Thomson Manages National League to All-Star Game Win

National League 3, American League 2
All-Star Game - Tuesday Night, July 11th in Seattle

One Sentence Summary:  The National League, managed by Rob Thomson with help from the entire Phillies coaching staff, beat the American League for the first time since 2012, breaking a nine-year losing streak.

What It Means:  I'm getting old.  Our oldest son Doug had a baseball game on Tuesday night, and I was largely disinterested in the game once we returned home.  I recorded the game, watching the pre-game introductions and the first few innings over this past weekend.  I was not impressed.  The All-Star Game uniforms were atrocious, the game was secondary to the on-field interviews and other non-stop antics and I came away missing the All-Star Games of my youth.  I couldn't tell who most of the players were or even what team they were from.

What Happened:  The American League held a 2-1 lead until the Rockies' Elias Diaz hit a two-run home in the eighth to give the National League the lead and eventual win.  Diaz would win MVP honors for his big hit.

Featured Cards:  Thomson, manager of the 2022 National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies, in case anyone forgot, brought his entire coaching staff and both bullpen catchers with him to Seattle.  In the bottom of the fifth, Nick Castellanos replaced starting center fielder Mookie Betts.  Castellanos had never before appeared in center field during his 10-plus seasons in the majors.  He came to bat in the top of the sixth and struck out swinging against Orioles' All-Star reliever Yennier Cano.  Cano is a player I didn't realize existed until I just typed that sentence.  In the top of the eighth, with another Orioles' mystery reliever on the mound, Felix Bautista, Castellanos led off with a walk.  Castellanos would get to second on a wild pitch before Diaz hit his eventual game-winning home run.

In the bottom of the ninth, Thomson called on his closer, Craig Kimbrel, to record the final three outs.  Wander Franco flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. struck out swinging.  Kimbrel then walked Kyle Tucker and Julio Rodriguez before striking out the Guardians' Jose Ramirez to end the game and secure the win.

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2023 Chachi #44 J.T. Realmuto HL / 2023 Chachi #48 Johan Rojas

Game 89 - Phils Fall Again to Fish; Draft H.S. Shortstop Miller with 1st Pick

Marlins 7, Phillies 3
Game 89 - Sunday Afternoon, July 9th in Miami
Record - 48-41, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 10 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were seemingly never really in this ballgame, losing 7-3 to the Marlins.

What It Means:  That's a wrap on the first half of the 2023 season!  The Phillies limped into the All-Star Break having lost two in a row to the Marlins.  They'll send manager Rob Thomson, their entire coaching staff, Nick Castellanos and Craig Kimbrel to Seattle for the annual All-Star Game.  On Saturday, Kimbrel was named to the roster to replace the Brewers' Devin Williams.

What Happened:  Aaron Nola took the loss, giving up three home runs and five runs overall.  Old friend Jean Segura contributed a two-run single in the fourth to give the Marlins a 5-0 lead.  Edmundo Sosa hit a two-run home in the fifth for the Phillies, who had only six hits in this game.

Featured Card:  With the 27th pick in the annual amateur player draft, the Phillies selected Aidan Miller (ss) from J.W. Mitchell High School in Florida.  Miller was projected to go much higher in the draft, but his missed his senior year after breaking the hamate bone in his left hand in his first at-bat of the season.  Like I've done every year since 2014, I created a Chachi Draft Pick card for Miller, his first of hopefully many Chachi cards with the Phillies.

Memory Lane
2014 Draft - Aaron Nola (rhp)
2015 Draft - Cornelius Randolph (ss)
2016 Draft - Mickey Moniak (of)
2017 Draft - Adam Haseley (of)
2018 Draft - Alec Bohm (3b)
2019 Draft - Bryson Stott (ss)
2020 Draft - Mick Abel (rhp)

2021 Draft - Andrew Painter (rhp)

2022 Draft - Justin Crawford (of)

2023 Draft - Aidan Miller (ss)

Transaction:  Jose Alvarado (lhp) landed back on the Injured List with left elbow inflammation and Andrew Bellatti (rhp) was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.

