Series Preview - Phillies at Nationals: August 2nd to August 5th

1986 Topps #689

1986 Topps Traded #71T

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 4:05
Nationals Park - Washington , DC

At the Ballpark:  On Thursday, the Nationals have listed "Topps Baseball Cards" as an exit giveaway to the first 10,000 fans.  Does that mean only the first 10,000 fans to leave the ballpark receive this giveaway?

The Phillies Room staff is currently taking its second of two summer sabbaticals, and the blog will be on auto pilot until later next week.  During our absence, a daily gallery of a prior year Topps Phillies team set will be posted.  Thanks for your continued support and Go Phils!

2021 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2021 Season Summary Index / 2021 Chachi Set Checklist

Phils Take Series; Photo Night Highlights! (Part Two)

2017 Chachi Photo Night #8

2017 Chachi Photo Night #32

Phillies 6, Brewers 3
Game 96 - Sunday Afternoon, July 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 34-62, 5th place

One Sentence Summary:  Jerad Eickhoff pitched six solid inning and Nick Williams started the scoring with a two-run home run in the fourth as the Phillies defeated the Brewers, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies have won back-to-back series for the first time since April.  The first place Astros roll into town to begin a three-game series on Monday night.

What Happened:  Along with allowing only two runs on three hits over six innings, Eickhoff also contributed two hits and scored a run.  Luis Garcia pitched a perfect ninth to record his first save of the season.  Howie Kendrick had a clutch two-run single in the fifth.

Featured Cards:  Here's the next gallery of extremely limited edition Chachi insert cards from Saturday's Photo Night.  Eickhoff and Williams highlight the post given their efforts in this win.

2017 Chachi Photo Night #12

2017 Chachi Photo Night #13

2017 Chachi Photo Night #14

2017 Chachi Photo Night #15

2017 Chachi Photo Night #16

2017 Chachi Photo Night #17

2017 Chachi Photo Night #18

2017 Chachi Photo Night #19

2017 Chachi Photo Night #20

2017 Chachi Photo Night #21

Series Preview - Brewers at Phillies: July 21st to July 23rd

Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Brewers 52-46, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 1 game ahead of the Cubs
Phillies 32-61, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 24 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Brewers Probables:  Matt Garza (4-4, 3.84), Brent Suter (1-1, 3.09), Junior Guerra (1-3, 4.77)
Phillies Probables:  Aaron Nola (6-6, 3.54), Jeremy Hellickson (6-5, 4.44), Jerad Eickhoff (1-7, 4.83)

At the Ballpark:  Saturday is the annual Photo Night, with fans allowed down on the field to take pictures of the team as they leisurely stroll by.  On Sunday, all kids will receive an Odubel Herrera t-shirt.

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Travis Shaw - .295
Runs:  Eric Thames - 60
Home Runs:  Eric Thames - 23
RBIs:  Travis Shaw - 69
Stolen Bases:  Jonathan Villar - 18

Wins:  Zach Davies - 11
ERA:  Jimmy Nelson - 3.43
Strikeouts:  Jimmy Nelson - 132
Saves:  Corey Knebel - 16

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Aaron Altherr - .288
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 43
Home Runs:  Tommy Joseph - 15
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 52
Stolen Bases:  Howie Kendrick - 8

Wins:  Jeremy Hellickson and Aaron Nola - 6
ERA:  Jeremy Hellickson - 4.44
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 88
Saves:  Hector Neris - 9

1982 Topps #466

1982 Topps #487

1982 Topps Appreciation:  Here are two 1982 Topps cards of former Brewers players who also had/have Phillies connections.  Bob McClure is the team's current pitching coach, and he took place in the 1982 reunion festivities last week in Milwaukee.

Here's what I wrote about Randy Lerch's career in a series preview post from 2012:

Randy Lerch was drafted by the Phillies in 1973 and made his Major League debut at the end of the 1975 season.  Primarily a starter, Lerch's best season with the Phillies was 1978, when he hit career highs in wins (11) and strikeouts (96).  Lerch famously hit two home runs on September 30, 1978, in the division clinching game for the Phillies.  He had a decent season in 1979, going 10-13 with a 3.74 ERA in 214 innings pitched - a career high.  He was shipped to the Brewers after earning his World Series ring in 1980.  From 1981 to 1984, Lerch appeared pitched with the Brewers, Expos and Giants before making his way back to the Phillies system.  He appeared in 4 games with the 1986 Phillies before calling it a career.

