Maikel Franco helps Phillies to win
Just a few weeks ago it appeared Maikel Franco's days in Philadelphia were coming to an end. He was pushed out of the lineup by youngsters Scott Kingery and J.P. Crawford and found himself out of the starting lineup.

Injuries, however, have pushed Franco back into the lineup. The 25-year-old was the focal point of Saturday's 5-3 win over the Nationals, finishing the day 4-for-4 while scoring a pair of close runs via slides at the plate.

He came into play on Saturday hitting just .162 for the month of June.

"There are going to be ebbs and flows," manager Gabe Kapler told reporters afterward. "There are going to be ups and downs. We have to stay resilient as a support system. He has to stay resilient as an athlete. ... We put him in the best spots to succeed. I trust that when we do, he's going to come out swinging."

Carlos Santana belted a solo homer in the eighth, his third in the last four games, as insurance for the Phillies in the eighth.



Aaron Nola didn't have his best stuff but worked through six innings allowing two runs on four hits. He walked four and struck out five. Seranthony Dominguez closed things out in the ninth, notching a pair of strikeouts to secure his fourth save of the season.

"We are playing really good right now," Franco told reporters (video above). "We have to stay positive and stay consistent and everybody does something to help the team. That's how you want to win the ballgames. We play with a lot of energy, we go out there and don't think about who's pitching, who's on the mound. We just go out there and show a lot of energy."

The two clubs conclude their three-game set on Sunday night as Nick Pivetta toes the rubber for the Phillies. He'll be opposed by rookie Jefry Rodriguez who has a 4.66 ERA over 9 2/3 of work this season.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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