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Game 93 - Phillies End Long Day of Baseball with 12th Inning Win

2023 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #26

Phillies 7, Padres 6 (12 Innings)
Game 93 - Sunday Afternoon, July 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 51-42, 3rd Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies impressively won this game in the 12th inning, ending a very long day of baseball with a 7-6 win over the Padres.

What It Means:  The game itself was 3 1/2 hours long following a nearly 3-hour rain delay at the outset.  Following an off-day Monday, the Brewers come to town for three games beginning on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  Down 3-1 after five innings, the Phillies scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a brief lead.  Kyle Schwarber homered, J.T. Realmuto laced a two-run double down the left field line and Drew Ellis drew a bases loaded walk.  The Padres tied it up, 5-5, in the eighth off reliever Gregory Soto, spoiling Zack Wheeler's potential win.  Wheeler had gone seven innings, allowing three runs on a pair of home runs while striking out seven.  In the 10th, both teams traded runs to prolong the game further.  Finally, in the 12th, Johan Rojas bunted ghost runner Edmundo Sosa to third with a perfect sacrifice.  Kyle Schwarber then lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Sosa and giving the Phillies the win.

Jeff Hoffman was big out of the Phillies' bullpen, earning the win with two perfect innings of work.

Featured Card:  I'll give Hoffman the Featured Card here, and it's the only card of his to date in my collection from the IronPigs team set.

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Game 88 - Phils, Suarez Fall to Fish in Miami

2023 Choice Reading
Fightin Phils #40

Marlins 5, Phillies 3
Game 88 - Saturday Afternoon, July 8th in Miami
Record - 48-40, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 9 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies bats were largely quiet and Ranger Suarez had another iffy outing in this 5-3 loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  Probably the scariest moment of this game was Bryce Harper getting drilled in his surgically repaired elbow by Marlins pitcher Braxton Garrett in the third inning.  Harper would leave the game as a precaution and come back seemingly fine following the All-Star Game break.

What Happened:  Suarez pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and four walks.  Trea Turner hit a solo home run in the top of the first, his 10th of the year.  The Marlins would score three times in the bottom of the first off Suarez.  In the second, the Phillies tied the game following an RBI double from Cristian Pache and an RBI groundout from Kyle Schwarber.  That was it for the Phillies in the runs department.  The Marlins took the lead in the fourth off Suarez and scored a seventh inning insurance run off reliever Yunior Marte.

Featured Card:  The annual Futures Game took place on Saturday night, with top prospects Mick Abel and Justin Crawford representing the Phillies.  Abel got the start for the National League Futures team, pitching a scoreless first inning and striking out a pair.  He'd get the win after his team won in a 5-0 shutout.  Crawford started as the National League's DH and went 0 for 2 with an RBI.  The newest card of Abel's in my collection is from the 2023 Reading Fightin Phils team set.

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Game 87 - Pache's Pinch-Hit Blast Send Phils to Victory!

2023 Topps Now #535

Phillies 4, Marlins 3
Game 87 - Friday Night, July 7th in Miami
Record - 48-39, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 8 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Cristian Pache hit a dramatic, ninth inning, pinch-hit, two-run home run to give the Phillies an unexpected 4-3 win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  Not to spoil the ending, but this would be the final road win in the Phillies impressive 13-game road win streak, matching the club's longest streak since 1976.

What Happened:  The Marlins scored three runs early off Phillies' starter Zack Wheeler, taking a 3-0 lead into the sixth inning.  With Sandy Alcantara cruising for the Marlins, J.T. Realmuto connected for a solo home run in the top of the sixth.  Alcantara would retire two batters in the seventh before yielding to the bullpen.  Trailing 3-1, and with closer A.J. Puk on the mound, Realmuto singled to start the inning and he'd come home on an RBI double from Alec Bohm.  Pache came to bat for Brandon Marsh and just cleared the center field wall with his huge home run, giving the Phillies a 4-3 lead.  Craig Kimbrel kept the Marlins from scoring in the bottom of the ninth, recording his 14th save.

