The Phillies got a multi-homer, 4 RBI, 3 for 5 performance from All Star 2nd baseman Chase Utley, clutch late inning relief pitching from Antonio Alfonseca and Clay Condrey and a near cycle (only missing a homer) capped by a game-winning walk-off single by All Star hopeful, shortstop  Jimmy Rollins to win the series finale with Cincinnati by an 8-7 score.

The Phillies took 2 of 3 games from the Reds, picked up 1/2 game on the  Mets, who were rained-out and took over 2nd place by 1/2 game again over the Atlanta Braves who had the day off.  The finale win over the Reds gave the Phillies crucial momentum going into the 4 game series with the Mets, easily the biggest series of the season; first place in the NL East is on the line.

The game featured 6 lead changes with starters Matt Belisle and
Adam Eaton lasting 5 and 6 innings repectively. Eaton left with a 6-5 lead, being replaced by Ryan Madson to begin the 7th inning.  Madson, however couldn’t hold the lead as the Reds knotted the game at 6-6 in the 7th on a sacrifice fly RBI by 2nd baseman Brandon Phillips.

Cincinnati took a 7-6 lead in thew 8th as shortstop Alex Gonzalez solo-homered off of Madson to leftfield with one out for his 13th of the season as the Reds took a short-lved 7-6 lead.

The Phils tied the game at 7-7 on Rollins’ 2 out RBI triple.  Then Alfonseca and Condrey took over and the game remained tied into the bottom of the 10th setting the stage for Rollins’ game-winning single.  Things got a bit dicey for Condrey with 2 outs in the top of the 10th with centerfielder Josh Hamilton doubling to rightfield and Alex Gonzalez being walked. However, Condrey got pinch hitter Javier Valentin to ground out to Utley to end the threat.

In the Phillies’ 10th, Rod Barajas, pinch hitting for winning pitcher Condrey, was walked by reliever Victor Santos to open the inning.  After catcher  Carlos Ruiz struck out, 3rd baseman Abraham Nunez singled to leftfield putting runners at first and second, setting up the situation for Rollins’ game-winning hit.  Santos was charged with the loss.

AP’s game recap for Yahoo sports gives Rollins’ reaction to his game-winning hit;

“That’s what I’m supposed to do in that situation,” Rollins said. “Timing is everything. I got my opportunity tonight, it might be someone else’s opportunity tomorrow.”

Rollins… connected when the game’s future could have been in doubt. Rain had fallen through the final three innings and intensified in the 10th as puddles were beginning to form on the infield dirt.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Thursday’s games,  click here.

This weekend, the Phils entertain the New York Mets for a huge 4 game weekend series for the NL East lead which includes a Friday doubleheader.  In the opener, young lefthander Cole Hamels tries again for his 10th win against  Orlando Hernandez for the Mets.  Hernandez specifically requested Mets manager Willie Randolph that he start in the doubleheader opener. In the nightcap, J.D. Durbin, recently called-up from the minors to take the injured Jon Lieber’s spot in the rotation, goes against against John Maine who seeks his 9th win. 

On Saturday, lefthander J.A. Happ, called up Thursday from the minors will debut against Jorge Sosa for the Mets.  Rookie Kyle Kendricks will go for his 3rd win since his recent call up from the minors vs Oliver Perez in the series finale on Sunday.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on the doubleheader and all of Friday’s games, click here.

 Phillies veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer was vintage for 5 innings, retiring 15 of first 16 he faced and carrying a no-hitter into the 6th before being nicked by Cincinnati for 2 hits in the 6th.

But that was ages ago, before the roof caved in on Moyer and the Phils bullpen in the 7th, before a rain-delayed Phillies 8th and Cincinnati’s winning runs scoring in the 8th 9th innings as the Reds erased a 3-0 Phillies lead and won by a 9-6 score.

By losing, the Phils lost ground a game of ground to both the Mets, who won a rain-abbreviated 6 inning game over St. Louis behind 41 year old veteran Tom Glavine’s 297th win, a near no-hitter by a 2-0 score and to the Atlanta Braves who tied them for 2nd place by blasting out of their offensive slump and pounding the Washington Nationals by a 13-0 score behind a combined shutout by John Smoltz and the Braves bullpen.  

