2015 Chachi #16 David Buchanan

#55

David Andrew Buchanan

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  200

Born:  May 11, 1989, Atlanta, GA

Home:  Peachtree City, GA

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 7th round of the June 2010 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2014-

Acquired:  Via draft

2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #3

2012 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs #AP-DBU

2014 Chachi #44

2014 Topps Update #US-281

14 Buchanan Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #3
First Phillies Card:  2012 Bowman Platinum Prospect Autographs #AP-DBU
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2014 Topps Update #US-281
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue 2 #55
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-3

First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #44

Buchanan Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/29/15.

2015 Chachi #15 Aaron Harang

#34

Aaron Michael Harang

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'7"  Weight:  261

Born:  May 9, 1978, San Diego, CA

Home:  San Diego, CA

Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 6th round of the June 1999 draft

Teams:  Oakland Athletics 2002-2003, Cincinnati Reds 2003-2010, San Diego Padres 2011, Los Angeles Dodgers 2012, Seattle Mariners 2013, New York Mets 2013, Atlanta Braves 2014, Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Atlanta Braves

2005 Topps #376

2015 Phillies Team Issue #34

1 Harang Baseball Card in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #34
First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #34
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #34
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #34

First Topps Base Card:  2005 Topps #376
First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #15

Harang Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/29/15.

2014 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #14 Severino Gonzalez

Cardinals 11, Phillies 5
Game 21 - Tuesday Night, April 28th in St. Louis
Record - 8-13, Tied for 4th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Severino Gonzalez got knocked around in his Major League debut as the Cardinals easily handled the Phillies, 11-5.

What It Means:  Gonzalez was called upon to make a spot start as Chad Billingsley (currently on a rehab assignment in Triple A) is expected to join the rotation soon.

What Happened:  Gonzalez didn't escape the third inning and his final line wasn't pretty - seven runs on ten hits and two walks.

2015 Topps #118

Featured Cards:  I've already shown off one of the two cards of Gonzalez I have in my collection from 2014.  This the other 2014 card of his in my collection, from the Reading Fightin Phils team set.

Transactions:  Gonzalez had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley while reliever Hector Neris was optioned back to Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Gonzalez on the 40-man roster, pitcher Jonathan Pettibone was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

In a somewhat surprising roster move, Domonic Brown was activated from the disabled list . . . and then optioned to Lehigh Valley.  The official word is that the Phillies want him to get more at-bats.  Brown had 72 hours to report after being optioned and he was a no-show for the IronPigs last night.  He decided to report tonight and he's in the IronPigs starting line-up.

2015 Chachi #14 Jeff Francoeur

#3

Jeffrey Brandon Francoeur

Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  220

Born:  January 8, 1984, Atlanta, GA

Home:  Suwanee, GA

Drafted:  Selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 1st round of the June 2002 draft

Teams:  Atlanta Braves 2005-2009, New York Mets 2009-2010, Texas Rangers 2010, Kansas City Royals 2011-2013, San Francisco Giants 2013, San Diego Padres 2014, Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the San Diego Padres, November 11, 2014

2005 Topps #691

2015 Phillies Team Issue #3

1 Francoeur Baseball Card in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #3
First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #3
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #3
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #3

First Topps Base Card:  2005 Topps #691 (with Andy Marte)
First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #14

Francoeur Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/28/15.

2015 Chachi #13 Darin Ruf

#18

Darin Cortland Ruf

First Base-Left Field

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  248

Born:  July 28, 1986, Omaha, NE

Home:  Omaha, NE

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 20th round of the June 2009 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2012-

Acquired:  Via draft

2010 Multi-Ad Lakewood BlueClaws #21

2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP12

2012 Chachi #57

2013 Topps #83

29 Ruf Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Multi-Ad Lakewood BlueClaws #21
First Phillies Card:  2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP12
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2013 Topps #83
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #18
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-4

First Chachi Base Card:  2012 Chachi #57

Ruf Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/28/15.

The Phillies Final Four

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #175

2014 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #204

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #154

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #174

Phillies 4, Cardinals 1
Game 20 - Monday Night, April 27th in St. Louis
Record - 8-12, Tied for 4th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels earned his first win of the season after finally getting some run support and the Phillies downed the Cardinals, 4-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies are out of the cellar, relinquishing that spot to the struggling Nationals.

What Happened:  Hamels pitched seven innings, allowing just a run on four hits while striking out nine.  Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon shut down the Cardinals in the final two innings.

Carlos Ruiz had four hits in this game while scoring twice.  Odubel Herrera added three hits and Ben Revere's ground rule double in the seventh gave the Phils the lead that they'd ultimately hang on to for the win.

