Game 50 - Nothing Goes Right for Phils in Latest Loss

Cincinnati Reds	9
Philadelphia Phillies	4

1987 Fleer #177

Wednesday Afternoon, May 20th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
25-25, Tied for 2nd Place, 9 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Sal Stewart and the Reds offense demolished Phillies pitching in this 9-4 loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies had won six straight series, every series since Don Mattingly was named interim manager, before dropping this series, fairly easily, to the Reds.  The Guardians come to town next in what's looking to be a soggy Memorial Day weekend.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola gave up four runs on eight hits over five long innings.  Relievers Tim Mayza and Jose Alvarado both gave up a pair of runs in their innings of work.  The Phillies' offense had six hits and went 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position.  Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa hit home runs in the sixth to get the Phillies to within a run, making it 5-4, Reds.  But Orion Kerkering gave up a two-run double to Nathaniel Lowe in the top of the seventh to again widen the margin.  Stewart was 4 for 5 with a ninth inning two-run home run off Alvarado.

Kyle Schwarber missed the entire series due to illness.  Bryce Harper and Adolis Garcia were a combined 0 for 19 in the series with eight strikeouts.

Featured Card:  Hey, it's Tom Hume again!

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Game 49 - Phils Snooze Through Loss to Reds

Cincinnati Reds	4
Philadelphia Phillies	1

1986 Fleer #179

Tuesday Night, May 19th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
25-24, 2nd Place, 8 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  A lack of offense, suspect base running and shaky defense led to this fairly boring 4-1 loss.

What It Means:  Kyle Schwarber was out of the line-up for the second game in a row with some sort of bug, and he'd miss Wednesday afternoon's game too.  Let's hope he feels better soon.  This was the kind of lifeless loss the Phillies suffered through quite a bit in April.

What Happened:  Jesus Luzardo didn't get any run support in his outing, and he allowed two runs on five hits in six innings of work.  Tanner Banks continued his miserable season so far, allowing two more runs in the seventh after Luzardo had left.  The Phillies had three hits throughout the entire game - a first inning double from Alec Bohm, a second inning single from Bryson Stott and a third inning solo home run from Trea Turner.  Reds starting pitcher Chase Burns struck out nine in his six innings with a trio of Reds relievers holding the Phillies hitless over the final three frames.

Featured Card:  I've got nothing, so here's a card of Reds' great and Phillies Room Favorite Tom Hume.

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Reds at Phillies: April 1st to April 3rd

1984 Topps #607

1984 Topps #385

Monday and Tuesday 6:40, Wednesday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  With Dollar Dog Nights dead in 2024, the first of the less popular Hatfield Phillies Franks BOGO Nights is on Tuesday.

Reds 2-1
3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 1 1/2 games behind the Pirates

Reds Probables
Andrew Abbott (0-0, 0.00)
Graham Ashcraft (0-0, 0.00)
Frankie Montas (1-0, 0.00)

Reds Leaders
Average:  Nick Martini - .500
Runs:  Three tied with - 3
Home Runs:  Nick Martini - 2
RBIs:  Nick Martini - 7
Stolen Bases:  Bubba Thompson - 2

Wins:  Frankie Montas and Lucas Sims - 1
ERA:  Frankie Montas - 1
Strikeouts:  Hunter Greene - 7
Saves:  N/A

Phillies 1-2
Tied for 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 1 game behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez (0-0, 0.00)
Spencer Turnbull (0-0, 0.00)
Zack Wheeler (0-0, 0.00)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Bryson Stott - .444
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 3
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 1
RBIs:  Four tied with - 2
Stolen Bases:  Five tied with - 1

Wins:  Matt Strahm - 1
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 0.00

Strikeouts:  Ranger Suarez - 7
Saves:  Jose Alvarado - 1

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Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: June 29th to July 1st

2021 Chachi Fan Favorites #7

1986 Topps Traded #47T

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 6:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies Room staff is currently taking its first of two summer sabbaticals, and the blog will be on auto pilot until early July.  Thanks for your continued support and Go Phils!

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Series Preview - Phillies at Reds: April 3rd to April 6th

Monday 4:10, Wednesday 7:10 and Thursday 12:35
Great American Ballpark - Cincinnati, OH

From 2016
Phillies 71-91, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 24 games behind the Nationals
Reds 68-94, 5th Place in the N.L. Central, 35 1/2 games behind the Cubs

Phillies Probables:  Jeremy Hellickson (12-10, 3.71), Jared Eickhoff (11-14, 3.65), Clay Buchholz (8-10, 4.78)
Reds Probables:  Scott Feldman (7-4, 3.97), Brandon Finnegan (10-11, 3.98), Rookie Davis (0-0, 0.00)
Statistics from 2016

At the Ballpark:  It's Opening Day today!  At the Wednesday night game, the first 20,000 fans will receive a 2017 Reds calendar.

