Community Picks: Atlanta Braves 0% vs Philadelphia Phillies 0%

Vince Velasquez on Sunday made his best start since the very first time he pitched on the Citizens Bank Park mound, and though the bullpen blew his lead, the Phillies recovered to win 2-1 on a walk-off. The Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with no outs on an Andrew Knapp double, Ty Kelly walk and Cesar Hernandez bunt single. On the second pitch Freddy Galvis saw, he delivered a game-winning single to right field. Continue to Article

July 30, 2017 4:10:pm EST

If nothing else, the Phillies 4-3 victory over Atlanta on Saturday night showed why you keep a guy like Ty Kelly around. Kelly, a veteran utilityman, won the game with an RBI single in the 11th (see Instant Replay), but Herrera, benched earlier in the week by manager Pete Mackanin for not running out a called third strike, flashed the kind of ability that makes him such an intriguing player, despite his periodic lapses. Continue to Article

July 30, 2017 12:48:am EST

Like general manager Matt Klentak, manager Pete Mackanin admittedly was forced to perform some verbal gymnastics Friday night, with the Phillies in the process of finalizing the trades of utilityman Howie Kendrick and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson. Kendrick was simply held out of the lineup for a game against Atlanta, but Hellickson was a late scratch from his scheduled start. Mackanin explained after the 10-3 victory that because of the rainy forecast, he didn’t want “to have to send (Hellickson) out there to pitch an inning or two and then have to yank him.” Klentak essentially said the same thing but did mention Monday’s trade deadline as well. Mackanin, a long-time minor-league manager, recalled before Saturday’s game against the Braves that in 1991 he had a shortstop at Nashville, Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate, named Freddie Benavides. Continue to Article

July 29, 2017 6:37:pm EST

? ESPN Insider will provide trade grades for every deal before the 4 p.m. ET deadline on July 31. The trade Baltimore Orioles : D-minus I'm not giving this one an F, because baseball being baseball, there's always the chance that Hellickson pitches well down the stretch and the Orioles go on a miracle two-month surge. Realistically, however, the Orioles aren't good and Hellickson won't be good. He has a 4.73 ERA with the Phillies and a 5.50 FIP and has allowed 22 home runs in 112.1 innings. With just 65 strikeouts, I don't see how his finesse game is going to translate to the AL East. The last time he pitched there was with the Rays in 2014, when he posted a 4.52 ERA in a season in which offense Continue to Article

July 29, 2017 1:50:am EST

The Nationals acquired INF/OF Howie Kendrick and cash from the Philadelphia Phillies for left-handed pitching prospect McKenzie Mills.Welcome to DC, Howie Kendrick! https://t.co/IZGPFa9Moo pic.twitter.com/pgJjturxp7— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) Continue to Article

July 28, 2017 10:55:pm EST