Phillies at Mets: August 31st to September 2nd

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

Phillies 52-79, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 20 1/2 games behind the Mets
Mets 72-58, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Jared Eickhoff (1-1, 2.25), Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.79), Aaron Nola (5-1, 3.26)
Mets Probables:  Bartolo Colon (11-11, 4.65), Jon Niese (8-9, 3.95), Matt Harvey (11-7, 2.48)

At the Ballpark:  There aren't any promotions or give-aways scheduled for this series.  I'm just hoping the Phillies don't continue to get completely embarrassed by the Mets.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .295+
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 55
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 21
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 72
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19+

Wins:  4 tied with - 5*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 4.79*
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 86*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 11^

Mets Leaders
Average:  Daniel Murphy - .283
Runs:  Curtis Granderson - 75
Home Runs:  Curtis Granderson - 22
RBIs:  3 tied with - 56
Stolen Bases:  Curtis Granderson - 11

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 12
ERA:  Jacob deGrom - 2.32
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 171
Saves:  Jeurys Familia - 35

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with a .298 batting average and 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins, 3.64 ERA and 137 strikeouts
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps #157

1985 Topps #517

1985 Topps Appreciation:  The late, great former Phillie and Met Tug McGraw's birthday was yesterday and it's hard to believe he's already been gone for almost 12 years.  McGraw and Jerry Martin were teammates on the Phillies between 1975 and 1978 before Martin was shipped to the Cubs as part of the massive Manny Trillo trade in February 1979.

This card could serve as Martin's final tribute card, as 1984 would be the final year of his 11-year career.  With the 1984 Mets, Martin hit just .154 (14 for 91) and he was released by the team immediately following the season.  McGraw's card also contains his complete career stats as he retired following the 1984 season.

2008 Topps #151 Adam Loewen

Padres 9, Phillies 4
Game 131 - Sunday Afternoon, August 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 52-79, Tied for 4th Place, 20 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Alec Asher made his Major League debut, but the Phillies couldn't solve James Shields and lost the ballgame, 9-4.

What It Means:  Asher is the fifth starting pitcher to make his Major League debut for the Phillies, which sets an all-time franchise record.

What Happened:  Asher allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched.  The bullpen took over in the sixth and allowed the Padres to plate five more runs.  Odubel Herrera had his first career four-hit game and Cameron Rupp hit his 8th home run of the season.

Featured Card:  At the end of the radio broadcast for this game, Scott Franzke mentioned that the Phillies bullen has pitched 27 1/3 innings during this home stand and they've allowed 24 runs for a 7.90 ERA.  Adam Loewen has been one of the main contributors to this.  Loewen allowed three runs on four hits in this game without retiring a batter and his ERA is up to an even 9.00.

It will be interesting to see the Phillies checklist for the upcoming Topps Update set.  As much as I'd enjoy adding a Loewen Phillies card to my collection, I would bet some of the other recent Phillies additions earn a place on the checklist over him.  Loewen's last base Topps card can be found in the 2008 Topps set.

2015 Chachi #62 Alec Asher

#49

Alec Edward Asher

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  230

Born:  October 4, 1991, Lakeland, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 4th round of the June 2012 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Acquired with Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Jared Eickhoff from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations, July 31, 2015

0 Asher Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #62

Asher Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 8/30/15.

2013 Topps Pro Debut #15 Adam Morgan

Phillies 4, Padres 3
Game 130 - Saturday Night, August 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 52-78, Tied for 4th Place, 19 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Adam Morgan, with support from Darnell Sweeney, pitched and hit his way to victory as the Phillies defeated the Padres, 4-3.

What It Means:  The Phils will go for the series sweep this afternoon.  And it's hard to believe there's only 32 games left of the 2015 season.

What Happened:  Morgan threw six strong innings allowing two unearned runs on four hits.  He collected his first big league RBI in the fourth for what would be the decisive run in this game.  Sweeney hit a two-run home run in the second to get the Phils on the board first.

Featured Card:  Morgan gets the nod over Sweeney for the featured card since (a) Morgan was impressive on the mound and at the plate and (b) I have no actual Sweeney baseball cards in my collection.

