Series Preview - Athletics at Phillies: September 15th to September 17th

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

Athletics 64-82, 5th Place in the A.L. West, 24 games behind the Astros
Phillies 57-89, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 32 games behind the Nationals

Athletics Probables:  Daniel Mengden (0-1, 7.07), Kendall Graveman (5-4, 4.48), Sean Manaea (10-10, 4.65)
Phillies Probables:  Mark Leiter, Jr. (3-5, 4.84), Ben Lively (3-6, 3.86), Henderson Alvarez (0-0, 0.00)

At the Ballpark:  It's The Goldbergs Night tonight, which will pay tribute to the TV show of the same name.  All fans will receive a Phillies retro slap bracelet.  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Phillies winter aviator hat.

Athletics Leaders
Average:  Jed Lowrie - .276
Runs:  Khris Davis - 83
Home Runs:  Khris Davis - 39
RBIs:  Khris Davis - 102
Stolen Bases:  Rajai Davis - 26*

Wins:  Sean Manaea - 10
ERA:  Sean Manaea - 4.65
Strikeouts:  Sean Manaea - 130
Saves:  Santiago Casilla - 16

*Now with the Red Sox

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .293
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 74
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 21
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 67

Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 11
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.60
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 167
Saves:  Hector Neris - 20

1982 Topps #29

1982 Topps #392

1982 Topps #757

1982 Topps Appreciation:  The rare series against the A's gives me the chance to feature three cards from the 1982 Topps set of players who suited up for the Phillies and the A's during their careers.

Dwayne Murphy finished up his 12-year career playing in 98 games for the 1989 Phillies.  He had spent a decade in Oakland, winning six Gold Gloves.  Rick Bosetti and Tom Underwood were first teammates on the 1976 Phillies club.  Bosetti appeared in 13 games for the Phillies that year before both he and Underwood were sent to the Cardinals in June 1977 (with Dane Iorg) in the Bake McBride deal.  In 89 games for the Phillies between 1974 and 1977, Underwood went 28-20 with a 4.02 ERA.

2017 Chachi #62 Victor Arano

#64
Victor Teodoro Arano
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  196
Born:  February 7, 1995, Veracruz, Mexico
Home:  Mexico City, Mexico
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the June 2011 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers with Jesmuel Valentin for Roberto Hernandez, August 28, 2014

2015 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #1

2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #BCAP-VA

7 Arano Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2015 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #1
First Phillies Card:  2015 Bowman Chrome Prospect Autographs #BCAP-VA
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2017 Grandstand Reading Fightin Phils Update #31

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #62

Card statistics through 9/13/17.

2017 Chachi In Action #9 Nick Williams

Phillies 9, Marlins 8 (15)
Game 144 - Tuesday Night, September 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 55-89, 5th place, 33 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies finally won in the 15th on Nick Williams' walk-off double and Rhys Hoskins homered twice more in this 9-8 victory.

What It Means:  There were two on-field celebrations.  The first one happened in the ninth when Hyun Soo Kim singled to right, scoring Nick Williams with the tying run and then (seemingly) scoring Cesar Hernandez with the winning run.  The team celebrated around Kim while the umpires reviewed the call, eventually ruling that Hernandez was out at the plate and sending the game to the 10th inning.

What Happened:  Marcell Ozuna homered in the 10th to give the Marlins the lead again, but Hoskins' second home run of the night (16) in the bottom of the inning tied it up.  It remained tied until Williams doubled Aaron Altherr home with the winning run.

With the exception of Hector Neris allowing Ozuna's home run in the 10th, the Phillies bullpen pitched nine innings of scoreless relief.

Featured Card:  Williams gets added to the rare Chachi In Action insert set for his efforts.

2016 Topps Heritage Minor League #196

Transactions:  On the off day Monday, the Phillies claimed lefty reliever Zac Curtis off waivers from the Mariners and placed Jesen Therrien on the 60-day disabled list. Therrien is likely headed for elbow surgery.  Curtis appeared in 21 games for the Diamondbacks in 2016 and three games for the Mariners this season.  His baseball card appearances have been limited to minor league team sets, Panini issues and one multi-player card in the 2016 Topps Heritage Minor League set.

