Series Preview - Braves at Phillies: May 20th to May 22nd

Friday 7:05, Saturday 3:05 and Braves 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Braves 10-30, 5th place in the N.L. East, 14 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 24-17, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Nationals

Braves Probables:  Matt Wisler (1-3, 3.14), Williams Perez (1-1, 4.78), TBD
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (3-2, 2.89), Adam Morgan (1-1, 6.41), Jared Eickhoff (1-6, 4.44)

At the Ballpark:  It's Phillies Bark at the Park tonight, limited to first 300 dogs who also happen to be Phillies fans.  According to the Phillies website, this special event is already sold out which is a shame since I know our dog Chewbacca would have loved to have barked at the park.  He pretty much loves to bark anywhere actually.

On Saturday, all kids will get the latest in a series of Phillie Phanatic children's books.  On Sunday, all fans will receive a cool baby blue, retro Phillies visor.

Braves Leaders
Average:  Freddie Freeman - .267
Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 17
Home Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 6
RBIs:  Nick Markakis - 22
Stolen Bases:  Mallex Smith - 6

Wins:  Ten tied with - 1
ERA:  Julio Teheran - 2.73
Strikeouts:  Julio Teheran - 47
Saves:  Arodys Vizcaino - 4

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .333
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 25
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 8
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 23
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 6

Wins:  Vince Velasquez - 5
ERA:  Vince Velasquez - 2.42
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 59
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 16

1970 Topps #105

1970 Topps #186

1970 Topps Appreciation:  Tony Gonzalez and Rick Joseph were briefly teammates on the 1967 and 1968 Phillies teams.

Gonzalez spent the bulk of his 12-year career with the Phillies, serving as the team's primary center or left fielder for most years between 1960 and 1968.  In 1,118 games with the Phils, Gonzalez hit .295 with 77 home runs and 438 RBIs.  He was left unprotected in the 1968 expansion draft and chosen by the Padres as the overall 37th pick.

Gonzalez was the first ever center fielder for the Padres, batting third in their inaugural game in 1969. In July 1969, he was traded to the Braves serving as their starting center fielder until he was sold to the Angels in August 1970.  I'm impressed that Topps was able to get a good photo of Gonzalez actually wearing a Braves uniform for his 1970 Topps card.

1970 was to be Joseph's fourth and final season with the Phillies.  Playing mostly left field and first base, Joseph hit .227 (27 for 119) with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs.  He was traded to the White Sox following the 1970 season, but he'd never make it into a game with Chicago.

1970 Topps #186 Rick Joseph

Cardinals 12, Phillies 4
Game 69 - Friday Night, June 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 23-46, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  In his first (and perhaps last) big league start, Phillippe Aumont struggled mightily and the Cardinals notched an easy 12-4 win.

What It Means:  Aumont was making a spot start to give Cole Hamels' hamstring an extra day of rest.  He lasted four innings, allowing six runs on five hits and seven walks.  He most likely will not be starting another game for the Phillies anytime soon.

What Happened:  The Phillies and Cardinals wore retro uniforms from the 1960s in this game.  Other than the cool retro jerseys and an incident with a squirrel on the field, this game should be quickly forgotten.

Featured Card:  The Phillies chose to wear uniforms from their 1969 season, as evidenced by the MLB patch on the left shoulder celebrating the league's 100th year.  I don't think there's a good baseball card from the era showing a Phillies player in a home jersey with the patch, so I went with this card of Rick Joseph in an away jersey which clearly shows it off.

Transaction:  Hector Neris was sent back to Lehigh Valley after just one game to make room on the roster for Aumont.