For the first 4 innings, Moyer and Reds starter Aaron Harang were wrapped in a pitching duel. Moyer retired 12 of the first 13 Reds he faced and was flirting with a no-hitter.  The only runner to reach was on a Moyer walk. 

Harang pitched nearly as well only having to work out of a bases loaded jam in the 2nd as the Phils lost a chance to jump to an early lead.  1st baseman Ryan Howard appeared to miss a suicide squeeze sign on  Abraham Nunez’s perfect bunt with runners on first and third. Howard stayed put at third while Shane Victorino, who was stealing on the pitch, advanced to second.

But in the 5th inning, with two on and two out, 1st baseman Howard gave Moyer a 3-0 lead by putting a hurtin’ on a Harang pitch which traveled to centerfield, way out of the park.

AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi describes the blast for Yahoo sports;

The 505-foot drive was the longest in the four-year history of Citizens Bank Park. It cleared the tall, brick batter’s eye, going nine feet farther than Howard’s shot over the same wall against Florida’s Sergio Mitre last April.

Howard hit his 100th career homer in his 325th game, becoming the fastest player to reach that total in major league history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Ralph Kiner had been the fastest player to reach 100 homers, doing it in 385 games for Pittsburgh in the late 1940s.

Moyer got through the 5th clean and gave up 2 two-out hits in the 6th beore striking out rightfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to end the inning.  Moyer struck out the side in the 6th. 

But things went badly awry for Moyer and the bullpen in the 7th.

Maaddi recaps the inning;

The 44-year-old left-hander couldn’t get past the seventh. Moyer left after loading the bases with no outs in the seventh.  Geary entered and nearly allowed a grand slam.  Gonzalez’s opposite-field drive hit high off the fence in right-center for a two-run double.

Pinch-hitter [Javier] Valentin followed with an RBI single to tie it at 3. Harang sacrificed for the first out and Hamilton was intentionally walked to load the bases again.  Brandon Phillips singled up the middle to give Cincinnati a 4-3 lead and chase Geary.

Mike Zagurski came in to face Ken Griffey Jr., who looped a two-run single to left to put the Reds ahead 6-3.

Zagurski then got the side out to end the 7th.  In the Phils’ 7th inning, Harang couldn’t handle the prosperity of a 3 run lead.

Maaddi again recaps;

Harang couldn’t get an out with a three-run cushion. Jimmy Rollins singled leading off the bottom of the seventh and scored on Dobbs’ double.

Jon Coutlangus came in, threw a wild pitch to put Dobbs on third and walked Utley before he struck out Howard for the first out. McBeth entered to face Aaron Rowand. His first pitch crossed up catcher Valentin and hit plate umpire Jeff Kellogg before bouncing away for a passed ball. Dobbs scored and Utley, who was running on the pitch, went to third.

Rowand then singled past a drawn-in infield to tie it at 6.

In the 8th, catcher Valentin, who 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs for the game, stroked an RBI double to put the Reds ahead for good at 7-6 off of Ryan Madson who followed losing pitcher Brian Sanches who hit 3rd baseman Edwin Encarnacion to open the inning.

The Reds got 2 insurance runs off of Jose Mesa in the 9th on leftfielder Adam Dunn’s leftfield homer to cap their scoring.  Marcus McBeth, who got the Reds out of their 7th inning jam, was designated the winning ptcher.  Closer David Weathers, who weathered a Phillies threat in the 8th, with thanks to the rain, and then went clean in the 9th, earned his 15th save of the season.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Wednesday’s games, click here.

On Thursday, Adam Eaton goes for his 8th win vs Matt Belisle for the Reds in the series finale.

After the 3 game set with the Reds, the Phils entertain the New York Mets for a huge 4 game weekend series which includes a Friday doubleheader.  In the opener, young lefthander Cole Hamels tries again for his 10th win against John Maine who seeks his 9th win.  In the nightcap, J.D. Durbin, recently called-up from the minors to take the injured Jon Lieber’s spot in the rotation, goes against winless Mike Pelfrey for the Mets.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Thursday’s games,  click here.

The LA Times ran a story by staff writer Jerry Crowe a few days ago about former St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs pitcher Ernie Broglio.

Broglio had 3 good years with the Cards, but was traded to the Cubs in 1964 for Lou Brock who blossomed into a Hall of Famer and one of MLB’s greatest all-time base-stealers.  The trade is remembered to this day as one of the most lopsided in baseball history.

