Maikel Franco slam continues youthful Phillies' 2nd-half resurgence

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Pete Mackanin wasn’t afraid to put the pressure on Maikel Franco. Especially since Franco didn’t know it.

While chatting with coach Larry Bowa before Franco’s game-breaking grand slam with two outs in the seventh inning during Tuesday night’s 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park (see Instant Replay), the manager pointed out that the rookie had not hit a home run in a little while.

It was a reverse jinx and it worked out perfectly for the Phillies.

“We were having a little banter back and forth saying, ‘When’s the last time he hit a homer? It’s been a while,’” Mackanin revealed. “We were putting it on him.”

Franco’s grand slam was the first by a Phillies rookie since Ryan Howard did it on Sept. 21, 2005 in Atlanta. It also helped the Phillies steal back a run after a weird balk call negated a hustling run by Carlos Ruiz three pitches before the slam.

“We’re kind of hoping he’ll hit a few more homers,” Mackanin said. “The slam was nice to see.”

In one of the odder on-the-field occurrences of the season, Ruiz appeared to score from second base when a pitch from Dodgers starter Alex Wood slipped from his hand and landed closer to first base than home plate.

Assuming it was ball four to Odubel Herrera and a live ball, Ruiz dashed from second base and slid into the plate while the Dodgers tracked it down.

But according to Rule 8.01(d), the pitch was a balk. Had it crossed the foul line -- presumably in any direction -- the pitch would have been a ball and in play. Instead, Herrera had to stay at the plate and take one more ball to get to first.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before,” Mackanin said. “But it turned out that it worked out best for us because of Franco’s home run.”

Franco saw three pitches from reliever Joel Peralta before he launched one into the seats in left.

“I tried to make an adjustment because I know the first time he made an adjustment to me,” Franco said. “I just wanted to go out and see good pitch to hit. That’s what happened. He threw me a good pitch to hit and I put good contact on it.”

Franco, with fellow rookie Herrera, young second baseman Cesar Hernandez and shortstop Freddy Galvis have led the Phillies’ second-half resurgence that has seen the team go 13-3 since the All-Star break. With an enthusiastic style, Franco, Herrera and Hernandez energized the top of the order, combining for two doubles, four runs and lots of havoc on the bases.

“Obviously, everyone is giving 100 percent and doing something for a teammate. That’s what’s happening right now,” Franco said. “We’re playing like a team and playing the right way, trying to do something to try to win the ballgame.”

More notably, the young Phillies are leading the way even with mainstays like Jimmy Rollins gone to the Dodgers, Chase Utley out with an injury and Ryan Howard prone to a slump here and there. The Phillies haven’t lost back-to-back games since July 12, a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“The thing I’m happy about is we’re bouncing back from losses and that’s important so we don’t fall into a rut or our old ways,” Mackanin said. “That’s what’s most impressive to me. We seem to come back from losses.”

The young Phillies have even earned the trust from veteran pitchers like Jerome Williams, who struggled through five innings on Tuesday night. Williams says he isn’t worried about seeing balls tracked down and wants to do all he can to “feed them the ball.”

“When you have young guys out there it’s fun to watch them,” said Williams, who needed 102 pitches to get through five innings. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and energy out there.”

Franco’s bat may be providing the most energy. Batting .282 in 70 games since being called up from Triple A, Franco is second on the club with 12 homers and 44 RBIs. In fact, the last Phillies rookie to post numbers like Franco was when another third baseman finished the season with a .318 average, .382 on-base percentage and a .557 slugging percentage with 29 homers and 91 RBIs.

We’re talking Dick Allen in 1964.

Better yet, Mackanin says Franco’s attitude is his best attribute.

“We know what he’s about. He’s a gamer,” Mackanin said. “He doesn’t feel sorry for himself and he doesn’t pout. He goes up there to do damage. He plays to win and he’s not going to give up.”

Franco and the Phillies (42-65) will try to do some more damage on Wednesday night when Aaron Harang (5-11, 3.97) takes on lefty Brett Anderson (5-6, 3.14).

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