The Phillies finish their past week of baseball with a 3-3 record over 6 games. They lost 2 of 3 against the Nationals on the road and won 2 of 3 in a big series with the Giants at home. Over the 6 games for the week, they outscored opponents 42-30. The Phillies managed to remain at .500 for the week and after two 1-run losses to the Nationals, were able to pick up a game on the Giants for the Wild Card.
They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and remain in 2nd place in the NL East with a 69-58 record, 13.5 games behind the Braves and 4.5 games ahead of the Marlins. They are currently alone in the first Wild Card position with a 2 game lead over the Cubs as they go into a week with 6 games at home in series with the Cardinals and Angels. Brandon Marsh and Jose Alvarado returned from the injured list during the week and Ranger Suarez went down with an injury.
NL Wild Card Standings
Hitting Stats (last 7 days)
Pitching Stats (last 7 days)
Injury Updates
Ranger Suarez - Suarez was placed on the 15-day injured list August 19th with a right hamstring strain. Andrew Belatti was called up to the roster to replace him and the Phillies returned to a 5-man starting pitching rotation.
Christian Pache - Pache has been on the injured list since July 17. He has been on a rehab assignment for the last few weeks but the Phillies announced his assignment would be paused as he is dealing with hip and knee tightness. The issues are believed to be minor and he’ll continue his rehab assignment when ready.
Results:
8/18 @ Washington Nationals - L (7-8)
Michael Lorenzen got the start against Joan Adon. Washington took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 2nd on a Jake Alu single. The Phillies offense exploded in the top of the 4th, scoring 6 runs on a Realmuto double, Jake Cave double, Johan Rojas single, and a Schwarber home run. The 6-1 lead the Phillies had would not last long, as the Nationals put up 6 runs of their own in the bottom of the 4th to re-take the lead, 7-6.
The Nats added another run in the bottom of the 6th on a Lane Thomas single. Kyle Schwarber hit his second homer of the game in the top of the 9th, but it was not enough as the Phillies fell 8-7. Facing the Nationals again after no-hitting them in his last outing, Lorenzen lost his command early. He went 3.1 innings with 1 strikeout, 1 walk, and 7 runs (6 earned) on 8 hits. Schwarber had a big day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with 2 home runs, a walk, 3 RBI, and 2 runs. Jake Cave was 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, an RBI, and a run. Bryce Harper was 2 for 5 with a run.
8/19 @ Washington Nationals - W (12-3)
Christopher Sanchez took the mound against Jake Irvin. The first run of the game came in the bottom of the 4th for the Nats on a Joey Menesses RBI single. Riley Adams then hit an RBI double to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, Riley Adams hit an RBI single for a 3-0 lead, as the Phillies chances were looking bleak. In the top of the 7th, Nick Castellanos hit a game-tying 3-run home run. The top of the 8th would prove to be a huge inning for the Phillies, who scored 8 runs in the frame.
Trea Turner hit 2 home runs that were nearly identical in the same inning. Other big moments of the inning included RBI hits from Schwarber and Bohm, and a 3-run homer by Bryson Stott. Jake Cave added a solo homer in the 9th to make the final score 12-3. Sanchez went 6 innings with 5 strikeouts, 0 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits. Many players had big days at the plate, as every hitter in the starting lineup had a hit, with 16 total as a team. Realmuto was 3 for 5 and Trea Turner was 2 for 5 with 2 homers.
8/20 @ Washington Nationals (Williamsport, PA) - L (3-4)
Zach Wheeler got the start versus Trevor Williams in the Little League Classic held in Williamsport, PA. The Nats got to Wheeler early in the bottom of the 1st scoring 4 runs on a Keibert Ruiz double and a Dominic Smith single. There would be no more runs scored in the game until the 9th inning as Wheeler settled in and Williams looked great.
The Phillies made things interesting in the 9th, as Stott scored on a 2-out single by Brandon Marsh and Jake Cave followed with a 2-run home run. But it would be too little too late and Nats closer Finnegan was able to record the last out. Wheeler finished with a solid line after a rough 1st inning, going 7 innings with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 4 earned runs on 7 hits. The Phillies totaled just 6 hits as a team and no player in the lineup had a multi-hit game.
8/21 vs. San Francisco Giants - W (10-4)
Aaron Nola got the start against Scott Alexander who served as the opener for Sean Manaea. Joc Pederson hit a solo homer in the top of the 1st. Bryce Harper’s RBI single in the bottom of the 1st tied the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the 2nd, Edmundo Sosa hit a 2-run home run to take a 3-1 lead. Lamonte Wade Jr. hit a solo homer in the top of the 3rd and Alec Bohm hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd to make the score 4-2.