Phillies Spring Training Leaders
Average:  Tommy Joseph - .313
Runs:  Aaron Altherr - 14
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco and Brock Stassi - 6
RBIs:  Maikel Franco and Brock Stassi - 17
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 6

Wins:  Joely Rodriguez and Vince Velasquez - 2
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5.92
Strikeouts:  Vince Velasquez - 25
Saves:  Five tied with - 1

Reds Spring Training Leaders
Average:  Jose Peraza - .343
Runs:  Arismendy Alcantara - 17
Home Runs:  Adam Duvall - 6
RBIs:  Arismendy Alcantara - 16
Stolen Bases:  Billy Hamilton - 6

Wins:  Amir Garrett - 3
ERA:  N/A
Strikeouts:  Sal Romano - 25
Saves:  Four tied with - 1

1982 Topps #780

1982 Topps #763

1982 Topps Appreciation:  As I've done every year since 2005, I pick a Topps set from yesteryear and use that set's design as the basis for my custom made Phillies cards.  I affectionately named these cards after our first dog Chachi.  (For further reading, please see here.)  For each series preview post, I'll take a look at the original 1982 Topps cards and feature one (or more) cards that have some Phillies connection.  Get used to seeing a lot of the 1982 Topps design this season, along with its mysteriously strange team color choices.

(Seriously, what were the card designers at Topps thinking?  Light blue and brown for the Reds? Pink and orange for the Phillies?)

To start us off, here are two players who were teammates on the Reds for the 1977 and 1978 seasons.

Pete Rose is my prediction for this year's inductee into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  The Reds honored Charlie Hustle last season, paving the way for the Phillies to do the same this year.  Rose played all 162 games for the Phillies in 1982, hitting .271 and making his fourth and final All-Star team as a member of the team.

Tom Hume was an All-Star himself for the Reds in 1982 and he finished the year with 17 saves.  He pitched in parts of two seasons with the Phillies in 1986 and 1987, appearing in 86 games.

Reds at Phillies: June 2nd to June 4th

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

Reds 22-27, 4th Place in the N.L. Central, 10 games behind the Cardinals
Phillies 19-33, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 10 games behind the Nationals and Mets

Reds Probables:  Johnny Cueto (3-4, 3.03), Mike Leake (2-4, 4.66), Anthony DeSclafani (3-4, 3.41)
Phillies Probables:  Sean O'Sullivan (1-4, 4.81), Cole Hamels (5-4, 2.91), Aaron Harang (4-5, 2.02)

At the Ballpark:  All fans attending tonight's game will receive a Vintage Phillies Bobble Head.  Tomorrow night is another Dollar Dog Night.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Freddy Galvis - .289
Runs:  Ben Revere - 23
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 10
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 25
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 10

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 2.02
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 76
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 11

1985 Topps #223

1985 Topps #146

1985 Topps #325

1985 Topps Appreciation:  It's funny how a 12-year-old brain processes a fairly significant baseball trade.  Back on December 11, 1985, when the Phillies traded former Cy Young winner John Denny (along with Jeff Gray) to the Cincinnati Reds for Tom Hume and Gary Redus, my honest to goodness first thought was, "Well, Denny is going to have to shave his mustache."  The Reds had a no facial hair rule at the time and I remember trying to picture Denny without his mustache.

Denny pitched in his final season with the 1986 Reds, going 11-10 with a 4.20 ERA over 27 starts.  Hume stuck around with the Phillies for a season and a half before getting released in August 1987 and ending up back in Cincinnati.  Redus was only around for a season (90 games in left field, hitting .247 with 11 home runs) before being traded to the White Sox in the deal that began the short-lived and tragic Joe Cowley era for the Phillies.

Phillies at Reds: September 3rd to September 5th

Great American Ball Park - Cincinnati, OH
Monday 1:10, Tuesday 7:10, Wednesday 12:35

Phillies 64-70, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Reds 82-53, 1st Place in the N.L. Centeral, 9 1/2 games ahead of the Cardinals

Phillies Probables:  Tyler Cloyd (0-1, 4.50), Kyle Kendrick (8-9, 4.01), Roy Halladay (8-7, 4.02)
Reds Probables:  Cueto (17-6, 2.48), Mat Latos (11-4, 3.79), Mike Leake (7-8, 4.45)

At the Ballpark:  There are no give-aways scheduled while the Phillies are visiting Cincinnati, although two afternoon ballgames in three days is pretty exciting in and of itself.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .248^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 79

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 16*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 32

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 14

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.04

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 178

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 31

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

1979 Topps #271, #20, #126 and #301

1979 Topps Flashback:  It's another smorgasbord of ex- and future-Phillies for today's flashback as the Phils and Reds match up for the second and final time of 2012.

