Game 125 - First Family Trip to the Ballpark Since May

Rays 3, Phillies 1
Game 125 - Tuesday Night, August 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 63-62, 2nd Place, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  More lack of clutch hitting against a tough Rays' pitching staff and a rough inning from Archie Bradley led to this 3-1 loss.

What It Means:  The Braves also lost, so the Phillies stay put in the standings.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez pitched a gem, going 6 2/3 innings (his longest outing of the year) and allowing a run on six hits.  Bradley came on in the eighth with the score tied, 1-1, and allowed a lead-off single to Brett Phillips before hitting Randy Arozarena.  Nelson Cruz then doubled home both Phillips and Arozarena, although Odubel Herrera didn't help matters when he whiffed on the ball and it rolled to the warning track.  The Phillies only run came in the fourth when Brad Miller doubled home Didi Gregorius.  Gregorius had two of the team's six hits, with the offense going 0 for 5 overall with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card/Field Report:  And we were there!  After enjoying dinner in the Boardwalk area of the ballpark, near Bull's BBQ, and getting the requisite photo and autograph from the Bull himself, Greg Luzinski, we settled into our seats in the Diamond Club.  Doug received his first in person autograph in two years when Miller graciously signed his scorecard prior to the game.  It was muggy and the game honestly flew by, especially as it was our first game as a family since late May.  Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn't pull out the win and as Bryce Harper would say on Wednesday, the team is basically just "wasting time" at this point.

Transactions:  Freddy Galvis (inf) and Sam Conrad (rhp) were both activated from the injured list.  Jorge Bonifacio (of) was designated for assignment and Enyel De Los Santos (rhp) was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

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

Series Preview - Rays at Phillies: August 24th to August 25th

2021 Chachi Fan Favorites #9

1986 Topps #453

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

At the Ballpark:  It's Scooby Doo Night tonight at the ballpark, and if you purchased a special theme night ticket, you'll receive a Phillies Scooby Doo bobblehead.  Wednesday is a rare August Dollar Dog Night.

Rays 77-48
1st Place in the A.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Yankees

Rays Probables
Drew Rasmussen (1-0, 3.30)
TBD

Rays Leaders
Average:  Randy Arozarena - .274
Runs:  Brandon Lowe - 76
Home Runs:  Brandon Lowe - 29
RBIs:  Austin Meadows - 88
Stolen Bases:  Brett Phillips - 12

Wins:  Josh Fleming - 10
ERA:  N/A

Strikeouts:  Tyler Glasnow - 123
Saves:  Diego Castillo - 14

Phillies 63-61
2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Ranger Suarez (5-4, 1.47)
Zack Wheeler (10-8, 2.77)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .295
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 71
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 26
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 70
Stolen Bases:  Bryce Harper - 12

Wins:  Zack Wheeler - 10
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 2.77
Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 194
Saves:  Hector Neris - 12

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2021 Chachi #63 Jorge Bonifacio

#39
Jorge Luis Bonifacio
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  220
Opening Day Age:  27
Born:  June 4, 1993, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
How Obtained:  Signed as a minor league free agent, May 25, 2021
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Royals 2017-2019; Detroit Tigers 2020; Philadelphia Phillies 2021

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #3
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  2021 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #3

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  2017-2019

1 - Bonifacio baseball card in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 8/22/21.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2021 Chachi #63

Jorge Bonifacio was a surprise call-up on August 20th, but with the Phillies desparate for any kind of offense they felt it was worth taking a shot on the former Royals and Tigers outfielder.  He began the season with Double-A Reading where he batted .251 with 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 49 games.  A promotion to the IronPigs followed and Bonifacio was batting .321 with three home runs and 13 RBIs when his contract was selected.

Bonifacio hit a career-high 17 home runs and drove in 40 runs with the Royals as a rookie in 2017.  He was suspended for 80 games in 2018 after testing positive for PEDs.

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Game 124 - 2021 Topps Allen & Ginter #85 Rhys Hoskins

Phillies 7, Padres 4
Game 124 - Sunday Afternoon, August 22nd in San Diego
Record - 63-61, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Rhys Hoskins returned to the line-up and his two home runs helped support a stellar effort from Kyle Gibson in this 7-4 win over the Padres.

What It Means:  The Phillies won the series, remaining five games behind the Braves in the division.  After an off-day on Monday, they'll open a quick two-game series against the Rays at home on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  Gibson settled down after a rough first inning and pitched eight innings, allowing a run on six hits.  Hector Neris had to be called on to record the final out of the game after Bailey Falter allowed three runs to score in the bottom of the ninth.  Odubel Herrera had a big day at the plate, with four hits and three RBIs.  Herrera and J.T. Realmuto both homered in the seventh inning.

Featured Card:  Hoskins missed 11 games while on the injured list and he immediately made his presence felt upon his return.  He homered in the fourth and fifth innings and left the game as a precaution in the later innings as the game was seemingly safely in hand.

