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The Phillies enter the final weekend of the regular season clinging to postseason hopes as they travel to St. Petersburg to take on the American League East Division champion Rays in a three-game set. Losers of six of their last 10 games, the Phillies urgently need wins in order to qualify for the expanded 16-team playoff format.  The enter the weekend 1/2 game behind Miami for second place in the National League East and they trail San Francisco by 1/2 game for the last NL Wild Card spot.    Read ahead for a rundown of the pitching match ups and other key statistics for this series. Friday, 6:40pm.  Vince Velasquez (1-1, 5.46 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (2-2, 4.64 ERA).   Velasquez notched a win in his last outing against the Blue Jays, going six innings while allowing one earned run on two hits.  Velasquez is averaging 12.1 K/9 in eight appearances this season.  Velasquez has allowed eight earned runs in 8 2/3 innings on the road this season....

Another series, another preview.  The Phillies head south to take on their divisional rival Braves in a three-game series beginning Friday night.   Atlanta at 14-11 sit atop the National League East Division.  Fresh off getting swept in a double header at the Blue Jays on Thursday, the Phillies and their 9-12 record reside at the bottom of the division.   A brief rundown of the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series are ahead. Friday, 7:10pm.  Aaron Nola (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. Max Fried (3-0, 1.24 ERA).  In 19 career starts against Atlanta, Nola has an 11-5 record with a 2.82 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.  Ronald Acuna Jr. is 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with two home runs and four RBI in his career when facing Nola.  In 2019 Nola had a 4.75 ERA in six starts against the Braves.  Fried allowed two earned runs in his first start this season and in four starts since then he has allowed just two total runs, both earned.  The lef...

On Monday the Phillies will open up a home-and-home four-game series against the Yankees, with the first pair taking place in Philadelphia and the last pair happening in New York City. After dropping two of three in their season opening series against the Marlins, the Phils look to bounce back and get on the winning track.   New Phillies skipper Joe Girardi managed the Yankees for a decade, winning a World Series title against the Phils in 2009.  Two days shy of the 10-year anniversary of the day the Phillies traded him to Houston in the Roy Oswalt deal, J.A. Happ will start the series opener against veteran Jake Arrieta.  Read ahead for breakdowns of the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Monday 7/27, 7:05PM.  LHP J.A. Happ (12-8, 4.91 ERA in 2019) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (8-8, 4.64 ERA in 2019).   In 30 career appearances at Citizens Bank Park, the 37-year-old Happ sports a 3.87 ERA.  In his career against Happ, Andrew McCut...

Rhys Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd At long last, it is Opening Day for the Phillies.  The delayed season, a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, gets underway for the Phils and Marlins on Friday, as the two teams open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Entering the 2020 campaign with new manager Joe Girardi at the helm, the Phillies hope this is the year they can return to the postseason for the first time since 2011 after under-performing and faltering down the stretch in each of the past two seasons. On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced arrangements for an expanded playoff format this year, increasing the amount of post-season teams from 10 to 16. Coming off back-to-back last place finishes in the National League East division, Miami looks to surprise many and contend for one of those spots.  The Marlins lost 105 games last year. Read ahead for specifics on the pitching match ups and more from this series.  Friday, 7/24/20...7:05PM....

Image- Jay Floyd The Phillies kick off their 2018 home schedule on Thursday April 5th at Citizens Bank Park.  Here is a listed schedule of events for the day along with some key statistical notes for the contest. 12:00 PM- Block Party begins.  Presented by Budweiser on Citizens Bank Way, the party features a live band, a Ferris Wheel, Gametrain a Budweiser Macro Bar and samplings from Turkey Hill Dairy, Diet Coke and others.  12:35 PM- All gates open.  Fans will receive a commemorative knit hat. 12:40 PM- Phillies batting practice. 1:10 PM- Marlin batting practice. 2:26 PM- Phillies lead off walk onto the field, entering the park from the outfield. 2:35 PM- "America the Beautiful" performed by the Philadelphia Boys Choire and Men;s Chorale.  2:39 PM- Marlins team introduction. 2:44 PM- Phillies team introduction. 2:49 PM- Tribute video & moment of silence for Roy Halladay. 2:51 PM- National Anthem performed by Kane Kalas at his father...

As the Dodgers and Astros worked their way to the Fall Classic, it became very clear that they were two of the best teams of the last twenty years. These aren’t the 2011 Cardinals or the 2014 Giants – Wild Card teams that got hot at the right time and rode that momentum to a title. These are complete teams set up for long-term success, and much of the league, Phillies included, have a long way to go to catch them. To put it in perspective, the Astros, who pair a dominant starting rotation led by Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel with a historically good offense  that led the league in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, are 5/4 underdogs against LA, according to mytopsportsbooks.com. ( Click here for odds and essays on the 2017 World Series .) That’s just how good the 104-win Dodgers are. Heading into 2018, the hope from the Phillies front-office likely isn’t a World Series appearance, or even a playoff berth next year. T...

