archives #1
2016 Chachi Photo Day #14
2016 Chachi Photo Day #37
2017 Chachi #3
2017 Chachi #34 - 1st Inning Explosion HL
2017 Chachi Archives #10
2017 Chachi Photo Night #22
2018 Chachi Preview #3
2018 Chachi #13
2018 Chachi #32 - Amazing Catch HL
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13 - with Yacksel Rios
2019 Chachi #6
2021 Chachi #42
2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Game 37 - 2019 Topps Allen & Ginter #246 Odubel Herrera

Phillies 5
, Nationals 2 (10 Innings)
Game 37 - Wednesday Night, May 12th in Washington
Record - 20-17, 2nd Place, 1 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Odubel Herrera's game-tying home run in the ninth sent this game to extra innings and the Phillies plated three in the 10th to win, 5-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies are the first team in their division to win 20 games, yet they're still a game behind the Mets.  The Mets have played six less games and are 18-13.  This win gave the Phillies their first road series win since mid-September 2019, and a win this afternoon gives them the series sweep.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler went six strong innings for the Phillies but a lack of offense and shoddy outfield play saw him depart with the Nationals leading, 2-1.  The shoddy outfield play came courtesy of Herrera and Bryce Harper who let a ball drop in between them and then collided in the sixth, allowing the Nationals to take the lead.

In the 10th, and with Andrew McCutchen beginning the inning at second as the zombie runner, Harper singled to move McCutchen to third.  Clutch singles then followed from Rhys Hoskins, Nick Maton and Andrew Knapp to give the Phillies a somewhat comfortable three-run lead.  Hector Neris pitched a perfect bottom of the inning for his seventh save.

Featured Card:  Herrera's game-tying home run came off Nationals' closer Brad Hand with one out in the ninth.  In his first nine games of the season, Herrera was 2 for 24 (.083) and looked lost at that plate.  In his last seven games, including last night, Herrera is batting .375 (9 for 24) with two doubles and two home runs.  With Roman Quinn injured, Scott Kingery mired in a perpetual funk and Adam Haseley having stepped away from the game, it seems as if the center field position is once again Herrera's.

Monday, March 15, 2021

Spring Training Game 14 - 2019 Topps Big League #278 Odubel Herrera

Phillies 6
, Pirates 5
Spring Training Game 14 - Sunday Afternoon, March 14th in Bradenton
Record - 7-6-1

One Sentence Summary:  Starting pitcher Matt Moore continued his strong spring while the Phillies offense again provided just enough runs for this 6-5 win over the Pirates.

What It Means:  The sun is shining, the weather is warming up and the Phillies were on TV on Sunday - albeit the Pirates feed via the MLB app.  It was a good day.

What Happened:  Moore has had probably one of the best springs of any Phillies pitcher, and I would think he's all but locked up a spot in the team's starting pitching rotation.  He threw four innings, allowing a wind-blown solo home run to Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings, while striking out three.

Alec Bohm had two more hard hits, raising his spring average to .316, and Darrick Hall added his first home run in the seventh.  Matt Joyce also had a pair of RBI singles.

Featured Card:  I honestly didn't think I'd ever post an Odubel Herrera card again on this blog, but as he attempts to make a comeback following his domestic abuse suspension, he's emerged as the strongest candidates for the open center field spot.  He bunted for a base hit in the first and then hit a massive, bat flip inducing home run in the third.  Manager Joe Girardi remains non-committal on Herrera's chances of making the team.  But with Adam Haseley out with a groin injury, it could come down to Herrera and Roman Quinn for the final spot.  Herrera hasn't had any new baseball cards issued since the summer of 2019.

Camp Head Count:  66

Monday, October 5, 2020

Look Away if You've Already Moved on from the 2020 Phillies

2020 Chachi Almost #13
2020 Chachi Almost #15
2020 Chachi Almost #20
2020 Chachi Almost #16

In an effort to put the 2020 Phillies season behind me as quickly as possible, I wanted to get this post out of the way.  Every year, I create my custom Chachi cards during the offseason and the early stages of spring training, which means I end up with several "Almost" cards of players who didn't get the call to the big club during the season.  Those cards are presented here.

