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Phillies fall to Brewers in the ninth

The game's result - another ninth-inning debacle after a stunning comeback - is less impactful than the performance by Jeremy Hellickson, who failed to showcase himself in the second-to-last-start before the deadline.

Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson tosses the rosin bag after the Milwaukee Brewers scored four runs in the third-inning Saturday, July 22, 2017 in Philadelphia. The Phillies lost to the Brewers, 9-8.
Phillies pitcher Jeremy Hellickson tosses the rosin bag after the Milwaukee Brewers scored four runs in the third-inning Saturday, July 22, 2017 in Philadelphia. The Phillies lost to the Brewers, 9-8.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer.

It will certainly be a busy end to the month for Phillies general manager Matt Klentak as he tries to move almost every veteran player before the July 31 trade deadline. But Saturday night's 9-8 loss to Milwaukee at Citizens Bank Park surely made Klentak's task a bit more challenging.

The game's result — another ninth-inning debacle after a stunning comeback — is less impactful than the performance by Hellickson, who failed to impress in his second-to-last-start before the deadline. The Phillies erased an 8-1 deficit with a four-run seventh and a three-run eighth. And then they blew it. Hector Neris gave up a run in the ninth and another loss was sealed.

Hellickson, whom the Phillies will try to unload for a second straight summer, was rocked for six runs in five innings. The Phillies failed to find a satisfying offer last July and will now be lucky to receive anything like the deals they turned down. Hellickson has allowed four runs or more in two of his last four starts. He has a 5.79 ERA since May after an excellent April.

"That's not a start I want no matter what's going on," Hellickson said. "I can take some positives out of it. I think it was good except for that four-batter span there in that third inning."

It was almost easy to forget Hellickson's night as the Phillies staged their rally. Cesar Hernandez hit a three-run homer in the seventh and Cameron Rupp tied it an inning later with a two-run homer. Both rallies were fueled by Odubel Herrera, who finished 4 for 4 with two doubles and a homer. The Phillies have scored five or more runs in six-straight games for the first time since May of 2011.

Herrera doubled in the seventh inning and singled in the eighth before scoring on both Rupp's and Hernandez's homers. Herrera hit his 30th double of the season in the second inning, joining Scott Rolen and Jimmy Rollins as the only Phillies players with multiple 30-double seasons before turning 26. Herrera has turned his season around, as he is batting .331 since June 1 with a .945 OPS.

"He's hard to figure out," Mackanin said. "He goes into those little spells where he doesn't have the plate discipline and then all of a sudden he comes out of it. He's kind of an up-and-down kind of guy. When he's hot, he's really hot. He's hard to figure out, but I'm glad he's pushing that average up and swinging the bat well."

Ryan Braun tagged Hellickson for four runs as the Brewers scored four times in the third and twice in the fifth. He hit a two-run double in the third and slammed a two-run homer in the fifth.

"I always want him to have a good start. He didn't pitch well tonight. It happens," Mackanin said. "…We got the momentum back in our favor after the 8-1 deficit and it's tough to take tonight."

Klentak talked before the game about the looming trade deadline, saying he observed a market that was still focused on acquiring players  a team can control for multiple seasons and not the two-month rentals that the Phillies are pushing. He expects that market to shift as the deadline nears, but it is hard to imagine that Hellickson will warrant much of that attention.

"We try not to place expectations or put a number on anything because we have to be open-minded on a number of variables," Klentak said when asked if he expected to make a move before July 31. "I think in terms of players on our roster who are under control through this year, they have done very well in the first half of a season and put themselves in a position to be traded or to coveted by other clubs. I don't know if I will say expecting to or are expecting to. I think the players that have played well and put themselves to be wanted, that's good for everybody."

Klentak said he has talked to every team in baseball at least once over the last three weeks. Those conversations, he said, have become more frequent since the all-star Break. It is obvious whom the Phillies are trying to move as they try to get anything for the veterans who are not in their plans past this season. Pat Neshek, Joaquin Benoit, Daniel Nava, Howie Kendrick, and Hellickson can be had. The price is not high, preferably low-level minor-leaguers who do not need to be added this winter to the 40-man roster.

The final week of July will not yield the Phillies a king's ransom, but any move will create opportunities for players at triple A. At the very least, that will add some intrigue to the final two months of a listless season.

"We are prepared to do that," Klentak said. "We think we have a variety of players at various positions at triple A that are approaching major-league readiness. We should be able to adjust in a way we need to adjust."