Gag Me with a Spoon! Phillies Continue to Lose, but Look Good Doing It

2017 Chachi Archives #15

2017 Chachi Archives #16

Brewers 3, Phillies 2
Game 89 - Saturday Night, July 15th in Milwaukee
Record - 29-60, 5th place, 24 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Aaron Nola turned in another solid outing and Odubel Herrera stayed hot, but Joaquin Benoit surrendered a go-ahead home run to Travis Shaw in the eighth as the Brewers won, 3-2.

What It Means:  Something's got to give.  I'm actively rooting for the Phillies to complete a massive amount of trades in the coming weeks if for no other reason than it will give us some new players to watch.  The current crop does not play very good baseball.

What Happened:  Nola struck out seven in his six innings of work, allowing two runs on seven hits. Pat Neshek pitched another scoreless inning, dropping his ERA to 1.24.  Benoit dropped to 1-4.

Herrera had a pair of extra-base hits - a solo home run (8) in the seventh and a two-out double in the ninth.  He'd be stranded at second when Cameron Rupp struck out to end the ballgame.

Featured Cards:  The Phillies wore their awesome baby blue throw-back road uniforms again, allowing me to add a few more cards to the limited edition Chachi Archives set.  Phillies pitching coach Bob McClure posed pre-game with his former Brewers teammates, Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich.

2017 Chachi #29 Bob McClure CO

#22

Robert Craig McClure

Pitching Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  205
Born:  April 29, 1952, Oakland, CA
Home:  Stuart, FL

Teams - As Player:  Kansas City Royals 1975-1976; Milwaukee Brewers 1977-1986; Montreal Expos 1987-1988; New York Mets 1988; California Angels 1989-1991; St. Louis Cardinals 1991-1992; Florida Marlins 1993

Teams - As Coach:  Florida Marlins 1994; Kansas City Royals 2006-2011; Boston Red Sox 2012; Phillies 2014-

1976 Topps #599

2014 Chachi #29

2014 Phillies Team Issue #22

7 McClure Baseball Cards in My Collection per The Phillies Room Checklist
First Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
Latest Card:  2017 Phillies Team Issue #22

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  1976 Topps #599 (with Rob Dressler, Ron Guidry and Pat Zachry)

Click to enlarge

Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #29
2015 Chachi #29
2016 Chachi #29
2016 Chachi Photo Day #6

2017 Chachi #29

Card statistics through 6/9/17.

Fun at the @Phillies Photo Day! (Part One)

2016 Chachi Photo Day #35

2016 Chachi Photo Day #25

2016 Chachi Photo Day #21

Phillies 4, Mets 2
Game 92 - Saturday Night, July 16th in Philadelphia
Record - 43-49, 4th place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Ryan Howard homered and Maikel Franco drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh as the Phillies defeated the Mets, 4-2, on Photo Day.

What It Means:  Our family - siblings, kids, cousins, parents and friends - occupied 17 seats in Section 421 for this game and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in spite of the occasional rain shower.

What Happened:  Howard hit a solo shot (13) in the second inning and Franco broke a 2-2 tie with his hit.  Carlos Ruiz scored in the eighth on a wild pitch to add an insurance run.  Jared Eickhoff pitched six strong innings (two runs on five hits) and Jeanmar Gomez earned his 25th save.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  We made our way down to the field at around 5:10 to take our place in the outfield for the team's annual Photo Day.  After a six (or seven?) year absence from the event, it was great to be back and both our sons had an absolute blast.  The majority of the players were extremely gracious and most of the them took the time to small talk with our sons.  I was going to pick one or two of my favorite photos for a few custom cards, but then I thought . . . why not just make a whole set of cards?

So that's what I did.  Here's part one of the set, and I'll feature parts two and three in future posts.

Be sure to check out the 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

2016 Chachi Photo Day #1

2016 Chachi Photo Day #2

2016 Chachi Photo Day #3

2016 Chachi Photo Day #4

2016 Chachi Photo Day #5

2016 Chachi Photo Day #6

2016 Chachi Photo Day #8

2016 Chachi Photo Day #10

2016 Chachi Photo Day #7

2016 Chachi Photo Day #9

2016 Chachi #29 Bob McClure CO

#22

Robert Craig McClure

Pitching Coach

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  205
Born:  April 29, 1952, Oakland, CA
Home:  Stuart, FL

Teams - As Player:  Kansas City Royals 1975-1976; Milwaukee Brewers 1977-1986; Montreal Expos 1987-1988; New York Mets 1988; California Angels 1989-1991; St. Louis Cardinals 1991-1992; Florida Marlins 1993

Teams - As Coach:  Florida Marlins 1994; Kansas City Royals 2006-2011; Boston Red Sox 2012; Phillies 2014-

1976 Topps #599

2014 Chachi #29

2014 Phillies Team Issue #22

6 McClure Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle

First Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
Latest Card:  2016 Phillies Team Issue 2 #22

First Topps Flagship Base Card:  1976 Topps #599 (with Rob Dressler, Ron Guidry and Pat Zachry)

Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #29
2015 Chachi #29
2016 Chachi #29

Card statistics through 5/23/16.