Victor Arano, Seranthony Dominguez and David Robertson spent the season either injured, recovering from an injury or getting surgery to repair an injury.  Arano and Dominguez should return, while Robertson will not.  Despite the bullpen's woes, JD Hammer never got the call to join the team and Odubel Herrera remains exiled following his arrest for domestic violence last year.  Christian Bethancourt was a non-roster invitee to spring training and then disappeared, with no sign of any transaction (that I can find) to tell us where he ended up.  Finally, veterans Mikie Mahtook and Nick Martini were also non-roster invitees who later joined the taxi squad in Allentown as part of the team's 60-player pool.  Neither got the call to leave Lehigh Valley and travel to Philadelphia.

2020 Chachi Almost #18
2020 Chachi Almost #19
2020 Chachi Almost #14
2020 Chachi Almost #17

Also presented below is a final look at the team's 2019-2020 offseason moves and other player additions and deletions during the pandemic-shortened season.  For some reason, I failed to post my Departures cards of Fernando Salas and Mitch Walding when they originally left the team and solely for the sake of completeness, they're presented here.

Moving On - 2019-2020 Offseason
  • Rob Brantly - c (9/30/19) - Elected free agency, signed the San Francisco Giants (1/18/20).
  • Fernando Salas - rhp (9/30/19) - Elected free agency.
  • Corey Dickerson - of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (1/7/20).
  • Brad Miller - inf (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals (2/12/20).
  • Logan Morrison - 1b (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/9/20).
  • Juan Nicasio - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Texas Rangers (1/22/20).
  • Sean Rodriguez - inf-of (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Miami Marlins (2/15/20).
  • Drew Smyly - lhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (1/16/20).
  • Nick Vincent - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the San Francisco Giants (2/9/20).
  • Jose Pirela - of (11/1/19) - Released, signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Japan) (11/2/19).
  • Jared Hughes - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency, signed with the Houston Astros (2/17/20).
  • Pat Neshek - rhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
  • Jason Vargas - lhp (11/4/19) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
  • Jerad Eickhoff - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the San Diego Padres (12/27/19).
  • Mike Morin - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers (1/31/20).
  • Edubray Ramos - rhp - (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1/8/20).
  • Mitch Walding - 3b (11/4/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays (2/2/20).
  • Maikel Franco - 3b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Kansas City Royals (12/27/19).
  • Cesar Hernandez - 2b (12/2/19) - Non-tendered, elected free agency, signed with the Cleveland Indians (12/29/19).
2020 Chachi Departures #2
2020 Chachi Departures #3

Coming Back - 2019-2020 Offseason
  • Phil Gosselin - inf (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (12/20/19).
  • Blake Parker - rhp (11/4/19) - Outrighted, elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (2/5/20).
  • Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/31/19) - Elected free agency, signed with the Phillies (2/12/20).
New Arrivals - 2019-2020 Offseason
  • Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/2/19) - Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
  • Zack Wheeler - rhp (12/9/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Mets.
  • Didi Gregorius - ss (12/13/19) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the New York Yankees.
  • Ronald Torreyes - inf (1/2/20) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Minnesota Twins.
  • Neil Walker - inf (1/22/20) - Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Miami Marlins.
  • Reggie McClain - rhp (1/31/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
  • Deolis Guerra - rhp (2/5/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Kyle Garlick - of (2/15/20) - Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tyler Gilbert.
Arrived During the 2020 Season
  • David Hale (rhp) - 8/21/20, Acquired from the New York Yankees for Addison Russ (rhp).
  • Brandon Workman (rhp) and Heath Hembree (rhp) - 8/21/20, Acquired from the Boston Red Sox with cash and a player to be named later for Nick Pivetta (rhp) and Connor Seabold (rhp).
  • David Phelps (rhp) - 8/31/20, Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for three players to be named later.
Departed During the 2020 Season 
  • Nick Williams (of) - 8/15/20, Selected off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. 
  • Edgar Garcia (rhp) - 8/18/20, Traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later.
  • Nick Pivetta (rhp) - 8/21/20, Traded to the Boston Red Sox with Connor Seabold (rhp) for Brandon Workman (rhp), Heath Hembree (rhp), a player to be named later and cash.
  • Austin Davis (lhp) - 8/26/20, Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later and  cash.
  • Deivy Grullon (c) - 9/3/20, Selected off waivers by the Boston Red Sox.
  • Neil Walker (inf) - 9/15/20, Cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Thursday, May 30, 2019

