2015 Phillies Team Issue #34 Aaron Harang

Phillies 1, Braves 0
Game 17 - Friday Night, April 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 6-11, Tied for 4th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies took advantage of four Braves errors and outstanding pitching from Aaron Harang to earn the 1-0 win.

What It Means:  The Phils improved to 5-5 at home.

What Happened:  Harang threw eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits but earning a no decision.  The offense advanced runners into scoring position in the 5th through 8th innings, but only managed to push the winning run across in the ninth.  Freddy Galvis led off with a single, advanced to second on a successful sacrifice bunt from Cesar Hernandez, went to third on a passed ball and scored on Freddy Freeman's error when the first baseman couldn't cleanly field Ben Revere's grounder.

Galvis had three hits in this game and he's now hitting .345.

Featured Card:  It was enjoyable watching Harang pitch this game, so even though he didn't get the W he gets the featured card in this post as a consolation prize.  Harang's sole Phillies baseball card to date can be found within the team issued set.

Braves at Phillies: April 24th to April 26th

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

Braves 8-7, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Mets
Phillies 5-11, Tied for 4th Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Mets

Braves Probables:  Alex Wood (1-0, 3.93), Shelby Miller (2-0, 1.69), Trevor Cahill (0-2, 9.95)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Harang (2-1, 1.96), David Buchanan (0-3, 9.22), Jerome Williams (1-1, 3.71)

At the Ballpark:  The Phanatic's birthday will be celebrated on Sunday afternoon with all fans 14 and under receiving a cool looking pair of Phanatic socks.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cody Asche - .333
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 7
Home Runs:  Three tied with - 2
RBIs:  Chase Utley - 9
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 4

Wins:  Aaron Harang - 2
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 1.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 23
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 3

1985 Topps #25

1985 Topps #611

1985 Topps Appreciation:  I was shocked and a little saddened by the December 10, 1985 trade that sent popular catcher Ozzie Virgil (and pitcher Pete Smith) to the Braves for Steve Bedrosian and Milt Thompson.  I wrote more about the deal in my 1988 Topps Appreciation post from last season.

Thompson had to wait until the 1986 Topps set came out for his rookie card.

2015 Topps Gypsy Queen #344 Jimmy Rollins

Marlins 9, Phillies 1
Game 16 - Thursday Afternoon, April 23rd in Philadelphia
Record - 5-11, Tied for 4th Place, 8 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies looked awful in a lopsided 9-1 loss to the Marlins.

What It Means:  The Phillies dropped two out of three to the Marlins, perhaps temporarily saving manager Mike Redmond's job.

What Happened:  With Sean O'Sullivan landing on the disabled list, this turned into a bullpen game with Dustin McGowan getting the start.  McGowan faltered in the fourth, ultimately allowing four runs.  Justin De Fratus was also victimized by the Marlins, allowing four runs (three earned) in the sixth.  Other than two doubles from Darin Ruf, the Phillies bats were quiet.

Featured Card:  There were a few depressing Tweets with relevance to this game.  First, the paid attendance of 17,097 was the smallest ever in Citizens Bank Park history.  Second, the line-up fielded represented the first time since the Phillies won the World Championship that no members of the 2008 squad were in the starting line-up.  I thought I'd post the latest (and final?) Jimmy Rollins card to enter my collection, from the recently released Topps Gypsy Queen set, to commemorate this sad occasion.

2010 Topps Pro Debut #329 Jarred Cosart

Marlins 6, Phillies 1
Game 15 - Wednesday Night, April 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 5-10, 4th Place, 7 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies let this one get away as they dropped the second game of the series to the Marlins 6-1 due to shoddy defense and quiet bats.

What It Means:  It's going to be a long season.

What Happened:  The game was actually closer than the final score would indicate.  The Marlins broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh and a costly few errors in the eighth (from Chase Utley and Odubel Herrera) led to four unearned runs.  The sole Phillies run came on a Cody Asche home run.

Cole Hamels pitched six innings in the no-decision, allowing one unearned run while striking out five.

Featured Card:  Jarred Cosart got the win for the Marlins in his first game pitching in Philadelphia.  Cosart was one of the club's top prospects until he was traded to the Astros in the July 2011 Hunter Pence deal.

Transaction:  Starting pitcher Sean O'Sullivan was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left knee tendinitis and relief pitcher Hector Neris was recalled from Lehigh Valley.

