Game 81 - Phils Nearly Suffer Shutout Sweep, Exit Houston in 2nd Place

Philadelphia Phillies	1
Houston Astros	2

1974 Topps #47 Ruthven

Thursday Afternoon, June 26th

Daikin Park - Houston, TX
47-34, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Hunter Brown baffled Phillies' batters and the Astros nearly pulled off a shutout sweep in this deflating 2-1 loss.

What It Means:  It's not going well.  This game marked the mathematical half-way point of the season, and the only thing I'm confident about is the Phillies' starting pitching.  Bryce Harper may return to the line-up as soon as Monday, but he'll be missing again for the upcoming weekend series against the Braves.

What Happened:  Following Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez was the latest Phillies pitcher to throw a gem and get rewarded with a no-decision.  Sanchez struck out 11 in six innings, allowing a run on five hits.  Max Lazar pitched a scoreless seventh, and Orion Kerkering allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the eighth.  After being shut out for the first 25 innings of this series, the Phillies pushed across a lone run in the top of the eighth.  Bryson Stott walked, went to third on a Rafael Marchan single, and scored on a Brandon Marsh sacrifice fly.

Featured Card:  Incredible note from @schmenk-bsky on Bluesky, showing this is the first time the Phillies have been swept in a three-game series while giving up only five runs.  The Astros pulled off the shutout sweep back in August 1974, scoring seven runs to the Phillies' none.  The final scores of those games - 1-0, 1-0, 5-0, and the losing pitchers were Dick Ruthven, Steve Carlton and Wayne Twitchell.

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Game 108 - Current Phillies Mash, Past Phillies Return

2022 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #17

Phillies 13, Nationals 1
Game 108 - Sunday Afternoon, August 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 60-48, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies destroyed the Nationals in this Alumni Weekend finale.

What It Means:  The Phillies are hot, having won 11 of their last 13 and now five in a row.

What Happened:  The ballpark welcomed back dozens of alumni in a wonderful pregame ceremony, including most of the living members of the 1980 World Championship club, and various Wall of Famers in attendance for the weekend.  Mike Schmidt was a notable absence, as he had tested positive for Covid earlier that morning.  The Hall of Famer sent a pre-recorded message, celebrating the 1980 team and thanking the fans.  Pete Rose made his first appearance at a Phillies event since being banned from baseball, and he quickly reminded everyone why it's probably best he doesn't return again.

On the field, the offense continued to mash.  Four more home runs were hit in this game, including two from Darick Hall and one each from Nick Maton and Rhys Hoskins, and the team set a new franchise record with 14 home runs in a single regular season series.  Bryson Stott was 2 for 5 with three RBIs.  Aaron Nola pitched six innings, allowing a run on five hits on the way to his eighth win.

Featured Card:  Hall gets the honors again, and the Phillies will need to get creative with their line-up once Bryce Harper returns in September to make sure Hall continues to get at-bats.  Hall has four baseball cards available so far in 2022, three Topps Now cards and this card from the IronPigs team set.

Field Report:  After attending Friday and Saturday night's games, we sat this one out.  Friend of the blog Rick reported there were multiple alumni signing stations available briefly before the game throughout the ballpark as follows:

• Bobby Abreu and Juan Samuel in the Hall of Fame Club, at separate tables
• Warren Brusstar and Greg Gross on the main concourse
• Dick Ruthven and Del Unser on the main concourse, and
• Dickie Noles and Kevin Saucier on the  main concourse

New Alumni Photo Cards were available for Abreu, Gross, Ruthven and Saucier.  I won't update the master list I've compiled here (yet), but I'll at least add a note that these four new cards are now out in the wild.

Oddly enough, the new Abreu card features a different photo from his original card, using a photo taken during the same at-bat.  The photo courtesy of Rick below shows the original Abreu card on the left, with the new one on the right.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: Setpember 20th to September 23rd

2018 Chachi 1978 Topps Missing Links #12

1978 Topps #38

Thursday and Friday 7:35, Saturday 1:05, Sunday 1:35
SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA

Phillies 78-73, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Braves
Braves 84-68, 1st place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies

Phillies Probables:  Vince Velasquez (9-11, 4.50), Nick Pivetta (7-13, 4.67), Jake Arrieta (10-9, 3.77), Aaron Nola (16-5, 2.44)
Braves Probables:  Kevin Gausman (5-2, 2.61), Julio Teheran (9-8, 3.97), Sean Newcomb (12-9, 4.04), Mike Foltynewicz (11-10, 2.90)