Brock, who struggled through 4 seasons with the Cubs, came to St. Louis and instantly blossomed into a lifetime .293 hitter and super-thief who stole 938 bases in 1,245 chances, just over 75%. 

Broglio, on the other hand, had a so-so rookie year of 1959 with the Cards, but blossomed in 1960, going 21-9 with an ERA of 2.74 in 226 1/3 innings and 9 complete games and seemed destined for stardom.  Only the great  Milwaukee Braves lefthander Warren Spahn won as many games, although Spahnie lost one more game than Broglio. 

But in 1961, Broglio had a down year going 9-12, but reversed the mark in 1962 going 12-9 with a 3.00 ERA, 11 complete games and 222 innings pitched.  In 1963, he finished 18-8 with a 2.99 ERA, 11 complete games and a career-high 250 innings, but in 1964 slumped to 3-5 as end of the season arm trouble in 1963 apparently carried forward into 1964.

However, despite Broglio’s mainly winning marks during the early 1960s, Crowe writes;

Broglio, who was 27, was a fixture in the Cardinals’ rotation…. He considered himself one of the National League’s top 10 pitchers. But he had fallen out of favor with Manager Johnny Keane — perhaps because Keane did not like his easygoing manner, he says.

I remember Ernie Broglio and that he could have blossomed into one of baseball’s premier starters, but then disappeared.  As a Phillies fan aged 15 or 16, I didn’t take note of how or why this particular player’s career collapsed.  I wasn’t interested in the Cards.  We were all trying to drown our sorrows for the1964 NL pennant choke.  Who thought about a pitcher named Ernie Broglio?  We didn’t have internet, online communications, Sports-talk radio or Yahoo, ESPN, etc. in those days.

Sports-talk personalities like Howard Eskin, Steve Fredricks or Angelo Cataldi were only from later eras.  We only had the local newspaper’s sports section in those days.  It’s also incredible to learn that Broglio’s annual earnings topped out at $25,000 in the majors.  But, maybe not so incredible; for less than 2 years later, Dodger pitching stars Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale launched their abortive joint holdout demanding a 3-year‚ $1.05 million contract to be divided evenly.  The Dodgers didn’t relent and the duo settled for or $130‚000 and $105‚000 respectively after their 32 day holdout.  Unlike today with mega-millions and free agency, the pendulum of control in the 1960s was firmly in the hands of management.

Today, such arm injuries as those suffered by Ernie Broglio would be cause for surgery and long-term rehabilitation with the pitcher being lost for the season.  But with salaries in low five or six figures, players on many clubs were considered throw-aways.  Today, players are regarded as major capital investments with all of the TLC that such status inplies.

In writing how Brock’s career bloomed in St. Louis and Broglio’s free-fell in Chicago, Crowe notes the main factor behind Broglio’s career collapse  — his arm woes.  But apparently the Cardinals hushed them up pretty well — they didn’t send players for MRIs in those days. 

Crowe writes;

“You spend five years with an organization, you really like the guys you’re playing with and then all of a sudden you get traded, it takes you a while to bounce back,” says Broglio, adding that he was suffering from elbow pain at the time of the trade, a detail the Cardinals kept quiet. “I don’t know if I ever really did bounce back from it. They’re winning pennants and you had a chance to be on that ballclub.”

Though it turned out to be a steal for the Cardinals, the trade did not seem outlandish at the time when Broglio and Brock switched teams.

Two months later, Broglio awoke one morning with a locked elbow that eventually would require surgery. Less than two years later, he was out of the major leagues for good, having made only 33 starts for the Cubs while compiling a 7-19 record.

In a feature on former Cubs pitching great, Ferguson Jenkins, the blogger  Bleeding Cubbie Blue writes about Broglio;

In Cub lore, the name Ernie Broglio lives in infamy. Broglio, of course, was the sore-armed pitcher the Cubs received in exchange for future Hall-of-Famer Lou Brock in a much-lamented 1964 trade with the Cardinals.

Time Magazine wrote of Broglio that he had been “bothered by a recurring tendon inflammation.”