Featured Cards:  Jimmy Rollins is struggling mightily in Los Angeles, hitting just .178 through 19 games.  Ruiz's four-hit night raised his average from .196 to a respectable .260.  Ryan Howard has shown some punch of late but he's still below the Mendoza line (.197) and Chase Utley looks completely lost at the plate and his .113 average is sad proof that he's in the worst slump of his career.

On the mound, Hamels has done his thing and the recent injury to Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright has rumors swirling that the 2008 World Series MVP could find himself in St. Louis before too long.

Rollins, Ruiz, Howard, Utley, Hamels.  One is gone and a few (if not all) of the other four may follow soon.  When trying to decide to post a Hamels or a Ruiz card for this post, I decided instead to feature cards of each of the final four.  It's only a matter of time before that number dwindles further and I'm going to keep rooting for each of them while they're still here.

2015 Chachi #12 Cesar Hernandez

#16

Cesar Augusto Hernandez

Infield

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  166

Born:  May 23, 1990, Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

Home:  Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela

Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, July 2, 2006

Teams:  Phillies 2013-

Acquired: Via free agency

2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #21

2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP122

2013 Chachi #42

13 Hernandez Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #21
First Phillies Card:  2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP122
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue 2 #16
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #16

First Chachi Base Card:  2013 Chachi #42

Hernandez Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/27/15.

2015 Chachi #11 Andres Blanco

#4

Andres Eloy Blanco

Infielder

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  196

Born:  April 11, 1984, Urama, Carabobo, VZ

Home:  Urama, Carabobo, VZ

Signed:  Signed by the Kansas City Royals as an amateur free agent, August 2, 2000

Teams:  Kansas City Royals 2004-2006, Chicago Cubs 2009, Texas Rangers 2010-2011, Phillies 2014-

Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the Washington Nationals organization, March 31, 2012

2004 Topps Traded #T114

2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #2

2014 Chachi #56

2015 Phillies Team Issue #4

4 Blanco Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #2
First Phillies Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #4
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #4
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #4

First Topps Base Card:  2004 Topps Traded #T114
First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #56

Blanco Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/27/15.

Phillies at Cardinals: April 27th to April 30th

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8:15, Thursday 1:45
Busch Stadium - St. Louis, MO

Phillies 7-12, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East
Cardinals 12-5, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 2 games ahead of the Cubs and Pirates

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (0-2, 3.75), Severino Gonzalez (0-0, 0.00), Aaron Harang (2-1, 1.37), David Buchanan (0-4, 7.52)
Cardinals Probables:  John Lackey (1-0, 4.34), Michael Wacha (3-0, 1.33), Carlos Martinez (2-0, 1.35), TBD

At the Ballpark:  Strangely enough, there's nothing happening in terms of promotions or giveaways at Busch Stadium during the Phillies four-game series.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Freddy Galvis - .361
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 8
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 3
RBIs:  Ryan Howard and Chase Utley - 9
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 5

Wins:  Aaron Harang and Jerome Williams - 2
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 1.37
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 23
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 4

1985 Topps #360

1985 Topps #255

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Today's series preview post features two players with ties to the Phillies and Cardinals organizations who were teammates on the 1980 World Champion Phillies team.  After appearing in games with the Phillies in four seasons between 1978 and 1981, Lonnie Smith was traded to the Cardinals in November 1981 in a three-way deal with the Indians.  In today's day and age, every news show would have a cute graphic mapping out which team got which player in a three-way or four-way trade.  Back in my day, after walking barefoot to school while being chased by wolves, I would have to map out who ended up where in these types of deals.

I'm sure I could find a circa 1981 notebook somewhere noting who went where in this trade, and I would have used the appropriate colored magic marker in my notebook for each of the team names:

Phillies got - Bo Diaz (from Indians)
Indians got - Silvio Martinez and Lary Sorensen (from Cardinals) and Scott Munninghoff (from Phillies)
Cardinals got - Lonnie Smith (from Phillies)

I wrote about the much more straight-forward deal with the Cardinals that brought Steve Carlton to the Phillies in this series preview post from two years ago.

2015 Topps Opening Day Team Spirit #TS-02 Phillie Phanatic

Phillies 5, Braves 4
Game 19 - Sunday Afternoon, April 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 7-12

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard's first inning three-run home run and solid pitching from Jerome Williams led to the Phillies 5-4 win over the Braves.

What It Means:  The Phillies won the series against the Braves and they'll travel to St. Louis next to open a four game series with the Cardinals.  Tonight marks the beginning of a 10-game road stand.

