Paul Casella

PHILADELPHIA -- It was obvious early on that Zack Wheeler didn't have his best command on Monday night against the Marlins -- but you never would have guessed it by his final numbers. Wheeler racked up a season-high nine strikeouts over six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits in

PHILADELPHIA -- Interim manager Don Mattingly has fielded a handful of questions in recent days about potentially giving Trea Turner a break. Before Monday's game, however, Mattingly emphatically stuck by his struggling shortstop. But while Turner started Monday's series opener against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park -- he did

PHILADELPHIA -- Gabriel Rincones Jr. had pictured this exact moment countless times. So when the Phillies' No. 6 prospect launched his first career home run in Monday night's 7-0 win over the Marlins, it didn't necessarily feel like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It somehow felt familiar.

PHILADELPHIA -- Trea Turner was not only back in the Phillies' lineup on Wednesday afternoon against the Marlins, but he was back in the leadoff spot. Turner was out of the lineup on Tuesday after being hit by a pitch on his right wrist on Monday night. He had been

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have stuck by Andrew Painter through a mostly tumultuous rookie season -- but nobody's rotation spot is a permanent guarantee. "It’s not like you just get endless chances, right?” interim manager Don Mattingly said earlier this month. “You have to perform."

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies have stuck by Andrew Painter through a mostly tumultuous rookie season -- but nobody's rotation spot is a permanent guarantee. "It’s not like you just get endless chances, right?” interim manager Don Mattingly said earlier this month. “You have to perform."

This story was excerpted from Paul Casella's Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- José Alvarado stood on the mound ready to throw a crucial 2-2 pitch in the seventh inning on Thursday night -- but there was one problem. He didn't have a ball. Moments earlier, the Phillies left-hander thought he had escaped a seventh-inning jam by striking out Mets second

PHILADELPHIA -- Andrew Painter's first stint in the Majors didn't go as planned. So with more questions than answers at this point, the Phillies decided it was time for the former top prospect to take a step back. They optioned him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley shortly after his latest setback

This story was excerpted from Paul Casella's Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.