No cards for Altherr or Sweeney

Field Report:  Doug and I attended this game together and we were happy to pick up our Maikel Franco Fatheads as we entered the ballpark.  Doug's Maikel is situated prominently in his bedroom and my Maikel found some open wall space in the real Phillies Room.  Doug's younger brother Ben made away with the other Phillies logos and the Phanatic, that came with the main Maikel Fathead.

We were a little disappointed that Aaron Altherr and Sweeney didn't have giant line-up cards*, but our disappoinment vanished after Doug appeared on Phanavision three times during this game.  In his final appearance, he rocked a nice solo on Bongo Cam.  I'm now at an even .500 for the season as the Phillies are 6-6 in games I've attended.

*Not only didn't they have cards, Doug noticed they misidentified Sweeney as the starting third baseman.

Virtual Phillies Wall Update:  Alec Asher replaced Nefi Ogando on the Wall and Asher will make his first Major League start this afternoon.  Ogando did not appear in a game during his brief call-up, putting him in danger of replacing Ender Inciarte as the last player to be on the Phillies roster but not actually appear in a game.

2015 Chachi #61 Nefi Ogando

#56

Nefi Ismael Ogando

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  218

Born:  June 3, 1989, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Home:  Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, June 14, 2010

Teams:  2015

Acquired:  Acquired from the Boston Red Sox for John McDonald, August 31, 2013

2014 Grandstand Reading
Fightin Phils #25

3 Ogando Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2014 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #25
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Stroehmann SGA #25

First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #61

Ogando Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 8/28/15.

2015 Bowman The Farm's Finest Minis #FFM-AN Aaron Nola

Phillies 7, Padres 1
Game 129 - Friday Night, August 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 51-78

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola came through again with a fine pitching performance as the Phillies downed the Padres, 7-1.

What It Means:  It's nice to get a relatively easy win after the disastrous Mets series.

What Happened:  Nola pitched seven strong innings, allowing just the lone Padres run on two hits.  Jerome Williams, recently demoted to the bullpen, pitched the final two scoreless innings and picked up a save since he entered in the eighth in a save situation.

The Phillies plated five runs in the eighth thanks to an RBI triple from Aaron Altherr, a two-run double from pinch-hitter Jeff Francouer and a three-run home run from Cameron Rupp.  Altherr also made a nice diving catch for the first out of the ballgame.

Featured Card:  I'm slowly working my way through Nola's 2015 baseball cards, and this is another insert card from the Bowman release.

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils #45 Elvis Araujo

Mets 9, Phillies 5 (13 Innings)
Game 128 - Thursday Night, August 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-78, 5th Place, 21 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies fell to the Mets in 13 innings by a score of 9-5 as Hector Neris allowed four unanswered runs in the top of the 13th

What It Means:  The Mets swept the Phillies in the four game series.

What Happened:  Aaron Harang had another Harang-esque outing, allowing five runs over six innings of work.  The bullpen shut down the Mets in the seventh through the 12th innings until Neris' implosion in the 13th.  Aaron Altherr had two doubles for the Phillies, but the offense overall went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.

Featured Card:  After Elvis Araujo's fifth pitch of the 11th inning, he crumpled to the ground in pain.  It was later revealed that Araujo had suffered a left groin strain and he's most likely disabled list-bound.  Araujo had been a bright spot in the Phillies bullpen this year, appearing in 40 games and having one of the lower WHIPs on the pitching staff at 1.385.

Araujo was signed as a free agent by the Phillies in November after spending six years in the Indians system.  He started the season in Double-A Reading and was recalled back in early May after just 7 games with the Fightin Phils.  Araujo has never pitched above the Double-A level prior to this season.  Other than his card in the team's second series photo card set, his only other 2015 baseball cards can be found in the Reading Fightin Phils' team sets.

Padres at Phillies: August 28th to August 30th

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

Padres 62-65, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. West, 8 1/2 games behind the Dodgers
Phillies 50-78, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 21 1/2 games behind the Mets

Padres Probables:  Ian Kennedy (8-11, 4.01), Colin Rea (2-1, 5.52), James Shields (9-6, 3.89)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (4-1, 3.59), Adam Morgan (4-4, 4.43), Alec Asher (0-0, 0.00)

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday night, all fans will receive a Maikel Franco Phillies Fathead.  On Sunday afternoon, all kids receive a ShopRite back-to-school Phillies lunch bag.  The back-to-school Phillies giveaways always slightly depress me.