At the Ballpark:  On Saturday, the first 40,000 fans will receive a pink tomahawk in support of the Braves' Breast Cancer Awareness day.  Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day with fans able to take photos on the field prior to the game, kids can run the bases following the game and former Phillies Gene Garber and Paul Byrd (along with Phil Niekro and Tommy Gregg) will be signing autographs beginning at 11:30.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .256
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 86
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 32
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 92
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 18

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 16
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.42
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 201
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

Braves Leaders
Average:  Freddie Freeman - .311
Runs:  Ozzie Albies - 101
Home Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 26
RBIs:  Freddie Freeman and Nick Markakis - 92
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte - 26

Wins:  Sean Newcomb - 12
ERA:  Mike Foltynewicz - 2.90
Strikeouts:  Mike Foltynewicz - 188
Saves:  Arodys Vizcaino - 15

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: March 29th to March 31st #OpeningDay #BeBold

1978 Topps #177

1978 Topps #75

Thursday 4:05, Friday 7:35 and Saturday 7:10
SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA

2017 Records
Phillies 66-96, 5th place in the N.L. East, 31 games behind the Nationals
Braves 72-90, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 25 games behind the Nationals

2017 Statistics
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (12-11, 3.54), Nick Pivetta (8-10, 6.02), Vince Velasquez (2-7, 5.13)
Braves Probables:  Julio Teheran (11-13, 4.49), Mike Foltynewicz (10-13, 4.79), Brandon McCarthy (6-4, 3.98)

At the Ballpark:  For the Braves home opener, the first 40,000 fans will receive a foam "Chop On" tomahawk.  Fans attending Friday's and Saturday's game will receive a Braves schedule magnet.

Phillies Spring Training Leaders
Average:  Scott Kingery - .411
Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 14
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco - 6
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 15
Stolen Bases:  Roman Quinn - 9

Wins:  3 tied with - 2
ERA:  Drew Hutchison - 2.75
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 18
Saves:  6 tied with - 1

Braves Spring Training Leaders
Average:  Ozzie Albies - .303
Runs:  Ozzie Albies and Danny Santana - 9
Home Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 4
RBIs:  3 tied with - 11
Stolen Bases:  Danny Santana - 5

Wins:  Julio Teheran - 4
ERA:  Julio Teheran - 1.40
Strikeouts:  Julio Teheran - 17
Saves:  7 tied with - 1

1978 Topps Appreciation:  On June 15, 1978, the Phillies traded Gene Garber to the Braves for former Phillies pitcher Dick Ruthven.  Ruthven would go on to become a key pitcher on the 1980 World Champions.

Series Preview - Phillies at Braves: June 5th to June 8th

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:35
SunTrust Park - Atlanta, GA

Phillies 19-35, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Braves 24-30, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 10 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (0-2, 5.12), Aaron Nola (2-3, 5.06), Jerad Eickhoff (0-6, 5.13), Ben Lively (1-0, 1.29)
Braves Probables:  Bartolo Colon (2-6, 6.99), Jaime Garcia (2-3, 3.18), Mike Foltynewicz (3-5, 3.90), R.A. Dickey (3-4, 5.10)

At the Ballpark:  It's a good series to be a kid at the new SunTrust Park.  Following Monday night's game, kids can run the bases.  On Wednesday, the first 1,000 kids will take part in a "Kids Parade with Player High-Fives."  The official description given is just what you'd expect - "Kids . . . can parade around the field, with player high-fives."  On Thursday, the first 5,000 kids will receive a plastic bat and ball set.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .290
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 38
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 9
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 29
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 6

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson - 5
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.50
Strikeouts:  Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez - 53
Saves:  Hector Neris - 5

Braves Leaders
Average:  Matt Kemp - .335
Runs:  Freddie Freeman and Ender Inciarte - 35
Home Runs:  Freddie Freeman - 14
RBIs:  Matt Kemp - 30
Stolen Bases:  Ender Inciarte - 10

Wins:  Julio Teheran - 5
ERA:  Jaime Garcia - 3.18
Strikeouts:  Mike Foltynewicz and Julio Teheran - 51
Saves:  Jim Johnson - 11

1982 Topps #317

1982 Topps #32

1982 Topps Appreciation:  When the Phillies and Braves faced off back in April, I featured two players (Bob Walk and Gary Matthews) who had been traded for one another.  We have another pair of players traded for one another for this series preview post.

On June 15, 1978, the Phillies and Braves swapped pitchers with Dick Ruthven coming to Philadelphia and Gene Garber heading to Atlanta.  I first wrote about this deal in a series preview post in 2012, featuring both pitchers' 1979 Topps cards.