Baseball Library carries these two chronology posts on Broglio;

Aug 23, 1964 The Cubs lose Ernie Broglio‚ who woke up with a locked elbow and will need surgery to repair the ulnar lateral ligament damage in his elbow. He’ll be 1-6 in 1965.

Jul 5, 1966 - The Cubs give up on Ernie Broglio releasing him outright to Tacoma (PCL).

Phillies rookie starter Kyle Kendrick won his 2nd game in 3 major league starts behind 3 Phillie homers, catcher Carlos Ruiz’s 4 RBIs and steal of home and 3 shut out innings by the bullpen as the Phillies blasted the  Cincinnati Reds by an 11-4 score on Tuesday in their series opener.

In winning, the Phillies (40-36) have again reached four games above .500, a season-best.  They also got back to within 2 1/2 games of the NL East-leading New York Mets who lost an extra-inning battle with the  St. Louis Cardinals by a 5-3 score.  They remain a game up on the Atlanta Braves who also won.  The coming series with the Mets for the division lead looms larger by the day.

Cincinnati got on the board first against Kendrick in the top of the 1st inning as leftfielder Adam Dunn drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to rightfield.  The Phillies opened their scoring in the bottom of the 1st inning as shortstop Jimmy Rollins led off with a single to right and scored on 1st baseman Ryan Howard’s 2 run rightfield homer.

The Phillies followed by scoring 4 runs in the 2nd.  With none out, Ruiz singled in a run. Then, Kendrick was walked to load the bases.  A run scored on Rollins’ doubleplay grounder second to shortstop to first with Ruiz advancing to 3rd base on the play.  Leftfielder Michael Bourn was walked putting runners on 1st and 3rd.  Ruiz then stole home as part of a double steal for the Phils’ 5th run. 

AP Sports Writer Rob Maaddi fills in the details for Yahoo sports;

Ruiz broke for home after Reds catcher David Ross threw to second base trying to get Michael Bourn. Ruiz, who is somewhat swift for a catcher, beat shortstop Alex Gonzalez’s wide throw for his second career steal to give the Phillies a 5-1 lead.

Manuel said third-base coach Steve Smith told Ruiz to make sure the throw went through before he ran.

“Smitty looked up and said, ‘No, no, no.’ But he made it,” Manuel said.

Bo Diaz was the last catcher to steal home for Philadelphia. He did it against Pittsburgh on June 18, 1982.  Scott Rolen was the last Phillies player do it on June 5, 1997, against the Cubs.

“I was surprised,” Ruiz said. “I thought he would fake to second.”

2nd baseman Chase Utley completed the 2nd inning scoring with his single to rightfield scoring Bourn as the Phils led 6-1 after 2 innings with all runs being scored against losing Reds starter Homer Bailey who was pounded and lasted only 1 2/3 innings.  Rightfielder Shane Victorino added a run for the Phils in the 3rd inning with a solo shot to left field, one of 4 runs scored off of Reds reliever Mike Gosling in his 2 innings of work.

Cincinnati scored 1 run in the 4th inning (centfielder Josh Hamilton’s solo shot) and two (rightfielder Ken Griffey Jr.’s sacrifice fly and Adam Dunn’s rightfield solo shot) in the fifth, with Ruiz’s 3 run double in the 4th for the Phillies sandwiched in between.

The Phillies capped their scoring in the 7th inning with a solo homer off of Reds reliever Victor Santos.

Kendrick threw 100 pitches in 6 innings giving up 4 runs on 6 hits while walking 3, striking out 3 and giving up the 2 Cincinnati homers.  It was not a masterful performance, but with the Phils offense in high-gear, Kendrick kept the Phils ahead big and the bullpen did the rest over the final 3 innings.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Tuesday’s games,  click here.

On Wednesday, veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer, who seeks his 8th win, goes against Reds ace Aaron Harang who seeks his 9th victory.   Moyer is one of 7 over 40 year old pitchers going on Wednesday.   ESPN reports;

The previous record of six was set last Friday, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, when all but Clemens started.

On Thursday, Adam Eaton goes for his 8th win vs Matt Belisle for the Reds.

After the 3 game set with the Reds, the Phils entertain the New York Mets for a huge 4 game weekend series with the NL East lead on the line.  The series includes a Friday doubleheader.  In the opener, young lefthander Cole Hamels tries again for his 10th win against John Maine who seeks his 9th win.  In the nightcap, J.D. Durbin, recently called-up to take the injured  Jon Lieber’s spot in the rotation, goes against winless Mike Pelfrey for the Mets.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Wednesday’s games, click here.