Before the game on Tuesday, the Phillies activated Andrew Knapp from the disabled list and selected the contract of pitcher Victor Arano.  Zach Eflin was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Phillies Debut:  Arano is the 14th player to make his big league debut this season with the Phillies.

25. Victor Arano (rhp) - Pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief of Hoby Milner, allowing one hit.

Series Preview - Marlins at Phillies: September 12th to September 14th

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

Marlins 68-75, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 20 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 54-89, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 34 games behind the Nationals

Marlins Probables:  Dillon Peters (0-1, 2.25), Dan Straily (9-8, 3.95), Jose Urena (13-6, 3.61)
Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (5-10, 6.49), Aaron Nola (10-10, 3.71), Jake Thompson (1-2, 5.23)

At the Ballpark:  Wednesday night is the final Dollar Dog night of the season.

Marlins Leaders
Average:  Marcell Ozuna - .305
Runs:  Giancarlo Stanton - 111
Home Runs:  Giancarlo Stanton - 54
RBIs:  Giancarlo Stanton - 113
Stolen Bases:  Dee Gordon - 50

Wins:  Jose Urena - 13
ERA:  Jose Urena - 3.61
Strikeouts:  Dan Straily - 145
Saves:  A.J. Ramos - 20*

*Now with the Mets

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .289
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 72
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 21
RBIs:  Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph - 66

Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 10
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.71
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 156
Saves:  Hector Neris - 20

1982 Topps #162

1982 Topps #163

1982 Topps #163

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt appeared on five different cards within the 1982 Topps set and I've previously featured his base card and his In Action card.  Here are his other three appearances - two League Leader cards and his All-Star card.  Schmidt's photo for all three cards is a topic I covered in a previous post.

For the 2017 Chachi set, I've decided to forego the Team Leader cards again this year as the bar is fairly low for each offensive and pitching category.  However, I'll create a set topping Team Leader card featuring the Phillies leaders in both average and ERA, similar to the card appearing in the original 1982 Topps set.

2017 Chachi Fan Favorites #16 Howie Kendrick

Nationals 3, Phillies 2
Game 143 - Sunday Afternoon, September 10th in Washington
Record - 54-89, 5th place, 34 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Ben Lively was outdueled by Stephen Strasburg as the Nationals won, 3-2.

What It Means:  This win coupled with the Marlins loss clinched the National League East pennant for the Nationals.

What Happened:  Lively was credited with a complete game, pitching eight solid innings and giving up just six hits while striking out seven.  A pair of RBI-doubles in the sixth from the Nationals along with a solo home run from Trea Turner in the seventh sunk the Phils.  Nick Williams contributed a two-run single in the ninth.

Featured Card:  Howie Kendrick will head to the postseason with the Nationals, and he's going to end up playing in more games this seasons for them (37 through Sunday) than the Phillies (39). Kendrick, along with Michael Saunders and Jeremy Hellickson, is one of three Phillies players in their opening day line-up no longer with the the organization.

2017 Topps Now #508 Rhys Hoskins

Phillies 5, Nationals 4
Game 142 - Saturday Night, September 9th in Washington
Record - 54-88, 5th place, 33 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Rhys Hoskins and Maikel Franco both homered in the second to support Mark Leiter, Jr.'s strong pitching performance in this 5-4 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  With his 14th home run, Hoskins passed Ted Williams in the record books for most home runs by a player making his season debut after August 1st.  That's simply incredible.

What Happened:  Leiter won his third game, striking out eight over six innings.  Hector Neris recorded his 20th save.  Cesar Hernandez had a three hit night to raise his team leading average to .291.

Featured Card:  The Phillies were cruising through the season with a small, but respectable number of Topps Now cards . . . and then Hoskins arrived.  Of the 17 Topps Now Phillies cards issued to date, Hoskins owns six of them.  This is his first Topps Now card from August 22nd, celebrating his six home runs in his first 12 games.  I also like the cameo appearances on this card from Jorge Alfaro, Larry Bowa, Ty Kelly and Pete Mackanin.

2002 Topps #359 United We Stand: Braves-Phillies

This post was originally published in February 2013.

