Things got a little nutty Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. And it had nothing to do with the 1960s Retro Night celebration.
The highlight of the game, which the Phillies lost 12-4, came during a four-run second inning for St. Louis, but it wasn't the pair of two-run home runs the Cardinals hit off starter Phillippe Aumont. Play literally stopped for a few moments when a squirrel got onto the netting behind home plate.
Insanity ensued.
It then ran down the wire along the first base line and, well, just watch it. Words won't do it justice...
Here's a better look:
It was like the 2011 NLDS all over again, except the stadium was half empty (plus 2011 was at Busch Stadium) and Phillippe Aumont was pitching. Other than that, pretty much the same thing.
There's also this joke that I felt the need to make...
Finally, I'm going to throw this other AP photo in here because the reactions are priceless. They're the best combination of fear, delight and disgust...
MATT SLOCUM/AP
Aumont struggles on the hill
Back to the game you almost certainly don't care about...
Phillipe Aumont, who was recalled from triple-A Thursday, got the start for the Phillies in place of an injured -- but not traded -- Cole Hamels (more on that later) and things didn't go well.
In just four innings of work, the 26-year-old allowed six earned runs on five hits and seven (!!) walks on 104 pitches, 56 of which were for strikes. Then again, that should have been expected. Aumont, somehow, had a nice 2.35 ERA in 14 games (10 starts) with the IronPigs while striking out 58 and walking 41 batters in 65 innings.
And while he struggled mightily, it wasn't nearly as bad as what Justin DeFratus did in relief. In just two innings of work, he allowed six runs -- most of which came during a five-run fifth inning for St. Louis -- on eight hits.
Overall, it's been pretty ugly for the Phillies lately.
See, I told you the squirrel was more fun.
Howard goes yard ... again
Ryan Howard hit his first home run in two weeks Thursday against the Orioles. On Friday night against the Cardinals, Howard provided nearly all the scoring for the Phillies in the form of a three-run homer down the right field line in the bottom of the fifth inning.
It was his 13th home run of the season.
Utley (sort of) gets the night off
Chase Utley was out of the lineup Friday, but as you can see from the photo at the top of this post, he wasn't far from the real action. In his last 15 games, Utley has just four hits in 46 at bats and triple-slash of .087/.182/.109.
Cesar Hernandez got the start in his place -- he was later moved to shortstop and Andres Blanco came in to play second -- and went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Update from that prankster Cole Hamels
How many of you thought there was something nefarious about the timing of Cole Hamels' injury and subsequent scratch from Friday's start?
If you did, you're not alone.
Thanks to some extra help from Hamels himself, some teammates (and reporters) were surprised to see the starter's locker empty when they entered the clubhouse Thursday.
On Friday, Hamels met with reporters prior to the game to discuss his injury, his next start and, of course, the prank.
The trick only worked because Hamels has been the subject of many a trade rumor this season. Knowing you may have to uproot your family and move to a new city at a moment's notice can weigh heavily on a player, so it's nice to see that Hamels can have some fun with it.
So when can we expect to see him on the hill again? Hamels said that will come Wednesday when the Phillies wrap up their series against the Yankees in the Bronx. Since this reporter was sitting in traffic on the Schuylkill when Hamels spoke, here's a snippet of Hamels discussing his injury from Ryan Lawrence of The Daily News:
“I was doing my leg routine that I normally do after bullpens,” Hamels said. “To me it felt like a cramp. You just have to play it by ear and just make sure everything is going to come out OK, everything’s being read properly from trainers. Just want to make them aware and then make sure we’re all on the same page. … It’s more of a precaution than anything.” [philly.com]
Hamels also added thats he's "certain" a trip to the DL won't be necessary.
If all goes well when he throws his regularly scheduled bullpen session on Sunday, he'll be able to go Wednesday, which would be his normal spot in the rotation.
That's good news, since the Yankees are one of the teams rumored to be interested in acquiring the 31-year-old lefty and, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, teams will want to see Hamels pitch at least twice before making a deal due to his injury.
Tampa Bay is looking for a first baseman, with James Loney on the disabled list. Ryan Howard was willing to go to them before his 10-and-5 rights kicked in, and with him having built a mansion in Clearwater, near the Phillies' spring training site, perhaps he would approve them again. With Tampa, Philly presumably has to pay all or almost all the $50 million to go though. Loney is expected back around the All-Star break. [cbssports.com]
That doesn't sound too promising.
And while we're at it, there was one other note from Heyman's Inside Baseball column -- it's very long -- that caught my eye. It's about starter Aaron Harang being a possibility for Houston, but this one also seems a little far-fetched.
He wrote: "One Astros person suggested that while they like Aaron Harang, they are aiming even higher in terms of trade targets.
Reading's fleet center fielder could be out until early August with a tear in his hip flexor, according to Philadelphia Phillies farm director Joe Jordan.
Quinn was injured June 12 beating out an infield single. He tumbled over the first-base bag and lay on the ground, clutching his hip. [readingeagle.com]
Originally, the Phillies thought he would be out just a few weeks, but it turns out the injury is much worse than originally anticipated. It's a shame for Quinn, as he was having a breakout year for the Fightins and looked like a lock to be an Eastern League All-Star. He had a league-leading 44 runs scored and 29 stolen bases to go with his .306 average in 58 double-A games prior to the injury.
1960s Retro Night at CBP
Friday night was Retro night at the Bank. It was...interesting.
In addition to these photos, the Phillies had a real life astronaut -- not sure if it was Mike Dexter or not -- throw out the first pitch. They also had a weird Johnny Carson thing going on pregame. And there were people walking around the concourse dressed like various 60s characters.
My personal favorite was the Jimi Hendrix impersonator that played the Star Spangled Banner.
Hello, Jerry. | Hello ... Newman.
Full disclosure, this has nothing to do with the Phillies...
That's the Pittsburgh Pirates' new short-season, single-A affiliate in Morgantown, West Virginia. I'm already a fan...
Now, if they can fill out the rest of their infield with a Costanza* and a Benes, I'll be really impressed.