Phillies Observations: Some Familiar Concerns Show Up Again in Latest Loss

There are two more days before the trade deadline, and you have to wonder just how comfortable Phillies key decision-makers are following the team’s fourth consecutive series loss.

Are Austin Hays, Carlos Estevez and an assumed shift in the natural ups-and-downs of a long regular season enough to get this team across the finish line in October?

Or…

Does a recently inconsistent offense, one that produced only two hits and failed to manage a run after the third inning of a 4-3 loss, need more?

Does a bullpen that saw yet another round of less-than-inspiring outings from Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering need more?

Whatever the case, after going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranding eight runners, the Phillies are now 4-8 over their last 12 games and under .500 in July. And, oh, by the way, things won’t get any easier over the next two weeks with the Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers and Diamondbacks all looming.

Good times.

Anyway, here’s what stood out to me in the Phillies’ latest loss.

Bullpen Questions

If you’ve been a bit worried about the Phillies’ bullpen lately, it has not been without merit.

The unit entered Sunday with a 6.41 ERA in July, the worst in baseball. While the numbers improved after five Phillies’ relievers combined to allow one earned run over five innings of work in the series finale, that one earned run loomed large, and it won’t do anything to quiet concerns over one of the bullpen’s key pieces.

While Jose Alvarado has shown improved command over his last three appearances and surrendered what could be considered a fluke home run to a left-handed batter (it was the first he’s coughed up since 2022), it doesn’t change the fact he has had a brutal month.

In nine July appearances, Alvarado has surrendered eight earned runs over 8 1/3 innings pitched. He’s also allowed runs in five of those nine outings, so his recent poor numbers are not a product of one blowup performance.

While Carlos Estevez should provide the Phillies with another reliable option to navigate the late innings, it’s worth wondering how equipped they are to handle tight spots from the left side.

You have to feel good about Matt Strahm. Beyond him? How are you feeling about the combination of Alvarado and Gregory Soto in this current moment?

You know what, don’t answer that.

Not So Fast, Bryson

For the purposes of full disclosure, I wrote the following before Edmundo Sosa’s 1-for-3 game and Bryson Stott’s failed pinch-hit appearance. The point is not about what Sosa did Sunday, it’s about what Stott wasn’t given the opportunity to do.

From May 21 through July 26, Stott hit .199 with a .510 OPS. On their most recent six-game road trip, he sat twice and went just 2-for-14, sinking his season average down to .233. It has been an ugly go of it for the 26-year-old. But after nearly two months of searching for a spark, Stott finally showed signs of life this weekend in going 4-for-8 over the first two games against the Guardians — only to sit Sunday against a rookie left-hander making his major league debut.

On paper, the decision to go with Sosa over Stott against a lefty is a borderline no-brainer. Sosa entered Sunday with a .955 OPS against left-handed pitching this season. That’s far superior to Stott’s .630 OPS.

Still, if the thought is Stott is a core everyday guy, an idea that is generally accepted as truth, it’s a bit curious (to me, at least) he wasn’t afforded an opportunity keep his burst of momentum rolling with a start in the finale.

His recent usage makes me wonder just how the Phillies view him in the current moment.

Anyone But You

Guardians starter Joey Cantillo had a great major-league debut — if you take Kyle Schwarber’s two at-bats and 802 feet of homers out of the equation.

Schwarber took Cantillo’s third career big league pitch 106.4 mph the other way for a leadoff homer. Two innings later, Schwarber yanked his second of the game, this time over the right field wall.

• Schwarber vs. Cantillo: 2-for-2, 2 HR, 3 RBI
• Rest of lineup vs. Cantillo: 2-for-13, 0 XBH, 2 BB, 0 RBI

Speaking of Schwarber, after going 2-for-23 with zero extra-base hits over the first six games following the all-star break, he bounced back by going 6-for-11 with a walk against the Guardians, including three homers and two doubles. With his two homers off Cantillo, he now has a 1.041 OPS against left-handed pitching this season.

If You Can Do It Once

The fourth-inning infield single by David Fry that preceded JhonKensy Noel’s game-tying three-run homer was correctly scored. Trea Turner briefly hesitated and stumbled before making a backhand dive that resulted in the ball kicking off his glove.

A tough play, sure, but it’s a play Turner should make. In fact, it’s a play he can and did make the following inning when he laid out to his backhand side and stole a base-hit from Bo Naylor.

“It looked like he slipped, or something, and couldn’t get in front of it,” Rob Thomson said after the game. “When the ball was hit, I was thinking double play.”

Same.

Instead of two outs, the Phillies recorded zero outs, and a comfortable 3-0 lead was soon gone. While the Phillies could have gone ahead and, you know, scored again, this play was a killer.

Gotta Start Somewhere

Brandon Marsh got what has become an increasingly rare start against left-handed pitching, so he had to feel good when he picked up just his eighth hit of the season in 52 at-bats against lefties with a  fourth-inning single.

That said, it’s unlikely Marsh is going to suddenly flip a switch and turn into a viable option against left-handers. He entered Sunday with a .371 OPS against lefties this season. That ranked 284th of 291 MLB hitters with at least 50 plate appearances entering Sunday, but to get even a modest bump out of him in such matchups would be nice.

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