I went back through my 2001 and 2002 Topps sets while putting together the recently published 2001 Topps Phillies post and the (hopefully) soon to be published 2002 Topps Phillies post.  In my opinion, one of the best subsets Topps has ever included within its flagship set is the 8-card "America: United We Stand" subset featuring iconic images from the first baseball games following the September 11th terrorist attacks.

Found in series one of the 2002 Topps set, the cards served as a poignant reminder of how much baseball meant to our country (and selfishly me) following the attacks.  I didn't remember this until looking up the set's entry at BaseballCardPedia.com, but the cards were in packs of series one as early as November 2001.

Members of the 2001 Phillies team are featured on card #359, standing solemnly along the first base line at Veterans Stadium, listening to the National Anthem prior to their game against the Braves on September 17th.  A few years ago, when scanning the card for an old post, I really started to look at the players featured on the card and I realized they had probably never been properly identified.  There are 11 Phillies players featured in profile on the card - some of which who would never have a proper Topps card or a proper Phillies baseball card.

Using the team's 2002 Media Guide and 2001 transactions listing, I pieced together the active Phillies roster as of September 17, 2001.  With the recent roster expansions, the Phillies were carrying 32 active players with two more players on the disabled list.  I tried to find video of the pre-game ceremony on-line, to no avail.  So based on my recollection of the team at the time, I think the players featured on the card are as follows, from left to right:

1.  Eddie Oropesa
2.  P.J. Forbes (not Nick Punto as originally believed - see update below)
3.  David Coggin
4.  Doug Nickle - I wasn't sure about this one, but according to Baseball Reference, Nickle's height is 6'4", the same height as Coggin who is standing next to him.
5.  Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago as originally believed - see update below)
6.  Felipe Crespo - Crespo was acquired from the Giants in late July.
7.  Randy Wolf - I remember Wolf dyed his hair a garish blonde for some inexplicable reason during the summer of 2001.
8.  Brian L. Hunter
9.  Eric Valent
10.  Rheal Cormier
11.  Perhaps Jimmy Rollins?  This one is just too hard to tell.  (UPDATE - I'm going with Steve F. in thinking that this is actually Bobby Abreu.)

Granted, the identification of these players is something that might only be interesting to me but I'm glad I can now (mostly) identify the Phillies featured on one of the more meaningful baseball cards Topps has ever produced.

UPDATE (9/11/15) - Back in April, I received an e-mail from former Phillies pitcher Doug Nickle who confirmed it was indeed him in the photo standing next to David Coggin.  Doug was kind enough to point out that the players to either side of him are P.J. Forbes (and not Nick Punto) and Turk Wendell (not Jose Santiago).  According to the team's 2002 Media Guide, Forbes had his contract purchased from Scranton on September 17th, prior to the this game.  I've updated the listing above to reflect this information.

Thanks again Doug for the e-mail and I'm happy there's now an official record of the Phillies appearing on this important baseball card.

2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #6 Nick Williams

Nationals 11, Phillies 10
Game 141 - Friday Night, September 8th in Washington
Record - 53-88, 5th place, 34 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Odubel Herrera's mental mistakes negated three, three-run home runs from the Phillies offense as they dropped this game to the Nationals, 11-10.

What It Means:  Herrera appeared to be sleepwalking through this game, looking unprepared at the plate and badly misplaying a Michael A. Taylor fly ball that led to an inside-the-park grand slam. That gave the Nationals the lead and the Phillies couldn't recover.

What Happened:  The three, three-run home runs came from Nick Williams (10) in the first, Rhys Hoskins (13) in the seventh and Maikel Franco (19) in the ninth.  J. P. Crawford started his first game at shortstop, ending Freddy Galvis' 140 game starting streak at that position this season.

Featured Card:  Williams went 4 for 5 in this game with a pair of runs scored.  He's likely to be all over the 2018 baseball card releases, but for now he's only appeared on a few 2017 releases, including this card from the IronPigs team set.  And wouldn't the Phillies look good playing in a baby blue alternate jersey next season?

2017 Donruss #131 Odubel Herrera

Nationals 4, Phillies 3
Game 140 - Thursday Night, September 7th in Washington
Record - 53-87, 5th place, 33 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Adam Morgan turned in his first shaky relief outing in weeks, allowing the Nationals to mount a come-from-behind 4-3 win.

What It Means:  The Nationals magic number to clinch the N.L. East pennant is now four.