Transactions:  Hoskins (1b) was activated from the injured list and the struggling Alec Bohm (3b) was optioned back to Lehigh Valley.  Mauricio Llovera (rhp) also cleared waivers and was outrighted to the IronPigs.

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Game 123 - 2021 Stadium Club Virtual Reality #VR-20 Aaron Nola

Padres 4, Phillies 3 (10 Innings)
Game 123 - Late Saturday Night, August 21st in San Diego
Record - 62-61, 2nd Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola was perfect for six innings and dominant for 8 2/3, but the Padres stunned the Phillies with four late inning runs to walk-off with a devastating win.

What It Means:  Pain.  In the span of one week, the Phillies went from being tied for first place to being five games behind the Braves.  Their eight-game winning streak to begin August is a distant memory.

What Happened:  Nola was dominant until Jake Cronenworth homered with two outs in the ninth to tie the score at 3-3.  Connor Brogdon uncorked a wild pitch in the 10th, that catcher Andrew Knapp should have been able to handle, to hand the Padres a walk-off 4-3 win.  Nola was facing his brother Austin for the first time and he struck him out in the second, got him to pop up in the fifth and walked him in the seventh.

The slumping Phillies went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Their runs came via a solo home run by Odubel Herrera to lead off the game, and then from two hit batters by reliever Tim Hill with the bases loaded in the eighth.  Nola had started that eighth inning rally with a lead-off double, just one of four hits on the night from the slumbering Phillies offense.

Featured Card:  Nola's perfect game was ruined in the bottom of the seventh when Brad Miller couldn't field a hard hit ground ball at first for an E3.  Nola lost his no-hitter two batters later when Manny Machado lined a single to center to tie the score at 1-1.  He allowed just two hits (Machado's single and Cronenworth's home run) while throwing 117 pitches and striking out 11.  He gets the card here, but this was also one of the most painful Phillies losses in recent memory.

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

Game 122 - 2021 Stadium Club Virtual Reality #VR-5 Bryce Harper

Phillies 4, Padres 3
Game 122 - Late Friday Night, August 20th in San Diego
Record - 62-60, 2nd Place, 4 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies hung on to beat the Padres, 4-3, snapping their four-game losing streak.

What It Means:  Somewhat shockingly, the Phillies are four games back in both the division race and the wild card race.  While only the Braves are ahead of them in the division, the Padres, Reds and Cardinals are all currently ahead of them for the second National League Wild Card.

What Happened:  The Phillies scored three runs in the third on an RBI-double from J.T. Realmuto followed by a two-run home run from Bryce Harper.  They added an insurance run in the eighth when Andrew McCutchen doubled home Jean Segura.  The Phillies pitchers walked 10 batters with starter Matt Moore walking four, Hector Neris walking the bases loaded in the sixth and Archie Bradley also walking three batters.  Ian Kennedy was called on for a four-out save and after he plunked Fernando Tatis with the bases loaded to force in a run, he settled down and notched his fourth save.

Featured Card:  Topps keeps making Harper cards (for now) so I'll keep featuring them here.

Transaction:  In a somewhat surprising move, the Phillies selected the contract of Jorge Bonifacio (of) from Lehigh Valley and designated Mauricio Llovera (rhp) for assignment.  Bonifacio had appeared in 71 games for both Reading and Lehigh Valley, batting .273 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs.  He batted sixth and started in center field, going 0 for 3 with a pair of strikeouts in his Phillies debut.

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2009 Topps Phillies Team Set

#496 Charlie Manuel MG

#601 Ryan Howard / Jimmy Rollins CL

#81 Ryan Howard LL

#147 Ryan Howard LL

#207 Joe Blanton

#245 Pat Burrell

#12 Andrew Carpenter

#291 Chris Coste

#107 Pedro Feliz

#650 Cole Hamels

#500 Ryan Howard

#44 Geoff Jenkins

#103 Kyle Kendrick

#20 Brad Lidge

#186 Ryan Mason

#428 Jamie Moyer

#632 Brett Myers

#525 Jimmy Rollins

#397 Carlos Ruiz

#200 Chase Utley

#73 Shane Victorino

#557 Jayson Werth

#191 Shane Victorino PSH

#139 Matt Stairs PSH

#299 Cole Hamels PSH

#278 World Champions PSH

Updates & Highlights

#UH26 Ryan Howard HRD

#UH260 Ryan Howard AS

#UH136 Raul Ibanez AS

#UH71 Chase Utley AS

#UH129 Shane Victorino AS

#UH151 Jayson Werth AS

#UH267 Miguel Cairo

#UH203 Ben Francisco

#UH30 J.A. Happ

#UH150 Raul Ibanez

#UH218 Cliff Lee

#UH93 Pedro Martinez

#UH72 John Mayberry Jr.

#UH248 Chan Ho Park

#UH80 Matt Stairs

2008 Topps Phillies Team Set / 2010 Topps Phillies Team Set