2015 Chachi #9 Cole Hamels

#35

Colbert Michael Hamels

Starting Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  202

Born:  December 27, 1983, San Diego, CA

Home:  Philadelphia, PA

Drafted:  Selected by Phillies in 1st round of June 2002 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2006-

Acquired:  Via draft

2003 Multi-Ad Lakewood Blueclaws #1

2003 Topps #671

2006 Chachi #35

268 Hamels Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2003 Multi-Ad Lakewood Blueclaws #1
First Phillies Card:  2003 Topps #671
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2003 Topps #671
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2006 Phillies Team Issue #35
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Gypsy Queen Mini #175

First Chachi Base Card:  2006 Chachi #35

Hamels Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/22/15.

2015 Topps Opening Day #148 Ryan Howard

Phillies 7, Marlins 3
Game 14 - Tuesday Night, April 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 5-9, 4th Place, 6 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies downed the Marlins, 7-3, behind a pair of two-run home runs from Freddy Galvis and Ryan Howard.

What It Means:  It was exciting to see the Phillies score a season-high seven runs but the true highlight of the game was watching Howard finally connect with a few baseballs.

What Happened:  Besides the big hits from Galvis and Howard, there was also a two-run triple from Ben Revere in the seventh.  Jerome Williams earned his first win of the year by pitching six strong innings.

Featured Card:  I hadn't featured a Howard baseball card in game summary post since way back after the team's first spring training game in early March.  This is his Opening Day card, which shares the same photo as his Topps flagship card.

2015 Chachi #8 Freddy Galvis

#13

Freddy Jose Galvis

Shortstop

Bats:  Switch  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  190

Born:  November 14, 1989, Punto Fijo, Falcon, Venezuela

Home:  Punto Fijo, Falcon, Venezuela

Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent, July 2, 2006

Teams:  Phillies 2012-

Acquired:  Via free agency

2007 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #8

2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP149

2012 Chachi #8

2014 Topps #637

21 Galvis Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2007 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #8
First Phillies Card:  2009 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BCP149
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2014 Topps #637
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2012 Phillies Team Issue First Edition #13
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-7

First Chachi Base Card:  2012 Chachi #8

Galvis Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/21/15.

Marlins at Phillies: April 21st to April 23rd

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

Marlins 3-10, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Mets
Phillies 4-9, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Mets

Marlins Probables:  Dan Haren (1-0, 2.08), Jarred Cosart (0-1, 4.76), David Phelps (0-0, 7.94)
Phillies Probables:  Jerome Williams (0-1, 4.09), Cole Hamels (0-2, 5.00), Sean O'Sullivan (0-1, 4.91)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight the Phillies will salute Jackie Robinson and both teams will wear #42 in Robinson's honor.  All fans will also receive a Jackie Robinson commemorative pin and it's a Dollar Dog Night to boot.  All fans attending Wednesday night's game will receive a MLB Networks reusable tote bag.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Cody Asche - .350
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 6
Home Runs:  Jeff Francoeur and Chase Utley - 2
RBIs:  Chase Utley - 8
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera and Ben Revere - 3

Wins:  Aaron Harang - 2
ERA:  Aaron Harang - 1.96
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 18
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 3

Happy Birthday Ben!

It's hard to believe Harry, but our youngest son Ben turns five today.  Ben informed me recently that I needed to make a new version of his card from last season, updating the words to read, "Ben is Five!"  I hope he's happy with the result and the logo I used to represent his team affiliation.

He's a great kid with a big laugh and a bigger heart, and I've linked below the prior year posts celebrating his milestones.  Happy birthday Ben!

Memory Lane

2010 - Welcome Ben!

2010 - Ben is born, Roy Halladay wins, all is right with the world

2011 - Ben turns one as Roy Oswalt pitches the Phillies past the Padres

2012 - Happy 2nd Birthday Ben!

2013 - Happy 3rd Birthday Ben!
2014 - Ben is Four!

The Spring Training 58 + 2: Where They Went

2015 Chachi Almost #4

2015 Chachi Almost #5

The off day today gives me a chance to look back on the Phillies spring training roster and summarize where everyone ended up when camp broke at the end of March.  The Phillies started the spring with 58 players, adding two more (Mike Nesseth and Seth Rosin) at the beginning of March.  Dustin McGowan spent the spring in the Dodgers' camp but was signed by the Phillies and added to the opening day roster after his release.

If you're keeping score at home, the final spring training roster math was 58 + 2 - 36 + 1 = 25.  Here's where the 36 players not on the opening day roster ended up.

Disabled List (5) - Chad Billingsley, Domonic Brown, Mario Hollands, Cliff Lee, Jonathan Pettibone

Hollands is lost for the season following his Tommy John surgery while Billingsley and Brown are expected to join the Phillies soon.

Outrighted and Elected Free Agency (1) - Andy Oliver

Oliver cleared waivers and could have reported to Lehigh Valley, but he opted for free agency and signed a minor league deal with the Tampa Bay Rays instead.

