Phillies closer Hector Neris feels for close friend Maikel Franco after demotion to triple A

PHOENIX -- Maikel Franco was still reeling Sunday after being told that the Phillies were demoting him to the minor leagues when he sought out the friend in whom he always confides in moments of glorious triumph and extreme disappointment and everything in between.

This time, as much as ever, Hector Neris knew just what to say.

Fourteen months ago, Neris was facing the identical situation. The Phillies sent him to triple-A Lehigh Valley to recover the splitter that had made him an effective late-inning reliever. It was a merit-based move (Neris had a 6.00 earned-run average at the time), but that didn’t make his pride ache any less.

Neris returned to the big leagues two months later. And for the rest of last season and most of this year, he has been the Phillies' best reliever again.

Who better, then, to counsel Franco on how best to approach a career crossroads and take the right path back?

“With how close the relationship is between me and him, I talked to him about it and I support him,” Neris said Tuesday. “I try to be close to him because it’s real life and a real moment, and you need everybody close to you, especially when you have a friend that knows and understands the situation.”

The most important thing, according to Neris, is for Franco to channel his disappointment into motivation. The third baseman is slugging .355 with a .272 on-base percentage and eight homers in his last 234 at-bats, and if he mopes about being back in Lehigh Valley, it’s doubtful that he will find his way out of that slump.

"With me last year, I understood what kind of pitcher I can be and I focused on just throwing a strike and deciding what I want to throw to get the batter out," Neris said. "He's the same. He understands, too. I think he'll go down there and put the work in and everything he has to do to come back here as soon as he can."

In Franco's case, it might be that his career salvation is tied to being traded to another team. The Phillies have benched Franco numerous times over the last two seasons. They have tried to get him to hit the ball in the air more consistently. But the only hits that Franco seems to pile up are to his confidence.

Neris knows the feeling. He feels for his friend, too. Franco is expected to report to Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. The road back begins then.

“Everything in baseball, when you’re given the moment, you have to enjoy the moment,” Neris said. “He understands what kind of player he is.”