2015 Topps Stickers #194 Cole Hamels

Yankees 10, Phillies 2
Game 74 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 24th in New York
Record - 26-48, 5th Place, 14 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels struggled against the Yankees and the Phillies came back down to Earth in a 10-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phils will enjoy an off day Thursday and then welcome the first place Nationals to town for a three game weekend series.

What Happened:  Hamels allowed five runs on eight hits in five innings.  Justin De Fratus also got hit hard, allowing four runs in the final two frames of the ballgame.  Maikel Franco cooled off with an 0 for 4 day.

Featured Card:  Each time Hamels starts a game for the Phillies, I honestly think it's his last one.

Transaction:  The Phillippe Aumont era is officially over.  Aumont elected free agency rather than accept his demotion back to the IronPigs after being designated for assignment.

Departed During Season
Grady Sizemore (6/1/15) - Released  (Signed with the Tampa Bay Rays organization 6/15/15)
Phillippe Aumont (6/24/15) - Designated for assignment and elected free agency

Arrived During Season
Kevin Correia (6/8/15) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the San Francisco Giants organization

2015 Topps Museum Collection #24 Maikel Franco

Phillies 11, Yankees 6
Game 73 - Tuesday Night, June 23rd in New York
Record - 26-47, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  It was the Maikel Franco show (again) as the young third baseman drove in five runs (again) and led the Phillies on an 11-6 romp of the Yankees.

What It Means:  I wish I knew!  While violent storms were rolling through South Jersey Tuesday night, we (briefly) lost power and we were without cable, internet or cell service for the evening*.  I wanted desperately to listen to this game, but I was in the dark (literally).

What Happened:  Unbelievably but true, Franco became the first Phillies player with back-to-back five RBI games since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920.  Cesar Hernandez and Ben Revere both remained hot with three hits a piece and Cameron Rupp hit his first career home run.

Featured Card:  Of course Franco gets the honors for the second game in a row.

Transaction:  Following this game, Chase Utley was placed on the disabled list with ankle inflammation.  I find it intriguing that the Phillies are saying that Utley is out "indefinitely" which could be one way the club lets the struggling second baseman ride off quietly into the sunset.  Only time will tell.  Darin Ruf was recalled from the IronPigs to take Utley's spot on the roster.

*And last night too, but The Phillies Room World HQ is now back up and running!

2015 Donruss The Rookies #5 Maikel Franco

Phillies 11, Yankees 8
Game 72 - Monday Night, June 22nd in New York
Record - 25-47, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez led the biggest offensive outburst of the season for the Phillies, as the team won in the Bronx, 11-8.

What It Means:  The Phillies have a two-game winning streak for the first time since June 2nd and 3rd.

What Happened:  Franco enjoyed his first career multi-home run game, with blasts in the first and sixth innings.  He'd finish the game having gone 4 for 5 with five RBIs and he also made a fantastic diving stop on a hard hit ground ball in the bottom of the sixth.  Hernandez knocked in a pair of runs and scored three times.  Ben Revere also had a three-hit night.  (The only hitless starter for the Phillies was DH Chase Utley who went 0 for 4, dropping his season average to .179.)

Featured Card:  There are plenty of 2015 Franco baseball cards out there, and I hope I keep getting to show them off this season!

2015 Chachi #44 Seth Rosin

#60

Seth Daniel Rosin

Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'6"  Weight:  250

Born:  November 2, 1988, Fargo, ND

Home:  Shoreview, MN

Drafted:  Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 4th round of the June 2010 draft

Teams:  Texas Rangers 2014, Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Returned by the Texas Rangers from the Rule 5 draft, April 11, 2014

2013 Topps Pro Debut #203

6 Rosin Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2013 Topps Pro Debut #203
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2015 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #25

First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #44

Rosin Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 6/20/15.

2013 Topps Heritage Minor League #71 Adam Morgan (& Paul McCartney!)

Phillies 9, Cardinals 2
Game 71 - Sunday Afternoon, June 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 24-47, 5th Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Adam Morgan was stellar in his Major League debut and the offense came to life in a 9-2 Phillies win over the Cardinals.

What It Means:  The Phillies will try to win two in a row when they open a series against the Yankees in the Bronx tonight.