Featured Card:  Pache earned a Topps Now card for his heroics, and I'm taking the unusual step here of featuring a screen shot of that card for this post.  This will be Pache's first Phillies baseball card, and hopefully I'll have a physical version of the card in hand soon.

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Game 86 - Clutch 11th Innings Hits Completes Sweep of Rays

Phillies 3, Rays 1 (11 Innings)
Game 86 - Thursday Night, July 6th in St. Petersburg
Record - 47-39, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 7 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies won dramatically in 11 innings, completing the sweep of the Rays and extending their road win streak to 12 games.

What It Means:  The team will head to Miami for a three-game series with the Marlins to wrap up the season's first half.

What Happened:  Darick Hall hit a solo home run off old friend Jake Diekman in the fifth to start the scoring, but then Isaac Paredes hit a solo home run off Cristopher Sanchez in the bottom of the inning to tie up the score.  And the game remained in a 1-1 tie until the top of the 11th.  With pinch-runner Edmundo Sosa as the ghost runner to start the inning, Brandon Marsh flied out and Garrett Stubbs was hit in the elbow.  Kyle Schwarber grounded a single to right to score Sosa, and Trea Turner added an insurance run with a single scoring Stubbs.

The Phillies bullpen backed up Sanchez's great outing with five shutout innings from Yunior Marte, Jose Alvarado, Craig Kimbrel and Matt Strahm, who picked up the win.

Featured Card:  Topps was able to digitally alter Strahm's photo for his Topps Heritage card, switching his Red Sox uniform to a Phillies uniform.  He's been one of the club's most reliable pitchers this year, in any role given to him - starting, long relief or closing.

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Game 85 - Phils Continue to Roll with Win Over Rays

2023 Phillies Kids Club

Phillies 8, Rays 4
Game 85 - Wednesday Night, July 5th in St. Petersburg
Record - 46-39, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 6 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  After a messy start to this game, the Phillies scored five unanswered runs to eventually win over the Rays, 8-4.

What It Means:  This was the 11th win in a row on the road, the team's longest road win streak since a 13-game win streak in 1976.

What Happened:  The Rays held a 4-3 lead after four innings with the Phillies receiving RBI singles from Alec Bohm, Darick Hall and J.T. Realmuto.  In the fifth, Trea Turner tied it up with a solo home run off the foul pole in left field.  Bryson Stott would add an RBI single later in the inning, one of his four hits for the day.  In the sixth, All-Star Nick Castellanos launched a solo home run to center field, his 13th of the season, tying his entire home run output from 2022.  Brandon Marsh added a two-run single in the seventh to complete the scoring for the day.

Taijuan Walker won his 10th of the season, pitching seven solid innings and allowing four runs on five hits while striking out eight.  Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman pitched the final two shutout innings for the Phillies.

Featured Card:  I'll give the game post featured card to Stott, largely on the strength of his four hits, but also because I'm out of cards to feature for Walker (for now).  This is Stott's Phillies Kids Club card, available as a ballpark promotion with membership into the eponymous club.

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Game 84 - Nola Out-Duels Eflin in July 4th Win

2023 Topps Heritage #300

Phillies 3, Rays 1
Game 84 - Tuesday Afternoon, July 4th in St. Petersburg
Record - 45-39, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 5 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola out-dueled former teammate Zach Eflin as the Phillies held on to beat the Rays, 3-1.

What It Means:  These catch-up posts are going quicker than I thought they would?  A three-hour rain delay for the Phillies the day I'm catching up (July 16th) is certainly helping things out.

