Winless Weekend

The euphoria of four last at-bat wins at home last week was wiped out in Atlanta this weekend.

For the fourth time this season, the Phillies have been swept in a three-game weekend series: Blue Jays, Marlins and the Braves twice this month.  Atlanta has won six in a row against the Phillies for the first time since 1996-97.

In going 0-12 in those four weekends, the Phillies were outscored 58-23. Nine times, two or fewer runs.  Closest the Phillies have come in winning all three over a weekend was taking two of three from the Padres on May 11-13.

It doesn’t get any easier.  Starting Tuesday, a three-game series in Nationals Park, home of the best team in the NL.  Phenom Strasburg is the next pitcher the Phillies face, 11-4, 151 strikeouts in 117.1 innings.

Trading deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.  Ruben and his staff have set up a war room is his DC hotel suite.  Stay tuned.

Down On The Farm (weekend edition)

Lehigh Valley split 4 games.  RHS Tyler Cloyd (10-1) won his 6th straight on Friday, 0 runs, 7 innings.  LF-RF Domonic Brown was 7-14.

Reading won all 4, including their 4th double header sweep on Saturday. Wins went to RHS Austin Hyatt (5-3), RHS Trevor May (8-8), RHS Julio Rodriguez (6-4) and LHS Maro Hollands (3-5.

Clearwater took 2 of 3 in Jupiter. LHS Adam Morgan (4-9) retired the first 22 hitters on Sunday, then gave up 3 singles and 2 runs, a tough 2-1 loss.  He leads the FSL with 133 strikeouts.  His 3.05 ERA is second-lowest.

Lakewood went 1-2 against West Virginia.  3B Maikel Franco had a pair of RBI, boosting his season total to 61, tops on the club.  He doesn’t turn 20 until August 26.

Williamsport lost all 3 and was outscored 21-5.

Gulf Coast League Phillies split 2 games vs. the Yankees.

Alumni News & Notes

Check out this new feature on www.phillies.com/alumni.

Phlashback

July 30, 1950: RHP Robin Roberts tosses his third consecutive shutout, 10-0, against the Pirates at Shibe Park.  Others were 2-0 at Cincinnati on July 22 and 1-0 vs. the Cubs on July 25.

July 30, 1995: With the largest crowd, an estimated 28,000, ever to attend the ceremony, 3B Mike Schmidt and OF Richie Ashburn are inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cooperstown was a sea of red for the weekend.