2019 Phillies Team Issue - 2nd Edition


Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4" x 6"
Description:  The second series of team-issued photo cards features a blue border along the bottom with the player's name and a script Phillies logo.  The player's uniform number appears in the upper right-hand corner against a striped design, and there is no position listed on the front of the cards.  The horizontal card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The set went on sale for at Citizens Bank Park beginning on Tuesday, May 28th for $5.  Earlier that day, it was announced Odubel Herrera had been arrested in Atlantic City for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend.  The team made the decision to pull the Herrera cards from every set and it's fairly obvious each set has been unsealed, with the Herrera card removed and then resealed.  The team has either already disposed of the undistributed Herrera cards or they're sitting in a box somewhere to be re-inserted into the sets at a future date.  (See update below.)

Team set packaging has been opened and then re-sealed
Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.  The set comes in clear packaging with Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins facing up on either side, and with the cards originally packaged in alphabetical order.
  • 2 - Jean Segura
  • 3 - Bryce Harper
  • 4 - Scott Kingery
  • 5 - Nick Williams
  • 7 - Maikel Franco
  • 8 - John Mallee CO
  • 9 - Phil Gosselin
  • 10 - J.T. Realmuto
  • 12 - Juan Nicasio
  • 13 - Sean Rodriguez
  • 15 - Andrew Knapp
  • 16 - Cesar Hernandez
  • 17 - Rhys Hoskins
  • 19 - Gabe Kapler MG
  • 21 - Vince Velasquez
  • 22 - Andrew McCutchen
  • 24 - Roman Quinn
  • 27 - Aaron Nola
  • 30 - David Robertson
  • 35 - Jim Gott CO
  • 38 - Paco Figueroa CO
  • 39 - Bobby Dickerson CO
  • 43 - Nick Pivetta
  • 45 - Chris Young CO
  • 46 - Adam Morgan
  • 48 - Jerad Eickhoff
  • 49 - Jake Arrieta
  • 50 - Hector Neris
  • 51 - Enyel De Los Santos
  • 52 - Jose Alvarez
  • 56 - Zach Eflin
  • 57 - Dave Lundquist CO
  • 58 - Seranthony Dominguez
  • 59 - Rob Thomson CO
  • 60 - Pedro Guerrero CO
  • 61 - Edubray Ramos
  • 62 - Dusty Wathan CO
  • 64 - Victor Arano
  • 81 - Craig Driver CO
  • 82 - Bob Stumpo CO
  • 87 - Sam Fuld
  • 93 - Pat Neshek
  • 95 - Mike Calitri
  • 96 - Tommy Hunter
  • Phillie Phanatic
One and Done (0)
First Appearances (2):  De Los Santos, Gosselin
Returning Players (28):  Alvarez, Arano, Arrieta, Dominguez, Eflin, Eickhoff, Franco, Harper, Hernandez, Hoskins, Hunter, Kingery, Knapp, McCutchen, Morgan, Neris, Neshek, Nicasio, Nola, Pivetta, Ramos, Realmuto, Robertson, Rodriguez, Quinn, Segura, Velasquez, Williams

I commended the first series checklist for being "wonderfully comprehensive," and unfortunately the pattern didn't continue with the second series.  The set only adds cards for De Los Santos and Gosselin, while dropping cards for Altherr, Butera, Cozens, Herrera, Pazos and Rios.  Altherr, Butera and Pazos are no longer in the Phillies organization, but a case could have been made for keeping in cards for Cozens and Rios.

Also deserving consideration for the set but omitted are Drew Anderson, Austin Davis, Edgar Garcia, Cole Irvin and even Mitch Walding.  I understand the omission of JD Hammer as he was recalled the weekend before the set's release and I'm assuming the cards had already been printed and packaged by then.

No offense to the team's ML Player Information Coordinator, Fuld, or their Manager for Advanced Scouting, Calitri, but I'd rather have cards for any of the omitted pitchers than repeats for them again.  A David Montgomery tribute card also would have been fitting and appropriate.  (One of these days, I'm hoping the Phillies put me in charge of crafting the checklist for these sets!)