What Happened:  The Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the second on back-to-back doubles from Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm.  Nola and Eflin exchanged zeroes after that until the top of the seventh when Bryce Harper doubled, went to third on a Wander Franco error and scored on Stott's single to right.  The Phillies went up 3-0 in the eighth when Harper drove home Kyle Schwarber with an RBI single.  Nola's only blemish came in the bottom of the eighth when he gave up a solo home to Franco, chasing him from the game.  Craig Kimbrel pitched a perfect ninth, including two strikeouts, recording his 13th save.

Featured Card:  Nola's line was impressive - 7 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 12 strikeouts.  Here's his card from the Topps Heritage set, which does a great job using the baby blue throwback uniform.

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Game 83 - Suarez Slammed by Nats; Castellanos is an All-Star

2023 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Nationals 5, Phillies 4
Game 83 - Sunday Afternoon, July 2nd in Philadelphia
Record - 44-39, 3rd Place, 12 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 4 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  A pair of home runs doomed Ranger Suarez and the Phillies, as the Nationals stunned the Phillies a day after being demolished.

What It Means:  I kept brief notes on my phone during our cruise, knowing I'd want to eventually catch up with game summary posts for the games we had missed.  For this game, I wrote, "Crappy loss, [Nick] Castellanos is the only All-Star."  I think I was just as bummed as the Phillies getting only one All-Star as I was with the loss.  We were hopeful Bryce Harper would be voted by the fans to be the starting DH for the National League.  (Craig Kimbrel would join Castellanos on the All-Star roster a few days later.)

What Happened:  The game started well for the Phillies with Castellanos hitting a solo home in the first and J.T. Realmuto following with a two-run home run after Harper had singled.  It was all downhill from there.  Suarez loaded the bases in the third on a single and two walks before Stone Garrett connected for a grand slam to left center field.  Jeimer Candeleario would add a solo home run in the fifth.

Featured Card:  This is the All-Star's team-issued 2023 photo card, available not in set form this year, but individually or within select memorabilia grab bags.

Transaction:  Before the game, Darrick Hall (1b) was recalled from Lehigh Valley and Kody Clemens (inf) was optioned down.  Hall went 1 for 4 in his return to the Phillies' line-up.

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Game 82 - Phils Feast on Nationals' Pitching

2023 Topps Heritage #328

Phillies 19, Nationals 4
Game 82 - Saturday Night, July 1st in Philadelphia
Record - 44-38, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 3 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies, relatively quiet at the plate the past few games, absolutely demolished Nationals pitching in this 19-4 win.

What It Means:  Shaquille O'Neal performed his postgame DJ set as his Diesel persona, and I imagine it was a fairly raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park given this game's outcome.

What Happened:  Alec Bohm hit a pair of home runs and drove in six runs.  Nick Castellanos added a two-run home run and had three hits for the day.  Kyle Schwarber connected for a fifth inning grand slam.  It was an all too rare laugher of a game for the Phillies, who did all their scoring before the sixth inning and had 18 hits overall.  Zack Wheeler didn't throw a gem, but allowing four runs in five innings of work was good enough for his seventh win of the season.

Featured Card:  Bohm, the team RBI leader, was 4 for 5 with three runs scored and six RBIs.  I'm slowly working through the Topps Heritage Phillies team set in these game summary posts, and here's Bohm's 1974 Topps-inspired card from that set.

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Game 81 - Punchless Phils Fall to Nats

2023 Choice Lehigh Valley
IronPigs #32

Nationals 2, Phillies 1
Game 81 - Friday Night, June 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-38, 3rd Place, 11 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 2 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies came out flat in this 2-1 loss to the Nationals, disappointing a sell-out crowd who were hoping for more than just postgame fireworks.

What It Means:  The loss broke a four-game win streak.