What Happened:  Morgan allowed a run and struck out six in his 5 2/3 innings of work.  Maikel Franco and Ben Revere each had three hits and Andres Blanco added a three-run pinch-hit home run in the seventh.  Cesar Hernandez had perhaps the biggest hit in this game, lacing a line drive single to right with two outs in the second that gave the Phillies a 3-0 lead.

Featured Cards:  Four of the nine Morgan baseball cards in my collection (to date) feature him with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, including this card from the 2013 Topps Heritage Minor League set.

2014 Topps Heritage
News Flashbacks #NF-TB

Bonus Beatles-Related Content:  Since my Mom first gave me her copy of the White Album when I was a wee lad, I've been a huge Beatles fan.  Some of my family and friends would argue that "huge" is a bit of an understatement as I've voraciously listened to all the music, read all the books and followed each of the Beatles' solo careers faithfully.  If you're interested, I recently put together a playlist in iTunes with Ringo Starr's 50 greatest solo songs (1970-2015).  But I digress.

On Sunday night, my wife and my two sons enjoyed Paul McCartney's concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.  It was my fourth time seeing Paul live (1989, 2005, 2010 and now 2015) and it was an amazing show.  Our youngest son Ben tired quickly and napped throughout most of the show while our oldest son Doug clapped and sang and shouted every few songs, "This is AWESOME!"  A splendid time was indeed had by all.

Phillies at Yankees: June 22nd to June 24th

Monday and Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 1:05
Yankee Stadium - New York, NY

Phillies 24-47, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Yankees 38-31, 2nd Place in the A.L. East, 1 game behind the Rays

Phillies Probables:  Kevin Correia (0-1, 1.69), Sean O'Sullivan (1-5, 4.79), Cole Hamels (5-5, 2.96)
Yankees Probables:  Michael Pineda (8-3, 3.54), CC Sabathia (3-7, 5.31), Adam Warren (5-4, 3.62)

At the Ballpark:  The Yankees have give-aways scheduled for all three games against the Phillies.  Tonight is Alzheimer's Awareness night with the first 18,000 fans receiving a Yankees hat.  Tomorrow night's give-away is a collectible Yankees cup and the first 18,000 fans on Sunday will receive a Dunkin' Donuts gift card.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .282
Runs:  Ben Revere - 34
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 13
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 34
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 17

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 103
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 13

Yankees Leaders
Average:  Alex Rodriguez - .282
Runs:  Brett Gardner - 49
Home Runs:  Mark Teixeira - 18
RBIs:  Mark Teixeira - 49
Stolen Bases:  Brett Gardner - 15

Wins:  Michael Pineda - 8
ERA:  Michael Pineda - 3.54
Strikeouts:  Michael Pineda - 87
Saves:  Andrew Miller - 17

1985 Topps #636

1985 Topps #284

1985 Topps Appreciation:  On June 30, 1984, the Phillies traded Marty Bystrom to the Yankees for Shane Rawley and Keigh Hughes.  Bystrom had been a hero for the 1980 World Champions, going 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA in the crucial month of September.  But injuries seemingly derailed his career and he'd never quite recapture the glory he found in September 1980.

This deal is one of the few from the early 1980s that actually worked out in the Phillies favor.  Rawley was one of the team's most reliable starting pitchers between the lean years of 1984 and 1988.  Over 145 games, he went 59-48 and made the All-Star team in 1986.

2015 Chachi #43 Phillippe Aumont

#48

Phillippe Aumont

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'7"  Weight:  241

Born:  January 7, 1989, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Home:  Clearwater, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round of the June 2007 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2012-

Acquired:  Acquired from the Seattle Mariners with Tyson Gillies and J.C. Ramirez for Cliff Lee, December 16, 2009

2010 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #3

2012 Chachi #52

2013 Phillies Team Issue #48

2013 Topps #646

14 Aumont Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2010 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #3
First Phillies Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #48
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2013 Topps #646
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2013 Phillies Team Issue #48
Latest Card:  2015 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #1

First Chachi Base Card:  2012 Chachi #52

Aumont Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 6/21/15.