Padres Leaders
Average:  Yonder Alonso - .273
Runs:  Justin Upton - 68
Home Runs:  Justin Upton - 22
RBIs:  Matt Kemp - 78
Stolen Bases:  Justin Upton - 18

Wins:  Tyson Ross and James Shields - 9
ERA:  Tyson Ross - 3.42
Strikeouts:  James Shields - 176
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 36

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .291+
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 53
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 21
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 72
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 19+

Wins:  Ken Giles and Aaron Harang - 5*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 4.79*
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 86*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 10^

1985 Topps #242

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with a .298 batting average and 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins, 3.64 ERA and 137 strikeouts
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Other than the Carmelo Martinez card I featured a few weeks ago, there's only one other 1985 Topps Padres card with a Phillies connection.  Reliever Greg Harris spent parts of two seasons with the Phillies in 1988 and 1989.  Pitching for the Padres in 1984, Harris would appear in the lone World Series game of his 15-year career, pitching 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Tigers in Game 3.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #4 Stan Bahnsen

#37
Stanley Raymond Bahnsen
Relief Pitcher

The 1968 A.L. Rookie of the Year, Stan Bahnsen was at the end of an impressive 16-year Major League career when the Phillies signed him as a free agent on May 31, 1982.  Bahnsen had recently been released by the California Angels, and he'd spend the bulk of the 1982 season with the Phillies Triple-A team in Oklahoma City.  As a September call-up, Bahnsen appeared in 8 games for the Phillies, pitching impressively in relief in the final month of the season.  Released in November 1982, Bahnsen would sign a minor league contract with the Phillies and appear in 15 more games for their new Triple-A affiliate in Portland before calling it a career.

Bahnsen is perhaps best remembered by Phillies fans as the pitcher who surrendered Mike Schmidt's 48th home run of the 1980 season, leading the Phillies to the 1980 N.L. East division title.  Audio of that blast, featuring Andy Musser's call, can be found here.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  185
Born:  December 15, 1944, Council Bluffs, IA
Drafted:  Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1966, 1968-1971, Chicago White Sox 1972-1975, Oakland Athletics 1975-1977, Montreal Expos 1977-1981, California Angels 1982, Phillies 1982
Professional Affiliations:  New York Yankees 1965-1971, Chicago White Sox 1972-1975, Oakland Athletics 1975-1977, Montreal Expos 1977-1981, California Angels 1982, Phillies 1982-1983

Phillies Career
8 games, 0-0, 1.35 ERA in 13 1/3 innings
Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the California Angels, May 31, 1982
Debut:  September 1, 1982 - Pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Mike Krukow against the Braves
Final Game:  October 2, 1982
Departed:  Released by the Phillies organization in spring of 1983

1967 Topps #93

1975 Topps #161

1982 Donruss #392

1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #23

4 Bahnsen Baseball Cards in My Collection
First Card:  1982 Donruss #392
Last Card:  1983 TCMA Portland Beavers #23

The fantastic Cards That Never Were blog created a Bahnsen Phillies card in the style of 1982 Topps a few years ago.

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #93 (with Bobby Murcer)
First Topps Base Card:  1967 Topps #93 (with Bobby Murcer)
Last Mainstream Card:  1982 Topps #131
Other Notable Cards:  1972 Topps #662, 1975 Topps #161, 1977 Topps #383, 1981 Topps #267

Sources:  Baseball Birthdays, Cards That Never Were, SABR, Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1996 Pinnacle Aficionado #172 Mike Grace

Mets 9, Phillies 4
Game 127 - Wednesday Night, August 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-77, 5th Place, 20 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies scored four runs late, but it wasn't enough to overcome an early deficit and the Mets won again, 9-4.

What It Means:  As a Lifelong Mets Dis-Liker™, it pains me to admit that they Mets are actually really good this year.

What Happened:  For Phillies fans, the four-run eighth inning was the sole highlight of this game.  The big hit was a two-run double from Cameron Rupp.

Featured Card:  Phillies starting pitcher Jared Eickhoff got roughed up in the first inning, allowing three runs on four hits.  But then he settled into a groove and at one point retired 16 straight Mets batters.  Per this Tweet from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jake Kaplan, Eickhoff became the first Phillies rookie pitcher to retire that many consecutive batters since Mike Grace retired 17 straight in a game from 1996.  And now you know.