What Happened:  Cristopher Sanchez deserved better, as the Phillies starter went six innings, allowing just two runs (one earned).  In the top of the second, Keibert Ruiz reached on a Trea Turner error and Stone Garrett then connected for a two-run home run.  The Phillies halved the difference in the bottom of the second.  Bryson Stott singled, stole second and came home on Alec Bohm's single to left.  That was the extent of the offense for the rest of the game, as neither team scored again.

Featured Card:  Sanchez's baseball card appearances have been sparse to date, and the only Phillies card I have of his in my collection is from last year's team-issued photo card set.  Other than that, I have three minor league cards of his, including this card from the recently released IronPigs team set.

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Game 80 - Phils Complete Sweep of Cubs

2023 Topps Herirtage #17

Phillies 3, Cubs 1
Game 80 - Thursday Night, June 29th in Chicago
Record - 43-37, 3rd Place, 10 games behind the Braves

Completely Unnecessary Post-Vacation Game Recap Post 1 of 10

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies completed the sweep of the Cubs in this low-scoring game, winning 3-1 behind another solid start from Taijuan Walker.

What It Means:  It was the first sweep of the Cubs since 2015, and the Phillies' current nine-game road win streak is their longest since 1984.

What Happened:  Walker picked up his ninth win, allowing a run on six hits in his six innings of work.  The bullpen trio of Yunior Marte, Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel shut down the Cubs over the final three innings with Kimbrel earning his 12th save.  Kyle Schwarber hit a lead-off home run in the first, launching the first pitch of the game into the Wrigley Field right field bleachers.  Bryce Harper added two runs with a two-run single in the third.

Featured Card:  Here's Harper's 1974 Topps inspired card from this year's Topps Heritage set.

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Game 90 - Phils Fail to Return from All-Star Break

2023 Topps Baseball 35th
Anniversary All-Stars #88AS-34

Padres 8, Phillies 3
Game 90 - Friday Night, July 14th in Philadelphia
Record - 48-42, 3rd Place, 13 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies' bats forgot to return from the All-Star break, as the Padres easily took this 8-3 win.

What It Means:  After a long post-vacation week of trying to catch up at work and attempting to defeat a nasty cold, it was slightly refreshing to sit and watch at least the beginning of this game, despite the outcome.

What Happened:  Not much happened from the Phillies' perspective.  Cristopher Sanchez got the start and gave up three runs in five innings of work.  The bullpen couldn't keep the game close following Sanchez's departure, with Andrew Vasquez and Dylan Covey each allowing a pair of runs.  Alec Bohm had a two-run double in the fourth and J.T. Realmuto hit a solo home run in the ninth.

Featured Card:  My Topps Series Two master team set was waiting for us when we returned from vacation, and this was one of the insert cards in the package.  Harper didn't do much in this game, and he didn't go to the All-Star Game, but it seemed like a good enough card to mark the beginning of the season's second half.

Transaction:  On Wednesday following the All-Star Game, Josh Harrison (inf) was placed on the Injured List with a right wrist contusion.  Cristian Pache (of) landed on the Injured List prior to this game with a right elbow injury.  Drew Ellis (inf) and Johan Rojas (of) were recalled to take their spots on the roster.

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Game 92 - Rojas Stars, Harper Homers in Win Over Padres

2023 Choice Reading
Fightin Phils #31

Phillies 9, Padres 4 (Game 2)
Game 92 - Saturday Night, July 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-42, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Johan Rojas collected his first big league hits, going 3 for 4 with a pair of RBIs in this 9-4 win over the Padres.

What It Means:  Weather permitting, the Phillies will go for the four-game series win this afternoon.  They're currently a game behind the Giants for the third National League Wild Card spot.

What Happened:  Harper hit his fourth home run of the season in the fourth inning, tying up the score and marking the first time since May 25th the slugger had homered.  The Phillies took the lead for good in the fifth.  Garrett Stubbs and Rojas singled to start the inning, with Rojas collecting his first big league hit.  Kyle Schwarber then launched a three-run home to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead.  Rojas bunted safely for a base hit in the sixth, scoring Bryson Stott and giving his team a 5-2 lead.  Rojas would collect his third hit and second RBI in the seventh, singling home Stott again as the Phillies mounted a 9-2 advantage.