2015 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #25 Seth Rosin

Cardinals 10, Phillies 1
Game 70 - Saturday Night, June 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 23-47, 5th Place, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  John Lackey easily handled the Phillies bats as Aaron Harang and Seth Rosin were hit hard in this 10-1 loss to the Cardinals.

What It Means:  The best team in baseball once again punished the worst team in baseball.

What Happened:  The only offense for the Phillies came courtesy of a solo home run in the second from Cody Asche that gave the team an early and short lead in this ballgame.  Harang gave up four runs in his six innings of work, including a three-run home run to Randal Grichuk in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Rosin's Phillies debut didn't go so well.  In two innings of work, the reliever allowed five runs on seven hits.  Rosin is the pitcher who made headlines last year by making the opening day rosters of both the Dodgers and the Rangers before making his way back to the Phillies.  He was originally acquired by the Phillies in the Hunter Pence deal from the Giants, along with Nate Schierholtz (currently playing in Japan) and Tommy Joseph (sidelined at Lehigh Valley with another concussion).

Transaction:  Rosin took the roster spot of Friday night's starting pitcher, Phillippe Aumont, who was designated for assignment.

Happy Father's Day!

1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #45

I miss my Dad, but I'm grateful I'll get to spend the day today with my two sons.  Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

1970 Topps #186 Rick Joseph

Cardinals 12, Phillies 4
Game 69 - Friday Night, June 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 23-46, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  In his first (and perhaps last) big league start, Phillippe Aumont struggled mightily and the Cardinals notched an easy 12-4 win.

What It Means:  Aumont was making a spot start to give Cole Hamels' hamstring an extra day of rest.  He lasted four innings, allowing six runs on five hits and seven walks.  He most likely will not be starting another game for the Phillies anytime soon.

What Happened:  The Phillies and Cardinals wore retro uniforms from the 1960s in this game.  Other than the cool retro jerseys and an incident with a squirrel on the field, this game should be quickly forgotten.

Featured Card:  The Phillies chose to wear uniforms from their 1969 season, as evidenced by the MLB patch on the left shoulder celebrating the league's 100th year.  I don't think there's a good baseball card from the era showing a Phillies player in a home jersey with the patch, so I went with this card of Rick Joseph in an away jersey which clearly shows it off.

Transaction:  Hector Neris was sent back to Lehigh Valley after just one game to make room on the roster for Aumont.

2015 Chachi #42 Domonic Brown

#9

Domonic Larun Brown

Right Field

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  223

Born:  September 3, 1987, Zephyrhills, FL

Home:  Dunedin, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 20th round of the June 2006 draft

Teams: Phillies 2010-

Acquired:  Via draft

2007 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #1

2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP199

2010 Chachi #47

2010 Topps Update #US-318

98 Brown Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2007 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #1
First Phillies Card:  2008 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP199
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2010 Topps Update #US-318
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2010 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 #9

First Chachi Base Card:  2010 Chachi #47

Brown Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 6/19/15.

And yes, that's the same photo Topps used for Brown's card in its 2015 Series One release.

Cardinals at Phillies: June 19th to June 21st

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

Cardinals 43-23, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 4 games ahead of the Pirates
Phillies 23-45, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 13 games behind the Mets

Cardinals Probables:  Tyler Lyons (1-0, 5.00), John Lackey (5-4, 3.59), Michael Wacha (9-2, 2.48)
Phillies Probables:  Phillippe Aumont (0-0, 0.00), Aaron Harang (4-8, 3.24), Adam Morgan (0-0, 0.00)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is 1960s Retro Night with both teams taking the field in throwback uniforms from the 1960s.  There's much more information about this theme night here.  On Sunday, all men 15 and over will receive a 1960s Phillies hat as part of the Father's Day celebration.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .280
Runs:  Ben Revere - 32
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 12
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 30
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 17

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 103
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 13

1985 Topps Traded #30T

1985 Topps #421

1985 Topps Traded #98T

1985 Topps #791

1985 Topps Appreciation:  If you want to trace the legacy of the dreadful trade that sent Ryne Sandberg to the Cubs in January 1982, it gets even more depressing.  As all Phillies (and Cubs) fans know, Sandberg and Larry Bowa were traded to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus.  Over three years later, on April 6, 1985, DeJesus and reliever Bill Campbell were traded to the Cardinals for pitcher Dave Rucker.  The four Topps baseball cards featured above present the before and after results of this Phillies-Cardinals trade.  (I featured Campbell's 1985 Topps card in the Red Sox series preview that opened the season.)

