Hello there from Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have lost 9 of their last 10 games, 16 of 22 overall, and are 6-14 in the month of June. That’s the worst record in the National League this month, and only the Tigers and Orioles—two teams that are basically trying to lose on purpose—have been worse across all of baseball. The Phils welcome to town the New York Mets this evening. No matter how bad things may seem here, you can always count on the Mets to somehow be even worse.

After blowing a late lead in an eventual 5-3 loss to the Cubs yesterday, Mets manager Mickey Callaway called Newsday’s Mets beat writer Tim Healey a “motherf——,” among other things, while Mets pitcher Jason Vargas had to be restrained from going after Healey. Because that’s completely ridiculous, the Mets had to issue both a personal and public apology to Healey. Here’s Callaway explaining the situation earlier this afternoon:

With that cleared up, let’s run through everything else you need to know ahead of tonight’s game.

Kingery Leading Off

Here’s a look at the Phillies’ lineup tonight:

Scott Kingery will hit in the leadoff spot for the first time this season. He enters tonight’s game leading all Phillies hitters with a .326 average and a .995 OPS. He’ll try to jump-start a struggling offense that has managed baseball’s sixth-lowest OPS this month (.693). While Kingery is 0 for 4 in a limited sample size out of the leadoff spot (all but one of his PAs there came last season), he’s been a completely different hitter this season than he was as a rookie. He’s also had a great deal of success leading off innings this season, batting .379 with a 1.282 OPS. The Phillies could desperately use that production to translate at the top where their leadoff hitters have batted only .237 through 77 games, although the group has produced a manageable .356 OBP.

Kapler noted prior to the game that Kingery has been seeing more pitches. “We’re toying with things,” he said, also saying the team will continue to be “fearless” in its preparation and decision-making.

That’s right. Perhaps “fearless” is the new “be bold.”

Feeling the Heat?

Kapler was asked if he’s beginning to feel pressure in the midst of the Phillies’ prolonged slide. He noted that leaders should ultimately be judged on performance as he took responsibility for his team’s recent poor play. “I get it. I love that. I want to be held accountable.”

Of course, the hustle/discipline issue was brought up. Kapler went through the “play as a team, win as a team” bit, while also explaining his belief that reducing playing time generally isn’t an effective disciplinary measure. His best quote came when he said, “We support the shit out of our players. We’re going to stay light. We’re going to get our swagger back.”

On that note, Phillies GM Matt Klentak huddled with reporters in the first base dugout for nearly 20 minutes prior to tonight’s game against the Mets. Most notably, Klentak threw his support behind Kapler and the rest of his coaching staff. “The wrong thing to do is point the finger at any one person,” he said.

Here’s more of Klentak, courtesy of WIP’s Dave Uram:

After telling reporters that he’s recently had lunch with some players and communicated with others, Klentak expressed confidence the team would soon turn things around. “There’s no panic in that room. They believe it. I believe it. It’s going to happen,” he said.

Other Notes From Klentak

  • He also voiced support for embattled hitting coach John Mallee, noting he was the hitting coach of the 2016 World Champion Cubs. (He didn’t note that Mallee was fired by the Cubs in 2017.)
  • The Phillies will sign first round pick Bryson Stott this week.
  • Regarding deadline acquisitions, Klentak believes the team’s biggest need has probably changed over the past month. While telling reporters the team is open to doing deals that “make sense,” he believes the team’s ultimate fate will be largely decided by the current 25-man roster.
  • He seemed cool with Kapler’s disciplinary approach. Here’s a little bit of that:

Vince Velasquez to Start Friday

Vince Velasquez has had the Marlins’ number this season. In 11 IP, he’s allowed only three hits and two earned runs while striking out nine and walking three. Kapler told reporters he will get the nod on Friday night when the Phillies travel to Miami for the opener of a three-game series.

Kapler Explains Pitching Shuffle

The Phillies sent Edubray Ramos back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday. According to Kapler, Ramos’ fastball doesn’t have the same life this season, and his slider is missing the same bite. He attributed some of those struggles to Ramos’ delivery and confidence. Meanwhile, Enyel De Los Santos is headed back to Lehigh Valley after an uninspiring four innings yesterday afternoon. Fernando Salas will take his place on the roster. Can the veteran reliever handle high-leverage innings? “We’re going to find out,” Kapler said.