There has not been a broadcasters card since the 2017 first edition team photo card set.

The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set. These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Kapler
Coaches (11):  Dickerson, Driver, Figueroa, Guerrero, Lundquist, Gott, Mallee, Stumpo, Thomson, Wathan, Young
Phillie Phanatic (1)
Broadcasters (0)
Other Cards (2):  Calitri, Fuld

Rarities:  Updated 7/12/19 - For being a group leader this season, and purchasing at least 100 tickets, the Phillies sent me a "Publication Package" recently that included a 2019 Yearbook, Media Guide, program and photo card set.  Much to my surprise, I realized the photo card set still had a clean seal, unlike the sets currently available at the ballpark from which the Herrera cards had been pulled.  The set sent to me by the Phillies contained not only the missing Herrera card but an Aaron Altherr card.

Altherr was selected off waivers by the Giants on May 11th, over two weeks before these sets went on sale at the ballpark on May 28th.  These two cards should be considered rarities from this issuance and not part of the regular set.
  • 23 - Aaron Altherr
  • 37 - Odubel Herrera
Update (1/25/20):  Fellow collector Rick was sent a photo from Joe Girardi's appearance at the Reading Fightin Phils' Baseballtown Winter Caravan held on January 21st.  Girardi is shown signing photo cards in the style of this set.
  • 25 - Joe Girardi MG

Friday, April 12, 2019

2019 Chachi #6 Odubel Herrera

#37
Odubel Herrera
Center Field

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  206
Opening Day Age:  27
Born:  December 29, 1991, Zulia, VZ
Signed:  Signed by the Texas Rangers as an amateur free agent, July 3, 2008
Teams:  Phillies 2015-
Acquired:  Selected from the Texas Rangers in the Rule 5 draft, December 11, 2014
Contract Status:  Signed a five-year contract on December 16, 2016, taking him through 2021 with club options for 2022 and 2023

2015 Chachi #2
2015 Topps #687
2016 Chachi #49
2016 Chachi Photo Day #14
2017 Chachi Photo Night #22
First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #37
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #37
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2015 Topps #687
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2018 Reading Phillies Rehab Series #17
Newest Card Added:  2019 Topps Gypsy Queen #299

79 - Herrera baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 4/11/19.

2015 Phillies Team Issue #37
Complete Chachi Checklist
2015 Chachi New Additions #3
2015 Chachi #2
2015 Chachi #53 - Hamels No-Hitter HL
2016 Chachi Preview #3
2016 Chachi #2
2016 Chachi #49 AS
2016 Chachi #65 - Batting Leaders (with Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco)
2016 Chachi Archives #1
2016 Chachi Photo Day #14
2016 Chachi Photo Day #37
2017 Chachi #3
2017 Chachi #34 - 1st Inning Explosion HL
2017 Chachi Archives #10
2017 Chachi Photo Night #22
2018 Chachi Preview #3
2018 Chachi #13
2018 Chachi #32 - Amazing Catch HL
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13 (with Yacksel Rios)
2019 Chachi #6

2019 Chachi Set Checklist

Virtual Phillies Wall - Featuring Current Active Roster

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Grapefruit Game 28 - 2019 Topps Heritage Hot Box Refractor #THC-488 Odubel Herrera

Yankees 6, Phillies 3
Spring Training Game 28 - Friday Night, March 22nd in Tampa
Record - 12-13-3

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff turned in a decent outing, but the Yankees got to the Phillies bullpen in this 6-3 loss.

What It Means:  Eickhoff is slated for Triple-A to start the season.  It's nice knowing he's down there in case one of the pitchers in the back end of the rotation falters early in the season.

What Happened:  Odubel Herrera (1) and Scott Kingery (2) both homered.

Featured Card:  Herrera hit his first spring home run, raising his average above the Mendoza Line to an even .200.

Camp Head Count:  33.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

2018 Phillies Want List

2018 Topps Heritage High Numbers Classic Combos #CC-4
Somehow I managed to make it through all of last year without posting a 2018 Phillies baseball card want list.  I publish these posts mainly as a reference for me to pull up on my phone as I'm searching eBay or going through newer Phillies cards at baseball card shows.