                                                                            Jason Rees and Jeff Mor of the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox

Just over one month ago, this blog reported on media coverage of the new  IBL baseball league forming in Israel.  June 24, 2007 marked the league’s opning day.

Since making my Aliyah to live in Israel over 8 years ago this past March, whenever baseball fans/Torah scholars got together an talked a little baseball, that oft-used biblical pun, “In the big inning…” was always bandied about.  The Israel Baseball League opener in the Yarkon Sports Complex in the city of Petach Tikva was indicative of that great old pun that we all chuckle about.

The game ended up as something of a laugher with Modi’in putting it to Petach Tikva by a 9-1 score as the Israeli announcers had no clue as to hebraicized baseball jargon.

I missed the league opener on Sunday, although early in the afternoon I had thoughts of busing it over to Petach Tikva’s Yarkon Field.  But then a number of pressing matters plus intense Beit Shemesh heat prevailed and I ended up locked-on to the computer for the duration. 

 The game pitted Manager Art Shamsky and his Modi’in Miracle against the  Petach Tikva Pioneers.   

Hillel Fendel of Israel National News records how Modi’in turned a close game into something of a rout in the 3rd inning;

The game blew open in the third inning, when the Miracle from Modiin managed to turn only two hits - both singles - into no fewer than five runs. They were helped along by four walks and two sacrifice flies. Meanwhile, inning by inning, Petach Tikvah was going down quietly, making little trouble for Modiin pitchers Matt Bennett of Australia and Audy Alcantara of the Dominican Republic. The serenity of their “offense” was disturbed only by a solo home run by Ryan Crotin of Amherst, NY, among four other harmless hits. The game ended softly with a ground out by right-fielder Ben Dashefsky of New York.

But on Monday, with game tickets in hand, and with old tunes in mind like ”it’s a beautiful day for a ballgame, for a ballgame today…” and that old Phillies beer commercial, “Baseball and Balantine”, a group of us Ramat Beit Shemesh residents headed for “for the sticks”, for the proverbial “boondocks” known as Gezer to root for the Beit Shemesh Blue Sox in their inaugural game of the Israel Baseball League season against the Netanya Tigers.

It was Beit Shemesh’s favorite son, starting pitcher Jeff Mor facing Netanya’s Leon Finegold who brings some heavy heat by way of a 90+ mph fastball, not exactly on par with a healthy Joel Zumaya, but pretty rapid by Israeli standards.

We arrived at the Gezer field by way of winding, twisting roads and in time for the 2nd inning.  We missed Mor striking out 2 of the first 3 hitters he faced in the 1st inning as the fans chanted “We want Mor[e].”

After Netanya broke through for a run in the second inning on rightfielder  Brian Pinchuk’s RBI single in the second to lead 1-0, Bet Shemesh got the run back in the 4th on an RBI single by second baseman Jim Pierce. Rightfielder Jason Rees’ hit drove in the winning run in the fifth as the Blue Sox held off the Tigers in the 6th inning to emerge with the victory.  The umpires called the game after six innings due to darkness, or rather poor lighting which the IBL will undoubtedly rectify once it resolves it’s sometimes quirky website. 

League games are normally 7 innings, as opposed to American baseball which goes 9 innings and extra-innings in event of a tie.  In the IBL, ties in regulation play would be broken by a homerun derby.

The closely-fought pitcher’s duel and tight defensive battle was only marred by a 4th inning hit batsman which went largely unreported in media coverage of the game.  The Petach Tikva pitcher Leon Feingold lost control of a fastball which hit Beit Shemesh catcher Jake Ayers in the neck, just below the ear.  As Ayers lay on the ground seemingly motionless for a few moments, it looked serious as he was surrounded by players from both teams and a stretcher was wheeled in.  But then, Ayers was helped up and left the field under his own power with what seemed to be an ice-pack being applied to the affected area.  He was then taken to the hospital for tests.  League officials informed me by email that as of 28 June, 2007 Ayers is ok but is day-to-day.

