Phillies Week in Review: 7/18-7/24
The Fightin’ Phils struggled last week, finishing with a 2-5 record after dropping three of their four games against the Miami Marlins at home, and then beginning their road trip by losing two of three against the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The team had a scary moment when catcher Cameron Rupp was hit in the head by a pitch from Pittsburgh’s Tyler Glasgow during Saturday’s loss. Thankfully Rupp was not seriously injured and was only removed from the game as a precaution.
Utility man Andres Blanco is headed for the DL after fracturing his index finger. The Phillies have called up infielder Tyler Featherston from AAA Lehigh Valley to replace him on the roster.
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In other news, the Phils returned Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf to Kansas City. Stumpf was suspended for 80 games to start the season after testing positive for PEDs, but struggled in his handful of starts for the Phils.
The highlight of the week for the Phillies was Zach Eflin‘s brilliant pitching performance against the Pirates on Friday night. Eflin needed just 100 pitches for the complete game shutout against Pittsburgh. It was his second CG of the season, and of his young rookie career.
Let’s take a look at which players and pitchers were “surging ” and which were “struggling” for the Fightins over last week’s action.
Next: SURGING HITTERS
SURGING HITTERS
Carlos Ruiz batted .500 on the week with a double. Chooch is a possible trade chip for the Phils if he continues to perform well.
Before his injury Andres Blanco was having a solid week at the plate, hitting .333 with a homer and three RBI.
Struggling after the All Star break, Odubel Herrera had a nice week. Herrera hit .333 two doubles, a triple, and a homer.
After struggling for most of the season, Ryan Howard had a great week at the dish. The Big Piece hit .333 with a homer in four games played.
Not to be outdone by his first base platoon partner, Tommy Joseph also hit .333 with two homers of his own.
Cesar Hernandez had a great week after some recent struggles. Hernandez hit .320 with a double, triple and three stolen bases.
Next: STRUGGLING HITTERS
STRUGGLING HITTERS
Maikel Franco struggled after a strong week the prior week. Franco batted just .190 with seven strikeouts in six games played. Franco was hit in the wrist with a pitch on Friday, but thankfully not seriously injured.
Cody Asche continues to struggle mightily, going hitless in 20 at bats with nine strikeouts.
Peter Bourjos has also gone ice-cold at the plate. Bourjos hit just .138 with nine strikeouts. The timing couldn’t be worse for a player who the Phils would love to be able to move at the deadline.
Next: SURGING ARMS
SURGING ARMS
As noted above, Zach Eflin shined this week, going the distance and striking out six in a Friday night win at PNC Park over the always tough Pittsburgh Pirates.
Jeremy Hellickson pitched a gem in the Phils lone win against the Marlins. Hellickson gave up just one earned run and struck out eight in the team’s 4-1 win on Wednesday. The Fish must have been impressed, as rumors are heating up that they are trying to trade for Hellickson.
Hector Neris and Andrew Bailey pitched well out of the pen this week. The duo combined for five scoreless innings and six strikeouts.
Next: STRUGGLING ARMS
STRUGGLING ARMS
It was a tale of two Aaron Nola‘s this week. On Monday, Nola threw six scoreless innings and struck out six in the Phils 3-2 loss against the Marlins.
Many were hoping Nola had turned the corner after several poor performances before the all-star break, but the righty struggled mightily in his next start against the Pirates.
He gave up six earned runs and had poor command in the Phils 7-4 loss on Saturday. Hopefully this is just some growing pains and he will get back on track soon.
Jerad Eickhoff struggled again this week, giving up five earned runs in five innings pitched against Miami.
Brett Oberholtzer, Daniel Stumpf and Jeanmar Gomez struggled out of the pen this week. The trio combined to give up six earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched. It would turn out to be Stumpf’s final appearance with the Phillies, who returned the Rule 5 pick to the Royals.