In the bottom of the 5th, Bryce Harper hit a deep fly off the left-center wall for an inside-the-park home run. Bryson Stott then hit an RBI double to extend the lead to 6-2. In the bottom of the 7th. Johan Rojas hit a 2-RBI triple followed by a 2-run homer from Kyle Schwarber, giving the Phils a 10-2 lead. The Giants were able to score 2 runs in the top of the 9th off Dylan Covey who failed to make an out before being replaced by Jeff Hoffman who was able to shut it down.
Aaron Nola settled in after the early home runs, going 7 innings with 5 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs on 7 hits. The Phillies had 16 hits as a team, highlighted by Alec Bohm who was 3 for 4 with 3 runs and an RBI. Turner, Harper, Realmuto, Sosa, and Rojas all had 2 hits in the ballgame.
8/22 vs. San Francisco Giants - W (4-3)
Taijuan Walker got the start against rookie Kyle Harrison who made his MLB debut. Wilmer Flores drove in a run on a fielder’s choice for the Giants in the top of the 1st. Bryce Harper hit a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st to put the Phils up 2-1. In the top of the 5th with 2 outs, Joc Pederson hit a line drive just beyond the reach of Rojas in center, scoring 2 runs and making the score 3-2.
Both bullpens entered the game early and limited the scoring as the game remained at 3-2 until the bottom of the 9th. The Giants brought in closer Camilo Doval to get the save. Trea Turner came up to bat with the bases loaded and 1 out. With a 2-2 count, Turner ripped a ball up the middle that ricocheted off of Doval’s glove and just past a diving Estrada at second base. Stott scored from third and Marsh came around to score from second, as the Phillies walked it off for the win.
In his first start since being skipped in the rotation, Walker went 5 innings with 7 strikeouts, 2 walks, and 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits. Dominguez, Alvarado, Soto, and Kimbrel combined for 4 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Harper went 2 for 3 with a home run, walk, 2 RBI, and a run. Stott went 2 for 3 with a run scored.
8/23 vs. San Francisco Giants - L (6-8)
Michael Lorenzen got the start against Alex Cobb with the Phillies looking for a series sweep. Wilmer Flores hit a solo homer in the top of the 1st to go up 1-0. Flores then hit an RBI single in the top of the 3rd to take a 2-0 lead. In the top of the 4th, newly signed Paul Dejong hit a 2-run home run.
The score remained 4-0 until the bottom of the 6th when Kyle Schwarber hit a solo shot, his 34th of the season, and Trea Turner on the very next pitch hit a solo shot of his own. Austin Slater hit an RBI double in the 7th to extend the Giants’ lead to 5-2. Camilo Doval came on in the 9th to get the save, and Bryce Harper hit a hooking line drive to right field off the foul pole to tie the game at 5-5.
Craig Kimbrel came on to pitch the top of the 10th and after loading the bases, the Giants scored 3 runs to go up 8-5. In the bottom of the 10th, the Phillies scored 1 on an Edmundo Sosa RBI double, but were unable to push any more runs across the plate. Lorenzen finished with 5.2 innings, 4 strikeouts, 3 walks, and 4 earned runs on 8 hits. Harper went 2 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBI, and a run. Nick Castellanos went 2 for 5.
Looking Ahead
The Phillies begin Week 21 of the season with a 3-game series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals (56-72) over the weekend. They stay at home for a 3-game series with the Los Angeles Angels (61-67) Monday through Wednesday, followed by an off-day Thursday.
Friday, 8/25 7:05pm vs. STL - Christopher Sanchez (1-3, 3.36 ERA) vs. Miles Mikolas (6-9, 4.55 ERA)
Saturday, 8/26 7:15pm vs. STL - Zack Wheeler (9-6, 3.70 ERA) vs. Dakota Hudson (5-0, 3.95 ERA)
Sunday, 8/27 1:35pm vs. STL - Aaron Nola (11-8, 4.49 ERA) vs. Drew Rom (0-1, 14.73 ERA)
Monday, 8/28 6:40pm vs. LAA - Taijaun Walker (13-5, 4.02 ERA) vs. Lucas Giolito (7-10, 4.32 ERA)
Tuesday, 8/29 6:40pm vs. LAA - Michael Lorenzen (7-8, 3.69 ERA) vs. Tyler Anderson (5-5, 5.35 ERA)
Wednesday, 8/30 1:05pm vs. LAA - Christopher Sanchez vs. Reid Detmers (3-10, 5.03 ERA)
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