Rawley Eastwick and Joe Morgan were both members of the Big Red Machine, winning the World Championship in 1975 and 1976.  Eastwick came to the Phillies in June 1978 when the Phillies shipped Jay Johnstone to the Yankees.  In a year and a half with the Phils, Eastwick appeared in 73 games out of the bullpen, pitching to a 4.61 ERA.  He was released by the Phillies just prior to the 1980 season.

Morgan was the N.L. MVP in '75 and '76.  He joined his former Reds teammates Pete Rose and Tony Perez on the Phillies in 1983, where he helped the Phillies advance to the postseason.  He had an awful N.L.C.S. against the Dodgers (1 for 17, .067), but a decent World Series against the Orioles (5 for 19, .263).

Doug Bair and Tom Hume spent time in Philly at the end of their careers.  Bair appeared in 11 games for the 1987 club, going 2-0 with a 5.93 ERA.  Hume appeared in 86 games with the Phils in 1986 and 1987.  He was one of the team's most effective relievers in 1986, tallying a 4-1 record with four saves and a 2.77 ERA in 94 1/3 innings.

1986 Fleer #U-52 Tom Hume

Mets 5, Phillies 0
Game 8 - Saturday Afternoon, April 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 3-5, 4th Place, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets got to Vance Worley early and the offense managed just six singles as the Phillies lost in frustrating fashion, 5-0.

What It Means:  Cole Hamels will try to help the team avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon.

What Went Wrong:  The offense had six singles.  I know we're only eight games into the season, but this is getting old.

Featured Card:  When the Phils win, it's relatively easy to come up with a baseball card I want to feature within the game summary post.  I'll typically feature a current card of one of the stars of the game.  Easy.  When the team loses, it's not that easy.  And when the loss is against the Mets in April and the complete lack of offense is starting to make me grumpy (and nervous), it's really not that easy.

Which is why we have a Tom Hume card featured here.  Hume was the subject of today's "Stump the Experts" trivia question on this afternoon's television broadcast.  The question was along the lines of:  "Name the current Mets coach who hit a game-winning grand slam off Phillies reliever Tom Hume."  It's kind of a random question, and I thought it was a weak way to attempt to "Stump the Experts."  Even without recalling that specific situation in the mid-80's when the Phillies lost to the Mets on a walk-off grand slam, with Hume on the mound, it's kind of easy to narrow down the answer.

A quick scan of the Mets dugout would reveal three former Major League hitters currently on the team's coaching staff who could have delivered the blow against Hume - Bob Geren, Tom Goodwin and Tim Teufel.  I'm pretty sure the first two guys never played for the Mets, so the answer has to be Teufel.  And the records show that Teufel did in fact hit a walk-off grand slam against Hume back on June 10, 1986.  And there you have it.  The most interesting thing to happen during today's game was a crappy trivia question mentioning Tom Hume.

I hope the Phillies win tomorrow.

My First Fairfield Repack

1982 Donruss #595, 1987 Topps #719, 1990 Fleer #102 and 1992 Upper Deck #769

One of my stocking stuffers this past Christmas (courtesy of Mrs. Claus herself, my wife Jenna) was a Fairfield Repack she found in the baseball card aisle in Target.  Knowing that I would have a blast opening it, she bought me one.  Those of you who have opened these things before know there's not much in the way of hidden treasure within these blister packs.  But one thing is for certain - the repack itself was a lot of fun to open.  And when it comes right down to it, shouldn't the act of opening baseball cards be fun?

There were only a few Phillies in the bunch, but there were a lot of ex-Phillies in the package.  The oldest card I received was a 1982 Donruss Randy Lerch card.  I also received multiple cards of Bob Boone and Mark Davis, which I think speaks to the pure volume of cards available for both those players.

There were quite a few 1987 and 1989 Topps cards in the package.  And as could be expected, the package was heavy with cards from 1987 through 1993 with a smattering of cards from the late '90s and early '00s. The most recent card included was a 2009 Upper Deck First Edition Josh Willingham card.  

So again, not much in the way of hidden treasure . . . but it sure was a lot of fun to open!

1987 Topps #719 Tom Hume

SPOILER ALERT

In a shocking twist, tonight's episode of Lost revealed the "new" John Locke is none other than former Phillies relief pitcher Tom Hume, long-lost American brother of Desmond Hume. I for one did not see this coming at all, but I always knew you couldn't trust Tom Hume.

Relevant and insightful posts will return shortly. Thank you for your patience.