What Happened:  Morgan allowed a two-run single to Trea Turner in the sixth, giving the Nationals their 4-3 lead.  Jorge Alfaro (2) and Tommy Joseph (21) homered for the Phillies.  Ryan Madson pitched a perfect eighth inning for the Nationals, marking the first time in his career he's faced his original team.

Featured Card:  Odubel Herrera had two hits to extend his Major League leading hitting streak to 20 games.  It's the longest Phillies hitting streak since Chase Utley hit in 35 straight games in 2006.

2017 Topps Now Road to Opening Day #OD-274 Cesar Hernandez

Mets 6, Phillies 3 (6)
Game 139 - Wednesday Night, September 6th in Flushing
Record - 53-86, 5th place, 32 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phils dropped a rain-shortened game, as the Mets scored early and often against Nick Pivetta.

What It Means:  If the Phillies had more depth in starting pitching, I have to believe that Pivetta would have been shut down at this point.  His ERA continues to grow, as it's now up to 6.49 after allowing six more runs in five innings.

What Happened:  On the bright side, Nick Williams hit a two-run home run (9) in the sixth.

Featured Card:  Cesar Hernandez has quietly had another nice season, and he had three hits in this game.  It will be interesting to see what the starting infield looks like in 2018 with Hernandez, J.P. Crawford, Freddy Galvis, Maikel Franco and Scott Kingery all battling for three spots.  Hernandez doesn't receive much cardboard appreciation, with his only mainstream baseball card appearances this season coming in the Topps flagship and Topps Heritage sets.  This is his card from the Topps Now Road to Opening Day set.

Transaction:  Juan Nicasio, we hardly knew you.  Selected off waivers from the Pirates on Thursday, Nicasio appeared in two games for the Phillies, pitching a perfect 1 1/3 innings with one strikeout.  Less than a week later, on Wednesday afternoon, he was dealt to the Cardinals for infield prospect Eliezer Alvarez.  Alvarez appered in 54 games this season for the Double-A Springfield Cardinals.  His baseball card appearances so far have been limited to minor league sets.

Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: September 7th to September 10th

Thursday, Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.

Phillies 53-86, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 32 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 85-54, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 18 games ahead of the Marlins

Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (10-10, 3.72), Jake Thompson (1-1, 4.50), Mark Leiter, Jr. (2-5, 4.74), Ben Lively (3-5. 3.92)
Nationals Probables:  Tanner Roark (11-9, 4.48), Max Scherzer (13-5. 2.19), Edwin Jackson (5-4. 3.29), Stephen Strasburg (12-4, 2.78)

At the Ballpark:  The Nationals held a Pups in the Park event on Thursday night.  Friday night is Roberto Clemente Day/Hispanic Heritage Day.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cesar Hernandez - .289
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 69
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 20
RBIs:  Tommy Joseph - 65

Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 10
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.72
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 148
Saves:  Hector Neris - 19

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Bryce Harper - .326
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 92
Home Runs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 31
RBIs:  Ryan Zimmerman - 93
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 38

Wins:  Gio Gonzalez - 14
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.19
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 232
Saves:  Sean Doolittle - 15

2017 Chachi #60 J.P. Crawford

#2
John P. Crawford
Infield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 11, 1995, Long Beach, CA
Home:  Lakewood, CA
Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 1st round of the June 2013 draft
Teams:  Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Via draft

2013 Bowman Draft
Prospects #BDPP32

54 Crawford Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2013 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP32
First Phillies Card:  2013 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP32
First Topps Flagship Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #3

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #60

Card statistics through 9/6/17.

2015 Topps Heritage Minor League #167 Ben Lively

Phillies 9, Mets 1
Game 138 - Tuesday Night, September 5th in Flushing
Record - 53-85, 5th place, 31 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Ben Lively threw seven strong innings and drove in four runs in this 9-1 win over the Mets.

What It Means:  For the first of what is hopefully many, many times, J.P. Crawford, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro were all in the line-up together.

What Happened:  Lively had a two-run single in the second and a two-run home run in the fourth. On the mound, he picked up his third win, allowing one run on four hits. Alfaro had a three-hit night along with Freddy Galvis.  Williams stroked a bases-clearing double to cap the six-run fourth.