Released (2) - Xavier Paul, Kevin Slowey

AAA - Lehigh Valley IronPigs (21) - Phillippe Aumont, Brian Bogusevic, Russ Canzler, Paul Clemens, Chase d'Arnaud, Jordan Danks, Maikel Franco, Rene Garcia, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (DL), John Hester (DL), Tommy Joseph, Ethan Martin (DL), Darin Mastroianni, Chris McGuiness, Adam Morgan, Chris Nelson, Hector Neris, Sean O'Sullivan, Cord Phelps, Joely Rodriguez, Seth Rosin

AA - Reading Fightin Phils (6) - Aaron Altherr, Elvis Araujo, Jesse Biddle, Kelly Dugan (DL), Mike Nesseth, Nefi Ogando

Temporarily Inactive/Clearwater Threshers coach (1) - Koyie Hill

Hill is listed as "Temporarily Inactive" on the official Reading Fightin Phils roster, but various reports (including this one) had him being introduced as a coach for the Clearwater Threshers.

Memory Lane

2012:  The Spring Training 57 (+1): Where They Went
2013:  The Spring Training 62: Where They Went
2014:  The Spring Training 58 (+2): Where They Went

2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-7 Freddy Galvis

Nationals 4, Phillies 1
Game 13 - Sunday Afternoon, April 19th in Washington
Record - 4-9, 4th Place, 6 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Stephen Strasburg shut down the Phillies offense in a 4-1 Nationals victory.

What It Means:  The Phillies finished their first road stand of the year with a 1-6 record.  They'll take a welcome day off today before opening up a three-game series at home against the Marlins on Tuesday night.

What Happened:  David Buchanan dropped to 0-3 to start the season, allowing three runs on six hits in his five innings of work.  The Phillies scored in the eighth when Odubel Herrera doubled and Freddy Galvis brought him home with a single.

Featured Card:  Cody Asche, Galvis and Herrera are the team's top hitters right now and I thought I'd give Galvis the featured card in this post since his single drove in the lone Phillies run of the game.  Galvis has also been playing steady defense at shortstop.

2015 Chachi #7 Cody Asche

#25

Cody James Asche

Third Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  201

Born:  June 30, 1990, St. Charles, MO

Home:  Lincoln, NE

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 4th round of the June 2011 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2013-

Acquired:  Via draft

2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17

2011 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP2

2013 Chachi #53

2013 Topps Update #US71

21 Asche Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2011 Choice Williamsport Crosscutters #17
First Phillies Card:  2011 Bowman Draft Prospects #BDPP2
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2013 Topps Update #US71
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue First Edition #25
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-13

First Chachi Base Card:  2013 Chachi #53

Asche Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/19/15.

2015 Topps Opening Day Hit the Dirt #HTD-10 Ben Revere

Phillies 5, Nationals 3
Game 12 - Saturday Afternoon, April 18th in Washington
Record - 4-8, 4th Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Odubel Herrera and Aaron Harang starred in the Phillies 5-3 win over the Nationals.

What It Means:  It means the six game losing streak is over and the Phils hope to add to their one game winning streak this afternoon.

What Happened:  Herrera went 3 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.  Ben Revere scored the go-ahead run in the seventh after entering the game as a pinch-runner for Ryan Howard who had reached on a walk.  Revere stole second, went to third on a fly ball out and scored on a Grady Sizemore grounder to first.

Harang improved to 2-1 with six strong innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.  Jonathan Papelbon earned his third save with a perfect ninth.

Featured Card:  I seriously considered purchasing a 2012 Myrtle Beach Pelicans team set on eBay recently solely because it contains a card of Herrera.  If the young rookie (who has never played above Double-A before this season) had another baseball card he would have been featured in this game summary post.

But since the only real Herrera card that exists to date has already been posted (twice) on this blog, I'll go with this Revere insert card in honor of his baserunning that ultimately won the game.

2015 Chachi #6 Grady Sizemore

#24

Grady Sizemore

Right Field

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  205

Born:  August 2, 1982, Seattle, WA
Home:  Scottsdale, AZ

Drafted:  Selected by the Montreal Expos in in the 3rd round of the June 2000 draft

Teams:  Cleveland Indians 2004-2011, Boston Red Sox 2014, Phillies 2014-

Acquired:  Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Boston Red Sox, June 24, 2014

2001 Topps #750

2009 Upper Deck #440

2014 Chachi #57

2014 Topps Update #US-33

6 Sizemore Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2009 Upper Deck #440 (with Cliff Lee)
First Phillies Card:  2014 Topps Update #US-33
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  2014 Topps Update #US-33
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #24
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-16

First Topps Base Card:  2001 Topps #750 (with David Kryznzel)
First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #57

Sizemore Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/18/15.