2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 #10 Larry Bowa

Mets 6, Phillies 5
Game 126 - Tuesday Night, August 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-76, 5th Place, 19 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets came from behind again to drop the Phillies by a score of 6-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies have played the Mets 11 times so far this season.  They are now 1-10 in those games.  That's not good.

What Happened:  Jerome Williams continued to under perform, allowing five runs (four earned) in his 5 1/3 innings of work and slightly increasing his ERA for the season to 6.13.  The Phillies received home runs from Freddy Galvis (6) and Ryan Howard (21), but it wasn't enough to hold off the Mets.

Featured Card:  Bench coach Larry Bowa absolutely lost his mind in the seventh inning after Mets reliever Hansel Robles quick pitched Darin Ruf.  Bowa began yelling at Robles, and then the home plate umpire and was quickly tossed for his efforts.  On his way out, he made a point to threaten Mets first baseman Daniel Murphy with a ball in the ribs for Murphy's excessively flipped bat following a home run on Monday night.  This was a circa-2004, full-blown, red-faced, f-bomb dropping explosion from Bowa and I'll admit it was nice to see a little fire from the Phillies dugout.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #3 Jerry Reed

#35
Jerry Maxwell Reed
Relief Pitcher

Of the three players the Phillies traded to the Indians in mid-September 1982 for John Denny, Jerry Reed was the only one with Major League experience.  Drafted by the Phillies in 1977, Reed was a September call-up in 1981.  He'd appear in four games that season and he'd get the call again in August 1982 when Porfi Altamirano was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City.  Reed would appear in seven more games for the Phils before his trade to Cleveland.

Reed enjoyed a nine-season big league career, pitching mostly in middle relief but occasionally closing.  Perhaps his best season was with the Mariners in 1987, when he went 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA and 7 saves in 81 2/3 innings pitched.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  October 8, 1955, Bryson City, NC
Drafted:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 22nd round of the June 1977 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  Phillies 1981-1982, Cleveland Indians 1982-1983, 1985, Seattle Mariners 1986-1990, Boston Red Sox 1990
Professional Affiliations:  Phillies 1977-1982, Cleveland Indians 1982-1985, Seattle Mariners 1986-1990, Boston Red Sox 1990

Phillies Career
11 games, 1-1, 6.08 ERA in 13 1/3 innings
Acquired:  Via draft
Debut:  September 11, 1981 - Relieved Steve Carlton and pitched the final two innings of a 8-0 win over the Pirates
Final Game:  August 30, 1982
Departed:  Traded with Wil Culmer and Roy Smith to the Cleveland Indians for John Denny, September 12, 1982

1982 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #9

1986 Topps #172

1989 Upper Deck #529

1991 Fleer #110

1 Reed Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1982 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #9
Last Card:  1982 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #9

Using a photo from the 1981 Phillies Yearbook, I had previously created a card for Reed in the style of the 1982 Topps set.  That card can be found here.  I decided to try to use different photos for this new set (where possible) and I liked this photo of Reed, which I had never seen before.

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1986 Fleer #592
First Topps Base Card:  1986 Topps #172
Last Mainstream Card:  1991 Fleer #110
Other Notable Cards:  1980 Oklahoma City 89ers Team Issue #28, 1987 Topps #619, 1989 Upper Deck #529, 1990 Topps #247

Sources:  Baseball Birthdays, Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

1979 Burger King Phillies #8 Randy Lerch

Mets 16, Phillies 7
Game 125 - Monday Night, August 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-75, Tied for 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies suffered a complete and total beat down from the Mets in a game that featured 11 home runs.

What It Means:  As Jayson Stark points out in this Tweet, the Phillies have scored 13 runs in two games against Zack Greinke and Jacob deGrom since the All-Star break . . . and they've lost both games.

What Happened:  Home runs from Ryan Howard (3-run home run in first), Cameron Rupp (solo bomb in the second) and Dominic Brown (3-run home run in the third) were all for naught.  The pitching quartet of Adam Morgan, Hector Neris, Justin De Fratus and Adam Loewen combined to allow 16 earned runs on 20 hits, 15 of which went for extra bases.