2015 Topps Heritage
Minor League #208

Featured Cards:  Lively became the first pitcher since Cliff Lee in 2013 to have a four RBI game.  He and Crawford both had cards in the 1966 Topps-inspired 2015 Topps Heritage Minor League set.

Transaction:  After helping the IronPigs reach the playoffs, Crawford had his contract selected from the IronPigs.  He's expected to see time at short, third and second for the Phillies over the final weeks of the season.  Pedro Florimon was placed on the 60 day disabled list to clear room for Crawford.

Phillies Debuts:  Crawford is the 13th player to make his Major League debut this season with the Phillies, and the 24th new Phillie overall.

24. J.P. Crawford (3b) - Started at third, batting seventh.  Reached on an error in the second in his first at-bat and came around to score his first run.  Singled in the fifth off Mets pitcher Josh Smoker.  Went 1 for 5 with a run scored and two strikeouts.

2017 Topps Orioles #BAL-7 Hyun Soo Kim

Mets 11, Phillies 7
Game 137 - Monday Afternoon, September 4th in Flushing
Record - 52-85, 5th place

One Sentence Summary:  The Mets jumped all over Mark Leiter, Jr., and a late Phillies comeback wasn't enough in this 11-7 loss.

What It Means:  The battle for fourth place!  Catch the fever!

What Happened:  Leiter exited after 3 1/3 innings having allowed nine runs (eight earned) on nine hits.  Down at one point by a score of 10-0, the Phillies valiantly battled back, making the final score somewhat respectable.

Featured Card:  Hyun Soo Kim hasn't had many big moments since joining the Phillies in late July as part of the Jeremy Hellickson deal with the Orioles.  He had a two-run double in this game, raising his RBI total to three in 27 games with the Phils.  Kim's 2017 baseball cards aren't readily available, and I'll admit I bought a Topps Orioles team set this past weekend specifically to add this Kim card to my 2017 Phillies binder.

Transaction:  Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr were activated from the disabled list, brining the number of active players to 31.

Phillies Debut:

23. Kevin Siegrist (lhp) - Siegrist pitched just a 1/3 of an inning, in the Mets' six-run fourth, allowing an inherited runner to score.  He allowed a hit, two walks and a run of his own before being relieved by Jesen Therrien.

2017 Chachi #59 Kevin Siegrist

#54
Kevin Ryan Siegrist
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'5"  Weight:  230
Born:  July 20, 1989, Buffalo, NY
Drafted:  Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 41st round of the June 2008 draft.
Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 2013-2017; Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Selected off waiver from the St. Louis Cardinals, September 2, 2017.

2014 Topps #344

0 Siegrist Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2014 Topps #344

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #59

Card statistics through 9/4/17.

Baltimore: Babe, Autographs and a Trumbomb

Phillies 3, Marlins 1 (12)
Game 136 - Sunday Afternoon, September 3rd in Miami
Record - 52-84, 5th place, 30 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Nick Williams singled home two runs in the 12th, supporting Jake Thompson's strong outing in this 3-1 Phillies win.

What It Means:  The Phils took three of four in Miami and they'll open a three-game series in New York against the Mets on Labor Day afternoon.

What Happened:  Adam Morgan deserves credit for this win as well, pitching three innings of scoreless relief.  Thompson allowed one run and struck out seven over six innings.

Transactions:  Cameron Perkins and Thompson were recalled from the IronPigs, bringing the number of players on the Phillies active roster to 29.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Meanwhile in Baltimore . . .

2017 Topps Orioles #BAL-13

In the morning, we toured the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum where our sons met up with the Babe.  We were at the ballpark when the gates opened, snagging two of the Orioles hats given away to the first 20,000 adults through the turnstiles.  Doug positioned himself along the first base line and was much more successful with his pre-game autographs, adding signatures from the Oriole Bird (again), Richard Bleier, Darren O'Day, former Phillie Alec Asher and Wade Miley to his ever-growing collection.  The Bird and Asher signed the Camden Yards card available in the Topps Orioles retail team set.