Taijuan Walker pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits, on the way to his 11th victory.

Featured Card:  Rojas received a Topps Now card for his big day, and that will become the first mainstream Phillies card of his in my collection.  This is the newest card of his in my collection from the Reading Fightin Phils team set.

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Game 91 - Phils Rally Late in Win Over Padres

2023 Topps #432

Phillies 6, Padres 4 (Game 1)
Game 91 - Saturday Afternoon, July 15th in Philadelphia
Record - 49-42

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies mounted an impressive late inning comeback to defeat the Padres in game one of Saturday's scheduled double header, 6-4.

What It Means:  My All-Star break was a little longer than most.  We enjoyed a wonderful family vacation on a seven-night cruise where internet access was spotty and the Phillies games were almost completely missed.  Upon our return, I was buried with both work and a nasty cold.  I'll fill in the gaps with the games I missed as time permits, starting with yesterday's double header and working backwards.  Sometimes I need to remind myself this blog is a hobby and not the source of breaking news or relevant content to anyone other than (mostly) me.  A two-week break was needed, but now I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine.  (At least until our next vacation. 😀)

What Happened:  The Padres led 3-0 after 5 1/2 innings thanks to Trent Grisham's three-run home run off Phillies' starter Ranger Suarez.  Suarez would have been out of the inning if not for an ill-advised play by Trea Turner in which he tried to get too fancy with a ground ball, flipping the ball behind his back to an unaware Edmundo Sosa.  Everyone was safe, the inning continued and Grisham hit his blast.  The Phillies started chipping away in the sixth when Brandon Marsh doubled a pair of runs home.  Kyle Schwarber tied it up with a solo home run, his 23rd, in the seventh.  In the eighth, with the Padres back up 4-3, Bryce Harper hustled out an infield hit to tie to score again.  Schwarber and Turner then hit successive singles to give the Phillies a 6-4 lead.  All-Star Craig Kimbrel walked a pair, but ultimately shut the Padres down to record his 15th save.

Featured Card:  I'm happy to be back, and here's a card from Topps Series Two that should make any Phillies fan happy.

Field Report:  Funny story . . . We had tickets for this game, but completely missed it as I had thought we had tickets for the second game.  I didn't find my mistake until we realized we weren't going to be able to make it to the second game due to our son Doug's baseball schedule.  Looking to transfer the tickets to someone who could use them, I quickly saw our two tickets were for the 1:05 game, at the time almost over, and not the 7:05 game.  Oops.

Transaction:  Luis Ortiz (rhp) was recalled from Lehigh Valley as the 27th man for this double header.

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Padres at Phillies: July 14th to July 16th

2014 Topps Heritage #23

2014 Topps Heritage #255

Friday 6:05, Saturday 1:05 and 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the second of two Xfinity Fireworks shows, one of the annual highlights of the Phillies season.  Tomorrow is a split day-night double header, with all fans attending the afternoon game receiving a Bryce Harper 2022 National League Champions replica ring.  On Sunday, all kids receive a J.T. Realmuto figurine bank.

Padres 43-47
4th Place in the N.L. West, 8 1/2 games behind the Dodgers and Diamondbacks

Padres Probables
Yu Darvish (5-6, 4.87)
Blake Snell (6-7, 2.85)
TBD
Seth Lugo (3-4, 3.39)

Padres Leaders
Average:  Fernando Tatis - .288
Runs:  Fernando Tatis - 52
Home Runs:  Fernando Tatis - 16
RBIs:  Manny Machado - 49
Stolen Bases:  Ha-Seong Kim - 16