The food was top drawer, glatt kosher and economic.  Although there was not the broadcasting balagon of the league-opener where game announcers struggled with adapting loshen Kodesh (the holy tongue of Hebrew) to baseball lingo, this game’s Anglo public address announcer has what to learn in terms properly announcing each hitter of the lineup, what position each plays, etc.

But a great time was had by all, and the hometown club won.  Can even the most demanding Phillies or Cubs fan ask for anything more?

On Sunday, the Phillies’ young lefthander Cole Hamels went 3 innings giving up 3 hits and 1 run while walking 1 and striking out 3 before his start was washed out by a 1 1/2 hour rain delay.  But the bullpen came up huge in holding the Cards off of the board the rest of the way. 

Phillie-killer Kip Wells lasted 5 innings and also gave up 1 run on 3 hits. But the Phils scored late on pinch hitter Shane Victorino’s 2 out, bases-clearing 3 run double to leftfield and added an insurance run in the 9th on leftfielder Michael Bourn’s RBI single to leftfield which followed shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ ground rule double to rightfield to clip the Cards in the series finale by a 5-1 score.

In winning, the Phillies kept pace with the Mets who drubbed Oakland by a  10-2 score behind another fine performance by starter John Maine. The Phils remained 3 games behind the NL East leaders but jumped to a 1 1/2 game 2nd place lead over the Atlanta Braves who were shut out by the  Detroit Tigers by a 5-0 score as the Tigers swept the 3 games, only allowing Atlanta 1 run for the series.  This time, the Tigers got a combined 6 hit shut out, with Andrew Miller going 6 innings and getting the win while reliever Chad Durbin, who went the final 3 innings, was credited with the first save of his 8 year MLB career.

In the Phils, Cards game, St. Louis scored first getting a 3rd inning run off of Hamels as pitcher Kip Wells tried to help his own cause with the stick by singling and later being driven in on 1st baseman Albert Pujols’ sacrifice fly to centerfield.  Wells had 2 hits in the game and possesses a pitcher’s batting average of .346 for the season.

Then the rains came.  While Hamels was lifted, Wells remained in the game through the 5th inning.  The Phils tied the game on Wells in the 5th inning.  The AP report outlines the inning for Yahoo sports;

Cardinals starter Kip Wells returned to the mound following a 1-hour, 36-minute rain delay before the bottom of the fourth looking for his first victory as a starter in a month. Scratched before his last scheduled start on Tuesday in favor of  Thompson, Wells pitched the final two innings of a 14-inning victory against Kansas City on Wednesday.

Against the Phillies he nearly made it through five innings without giving up a run. Wells walked Carlos Ruiz to start the fifth and got the next two batters out before a wild pitch and Michael Bourn’s single brought Ruiz in to tie the score at 1-1. Bourn also drove in a run in the ninth.

“It’s frustrating,” Wells said. “It’s one of those things where you’re pitching a better game and you get a setback. I knew they would make every move they could to keep me in the game to get the win.”

The big story in this game aside from Bourn’s 2 hits and 2 RBIs and Victorino’s 3 run double was the bullpen.  Ryan Madson and Brian Sanches made the lead stand up by going 2 scoreless innings each and Clay Condrey went a perfect 8th inning.  Antonio Alfonseca came on to pitch the 9th and things got a bit dicey with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out and sacks loaded with two outs.  But Alfonseca got centerfielder So Taguchi to ground into a game-ending fielder’s choice force on leftfielder Chris Duncan at 2nd base.

In related news, it now seems that Jon Lieber, previously thought to have a right ankle strain, now is diagnosed by MRI as a ruptured tendon in the bottom of his right foot.  And so Lieber’s season and perhaps his Phillies career seems at an end although he is still listed on the 15 day DL.

The AP report on the game also lists that;

Jayson Werth [rf] threw out Ryan Ludwick in the fourth inning for his six assist from the outfield in 24 games.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Sunday’s games,  click here.

The Phillies have Monday off before heading home starting Tuesday for 7 games; 3 against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday through Thursday.  In the series opener, rookie Kyle Kendrick opposes Cincinnati rookie Homer Bailey in Tuesday’s opener..

After the 3 game set with the Reds, the Phils entertain the New York Mets for a 4 game weekend series which includes a Friday doubleheader.

For the scores, boxscores and recaps on this and all of Monday’s games,  click here.