Brewers at Phillies: June 29th to July 2nd

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 6:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Brewers 29-48, 5th Place in the N.L. Central, 22 1/2 games behind the Cardinals
Phillies 27-50, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Brewers Probables:  Jimmy Nelson (4-8, 4.34), Taylor Jungmann (2-1, 2.74), Kyle Lohse (4-9, 6.28), Matt Garza (4-10, 5.52)
Phillies Probables:  Sean O'Sullivan (1-5, 5.34), Cole Hamels (5-6, 3.26), Aaron Harang (4-10, 3.56), Adam Morgan (1-0, 1.59)

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies' annual two (extremely impressive) fireworks shows take place on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Brewers Leaders
Average:  Adam Lind - .291
Runs:  Ryan Braun - 42
Home Runs:  Ryan Braun - 15
RBIs:  Ryan Braun - 49
Stolen Bases:  Jean Segura - 10

Wins:  5 tied with - 4
ERA:  Mike Fiers - 4.14
Strikeouts:  Mike Fiers - 93
Saves:  Francisco Rodriguez - 15

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Ben Revere - .289
Runs:  Ben Revere - 40
Home Runs:  Ryan Howard - 13
RBIs:  Ryan Howard - 36
Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 18

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 5
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.26
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 106
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 14

1985 Topps #203

1985 Topps #556

1985 Topps Appreciation:  Bob McClure and Sixto Lezcano were teammates on the Brewers between 1977 and 1980.  Lezcano came to the Phillies in late August 1983 as an added bat off the bench for the pennant run and an occasional late-inning defensive replacement in the outfield.

McClure is the Phillies current pitching coach, although given the inevitable shake-up that's coming to the Phillies front office and coaching staff I hope he doesn't have a long-term lease on his place of residence in Philadelphia.

2015 Phillies Team Issue #22 Bob McClure CO

Pirates 1, Phillies 0 (13 Innings)
Game 62 - Friday Night, June 12th in Pittsburgh
Record - 22-40, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Despite solid efforts from new starter Kevin Correia and the Phillies bullpen, the offense couldn't produce and the Pirates won 1-0 in 13 innings.

What It Means:  The Phillies have lost four in a row and their road record is a Major League worst at 7-24.

What Happened:  Correia gave the Phillies 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his debut and the bullpen followed with scoreless frames through the 12th.  Dustin McGowan was on the mound in the 13th when Starling Marte singled home Chris Stewart with the winning run.  The Phillies offense went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position, painfully wasting opportunities to score in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings.

Featured Card:  Pitching coaches don't get featured that often in these game summary reports, but Bob McClure gets the nod here for being on one end of the most emotionally charged exchanges in the Phillies dugout this season.  The Phillies website has video and a summary of the Ken Giles vs. Ryne Sandberg and McClure argument here.

2015 Chachi #29 Bob McClure CO

#22

Robert Craig McClure

Pitching Coach

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  205

Born:  April 29, 1952, Oakland, CA

Home:  Stuart, FL

Teams - As Player:  Kansas City Royals 1975-1976, Milwaukee Brewers 1977-1986, Montreal Expos 1987-1988, New York Mets 1988, California Angels 1989-1991, St. Louis Cardinals 1991-1992, Florida Marlins 1993

Teams - As Coach:  Florida Marlins 1994, Kansas City Royals 2006-2011, Boston Red Sox 2012, Phillies 2014-

1976 Topps #599

2014 Chachi #29

2014 Phillies Team Issue #22

3 McClure Baseball Cards in My Collection per Zistle
First Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
First Phillies Topps Base Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  2014 Phillies Team Issue #22
Latest Card:  2015 Phillies Team Issue #22

First Topps Base Card:  1976 Topps #599 (with Rob Dressler, Ron Guidry and Pat Zachry)
First Chachi Base Card:  2014 Chachi #29

McClure Games I've Attended per Hardball Passport

Cards and game statistics through 5/12/15.