Garber was purchased from the Royals back in July 1974 and for parts of five seasons, he was one of the Phillies most reliable relief pitchers.  He appeared in 250 games with the Phils, including a league leading 71 in 1975, compiling a 33-22 record with 51 saves and a 2.68 ERA.  Garber's career spanned 19 seasons and he eventually retired following his release by the Royals in July 1988. 

Ruthven was drafted by the Phillies in January 1973, and he appeared in his first game with the big club in April 1973.  After struggling in 1975, the Phils shipped him to the White Sox in the deal that netted Jim Kaat.  His second stint with the Phillies was much more successful, as his 17-10 record in 1980 helped the team to their first World Series ring.  In May 1983, Ruthven was dealt to the Cubs for Willie Hernandez.  He pitched with the Cubs until his release in May 1986.

Phillies Double Dippers - 1973 to 2015

This particular post has been lingering in my draft post folder since way back when the Phillies signed Marlon Byrd in November 2013.  Since we're quickly approaching the two-year anniversary of my first drafting this post, I decided to add this season's double dipper and finally hit the orange Publish button.

Here's my original text from November 2013 . . .

There's been a lot written and said over the past week with regards to the recent Marlon Byrd signing. The majority of the local media and most Phillies fans tend to absolutely despise the deal, and those of us who are taking a wait and see approach are in the minority.  By nature, I'm an optimistic person so I have to believe that General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. and his staff of advisers has to have some clue as to what they're doing.  But this post isn't about Amaro and his questionable moves, and I'm not about to delve into the pros and cons of the recent Byrd signing.

What does interest me however, is the fact that Byrd is the latest in a long line of ex-Phillies who have made their way back into red pinstripes after a stint elsewhere.  In a comment to this post, Jim from Downingtown made the excellent suggestion that I dedicate a post to Phillies making multiple appearances with the franchise over the years.  I'm sure fans of most teams feel the same way, and this is a very regional way to view the world, but it seems to me as if the Phillies dip back into their alumni pool more than most teams.  Garvey Cey Russell Lopes has an excellent feature on his blog where he looks at Dodgers Double Dippers, and my initial thought upon reading through these series of posts was, "So the Phillies aren't the only team to do this over and over?"

Rather than run this out over a series of several posts, and sticking with my theme of looking back over the last 40 years, I decided to just capture in one place those players who have made multiple appearances with the Phillies since 1973.  It was interesting for me to realize that most of the Phillies two-timers came during the 1990s.  Some of these reunions went well, and some were just plain awful.  Only time will tell on which side Byrd's return will fall.

1976 Topps #624

1981 Donruss #153

1982 Fleer #261

1989 Topps Tiffany #418

Name First Dip, Double Dip
Tony Taylor 1960-1971, 1974-1976
Dick Allen 1963-1969, 1975-1976
Joe Hoerner 1970-1972, 1975
Tim McCarver 1970-1972, 1975-1980
John Vukovich 1970-1971, 1976-1977, 1979-1981
Dick Ruthven 1973-1975, 1978-1983
Mike Anderson 1971-1975, 1979
Del Unser 1973-1974, 1979-1982

Ed Farmer 1974, 1982-1983
Willie Montanez 1970-1975, 1982
Bill Robinson 1972-1974, 1982-1983
Randy Lerch 1975-1980, 1986
Bob Dernier 1980-1983, 1988-1989

1994 Stadium Club Phillies #223

2000 Stadium Club Chrome #97

2002 Nabisco Phillies #15

2004 McDonald's Phillies #22

Dickie Noles 1979-1981, 1990
Rick Schu 1984-1987, 1991
Jay Baller 1982, 1992
Larry Andersen 1983-1986, 1993-1994
Mark Davis 1980-1981, 1993
Milt Thompson 1986-1988, 1993-1994
Randy Ready 1989-1991, 1994-1995
Kyle Abbott 1992, 1995
Charlie Hayes 1989-1991, 1995
Ruben Amaro, Jr. 1992-1993, 1996-1998
Pete Incaviglia 1993-1994, 1996
Terry Mulholland 1989-1993, 1996
Jeff Parrett 1989-1990, 1996
Gary Bennett 1995-1996, 1998-2001
Toby Borland 1994-1996, 1998

Andy Ashby 1991-1992, 2000
Mickey Morandini 1990-1997, 2000
Ricky Bottalico 1994-1998, 2001-2002
Dennis Cook 1989-1990, 2001
Todd Pratt 1992-1994, 2001-2005
Dave Hollins 1990-1995, 2002
Mike Williams 1992-1996, 2003
Doug Glanville 1998-2002, 2004
Terry Adams 2002-2003, 2005
Jose Mesa 2001-2003, 2007
Tadahito Iguchi 2007, 2008

