Spencer Howard

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Boston Red Sox by a score of 13-6. Zach Eflin struggled with his pitch count. He struck out eight hitters though raising an interesting question: Is Eflin focusing too much on strikeouts? The sixth inning two-out rally was incredible and it all started with, you guessed it, Phil Gosselin. Bryce Harper hit a three-run home-run in that inning to blow the game open. The Phillies scored a total of seven runs in the frame. That's ironic considering the Fernando Tatis Jr "incident" that just occurred. Rhys Hoskins hit a solo shot which is HUGE for his confidence. Jay Bruce hit a three-run bomb of his own late in the game and finished with four RBIs. This is the fourth straight victory and the Phils are now 9-9 on the season.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 6-2 to sweep the three-game series. Zack Wheeler threw seven innings and was touching 99mph. Rhys Hoskins started the scoring off by knocking in Jean Segura at third base in the first inning. Alec Bohm drove in JT Realmuto and Andrew McCutchen crushed a first-pitch two-run homer off Rick Porcello in the sixth inning to take the lead. Scott Kingery recorded two hits which is huge considering his slump is extremely noticeable. Roman Quinn went on the IL list before the game. Jean Segura left the game after running hard to first base and Jay Bruce left with a quad injury.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets by a score of 6-2. Aaron Nola was awesome, throwing seven innings and striking out eight. It wasn't his best, but the fact that he could be this successful when not having his "A game" is impressive. Jean Segura hit a solo home-run to get the scoring started and in the fifth inning, Rhys Hoskins hit a bases-clearing double to blow the game open

The Philadelphia Phillies were swept by the Baltimore Orioles. The bullpen's ERA is now 10.13 allowing 48 earned-runs in 42 2/3 innings. Bryce Harper and JT Realmtuo seem to be the only inspired everyday players on this team. That's no knock on guys like Didi Gregorius and Jay Bruce, but you can see the difference in the eyes of the number three and four hitters in the lineup. Realmuto hit two home runs in this game and produced all four runs while Harper was on base. Alec Bohm made his MLB Debut and rocked a double to start his career. There was a questionable defensive play by Bohm in the fifth that could have changed Jake Arrieta's night. This team stinks.

The Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Baltimore Orioles 5-4. Zach Eflin threw six innings, allowed seven hits, four earned-runs, and struck-out a career-high 10 batters. For your fourth/fifth starter, I think he was fine. He needs to clean up his secondary pitches. His curveball and sliders were rocked while his sinker was on display. Andrew Knapp was the reason they scored runs with 3-4 night and two RBIs. Phil Gosselin started for Scott Kingery. Rhys Hoskins is still in the lineup after his awful start to the season. He didn't help his case by hitting into three 5-4-3 double plays.

The Philadelphia Phillies lose to the Baltimore Orioles 10-9 in extra innings. This team is truly embarrassing. The bullpen explodes again, Jean Segura called off Rhys Hoskins for a routine pop up which dropped, and Roman Quinn dove for a ball in the outfield which he wasn't even close to!! It's a shame because Jay Bruce came up big with a home run early, Bryce Harper hit a clutch two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game, and Jean Segura hit the go-ahead solo shot afterwards. It was all ruined by the lack of fundamentals late in the game.

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves by a score of 13-8. Aaron Nola threw a gem, striking out 10 hitters in eight innings. Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Jean Segura, and Roman Quinn hit home runs while Didi Gregorius hit a grand slam...

Will it be Spencer Howard or Vince Velasquez? The Phillies may not decide yet.

The Philadelphia Phillies lose 5-2 and 8-0 in their double header against the Atlanta Braves. Vince Velasquez had no command in game one and Spencer Howard made his MLB debut in game two. He got hit hard, there is no denying that. Especially when it came to his first pitch of an at bat. He allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. The bullpen was abysmal in both outings, but without any offense... who cares?

Howard is the Phillies' top pitching prospect.