Phillies Week in Review 7/25-7/31
The Philadelphia Phillies were away from home the entire final week of July as the Democratic National Convention took place across the street from their home park.
The Phillies finished the week at 3-4 against a pair of NL East rivals, splitting their four game set against the Atlanta Braves after dropping two of three against the surging Miami Marlins.
The biggest story as the week ended was that the Phillies had done nothing as the MLB non-waiver trade deadline was approaching.
Rumors were swirling that Vincent Velasquez might be headed to Texas or that Jeremy Hellickson was destined to join the Marlins, but the team was not able to land the prospects they were looking for and ultimately decided not to make a move.
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There is still a chance the Phillies could move some players, most likely aging veterans such as Carlos Ruiz or Ryan Howard, or players such as Peter Bourjos or Andres Blanco, before the August 31st waiver trade deadline.
While it might be disappointing to some fans that the Phillies did not pull of a big trade, holding on to Hellickson might pay off in the long run.
The Phillies will likely extend Hellickson a qualifying offer at the end of the year, and if he turns it down the Phils would be rewarded with a compensation pick in the 2017 MLB Amateur Draft. If he accepts, he returns as a veteran to lead a young staff one more time next season.
Let’s take a look at who was surging and who was struggling for the Fightin’ Phils over this past week as the long road trip rolled to an end.
Next: PHILLIES SURGING BATS
SURGING HITTERS
Cesar Hernandez stayed hot at the plate this week, hitting .350 with a double and nine walks.
Utility man Jimmy Paredes had a nice week for the Fightins. Paredes batted .300 in five games played with one homer.
The only other Phillies players with decent offensive numbers for the week were Howard and Cameron Rupp. The Phils’ backstop hit .267 with an RBI. Howard batted .250 with a pair of doubles.
Next: PHILLIES STRUGGLING HITTERS
STRUGGLING HITTERS
Maikel Franco had a putrid week at the plate, hitting just .115, though he did blast one homer.
Aaron Altherr returned from a long stint on the DL to finally make his 2016 debut. While he did shine in his first game back, he batted just .231 on the week with a homer.
Rule 5 pick Tyler Goeddel continues to struggle, though he also wasn’t given much opportunity. Goeddel went hitless in six official at bats this week.
Tyler Featherston has struggled since replacing Andres Blanco on the Phils roster. Rather than maximize his opportunity, Featherston hit just .167 with a stolen base this week.
Tommy Joseph, Cody Ashe, and Ruiz all continued to struggle this week as well. The trio combined to hit for just a .177 average with little production.
Next: PHILLIES SURGING ARMS
SURGING ARMS
Jerad Eickhoff bounced back nicely this week. Eickhoff gave up just one earned run in 12 innings pitched with nine strikeouts this week.
Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos both had nice week’s out of the pen. The duo combined for 5.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
Vincent Velasquez had a great start this week. He gave up just two earned runs over six innings and struck out five.
Next: PHILLIES STRUGGLING ARMS
STRUGGLING ARMS
Aaron Nola had another shaky start this week, surrendering three earned runs and striking out five in five innings pitched in the Fightins 7-5 win against the Braves on Thursday. He continued to struggle with his command, walking three batters.
Brett Oberholtzer, Andrew Bailey, and Severino Gonzalez struggled mightily out of the pen this week. The trio combined to give up twelve earned runs in seven innings pitched.
Zach Eflin had a poor start this week against the Braves, giving up seven earned runs in five innings pitched with four walks and a strikeout.