2011 Topps Target Throwback #89

2013 Topps Chasing History #CH-39

2014 Bowman Chrome #162

2015 Topps Opening Day Blue #190

Nelson Figueroa 2001, 2010
Placido Polanco 2002-2005, 2010-2012
Cliff Lee 2009, 2011-2014
Brian Sanches 2006, 2012
Jim Thome 2003-2005, 2012
Chad Durbin 2008-2010, 2013
Marlon Byrd 2002-2005, 2014
Erik Kratz 2011-2013, 2015

Phillies at Cubs: July 24th to July 26th

Friday and Saturday 4:05, Sunday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 34-63, 5th Place in the N.L. East
Cubs 51-43, 3rd Place in the N.L. Central

Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (3-7, 6.43), Cole Hamels (5-7, 3.91), Aaron Nola (0-1, 1.50)
Cubs Probables:  Jon Lester (5-8, 3.37), Jake Arrieta (11-5, 2.52), Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.82)

At the Ballpark:  It looks as if it will be a great weekend to be at Wrigley!  The first 10,000 fans this afternoon will receive a Billy Williams replica statue.  On Saturday, the Cubs are giving away a Jorge Soler bobble head and on Sunday the first 5,000 kids will receive a Cubs batting helmet.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .300
Runs:  Ben Revere - 48
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 16
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 48
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 22

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.91
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 124
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 16

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Anthony Rizzo - .287
Runs:  Dexter Fowler - 58
Home Runs:  Anthony Rizzo - 16
RBIs:  Kris Bryant - 54
Stolen Bases:  Dexter Fowler - 15

Wins:  Jake Arrieta - 11
ERA:  Jake Arrieta - 2.52
Strikeouts:  Jake Arrieta - 133
Saves:  Hector Rondon - 12

1985 Topps #538

1985 Topps #484

1985 Topps #460

1985 Topps #189

1985 Topps #563

1985 Topps #124

1985 Topps #589

1985 Topps #210

1985 Topps Appreciation:  I've got a whole bunch of 1985 Topps cards featured today, as I thought I'd take a look at some the ex-Phillies who played for the Cubs in 1984.  When Dallas Green took over as the Cubs general manager in 1981, he began the process of bringing over as many former Phillies coaches and players as possible.

Along with the selected Phillies-related transactions detailed below, Green was responsible for bringing Lee Elia and John Vukovich over to the Cubs to serve as coaches.

12/8/81 - Acquired Dan Larson, Keith Moreland and Dickie Noles from the Phillies for Mike Krukow and cash.

1/27/82 - Acquired Larry Bowa and Ryne Sandberg from the Phillies for Ivan DeJesus.

6/1/82 - Signed Jay Johnstone as a free agent.

1/25/83 - Acquired Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout from the White Sox for Scott Fletcher, Randy Martz, Pat Tabler and Dick Tidrow.

5/22/83 - Acquired Dick Ruthven and Bill Johnson from the Phillies for Willie Hernandez.

1/5/84 - Signed Richie Hebner as a free agent.

3/26/84 - Acquired Bob Dernier, Gary Matthews and Porfi Altamirano from the Phillies for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz.

1982 Fleer Stamps Phillies

Nobody, and I mean nobody that I knew in my small 2nd grade collecting circle wanted anything to do with the 1982 Fleer Stamps set.  The 1982 Topps Stickers were bigger, had better pictures and had color borders.  The 1982 Fleer Stamps set was a little off somehow, and if you decided to lick the backs and affix the stamps to their spots in the stamp album, you might end up feeling a little woozy.

Still, I collected the stamps and I'll end the first ever Gallery Week with a look at the Phillies team set from this under appreciated early 80s oddball issue.  Any requests for the next Gallery Week?

#51 Pete Rose

#52 Dick Ruthven

#53 Mike Schmidt

#54 Steve Carlton

#55 Tug McGraw

#56 Larry Bowa

#57 Garry Maddox

#58 Gary Matthews

#59 Manny Trillo

#60 Lonnie Smith

#107 Rose & Bowa

#109 Rose & Concepcion

#240 Kaat & Carlton

#241 Parker & Carlton

1981 Topps Home Team 5 x 7 Phillies

There's a picture of me somewhere at 6 or 7 years old sitting in front of my bedroom door on 12th Street.  Every available space on the door is occupied by cards from the giant-sized 1980 Topps Superstar 5 x 7 set or the similar 1981 Topps Home Team or National 5 x 7 sets.  The set with the most Phillies in it was the 1981 Topps Home Team 5 x 7 set, appropriately named since the home team's cards were most readily available in that home team's market.  These cards still make me incredibly nostalgic.