With the trade deadline on the horizon, most younger players with the Philadelphia Phillies are not moving to a contender but expecting to finish 2017 with a solid second half.

Defining Moments:

While ups and downs occur every year, many can find opportunities to improve their lot during a short interval, which will boost their confidence.

When regulars, starters and late-inning relievers have either a disappointing first half or are having difficulty in early July, the two series before and after the All-Star break are meaningful. Firstly, those players can begin their downtime on a high note for management, themselves and their fans, while it can also quiet their critics. On the other hand, the first six contests after their four-day vacation can create the momentum needed to approach the final 11 weeks. And they have a chance to finish with more respectable stats if they get off to a solid start.

If a franchise is basically out of the running for a postseason berth, healthy and reliable veterans are a source to acquire a quantity of prospects. In other words, the hope is a few will man positions for the parent club down the road. But potential trade chips must prove their injuries are behind them to attract interest from contenders.

When it comes to teams with playoff aspirations, they want a hurler to eat innings, dependable bullpen arms and reserves to complement their stars. The Phils, on the other hand, have a mixture of solid and secondary talent to close a deal. But because ’17 is a buyer’s market, the red pinstripes will probably be competing with many organizations down to the last two days of the month.

As the first fastball popped the catcher’s mitt, Cesar Hernandez took a ball to work the count. Meanwhile, Freddy Galvis timed the moundsman’s smoke in the on-deck circle, while Hernandez took mental notes of the hurler’s effectiveness. But even though he flied out to center, he tipped off his keystone partner with a few clues on the way back from the batter’s box. In the dugout, though, he demonstrated with his right hand to Maikel Franco how the last pitch moved. That’s his slider?

In the continuing adventures of Franco and Hector Neris, Franco motored past second on a teammate’s double and slid roughly into third base. Safe! But after the third sacker scored and returned to the bench, Neris quickly sat next to his friend and slapped his left knee. Ouch! Yeah, right on the just scrapped spot.