Featured Card:  The 11 total home runs in this game tied a National League record set by the Phillies (6) and Cubs (5) back on May 17, 1979 in a crazy 23-22, 10-inning game at Wrigley Field.  Randy Lerch started that game for the Phillies, pitching just a third of an inning and giving up five Cubs runs including a three-run home run to Dave Kingman.

Phillies Missing Links of the 1980s - #2 Don McCormack

#17
Donald Ross McCormack
Catcher

Don McCormack was drafted by the Phillies in the 4th round of the 1974 amateur draft.  With Bob Boone as the team's regular catcher and both Keith Moreland and Ozzie Virgil passing McCormack on the organizational depth chart, he appeared in only five games with the Phillies - all as a September call-up.

After his playing days were over, McCormack came back to the Phillies organization managing the Batavia Clippers (Rookie A, 1988-1989) the Reading Phillies (AA, 1990-1993) and the Clearwater Phillies (High A, 1994-1995).  McCormack most recently managed the Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League between 2001 and 2006.

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  September 18, 1955, Omak, WA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Phillies in the 4th round of the June 1974 amateur draft
Major League Teams:  Phillies 1980-1981
Professional Affiliations:  Phillies 1974-1981, Detroit Tigers 1982

Phillies Career
5 games, .400 (2 for 5)
Acquired:  Via draft
Debut:  September 30, 1980 - Replaced Moreland behind the plate in the 9th inning of a 14-2 blow-out of the Cubs
Final Game:  October 4, 1981
Departed:  Released on March 29, 1982 and signed with the Detroit Tigers organization

1980 Topps #PR11

1981 TCMA Oklahoma City 89ers #9

1981 Topps #PR7

1991 ProCards #1385

5 McCormack Baseball Card in My Collection
First Card:  1981 TCMA Oklahama City 89ers #9
Last Card:  1991 ProCards #1385

I've created two previous McCormack custom cards in the style of the 1980 and 1981 Topps sets, using his photos from the 1980 and 1981 Phillies Yearbooks.

Other Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
First Topps Base Card:  N/A
Last Mainstream Card:  N/A
Other Notable Cards:  1979 Oklahoma City 89ers Team Issue #21, 1982 TCMA Evansville Triplets #12, 1995 Fleer/ProCards Clearwater Phillies #231, 2007 Choice Long Island Ducks #18

Sources:  The Greatest 21 Days, Baseball Reference and The Trading Card Database

This is a continuing series looking at those players who spent time with the Phillies but possess no baseball card proof of their time in Philadelphia.  I will make my way through the decade of the 1980s first and then work my way forward.  In some cases, the First and Last Mainstream cards listed above have been subjectively chosen if multiple cards were released in that year.

Mets at Phillies: August 24th to August 27th

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

Mets 67-56, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 5 games ahead of the Nationals
Phillies 50-74, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 17 1/2 games behind the Mets

Mets Probables:  Jacob deGrom (12-6, 1.98), Noah Syndergaard (7-6, 3.17), Bartolo Colon (10-11, 4.90), Jon Niese (8-9, 3.80)
Phillies Probables:  Adam Morgan (4-4, 3.92), Jerome Williams (4-9, 6.10), Jerad Eickhoff (1-0, 0.00), Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.67)

At the Ballpark:  Each of these four games is a special Theme Night, but otherwise there are no giveaways scheduled.

Mets Leaders
Average:  Daniel Murphy - .283
Runs:  Curtis Granderson - 70
Home Runs:  Curtis Granderson - 22
RBIs:  Lucas Duda - 56
Stolen Bases:  Curtis Granderson - 11

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 12
ERA:  Jacob deGrom - 1.98
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 158
Saves:  Jeurys Familia - 33

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .294+
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 50
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 19
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 67
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 18+

Wins:  Ken Giles and Aaron Harang - 5*
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 4.67*
Strikeouts:  Aaron Harang - 86*
Saves:  Ken Giles - 10^

+Ben Revere, now with the Blue Jays, is the overall team leader with a .298 batting average and 24 stolen bases.
*Cole Hamels, now with the Rangers, is the overall team leader with 6 wins, 3.64 ERA and 137 strikeouts
^Jonathan Papelbon, now with the Nationals, is the overall team leader with 17 saves.

