The Phillies finish their past week of baseball with a 5-1 record over 6 games. They took 2 of 3 from the Mets at home and swept the Cubs in a 3-game series in Chicago over the weekend. Over the 6 games for the week, they outscored opponents 30-18. The week will surely be looked at as a success as the Phillies won via a multitude of ways; good pitching, good hitting, and a touch of good fortune. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and remain in 3rd place in the NL East, with a 43-37 record. Although there is one game left in June, for the month the Phillies are 18-7.
The Braves have also been incredibly hot as of late, and the Phillies remain 10 games back in the division, and just 1.5 games behind a Wild Card position. The starters for the All-Star game were announced yesterday, and Bryce Harper lost by a narrow margin in the DH role to JD Martinez. At least one Phillie will be added to the roster, and I expect that to be either Nick Castellanos or Jose Alvarado.
Results:
6/23 vs. New York Mets - W (5-1)
Taijuan Walker got the start for the Phillies against Kodai Senga of the Mets. The Phillies jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Harper RBI single and Stott sacrifice fly. Brandon Nimmo hit a solo home run in the 3rd to put the Mets on the board. The Phillies added 3 runs in the 6th inning on a sacrifice fly and a 2-RBI single by Trea Turner. The score would remain at 5-1 for the rest of the ballgame.
Taijuan Walker and the Phillies bullpen would ultimately be the defining factor in this one. Walker threw 6 strong innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, and striking out 5. Soto, Alvarado, and Kimbrel then each threw a shutout inning in relief. Brandon Marsh had a nice day at the plate, going 3 for 4 with a double, RBI, and a run. In his last 7 starts, Walker is 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA.
6/24 vs. New York Mets - L (2-4)
New found solution to the 5th game woes Christopher Sanchez got the start on the mound against Max Scherzer. Starling Marte hit a solo home run in the 1st inning and Nimmo added an RBI single in the 3rd as the Mets took an early 2-0 lead. Nick Castellanos hit a deep fly ball to center in the 4th for a solo homer and Trea Turner tied the game in the 5th on an RBI single. Yunior Marte relieved Sanchez in the 6th after 1 batter and the Mets were able to score 2 runs on a fielder’s choice and an RBI single by Tommy Pham.
The Phillies were then shut down by Scherzer and the Mets bullpen, unable to score any more runs after the 5th inning. Sanchez finished the day with 3 earned after 5 innings. Castellanos went 3 for 3 at the plate with a home run, RBI, stolen base, and a run.
6/25 vs. New York Mets - W (7-6)
Zach Wheeler got the start against Carlos Carrasco in what would turn out to be a wild ballgame. The Mets got to Wheeler, who allowed 9 hits, 5 earned runs, and had 8 strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Trea Turner hit a solo shot in the 1st inning to give the Phils an early 1-0 lead. The Mets scored 2 runs in the 3rd on a Pete Alonso single. They scored 1 more in the 4th on a Nimmo single and went up 4-2 on a Lindor homer in the 5th. Turner scored in the bottom of the 5th on an errant throw by the catcher as he was stealing third base to make the score 4-3. The Mets scored in the 6th and added another in the 7th thanks to an Alonso home run, and took a 6-3 lead.
Chances were looking grim for the Phillies until a wild bottom of the 8th inning. Pitcher Josh Walker started the inning for the Mets and loaded the bases after a walk, single, and walk. He was then taken out as Jeff Brigham replaced him with the bases loaded. After a defensive error, walk, and two hit batsmen, 4 runs would cross the plate for the Phillies in an inning in which they had just 1 hit. Craig Kimbrel then closed out the top of the 9th inning as the Phillies won, 7-6. Bohm was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
6/27 @ Chicago Cubs - W (5-1)
Ranger Suarez got the start for the Phils in Chicago against Jameson Taillon. Ranger continued his hot streak on the mound with a great outing, going 7.1 innings with 8 strikeouts, allowing 1 earned run. The Phillies got out to an early lead, scoring 1 in the 1st on a Turner RBI single and 1 in the 2nd on a Brandon Marsh solo homer. Marsh hit another homer in the 5th, this one a 2-run shot, and Castellanos followed with an RBI single as the Phillies took a 5-0 lead.