This isn't an all-exclusive list of 2018 Phillies cards I need, but rather it's a list of Phillies cards from 2018 sets that I'd like to eventually add to my collection.

Bowman Chrome
Main Set - 3 Kingery, 22 Nola, 25 Hoskins, 28 Herrera, 35 Williams, 65 Crawford
Prospects - BCP153 De Los Santos, BCP164 Seabold, BCP178 Sanchez, BCP210 Moniak

Donruss Optic
Main Set - 38 Hoskins
Rated Rookies Retro 1984 - 8 Hoskins, 12 Williams, 14 Crawford

Topps
Base Variations - 259 Hoskins
Future Stars - FS-8 Williams
Silver Pack 1983 Chrome Promo - 69 Williams

Topps Archives
Fan Favorites Autographs - FFA-RH Hoskins

Topps Heritage
1969 Team Poster - 69P-PP Phillies
Real One Autographs - ROA-AN Nola, ROA-JC Crawford, ROA-RH Hoskins, ROA-SK Kingery

Topps Now
Offseason - OS45 Hoskins/417
Player's Weekend Bonus - PWB-41 Hunter/28, PWB-42 Ramos/16

Topps On Demand
'78 Four Player Rookies - R4 Hoskins
3D - 2 Nola, 47 Arrieta, 50 Kingery, 74 Bour, 64 Hoskins
3D Motion - M7 Nola, M30 Hoskins
Black & White - 28 HoskinsDynamic Duals Award Winners - AW4 Carlton
Dynamic Duals Dominant Duos - 4 Hoskings/Kingery
Dynamic Duals Hall of Fame - HOF5 Fingers/Carlton
Dynamic Duals Youngsters - YG1 Hoskins
Rookie Sensations - 14 Kingery, 16 Hoskins, 18 Crawford
Rookie Sensations Photo Variations - 16 Hoskins
Rookie Sensations Rookie Teammates - RT2 Hoskins/Kingery

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Game 157 - 2018 Topps National Basebll Card Day SGA #PH-2 Odubel Herrera

Rockies 10, Phillies 3
Game 157 - Tuesday Night, September 25th in Denver
Record - 78-79, 3rd place, 11 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Vince Velasquez surrendered six runs in a 3 2/3-inning outing as the Rockies continued their dismantling of the Phillies.

What It Means:  The loss dropped the Phillies below .500 for the first time since the 9th game of the season, back on April 9th, when they were 4-5.

What Happened:  Velasquez earned his 12th loss of the year.  Relievers Enyel De Los Santos and Drew Anderson each allowed a pair of additional Rockies runs.  Scott Kingery had two doubles in the losing effort.

Featured Card:  Odubel Herrera has earned the bulk of my wrath over the latter part of the season, and Todd Zolecki Tweeted during this game that Herrera is hitting just .216 since May.  He didn't run out a ground ball in the first inning and he straight-up dropped a ball in right field in the second.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Game 154 - The Worst Phillies Baseball Card of 2018

2018 Topps Now Road to Opening Day Bonus #ODB-20
Braves 5, Phillies 3
Game 154 - Saturday Afternoon, September 22nd in Atlanta
Record - 78-76, 2nd place, 8 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Jake Arrieta lasted just two innings and Mike Foltynewicz no-hit the offense through six innings, as the Braves dropped the Phillies, 5-3.

What It Means:  The loss clinched the N.L. division pennant for the Braves.

What Happened:  This was the shortest outing of Arrieta's career in what should be considered a bust of a season for the offseason acquisition.  The Phillies rallied for three runs in the 8th with a two-run single from Cesar Hernandez and an RBI-single from Rhys Hoskins.  Maikel Franco flew out to left fielder Ronald Acuna, Jr. to end the game and eliminate the Phillies in the division.

Featured Card:  The Phillies have made me cranky and I thought this was as good an opportunity as any to showcase what I believe to be the worst Phillies baseball card of 2018.  I'm not one to complain too often about Topps, but it's no secret within the hobby that their quality control department is sometimes lacking and it's seemingly getting worse every year.  Their unintentional errors range from presenting incorrect information on the backs of some cards to using the wrong font or design elements when reproducing their vintage designs.