We also purchased a charity grab bag containing a Mike Wright autographed baseball.
But Doug's personal highlight was receiving an autograph from Orioles slugger Mark Trumbo. Trumbo signed the "Chris Davis baseball" Doug had retrieved on Saturday night and the ball is now proudly displayed in Doug's bedroom.  Using the Rookies App, Doug has started his own set of custom cards, and in the spirit of me naming my custom cards after our first dog Chachi, his cards are named after our second dog, Chewbacca.  Here, reproduced with Doug's permission, is his "Chewie Now" card featured Trumbo and his autographed baseball.

If you're hungry when you visit Camden Yards, I can highly recommend the Boog Turkey sandwich with kettle chips for your next visit.  Jenna would recommend the crab soup and we'd all recommend the O's soft pretzels.  We also found you can't go wrong with nachos, popcorn and peanuts.  (I was bummed that Boog Powell wasn't in his usual spot for either games on Saturday and Sunday.)

And they played a baseball game too!  We enjoyed the game from the shade of Section 15 as Trumbo's RBI single in the 12th provided a walk-off 5-4 win.  Before Trumbo's walk-off single, he had hit his 21st home run in the fourth.  Wellington Castillo had two home runs and All-Star Jonathan Schoop had a three-hit day.  As Baltimore was relatively easy for us to get to, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, we're already planning a return trip for next summer.

Baltimore: Meeting the Second Best Mascot in Baseball

Marlins 10, Phillies 9
Game 135 - Saturday Night, September 2nd in Miami
Record - 51-84, 5th place, 31 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  An impressive Phillies comeback effort fell short as the Marlins won, 10-9.

What It Means:  Pedro Florimon, who had been playing well the last few weeks, had to be carted off the field in the second when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury trying to reach first base.

What Happened:  The decisive blow in this game turned out to be a three-run, pinch-hit home run from Derek Dietrich in the seventh off Ricardo Pinto.  Giancarlo Stanton (52) and Marcell Ozuna (32) had homered earlier in the game for the Marlins.  For the Phillies, Rhys Hoskins (12) and Tommy Joseph (20) homered while Nick Williams added a three-run triple in a five-run eighth inning.

2016 Topps #107

Transaction:  For the second time in three days, the Phillies claimed a relief pitcher off waivers.  This time it was Kevin Siegrist claimed from the Cardinals.  Jerad Eickhoff was moved to the 60-day disabled list to clear room on the 40-man roster, ending his season.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Meanwhile in Baltimore . . .

We missed this weekend of Phillies baseball as we took the boys to Baltimore for their first trip to Camden Yards.  The Blue Jays easily handled the Orioles in a soggy 7-2 win with Kevin Pillar, Josh Donaldson and Darwin Barney all homering for the Jays.  Marcus Stroman had to leave the game in the second after getting smoked with a Mark Trumbo line drive off his right elbow.

Earlier in the day, we toured Camden Yards where the boys met up with Oriole Bird.  Doug was unsuccessful in his pre-game autograph hunt, other than an autograph from the ubiquitous Bird.

Both boys came away with baseballs!  Doug was the lucky recipient of a ball thrown from the dugout from an anonymous Oriole and a ball thrown into the stands between innings from Chris Davis. Before the game began, from our seats in Section 22, Ben was called over to the Orioles dugout by coach (and former Phillies pitcher) Roger McDowell.  McDowell rolled Ben a ball, and the kid's night was made.

2017 Topps Allen & Ginter #288 Jorge Alfaro

Phillies 2, Marlins 1
Game 134 - Friday Night, September 1st in Miami
Record - 51-83, 5th place, 30 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jorge Alfaro and Andres Blanco provided RBIs in the ninth to ruin Dillon Peters' Major League debut and give the Phillies a 2-1 win.

What It Means:  Peters had thrown seven shutout innings and fanned eight, but Brad Ziegler couldn't shut down the Phils in the ninth.

What Happened:  Nick Pivetta pitched a great game and the only Marlins run scored in the first on a wild pitch.  Pivetta scattered four hits and struck out six in six innings of work.  Maikel Franco doubled to start the ninth and then Pedro Florimon walked.  Alfaro singled home Franco and Blanco grounded out to second to score Florimon.

Featured Card:  I've got a whole bunch of Alfaro's cards from 2017 Topps products, and here's his card from the Allen & Ginter set.

