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Jim Bunning of Kentucky died on Friday at 85, seven months after suffering a stroke, six years after departing the U.S. Senate, and 45-plus years after he finished a pro baseball career that would land him in the Hall of Fame in 1996. What a pitcher Bunning was: The six-foot-three righty won 224 games, struck out 2,855 batters (second-most in history on the occasion of Bunning's retirement), and made the all-star team nine times. Win-loss record was everything back then, and Bunning's 17-15 figure for a fifth-place club did not wow the voters. Continue to Article

May 27, 2017 6:03:pm EST

Tommy Joseph is making the Phillies' situation at first base quite tricky. Joseph on Thursday continued building on his red-hot month of May by going 2 for 5 with a game-tying homer in the seventh and a walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning of the Phillies' 2-1 win over the Rockies (see Instant Replay). He's hit .329 in May with six doubles, six homers, 15 RBIs and a .657 slugging percentage. The only first basemen in the majors with a higher slugging percentage this month are Yonder Alonso, Justin Bour and Paul Goldschmidt. That'll hold off the eye-popping production of Rhys Hoskins for now (see Future Phillies Report). Extending it further, Joseph has played 148 career games with 499 plate Continue to Article

May 25, 2017 7:44:pm EST

Did you have a bad day? It’s OK. We all do sometimes. It’s just part of life. Even ballplayers have bad days. Even the good ones. Odubel Herrera is a good one. He’s only 25, but he’s already got two seasons of above average hitting under his belt. Dude Continue to Article

May 25, 2017 7:44:pm EST

The Phillies pretty clearly got here by holding onto the 2008 championship core several years too long, but they've also arrived at this point because of an inability to develop difference-making talent. Maikel Franco is a piece. Odubel Herrera is a piece. Continue to Article

May 24, 2017 12:45:am EST

Phillies pitchers entered the start of a seven-game homestand on Monday night with the third-worst ERA in baseball, 4.78. Starting pitchers went more than six innings just 10 times in the first 41 games and the bullpen had given up 27 homers (second most in the majors) and blown nine saves (third most in the majors) over that span. In other words, lack of effective pitching was a big reason the Phils entered Monday having lost 17 of their previous 21 games and sitting at 15-26 overall. The Phillies' struggles on the mound have led to natural questions about pitching coach Bob McClure's performance and job status. General manager Matt Klentak answered those questions with a strong endorsement Continue to Article

May 22, 2017 7:50:pm EST