The background for this particular card is that Topps produced a 15-card set during spring training for each team and sold the team sets exclusively on their website for $50.  If you purchased a team's set, bonus cards would be unlocked for certain milestones, including your team being in first place in their division at the All-Star break.  As I purchased a Phillies team set in February, and since the Phillies were in first place way back on July 15th, I was rewarded a bonus card.

This is that bonus card, which I received on August 16th.  The photo used for the card is clearly from last season as it features Aaron Altherr (optioned to Triple-A shortly after the break), Odubel Herrera and Michael Saunders, released by the Phillies on June 23, 2017, a full year before the date this card celebrates.  This baseball card, much like the 2018 Phillies season, makes me irrationally angry.

Sunday, August 19, 2018

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.

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Game 85 - 2018 Donruss #21 Odubel Herrera DK (#Beatles)

Phillies 17, Pirates 5
Game 85 - Friday Night, July 6th in Pittsburgh
Record - 48-37, Tied for 1st place, 5 games ahead of the Nationals

Massive, Meandering Post-Vacation Catch-Up, Part 6 of 11

One Sentence Summary:  Backed by three-run home runs from Odubel Herrera and Andrew Knapp, along with a 4 for 5 performance from Scott Kingery, the Phillies demolished the Pirates in this series opener, 17-5.

What It Means:  The marathon game tied a record as the longest 9-inning game in National League history at 4 hours, 30 minutes.  When it was all done, the Phillies had a share of the top spot in the division with the Braves.

What Happened:  The offense punished Pirates pitching, banging out 18 hits.  Rhys Hoskins and Cesar Hernandez contributed three hits a piece to the parade and Carlos Santana had a 3-RBI night.

Featured Card:  This is the logoless "Diamond Kings" card for Herrera from this year's Donruss set.

Transaction:  Edubray Ramos was activated from the disabled list and Jake Thompson was optioned back down to the IronPigs.  Ramos picked up the win in this game in relief as starter Nick Pivetta went just 2 2/3 innings.

Field Report:  We spent more quality time on July 5th at the Grand Canyon and then on July 6th it was off to Hoover Dam (way too hot) and Las Vegas (too crowded for me).  It was my first time ever visiting Vegas and the only real reason I wanted to go was to see the Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show, LOVE.  And it was amazing!  I honestly could have seen it a second time right after the first viewing.

 

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Game 73 - 2018 Phillies Team Issue 2 #37 Odubel Herrera

Phillies 12, Nationals 2
Game 73 - Friday Night, June 22nd in Washington
Record - 40-33, 2nd place, 2 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Odubel Herrera continued to torch the ball with a four-hit night and the Phillies banged out 15 hits in this 12-2 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phils re-took sole possession of second place and they find themselves 2 1/2 games behind the first place Braves.  It's way too early for this, but the Phillies are now also the second wild card.

What Happened:  Herrera homered (13) for the fifth straight game, with Carlos Santana also hitting a home run (12) and driving in 4 runs.  Andrew Knapp hit a solo home run (2) in the 9th, Cesar Hernandez had a 3-hit night and Nick Williams drove in 3 runs.

Zach Eflin threw five solid innings to pick up his 5th win.

Featured Card:  The autograph on this Herrera team-issued card is courtesy of my wife, who stood in line with our son Ben to wait for Herrera's autograph at Thursday's Phillies Phestival.  She insists that Herrera smudged the signature and not her and I believe her.  Herrera seems to have a habit of smudging his autographs.  Maybe he flips the pen after signing?

Transaction:  Prior to the Phillies Phestival on Thursday, Jake Thompson was optioned to the IronPigs, leaving Zach Eflin all alone at an autograph table.  Zac Curtis was recalled to take Thompson's place in the bullpen.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

Highlights from the 2018 Phillies Phestival (Part 2) #StrikeOutALS

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #17
Presented here are the remaining cards from the limited edition Chachi insert set I created to commemorate our amazing time at this year's Phillies Phestival benefiting the ALS Association.  Part 1 can be found here along with some of my memories from the event.

If you plan to go to the event in 2019, we'll see you there!

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #9
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #11
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #12
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #15
Phillies Phestival Memory Lane
2017 Part 1 and Part 2
2018 Part 1 and Part 2

2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16