2015 Topps Highlight of the Year #H-19 Mike Schmidt

Nationals 7, Phillies 2
Game 11 - Friday Night, April 17th in Washington
Record - 3-8, Tied for 4th Place, 5 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies dropped another game to the Nationals, getting outpitched and outhit in a 7-2 loss.

What It Means:  The Phils have lost six in a row.  They have the Marlins equally poor start to thank for keeping them out of sole possession of the cellar in the N.L. East.

What Happened:  Nationals starting pitcher Max Scherzer allowed just a run on four hits in his eight innings of work.  Phillies starter Sean O'Sullivan was chased after five innings having allowed four runs.  Bryce Harper hit a three-run home run in the first off O'Sullivan and the game was pretty much wrapped up at that point.

Featured Card:  There's going to be a lot of flashing back to happier times this year in these game summary posts.  Yesterday marked the 39th anniversary of Mike Schmidt's big four home run day against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in a crazy 18-16 victory.  Schmidt's feat is celebrated as the 1976 Highlight of the Year in the eponymous insert set from Topps Series One.

Topps has rightfully caught their share of flak in recent years for messing up key details of historic games and not proofreading their own baseball cards.  I'm happy to say it appears as if Topps got all the details right on the back of Schmidt's card.  Even better, Topps chose a picture of Schmidt in his 1976 road uniform for this card.  The National League Centennial patch worn by N.L. teams in 1976 can be seen on Schmidt's right shoulder.

If this set idea is brought back in the future, I highly doubt a Phillies player will be featured as the 2015 Highlight of the Year.

2015 Chachi #4 Ryan Howard

#6

Ryan James Howard

First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  250

Born:  November 19, 1979, St. Louis, MO

Home:  Tampa, FL

Drafted:  Selected by the Phillies in the 5th round of the June 2001 draft

Teams:  Phillies 2004-

Acquired:  Via draft

2001 Batavia Muckdogs Team Issue #26

2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #62

2005 Chachi #29

2005 Topps #689

479 Howard Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2001 Batavia Muckdogs Team Issue #26
First Phillies Card:  2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres #62
First Topps Base Card:  2005 Topps #689 (with Cole Hamels)
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2006 Phillies Team Issue #6
Latest Card:  2015 Topps Phillies #PHP-6

First Chachi Card:  2005 Chachi #29

Howard Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 4/17/15.

2006 Upper Deck Special F/X #745 Sal Fasano

Nationals 5, Phillies 2
Game 10 - Thursday Night, April 16th in Washington
Record - 3-7, Tied for 4th Place, 4 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels allowed two more home runs and turned in a mediocre pitching performance in a 5-2 loss to the Nationals.

What It Means:  The Phillies have lost five in a row and they've looked bad doing it.

What Happened:  Hamels pitched six innings, allowing five runs on five hits while walking four and striking out seven.  The Phillies runs came courtesy of an RBI-triple from Freddy Galvis in the third and a sacrifice fly from Darin Ruf in the fourth.

Featured Card:  Ryan Howard went 1 for 3 with a soft single to deep second/shallow right, raising his average to .167.  That in and of itself isn't that noteworthy, but what is noteworthy is that Howard was batting seventh in the line-up for the first time since April 21, 2006.  The eight-hole hitter in that game, hitting behind Howard, was Phillies Room favorite Sal Fasano.

No offense to Fasano here, but you know things are going poorly when I'm pulling out cards of former back-up catchers.

Happy Birthday Mom!

1951 Topps Blue Backs #3

1951 Topps Blue Backs #51

If you've been keeping score at home, you'll recall a few posts from late December detailing the fantastic baseball cards delivered from Santa this year for Christmas.  My Mom has always been Santa's special helper, so it's safe to assume she helped him pick out these cards.  In this particular post, I mentioned I was two cards away from completing both the 1951 Topps Phillies set (Blue and Red Backs) and two cards away from completing the 1955 Bowman Phillies set.  My Mom read this post, and went to work.

As payment for helping her and my 95-year-old grandmother with their tax returns this year, I received the four cards needed to complete both these team sets.  Now I'm not sure what the fine folks at H&R Block receive as compensation for their services but I guarantee you it's no where near the return I'm getting for my tax return preparation services.

Today just so happens to be my Mom's birthday, and I'm posting these cards in appreciation of her and everything she means to me.  I've also published a stand-alone page (see the ribbon under the banner above for links) showing off the complete 1955 Bowman Phillies team set in all its Technicolor glory.

Thanks again Mom and happy birthday!

1955 Bowman #287

1955 Bowman #294