Phillies news & links — Odubel Herrera’s platinum sombrero

Good morning, and happy Friday! The air smells a little sweeter, the sun is shining a little brighter, and I’m only moderately afraid of watching the Phillies tonight. Why? Because the Phillies won yesterday! YAY!

Let’s talk about Odubel Herrera

Doobie (okay, that’s a terrible nickname, I’ll just call him Odubel) is in the midst of a horrific stretch of baseball. His average is down to .226, and yesterday, he did something that no other major leaguer has done this year. He went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.

That’s an impressive list to join, but still: yikes.

But Odubel isn’t worried, which is one of the things I love about him. Here’s what he told Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly:

"I feel that I am making good swings but I'm just missing the pitches," Herrera said. "But I feel I am swinging the bat well.

"I don't really know what it is exactly. But I am seeing the ball well. I don't know if it's when I charge at the ball or the timing of my swing. It's definitely at that point. Maybe it has something to do with the balance of the bat and my body.

"Besides being positive, I have to check the video to see what I'm doing wrong and make some adjustment. But I'm staying positive, for sure."

I love Odubel. Staying positive in these situations is so important. Asked about whether or not he’d bench Odubel tonight or over the weekend, Pete Mackanin had the best answer.

"You know what, let me enjoy this. We'll discuss that tomorrow. Let me smile for a while," Mackanin said.

Pete knows what’s up. Enjoy this win now, for it may not come again for awhile. And as Salisbury says in his article, benching him may not bring about any positives. “There's a fine line between giving a player time to clear his head and preventing him from having chances to bounce back.” If you want an in-depth look at Herrera’s struggles, check out this piece at Crashburn Alley.

Vince Velasquez moves in the right direction

Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly wrote about Vinny’s latest start, which was a major improvement over his last few. One run over five innings, which is absolutely a step in the right direction. And he’s feeling good about it!

"Today was just huge on my part, even giving up the home run (to Trevor Story), just shutting down the majority of the guys," Velasquez said.

Read the whole article, because it’s clear that Vinny needed this so, so much, and he’s feeling positive for the first time in awhile.

Howie Kendrick says “ouch”

In his rehab start with Lehigh Valley yesterday, Howie Kendrick got hit by a pitch not just once, but twice. He was then removed from the game, but it’s not clear if it was due to injury, or if it was a precautionary “hey let’s make sure you don’t get hit by any more pitches today” kind of thing.

Around the Phight

Yesterday was our site refresh (you might have noticed!), and we posted stories about why we’re fans. Here’s what we posted.

• I wrote about why, existentially, I do what I do here. Why do I run a site, and write about the Phillies every day? The answer may (or may not) surprise you.
• For John Stolnis, he’s a fan because the Phillies got to him early.
• TGK wasn’t sure if he’d be accepted, but found a welcoming community.
• And Justin Klugh just wants you to save yourselves, because it’s too late for him.

There’s a fanpost contest on right now, so if you go to our fanpost section and write about why and/or how you’re a fan of the Phillies, you’ll be entered into a drawing for a $500 Fanatics gift card. (Be sure to read the official rules here.)

Here’s all the necessary legal mumbo jumbo:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. SB Nation Why Are You a Fan Reader Sweepstakes starts on 8:00am ET on May 25, 2017 and ends at 11:59pm ET on June 8, 2017. Open only to eligible legal residents of the United States, 18 years or older. Click here for Official Rules and complete details, including entry instructions, odds of winning, alternative method of entry, prize details and restrictions, etc. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. Sponsor: Vox Media, Inc.

Have a great weekend!