Over the course of three years and three months, the Phils gave up Sandberg, Bowa, DeJesus and Campbell . . . for Rucker.  The southpaw spent parts of two seasons with the Phillies, going 3-4 with a 4.66 ERA and a WHIP of 1.639 over 104 1/3 innings pitched.

2015 Topps Heart of the Order #HOR-14 Ryan Howard

Phillies 2, Orioles 1
Game 68 - Thursday Afternoon, June 18th in Philadelphia
Record - 23-45, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard's two-run home run in the sixth inning was the difference in this ballgame as the Phillies won, 2-1.

What It Means:  The nine game losing streak is over!  The Cardinals come to town tonight to start a three-game series.

What Happened:  The offense managed just five hits, but thankfully one of them was Howard's blast.  Starting pitcher Sean O'Sullivan set a career high with seven strikeouts and allowed just a run in five innings.  Jake Diekman pitched a scorless sixth for the win.

Featured Card:  This Howard insert card was included in one of the packs of the recently released Topps Series 2 that I purchased from our local Target yesterday.  Interestingly enough, the photo here is from the 2008 World Series as you can see the 2008 World Series patch on Howard's right shoulder.

Transaction:  Diekman was recalled from Lehigh Valley prior to this game and Dustin McGowan was designated for assignment.

2015 Chachi #41 Kevin Correia

#28

Kevin John Correia

Starting Pitcher

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

Born:  August 24, 1980, San Diego, CA

Drafted:  Selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 4th round of the June 2002 draft

Teams:  San Francisco Giants 2003-2008, San Diego Padres 2009-2010, Pittsburgh Pirates 2011-2012, Minnesota Twins 2013-2014, Los Angeles Dodgers 2014, Phillies 2015

Acquired:  Signed as a free agent formerly with the San Francisco Giants' organization, June 8, 2015

2009 Topps Update #UH185

0 Correia 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 Topps Base Card:  2009 Topps Update #UH185
First Chachi Base Card:  2015 Chachi #41

Correia Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

N/A

Cards and game statistics through 6/18/15.

2015 Phillies Team Issue 2 #13 Freddy Galvis

Orioles 6, Phillies 4
Game 67 - Wednesday Night, June 17th in Philadelphia
Record - 22-45, 5th Place, 14 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Freddy Galvis booted a ball in the fourth leading to four unearned runs and the Orioles went on to win the ballgame, 6-4.

What It Means:  The News Journal's Meghan Montemurro points out in her Tweet that the Phillies have now lost 19 of their last 22 games and their run differential of -113 is the worst in the Majors.

What Happened:  Galvis partially made up for his fielding miscue with a three-run home run in the seventh, but it wasn't quite enough.  In his second start with the Phillies, Kevin Correia allowed six runs (just two earned) on seven hits in five innings.

Featured Card:  After a decent start to the season, Galvis has been on a steady decline.  Since May 15th, Galvis is hitting .158 (16 for 101) with three walks and three extra base hits, including his home run from last night.

Transaction:  Starting pitcher Jerome Williams was placed on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain and reliever Hector Neris was recalled from Lehigh Valley.  The Phillies will need to place Williams' place in the rotation for Sunday's game.

Orioles at Phillies: June 17th to June 18th

Wednesday 7:05 and Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Orioles 33-31, Tied for 3rd Place in the A.L. East, 2 games behind the Rays
Phillies 22-44, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 14 games behind the Mets

Orioles Probables:  Ubaldo Jimenez (4-3, 3.19), Bud Norris (2-4, 8.29)
Phillies Probables:  Kevin Correia (0-0, 0.00), Sean O'Sullivan (1-5, 5.08)

At the Ballpark:  There are a few themed, discounted tickets available for these games but no giveaways are scheduled.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .273
Runs:  Ben Revere - 31
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 11
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 28
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 15

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 103
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 12

1985 Topps #366

1985 Topps #289

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Maybe featuring two players who were both part of the fantastic Phillies teams of the late 1970s could help turn the current team's fortunes around?  Probably not . . . but I'll try anything at this point.