Wins:  Joe Musgrove and Michael Wacha - 8
ERA:  Blake Snell - 2.85
Strikeouts:  Blake Snell - 132
Saves:  Josh Hader - 21

Phillies 48-41
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 12 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Cristopher Sanchez
Taijuan Walker
Ranger Suarez
Zack Wheeler

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Nick Castellanos - .301
Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 52
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 22
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 57
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 19

Wins:  Taijuan Walker - 10
ERA:  Taijuan Walker - 4.02

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 120
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 14

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Phillies at Marlins: July 7th to July 10th

2023 Chachi 1965 Topps Missing Links #10

2023 Chachi Series Previews #4

Friday 6:40, Saturday 4:10 and Sunday 1:40
loanDepot park - Miami, FL

At the Ballpark:  It's a Flashback Friday tonight, with the Marlins donning their classic early 1990s teal uniforms.  Saturday there's a Team USA Day Celebration scheduled and on Sunday, the first 8,000 fans will receive "Bobblehead #2," which at press time could honestly be anyone.  It might be you.

All staff and paid personnel from The Phillies Room will be taking some much-needed vacation time and live posting will resume upon our return at the All-Star Break.

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2023 Chachi #32 McKinley Moore

#79

McKinley David Moore
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  225
Opening Day Age:  24

Born:  August 24, 1998, Houston, TX
Acquired:  Traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Phillies for Adam Haseley, March 29, 2022

Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 2023

McKinley Moore joined the Phillies organization prior to the 2022 season as the return from the White Sox for former top draft pick Adam Haseley.  He had a strong showing in spring training in 2023, making him the first arm recalled from Lehigh Valley on the fifth day of the season when Yunior Marte faltered early.  Moore had a rough go of it in his three games with the Phillies in April, allowing seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings pitched (18.90 ERA).  He's currently on the IronPigs' Injured List, and hasn't pitched since mid-May.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  N/A
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  2023 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #31
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  4 as of 6/25/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #32

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

2023 Chachi #31 Cristian Pache / 2023 Chachi #33 Kody Clemens

Phillies at Rays: July 4th to July 6th

2014 Topps Heritage #483

2014 Topps Heritage #328

Tuesday 4:10, Wednesday and Thursday 6:40
Tropicana Field - St. Petersburg, FL

At the Ballpark:  The Rays' giveaway and promotional schedule shows nothing planned for this three game series, which is a little surprising given the series opener comes on the 4th of July.

All staff and paid personnel from The Phillies Room will be taking some much-needed vacation time and live posting will resume upon our return at the All-Star Break.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

2023 Chachi #31 Cristian Pache

#19

Cristian Rafael Pache
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  215
Opening Day Age:  24

Born:  November 19, 1998, Santo Domingo Centro, Dominican Republic
Acquired:  Traded by the Oakland Athletics to the Phillies for Billy Sullivan, March 29, 2023

Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible, 2025
Major League Teams:  Atlanta Braves 2020-2021; Oakland Athletics 2022; Philadelphia Phillies 2023

Once the top overall prospect in baseball, Cristian Pache played briefly in Atlanta before being shipped to Oakland as the centerpiece of the deal that brought slugger Matt Olson to the Braves in March 2022.  Pache has struggled at the plate in the majors, but in his first 22 games with the Phillies he's batting a healthy .324.  Pache was acquired from the Athletics the day before opening day, and added to the active roster for the season's second game.  He missed 42 games from late April to mid-June with a knee injury.

Collectors will need to wait a little longer before seeing Pache on a Phillies baseball card, and he appears with the A's in the Topps flagship and Topps Heritage releases so far this year.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps Heritage Minor League #168
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  2021-2023
Newest Card Added to My Phillies Collection:  N/A
Total Cards in My Phillies Collection:  0 as of 6/25/23.

Complete Chachi Checklist

2023 Chachi #31

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

2023 Chachi #30 Phillies Coaches / 2023 Chachi #32 McKinley Moore