Scott Kingery, image- Jay Floyd Recently Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle conducted a survey of media members that cover and broadcast the Phillies minor league teams , designed to rank the top talents in the organization's developmental system. The participating individuals were asked to rank their personal top 30, which were tabulated on a points system based on each ranking to determine the paper's published list of top prospects. Participating individuals included Lehigh Valley beat reporter Tom Housenick, Tony Graham of the Lakewood BlueClaws, Mike Ventola of the Reading Fightins, Williamsport beat writer Mitch Rupert, Matt Winkleman of Crashburn Alley and several others including me.  Second baseman Scott Kingery, who represented the Phillies in the MLB All-Star Futures Game this summer and has been raking all year in a split season between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley, tallied the most overall points.  Ranked best overall by the group, the 23-y...

Just a quick rundown of some noteworthy performers throughout the Phillies minor leagues. Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs-  Hoskins & Kingery, image- Jay Floyd International League All-Star Rhys Hoskins went 1-for-2 with a single and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's MLB All-Star Futures Game.  In 88 games this season, the righty hitting first baseman has a .289 batting average with 20 home runs and 66 RBI. Also in the Futures Game, second baseman Scott Kingery went 0-for-1.  In 12 games since he was promoted to Triple-A, the 23-year-old is batting .306 with four homers, eight RBI and four steals. Right-handed pitcher Tom Eshelman sports a 7-2 record with a 1.96 ERA through 11 starts as a member of the Lehigh Valley rotation.  Eshelman was acquired as part of the Ken Giles trade to Houston in 2015. Double-A Reading Fightin Phils- Third baseman Mitch Walding has been ripping up the opposition of late.  Named the Eastern League player of the month...

Prior to Thursday's game, Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Dusty Wathan spoke with members of the media and offered thoughts on some of his club's most talented players. Among the key topics were International League All-Star and MLB All-Star Futures Game representative Rhys Hoskins, who is batting .300 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI in 82 games, starting pitcher Tom Eshelman, who sports a 6-2 record with two complete games and a 2.15 ERA in 10 starts for the IronPigs, shortstop J.P. Crawford, who is batting .207 in 69 games, and starter Mark Appel, who has posted a 5-4 record with a 4.87 ERA through 16 starts. Read ahead for Wathan's quotes... On Rhys Hoskins' work ethic- He's the first one at the ballpark every.  He's out there taking ground balls.  He prepares himself as good, if not better than anybody I've ever had. When asked about Tom Eshelman's performance since a promotion from Double-A Reading, Wathan joked- I'm a little disa...

ALLENTOWN, PA-- It already seemed like a regular thing at Coca-Cola Park on Thursday as buzz-worthy prospects Rhys Hoskins and Scott Kingery each slammed a home run for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  Both players continue to fuel Phillies fans' desire to see them playing at the top level of the sport with similarly explosive offensive production. Invitations for Hoskins and Kingery to play on a big league field came this week, but it wasn't precisely what the home faithful were hoping for, as the duo was chosen to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. The annual exhibition, which began in 1999, features top prospects from all around professional baseball.  It is slated to be played at Marlins Park in Miami on Sunday, July 9th as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star festivities.  The game pits talents from the United States against players from the rest of the World. The pair of Phils prospects has somewhat paralleled one another on their paths up t...

Friend of the site Steve Potter, also known as @JpoppaCool on Twitter, took time this week to provide some lists of top performers throughout the Phillies' minor league ranks. Steve is the author of the book The 2016 Phillies Minor Leagues: A Fan's View .  It's a great paperback offering that is available at Citizens Bank Park and online from multiple outlets . With just Lakewood in action on Monday, out of the four full-season teams, most of the listings are accurate, with stats accurate through Sunday.  Take a look at the organization leader boards in various offensive and pitching categories below... Phillies Minor League Leaders - Pitching - ( thru 6/11/17 games ) - excluding guys now on Major League Roster  Top 10 - Wins  Tom Eshelman - 7 - ( Lehigh - 4, Reading - 3) Jose Taveras - 5 - Clearwater  Drew Anderson - 5 - Reading  Brandon Leibrandt - 5 - Reading 10 tied with 4  Top 10 (ERA - minimum 50 IP) - Starting Pitchers  Range...

I haven't delivered my usual semi-weekly hot lists this year, as I have in previous season.  I hope to bring these back more often, so here's a note book on top prospect performers throughout the Phillies' organization... Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs (37-18 record, 1st place IL North Division)- Hoskins, image- Jay Floyd No player in the Phils' system has been as consistent as first base prospect Rhys Hoskins .  The 24-year-old righty batter's 1.005 OPS leads the International League.  Hoskins, who was the Phillies' 5th round draft selection in 2014 is batting .302 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 55 games this season. Outfielder Cam Perkins is batting .385 over his last seven games.  Perkins, a 26-year-old, has posted a .289/393/.480 slash line through 48 games this year.  The righty batter was a 6th round draft selection by the Phils in 2012. Outfielder Nick Williams was 0-for-3 on Saturday night, but prior to that contest, the 23-year-old had g...