The Phillies came into their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on a high note after taking two of three from the Houston Astros. The club did not find similar fortune on the West Coast as they were swept in embarrassing fashion out of Los Angeles. The team was outscored 36-11 in the three games.
The only positive storyline to come from the series was the return of Bryce Harper on Tuesday night. While the series was disappointing, Harper’s return marked a reason for optimism.
Game one
The first game of the series went about as poorly for the Phillies as it could have as the club suffered a 13-4 loss. Starting pitcher, Taijuan Walker, gave up eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. Walker’s velocity was not an issue early on, but he could not get Dodgers hitters out. He labored through his start and needed 82 pitches to get through his short outing.
The bullpen was inconsistent at best. Andrew Vasquez pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing another run to score but did strikeout four opposing batters. Yunior Marte pitched a scoreless inning allowing one hit and get one strikeout. Craig Kimbrel and Luis Ortiz both allowed two earned runs in their appearances. Things were so bad that utilityman Kody Clemens made an appearance. He did not allow a run and struck out Michael Busch on a 57mph pitch.
The offense accumulated nine hits in the game. Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run, Nick Castellanos knocked in two runs, and Alec Bohm accounted for the other RBI. All in all, the offense was 2-6 with runners in scoring position. The offense was not at its best, but this loss fell on the pitching.
Game two
If game one of the series was bad, game two was worse. The Phillies pitching once again allowed thirteen runs to score, meanwhile the offense could only get one run across the plate. But things weren’t all bad as the Phillies officially welcomed Bryce Harp back to the lineup.
Phillies starter Matt Strahm had his worst outing as a Phillie on Tuesday night. He allowed four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings. He was visibly frustrated with himself as he exited the game. Connor Brogdon and Seranthony Domínguez pitched admirably in the loss. Brogdon pitched a 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Domínguez pitched a stellar sixth inning as he needed just six pitches to retire the Dodgers batters that he faced.
The rest of the night for the bullpen was frustrating. In 1 2/3 innings, Gregory Soto and Marte allowed four earned runs. Both had been pitching well of late, but clearly did not have their best stuff on Tuesday. You know things are going poorly when position players have to make relief appearances. Well, Kody Clemens joined Yunior Marte in making relief appearances in back-to-back games in the series.
The offense was stifled by Dodgers’ starter Julio Urías, who pitched seven innings, gave up one run, and struck out ten Phillies’ hitters. The lone run the Phillies scored came from a Trea Turner solo shot in the fourth inning. Edmundo Sosa singled in the eighth inning for the Phillies other hit.
The story of the night around baseball was the return of Bryce Harper. Harper had a forgettable return as he went 0-4 with three strikeouts. Harper’s struggles early on are to be expected seeing as he has not played in a real game since November 5th of last season. The struggles did not last long.
Game three
The Phillies looked to salvage a win in the series finale as they sent Aaron Nola to the mound. Nola pitched effectively to start but had a rough third inning in which he allowed a two-run home run to Miguel Vargas. Nola left the game after 6 1/3 innings. He allowed four earned runs, seven hits, and struck out five. Nola’s command has been better as he did not allow a walk for the second game in a row. His velocity is still lower than usual which is something to monitor.
The offense got off to a much better start behind some timely hits from Nick Castellanos— who knocked in Bryce Harper— Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, and Garrett Stubbs to put up four runs in the third inning. The Phillies would score five runs through three innings, but not score again until later.
The bullpen had an up and down outing after Nola exited the game. Seranthony Domínguez pitched 2/3 of an inning without allowing a run. José Alvarado— uncharacteristically— surrendered two runs. The official scorer called them earned runs, but in reality Edmundo Sosa committed an error that allowed the two runs to score. Either way, the Dodgers took a one-run lead heading into the top half of the ninth inning.
Bryce Harper kept the ninth inning alive with a two-out single. Nick Castellanos worked a seven-pitch walk. With runners on first and second base, Bryson Stott came through with a bloop-single to left field which scored Bryce Harper— tying the game.
Craig Kimbrel entered the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. He allowed a lead-off single to Chris Taylor, struck out Mookie Betts, then intentionally walked Freddie Freeman. He loaded the bases after walking Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith. Kimbrel then allowed a walk-off grand slam to Max Muncy to end the game and solidify a series sweep.
Series takeaways
The pitching must be better. The starting pitching did not do its job for much of the series. The bullpen was also unable to keep a game close. The bullpen has been really good for a few weeks now and they cannot be perfect, but when a pitching staff allows a total of 36 runs to score over a three-game series something is not clicking.
Bryce Harper had a rough debut but followed it with a 3-3 game in which he reached base all five plate appearances. He will be fine, and the lineup will continue to benefit from his presence.
In the meantime, the Phillies need to use the off day on Thursday to regroup after an appalling series loss in Los Angeles. They will return to Philadelphia to face the Boston Red Sox in a three-game weekend series.