Todd Cruz only played in three games for the 1978 Phillies, going 2 for 4, before moving on to play parts of five more seasons with the Royals, Angels, White Sox, Mariners and Orioles.  He went 2 for 16 against the Phillies in the 1983 World Series.

Tom Underwood spent his first four seasons with the Phillies, compiling a 28-20 record in 89 games with a 4.02 ERA.  He was shipped to the Cardinals in the June 1977 deal that brought Bake McBride to the Phillies.  This card contains Underwood's complete career statistics as his 1984 season with the Orioles would be his last in the majors.

2015 Chachi #14B Jeff Francoeur

Orioles 19, Phillies 3
Game 66 - Tuesday Night, June 16th in Baltimore
Record - 22-44, 5th Place, 14 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Jeff Francoeur pitched the only scoreless inning by a Phillies pitcher as the Orioles leveled a savage, merciless 19-3 beating on this horrendous, awful team.

What It Means:  The Orioles set a new franchise record with home runs in a game with eight.  This was the most runs allowed by the Phillies since September 4, 1999, when the Reds beat them by a score of 22-3.  The Phillies have lost eight in a row and their road record dropped to 7-28.

In fact, this is the first winless road trip of eight or more games for the Phillies since 1883, the year the franchise was established.  Dustin McGowan became the first Phillies relief pitcher ever to allow five home runs in a game.

What Happened:  Presented here, without commentary, are the Phillies pitching lines for this game.

Featured Card:  Francoeur gets a special Chachi variation card for his gutsy performance in this game.  He kept the Orioles off the board in the seventh, striking out Nolan Reimold in the process.  He threw a grueling 48 pitches before this game mercifully came to a close.

For what it's worth, Francoeur earns the first Chachi Image Variation card since this 2013 Chachi Casper Wells card.

1997 Metal Universe #204 Ricky Otero

Orioles 4, Phillies 0
Game 65 - Monday Night, June 15th in Baltimore
Record - 22-43, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen easily handled the Phillies in a 4-0 Orioles win.

What It Means:  This was the seventh straight loss for the Phillies.  Following this game, the Phillies offense had not scored in 21 consecutive innings.

What Happened:  Aaron Harang struggled again, allowing four runs in his six innings of work.

Featured Card:  Courtesy of this Tweet from STATS, the Phillies are more than 20 games under .500, 65 games into the season, for the first time since the miserable 1997 season.  Of all the 1997 Phillies baseball cards I own, this seemed like one of the most 1997 Phillies-est.

Phillies at Orioles: June 15th to June 16th

Monday and Tuesday 7:05
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, MD

Phillies 22-42, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 12 games behind the Mets
Orioles 31-31, 4th Place in the A.L. East, 3 games behind the Rays and Yankees

Phillies Probables:  Aaron Harang (4-7, 3.04), Jerome Williams (3-6, 5.71)
Orioles Probables:  Wei-Yin Chen (2-4, 3.21), Chris Tillman (4-7, 5.68)

At the Ballpark:  Every Monday and Thursday, 90 minutes before game time, former Orioles players sign autographs on Eutaw Street.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .277
Runs:  Ben Revere - 31
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 11
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 28
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 15

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 103
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 12

1985 Topps Traded #104T

1985 Topps #476

1985 Topps #173

1985 Topps Appreciation:  A few years after these cards were first released, on March 21, 1988, the Rick Schu Era for the Phillies came to an end.  Schu was traded on that day to the Orioles with Keith Hughes and Jeff Stone for Mike Young and a player to be named later (eventually Frank Bellino).

Schu was on the other end of the 1985 experiment that sent Mike Schmidt to first base for a season before the team executives came to their senses and moved the future Hall of Famer back to the hot corner.  Schu would serve as Schmidt's back-up at third for two more seasons until he was shipped to the Orioles.

Young didn't even make a full season with the Phillies, as he was traded to the Brewers in August 1988 for pitcher Alex Madrid.