Harang Value Continues to Plummet

6. 9. 76. Final. 5

Veteran starting pitcher Aaron Harang was signed by the Phillies in order to provide some veteran innings to a rebuilding roster. It was also hoped that he could perform well enough to draw trade interest from other clubs, bringing back something of more long-term value to the organization.

For the first couple of months of the season, Harang was performing beyond expectations. Rumors began to surface that teams were looking at him as a relatively inexpensive piece to bolster their rotations. The Phils were watching him build real value, as through May the big righty had a 2.02 ERA, and had allowed just 56 hits in 71.1 innings.

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Beginning with his first start in June, Harang seemed to hit a wall. In 6 starts since that time, including last night, he has lost all six, allowing at least 4 earned runs in each outing, and has not been able to last longer than 6 innings. His ERA in that span is an unacceptable 8.31, and he has allowed 48 hits in just 34.2 innings, including 8 homeruns.

Last night at Citizens Bank Park, the Milwaukee Brewers tattooed Harang (4-11), who allowed a season-worst 14 hits and 8 earned runs. The Brew Crew parlayed that into a 9-5 win, their third straight in this four game series that concludes on Thursday afternoon.

Milwaukee scored twice on Harang in the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th innings in building an 8-2 lead. In the 1st, Adam Lind drove a 2-run homer to right center. In the 3rd, a 2-run double off the bat of Aramis Ramirez was the big blow. In the 4th it was a 2-run double from Ryan Braun. And in the 6th, another 2-run double, this off the bat of Scooter Gennett.

Meanwhile, ex-Phil pitcher Kyle Lohse battled for 6.1 innings over which he allowed 9 hits and 4 earned runs in earning his 5th win of the season.

Rookie 3rd baseman Maikel Franco had another big game for the Phils batting out of the 3-hole in the order. He went 3-4 with 3 doubles, a walk, a run scored, and 2 RBI on the night. His run-scoring doubles in both the 7th and 9th brought the team within striking distance, but the deficit created by Harang was just too great to overcome.

The Brewers victories in these first three games between what remain the two worst teams in MLB by record have given the Phillies a 5-game lead in the race, if you can call it that, for the #1 pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft. The Phils have now lost 6 of 7, and they have gone a putrid 9-29 since mid-May.

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