The Cubs only run would come in the 8th on a Nico Hoerner RBI single. Gregory Soto and Craig Kimbrel relieved Suarez and pitched well out of the bullpen. Marsh had a big day with 2 home runs and Schwarber went 2 for 4 with a double and a walk. In his last 6 starts, Ranger Suarez has thrown 40 innings with a 1.35 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and only 10 walks.
6/28 @ Chicago Cubs - W (8-5)
Aaron Nola got the start against former Phillie left-hander Drew Smyly. The Phillies got out to a big lead early after a big 2nd inning in which Edmundo Sosa hit a 2-run homer and Nick Castellanos hit a 3-run homer. Jared Young made it 5-1 after a solo home run in the 3rd. The Phillies then scored 2 more runs in the 4th on an RBI double by Castellanos and an RBI single by Harper. After Dansby Swanson and Josh Harrison traded solo home runs, the Phillies had what felt like a comfortable lead of 8-2 after the top of the 5th.
The bottom of the 5th was a shaky frame for Nola, but he limited the damage to just 2 runs as the Cubs brought the score to 8-4. Matt Strahm came in and threw 2 scoreless innings and Yunior Marte pitched a scoreless 8th. Alvarado came in and shut things down in the 9th, although the Cubs did score an unearned run. Nola finished the day earning the win with 5 innings, 4 strikeouts, and 4 earned runs on 7 hits. Castellanos was 2 for 4 with a home run, double, 4 RBI and 2 runs and Josh Harrison was 2 for 4 with a home run, RBI, and 2 runs scored.
6/29 @ Chicago Cubs - W (3-1)
Taijuan Walker got the start versus Kyle Hendricks as the Phillies were looking for a sweep. In what may feel like deja vu, Kyle Schwarber got things started with a lead-off solo home run on the first pitch of the game, and the Phillies took a 1-0 lead. The Cubs were able to tie it up, 1-1, in the 2nd on a Jared Young triple. In the top of the 3rd, Bryce Harper hit a clutch 2-out single up the middle to drive in Clemens and Turner. After the 3rd inning, both starting pitchers and bullpens kept the offense at bay.
Taijuan Walker was quite effective yet again, pitching 6 innings with 6 strikeouts, 1 walk, and allowing 1 earned on 6 hits. He was able to maneuver out of jams, particularly in the 5th inning when the Cubs had runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs. Marte, Soto, and Kimbrel threw scoreless innings out of the ‘pen, and Kimbrel notched his 12th save of the season. Trea Turner had a nice day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a double, 2 stolen bases, and a run. Schwarber’s homer in the 1st is his 8th in the month of June. Taijuan Walker continues to pitch effectively and his turnaround has been a big contributor in the stabilization of the starting rotation.
NL East Standings
Hitting Stats (last 7 days)
Pitching Stats (last 7 days)
Injury Updates
Seranthony Dominguez - Dominguez was placed on the 15-day injured list June 25th due to a left oblique strain. He has only played catch and it is looking likely that he won’t return immediately after his 15 days are up.
Bryce Harper - Harper has been back as a DH for some time now, and he is not expected to return to the field until after the All-star break. Dave Dombrowski expects that they will know whether or not he is able to return to play first base by the end of July.
Looking Ahead
The Phillies begin Week 14 of the season at home for a 3-game series with the Washington Nationals (32-48) over the weekend. They have an off-day on Monday, then travel to Tampa Bay for a 3-game series with the Rays (56-28) Tuesday through Thursday.
Friday, 6/30 6:05pm vs. WAS - Christopher Sanchez (0-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. TBD
Saturday, 7/1 4:05pm vs. WAS - Zach Wheeler (6-4, 3.76 ERA) vs. TBD
Sunday, 7/2 1:35pm vs. WAS - Ranger Suarez (2-2, 3.18 ERA) vs. TBD
Tuesday, 7/4 4:10pm @ TB - TBD vs. TBD
Wednesday, 7/5 6:40pm @ TB - TBD vs. TBD
Thursday, 7/6 6:40pm @ TB - TBD vs. TBD
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