What Happened:  Howard hit his second home run in as many days and the red hot Freddy Galvis had three more hits and scored twice.  Williams pitched into the seventh inning, scattering eight hits and allowing three runs.  Jonathan Papelbon allowed a solo home run to Alberto Callaspo, but settled in to record his fourth save.

Featured Card:  The Phillies celebrated the Phanatic's birthday at this game with mascot hijinks taking place before and during the game.  A complete report of the festivities can be found here.  And isn't it strange that the Phanatic's birthday just happens to fall on a Sunday every year?

2015 Phillies Team Issue #13 Freddy Galvis

Braves 5, Phillies 2
Game 18 - Saturday Night, April 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 6-12, 5th Place, 8 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't capitalize on a fine pitching performance from David Buchanan, losing the game in the late innings to the Braves, 5-2.

What It Means:  For the first time this season, the Phillies have sole possession of last place in the division.

What Happened:  Buchanan pitched shutout ball through six innings but then faltered in the seventh when he allowed a solo home run to Andrelton Simmons and then two straight walks.  Jake Diekman couldn't stop the damage, allowing the Braves to take a 3-2 lead.

The only Phillies offense in this game came on a two-run home run from Ryan Howard in the fourth.

Featured Card:  Freddy Galvis made an incredible play at shortstop in the top of the sixth, throwing out Nick Markakis at first with a diving stop and then an acrobatic throw to first.  When the Phillies release their 2015 highlight DVD, this play should account for about a third of the video's running time.  (If you click on the link I've embedded above, that's Mike Schmidt talking about the play and his similar shoulder injury from the early 1970s.)

Discovering Hardball Passport (@sportspassport)

1994 Score #656

I recently discovered the fantastic Hardball Passport website which promises baseball fans the ability to track every major and minor league baseball game attended in person - for free.  For an added price, the website allows the ability to download a sortable database of hitting and pitching statistics for every game you've attended.  This is the Passport+ feature and for a $19.49 fee (due annually), I decided the price was worth being able to track these personal statistics.

While compiling my personal baseball journey, several items stuck out and I thought I'd share them here:

• For fans who have logged their stadium visits within the database, I'm the current active leader in visits to both Citizens Bank Park (177) and Veterans Stadium (133).

• I'm missing a ton of Phillies games in my profile.  I've only entered those games for which I have definitive proof of my attendance or ticket stubs which means there are quite a few games from the '80s that I'm missing.  I only religiously saved ticket stubs beginning in the early '90s.

• My games per season chart shows that I attended zero games in 2000 and only 1 game in 1999.  This could be completely accurate, but I'll never know.  These years represent my personal "dark times" and there could have been  a trove of ticket stubs from 1999 and 2000 that were dumped in the garbage years ago.

• There are also some older minor league games I attended that I haven't recorded since these games aren't in the Hardball Passport database (yet).  I attended quite a few Winston-Salem Spirt/Warthogs and Durham Bulls games during my college years.

• Spring training games and the Phillies On-Deck series games aren't tracked.

• There aren't any surprises on my personal leaderboard.  Jimmy Rollins and Cole Hamels lead the way in most of the offensive and pitching categories in games I've attended.

• I've seen 22 Hall of Famers play.  I know I've seen more than ten games with Mike Schmidt, but I've only entered those games for which I had a ticket stub.

• I've seen seven players in 100 games or more - Rollins (224), Chase Utley (154), Pat Burrell (144), Ryan Howard (123), Bobby Abreu (122), Shane Victorino (102) and Carlos Ruiz (100).

• The pitchers I've seen the most are Ryan Madson (59 games), Rheal Cormier (49), Jose Mesa (35), Hamels (31), Brett Myers (28) and Brad Lidge (28).

• The non-Phillies player I've seen the most is Chipper Jones with 20 games.  Jones hit 4 home runs and .359 in the 20 games I've attended, cementing him in my memory as a Phillie Killer.

• I've visited 23 ballparks, and I need to visit 17 Major League ballparks to have visited all current Major League venues.

• The Phillies are 181-134 in games I've attended and that record is going to take a severe hit over the next few years.

2015 Chachi #10 Cameron Rupp

#29

Cameron Arthur Rupp

Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  258

Born:  September 28, 1988, Dallas, TX

Home:  Plano, TX

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 3rd round of the June 2010 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2013-

Acquired: Via draft

2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17

2010 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP41

2013 Chachi #63

17 Rupp Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17
First Phillies Card:  2010 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP41
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #29
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #29

First Chachi Base Card:  2013 Chachi #63

Rupp Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/24/15.