1985 Topps #649

1985 Topps #15

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Between 1967 and 1993, the Mets starting pitching rotation featured either Jerry Koosman or Sid Fernandez.  Both leftys spent time with the Phillies at the end of their impressive careers.

El Sid came to the Phils in July 1995 after being released by the Orioles.  In parts of two seasons in Philadelphia, he went 9-7 with a 3.38 ERA, which sounds pretty good to me right now after watching recent performances from Williams and Harang.

Koosman joined the Phillies for their 1984 season and he'd go 20-19 with a 3.67 ERA before injuries ended his career following the 1985 campaign.

2015 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP134 Aaron Nola

Phillies 2, Marlins 0
Game 124 - Sunday Afternoon, August 23rd in Miami
Record - 50-74

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola and Ken Giles combined on the three-hit shutout of the Marlins as the Phillies won, 2-0.

What It Means:  The Phillies are now tied for fourth in the N.L. East.  They'll open a four-game series at home against the first place Mets on Monday.

What Happened:  Nola threw exactly 100 pitches in his eight innings of work, allowing three hits and striking out six.  In the 11 games in which he's pitched since Jonathan Papelbon was traded to the Nationals, Giles has 10 saves and has allowed 1 run in 11 2/3 innings.

The Phillies scored in the third when Cesar Hernandez walked, went to third on an Andres Blanco double and came home on an Aaron Altherr sacrifice fly.  Cameron Rupp hit a long solo home run to right in the seventh inning for the team's second run.

Featured Card:  I have to imagine the 2016 baseball card products will be inundated with Nola cards . . . and I'm OK with that.  Here's his Chrome card from this year's Bowman Prospects insert set.

2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Stroehmann SGA #22 Aaron Altherr

Phillies 4, Marlins 2
Game 123 - Saturday Night, August 22nd in Miami
Record - 49-74, 5th Place, 17 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils mounted an impressive, late-inning comeback capped by home runs from Darnell Sweeney, Aaron Altherr and Darin Ruf in the 4-2 win.

What It Means:  The Phillies will go for the series win this afternoon behind Aaron Nola.

What Happened:  The Phillies were kept off the scoreboard through the first seven innings by Marlins starter Justin Nicolino.  In the eighth, Sweeney homered for his first hit in the Majors to get the Phils on the board.  Andres Blanco followed that with a double to score Cesar Hernandez with the tying run.  In the ninth, Altherr and Ruf hit back-to-back home runs to put the Phillies in the lead.  It was the first time the Phillies had hit back-to-back home runs all season.

Aaron Harang pitched well, allowing two runs in his seven innings of work.  Elvis Araujo threw one pitch to retire the Marlins in the eighth and came away with the win.

Featured Card:  We attended a Trenton Thunder game last weekend and I was very surprised to find a Reading Fightin Phils team set in the Thunder team store that was only available as a stadium give-away in Reading.  The set is identical to the normal team set, with the exception of the red Stroehmann logo on the front and back of the cards.  I usually don't collect minor league team set variations, but I felt the need to add this to my collection given my appreciation for this year's Reading team.  This is Altherr's card from that set.

2015 Chachi #60 Jerad Eickhoff

#48

Jerad Joseph Eickhoff

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  240

Born:  July 2, 1990, Evansville, IN

Drafted:  Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the June 2011 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Acquired with Matt Harrison, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jake Thompson and Alec Asher from the Texas Rangers for Cole Hamels, Jake Diekman and cash considerations, July 31, 2015

0 Eickhoff Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #60

Eickhoff Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 8/22/15.

2015 Chachi #59 Darnell Sweeney

#24

Darnell Thomas Sweeney

Infield-Outfield

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  195

Born:  February 1, 1991, Hollywood, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 13th round of the June 2012 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Acquired with John Richy from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Chase Utley and cash considerations, August 19, 2015

0 Sweeney Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #59

Sweeney Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 8/22/15.

2015 Chachi #58 Aaron Altherr

#40

Aaron Samuel Altherr

Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  215

Born:  January 14, 1991, Landstuhl, Germany

Home:  Buckeye, AZ

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 9th round of the June 2009 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2014-

Acquired:  Via draft

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #22

2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP112

2014 Chachi #52

11 Altherr Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #22
First Phillies Card:  2011 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP112
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2015 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Stroehmann SGA #22

First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #52

Altherr Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 8/21/15.