2014 Topps Heritage #218

Transactions/Phillies Debut:  Reliever Juan Nicasio was claimed off waivers from the Pirates and added to the active roster.  Nicasio has had a great season so far, but the Pirates had placed him on irrevocable waivers in an attempt to trade him to a contending team and save some payroll.  He was claimed, the Pirates didn't like the proposed return from the claiming team, and rather than deal him he was waived.  The Phillies scooped him up, and he'll help out the beleaguered bullpen the rest of the way.

Brock Stassi had been designated for assignment to open up a spot for Nicasio, and he was later outrighted to Triple-A.  Finally, reliever Casey Fien was released.  Fien appeared in four games this season for the Phillies and he's an excellent candidate to receive a future Chachi Missing Links card.

23. Juan Nicasio (rhp) - Nicasio relieved Hoby Milner with two outs in the eighth and coaxed a ground out form Giancarlo Stanton.  His 1/3 of an inning made him the pitcher of record when the Phillies took the lead in the ninth, and he eventually got the win.

Series Preview - Phillies at Mets: September 4th to September 6th

Monday 1:10, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:10
Citi Field - Flushing, NY

Mets 58-78, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 24 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 52-84, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 30 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Mark Leiter, Jr. (2-4, 3.88), Ben Lively (2-5, 4.22), Nick Pivetta (5-9, 6.28)
Mets Probables:  Rafael Montero (3-9, 5.12), Jacob deGrom (14-8, 3.43), Tommy Milone (0-3, 8.75)

At the Ballpark:  There are no giveaways or special promotions for this series, but I'm grateful the Phillies and Mets are playing a day game on Labor Day.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .287
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 67
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 20
RBIs:  Tommy Joseph - 65

Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 10
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 3.72
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 148
Saves:  Hector Neris - 19

Mets Leaders
Average:  Michael Conforto - .279
Runs:  Michael Conforto - 72
Home Runs:  Jay Bruce* - 29
RBIs:  Jay Bruce* - 75
Stolen Bases:  Jose Reyes - 18

Wins:  Jacob deGrom - 14
ERA:  Jacob deGrom - 3.43
Strikeouts:  Jacob deGrom - 206
Saves:  Addison Reed^ - 19

*Now with the Indians
^Now with the Red Sox

1982 Topps #101

1982 Topps #481

1982 Topps #516

1982 Topps #616

1982 Topps Appreciation:  We're on the home stretch of taking a look at the Phillies-related baseball cards within the 1982 Topps set.  Here are four of the five In Action cards featuring Phillies from the set, and I had previously posted the Pete Rose card here.

2017 Chachi #58 Juan Nicasio

#58
Juan Ramon Nicasio
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  252
Born:  August 31, 1986, San Francisco de Macoris, DR
Signed:  Signed by the Colorado Rockies as an amateur free agent, August 21, 2006.
Teams:  Colorado Rockies 2011-2014; Los Angeles Dodgers 2015; Pittsburgh Pirates 2016-2017; Phillies 2017
Acquired:  Selected off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates, August 31, 2017.

2011 Topps Update #US203

0 Nicasio Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  N/A
First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A
Latest Card:  N/A

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  2011 Topps Update #US203

Complete Chachi Checklist
2017 Chachi #58

Card statistics through 9/3/17.

2017 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #8 Ben Lively

Phillies 3, Marlins 2
Game 133 - Thursday Night, August 31st in Miami
Record - 50-83, 5th place

One Sentence Summary:  Ben Lively hit and pitched the Phillies to a 3-2 win over the Marlins.

What It Means:  I wonder if the Phillies can catch the Mets in the standings and exit the basement?  With 29 games to play, they're eight games behind the Mets in the loss column.

What Happened:  Lively allowed two runs in his six innings of work, on the way to winning his second game.  Adam Morgan continued to pitch well, and he's allowed only one earned run in his last 14 1/3 innings pitched.  Hector Neris loaded the bases before recording his 17th save.

Lively drove in two runs in the fourth on a single to center to break a 1-1 tie.

Featured Card:  Lively hasn't received a Phillies baseball card yet this year, and this is his card from the IronPigs team set.

Transaction:  As expected, Jerad Eickhoff landed on the disabled list and Ricardo Pinto was recalled to take his place on the roster.  Get ready for the flurry of September call-ups today!