Phillies Weekly Recap: Rough Week at the Bank
After taking 2/3 from the Atlanta Braves to start the week, the Phillies got swept at home by the Milwaukee Brewers and are now a game back of first place in the NL East.
Weekend Woes
The Phillies always seem to have trouble playing the Brewers at home, and this weekend was no different. It was another homecoming for former Phillie Rhys Hoskins, who, of course, would homer twice on Saturday. The Phillies came in after taking 2/3 from Atlanta and looked poised to expand their first-place division lead.
Instead of that, they find themselves one game back of the NL East after getting swept by the Brewers.
It was the first weekend in an extremely long time that the Phillies looked outmatched and were dominated in all three games. They had their worst loss of the season on Saturday, losing 17-7 after Jesus Luzardo gave up 12 earned runs on 12 hits. Luzardo has had a great year up until this point, so I’m interested to see how he responds in his next start.
The lineup was inconsistent all weekend. A part of that could be the absence of Bryce Harper, who is still recovering from a pitch he took to his surgically repaired elbow during the Braves series. Even without Bryce in the lineup, this team should still be capable of beating the Brewers. Harper is expected to return sometime this week, which will provide a much-needed boost to the team right now.
Bounce Back Week
The Phillies have the day off Monday and then head to Toronto for a three-game series against the Blue Jays. Then they will go to Pittsburgh for a three-game weekend series against the Pirates. The Phillies are currently riding a four-game losing streak and hope to get back on track against the Blue Jays before facing the Pirates, who are not as strong.
The Phillies also announced that Taijuan Walker will be moving to the bullpen full-time time with Mick Abel now being a part of the rotation. Abel came up a few weeks ago and had a debut to remember against the Pirates. Abel was called up again and told he would be in the rotation this time. Moving Walker is the right move, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they consider moving Ranger Suarez to the bullpen once Andrew Painter is ready to come up to the bigs. Rob Thompson said earlier this week that Painter will be shut down until the All-Star break to keep him fresh for the late-season push and playoffs.
Hey June
We’ve officially reached the month of June, which means it’s only a matter of time before Kyle Schwarber goes on an absolute tear. Schwarber has a history of putting up great numbers in June, which would be another huge boost to the offense. Trea Turner had a great month of May, so hopefully that trend continues and he plays well throughout June.
My biggest concern is the bullpen, which I have mentioned repeatedly, but it truly is the biggest red flag for this baseball team. However, the starters had a rough week. I don’t expect Zach Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo to get shelled every time they pitch. However, the bullpen has been inconsistent all year and has already blown 11 saves on the season. I trust Dave Dombrowski to get the right pieces at the deadline to make this team a contender, but to me, no team is a true contender unless their bullpen is elite and until Kerkering and Strahm and find a little bit more consistency I don’t see our bullpen as elite as it was last year. Losing Alvarado to suspension was a massive loss for this team, and the impact will be felt even more come playoff time.
The Phillies have an opportunity this week to make up some ground and possibly retake the NL East lead.
It’s still early in the season, but it looks like the Mets and Phillies will be battling all year long for that top spot in the division.
Predictions for this week: Phillies win 4, lose 6, with one loss in Toronto and one in Pittsburgh. Mick Abel shines in his second career start, and Alec Bohm homers twice on the road trip.
PHOTO: Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.