The Phillies lost their second series in a row. The Boston Red Sox came into Philadelphia and took the first two games of a three-game series. The Phillies managed to end a six-game losing streak and win on Sunday, however. As frustrating as games one and two were, the club made adjustments in game three and were able to put together a good game offensively and saw the pitching staff perform well.
Game one
The Phillies lost game one in disappointing fashion as Zack Wheeler took the mound against Red Sox’ left-hander Chris Sale. Wheeler allowed three runs in the first three innings. The Phillies managed to tie the game up in the fourth inning as Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, and Alec Bohm managed to drive in runs.
Wheeler would run into trouble again in the sixth inning as he allowed two more runs to score. He did not make it out of the inning. The bullpen, however, pitched well and limited the potent Red Sox’ offense as Connor Brogdon, Gregory Soto, and Andrew Vasquez combined to pitch 3 2/3 innings allowing just one hit.
The offense did not manage to score another run and the Phillies lost by a score of 5-3. This marked their fourth straight loss coming off the sweep in Los Angeles.
Game two
The Phillies looked to stop this skid on Saturday night as Bailey Falter took the mound against Corey Kluber of the Red Sox. Falter had a perfect game going through three innings but unraveled in the fourth as he allowed five runs to score. Luis Ortiz pitched a scoreless 1 1/3 innings after he took over for Falter in the top of the fourth with two outs. Brogdon— who pitched well on Friday night— allowed two runs to score in his relief appearance.
Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto, and recently added Jeff Hoffman combined to pitch three scoreless relief innings. The offense was not able to overcome the deficit despite home runs from two of its biggest producers.
The Phillies offense was sparked by Bryce Harper’s first home run of the season— a solo shot to left-center field. Trea Turner also hit a solo home run, but the power from the number two and three hitters in the lineup was not enough. The team scored only two other runs despite getting ten hits over the course of the game. The Phillies would go on to lose game two by a score of 7-4.
Game three
After losing the first two games of the series, the Phillies needed starter Taijuan Walker to step up. He did as he tossed six innings allowing one run and three hits. More importantly the right-hander did not walk any batters— something he had been struggling with previously. It was a much needed quality start for a Phillies’ rotation that has struggled in its last two series.
Manager Rob Thomson made a change in the lineup as well to begin the series finale. Bryson Stott moved back to the leadoff spot and Kyle Schwarber moved back to hit fifth behind Nick Castellanos. Stott went 1-4, but Schwarber had a huge game as he went 2-3 with three RBIs including a two-run home run. Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto would also knock in runs, giving the Phillies six on the day.
José Alvarado and Matt Strahm pitched three scoreless innings in relief. Strahm was moved to his new role in the bullpen and excelled. He pitched two innings and struck out three hitters. He will be a valuable bullpen piece moving forward given his stuff and his ability to limit damage.
The Phillies would win the series finale 6-1. They have an off day on Monday and then welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to town for a two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Phillies will deploy Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in those two games.
Takeaways
The Phillies’ starting pitching needs to improve. Nola and Wheeler have struggled to start the season. Some of it can be attributed to the shorter offseason, but at some point, they need to be the guys the rest of the staff can rally behind. The rotation should get a boost as Ranger Suarez is set to make his 2023 debut next weekend in Colorado.
The lineup for Sunday’s finale was the lineup the Phillies should ride with until it’s proven that they cannot. Stott is a leadoff hitter. He works counts and makes contact. Schwarber has the power to be a huge run producer in the middle of the order. Rob Thomson would be wise to use his Sunday’s lineup going forward.
It is still early, but the Phillies need to start playing more consistently. The Dodgers’ series and the first two games against Boston were frustrating because the team wasn’t cohesive. The bullpen has been good to this point, but it is unreasonable to think that they won’t tire soon if they continue to be taxed.
With the addition of Harper and Suarez, the Phillies are getting healthier. They need to put themselves in the position to win games. There is still time to close the gap, but the division is already getting away from them. Poor performances like we have seen will not get the job done.
