August 04, 2024
Steven Bisig/USA Today Sports
A Kyle Schwarber leadoff home run put the Phillies ahead immediately in Seattle Sunday.
The number one reason to stay calm about the Phillies after their dreadful 4-13 stretch heading into Sunday afternoon — they have Zack Wheeler.
Looking to avoid an embarrassing seven-game losing streak, the Phils ace and Cy Young hopeful put together a gem in Seattle, tossing nine shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight.
The number two reason to stay calm about the Phillies — the offense finally opened the floodgates in the eighth inning of the final game of a three-game set, adding to a Kyle Schwarber lead-off homer with five runs in the frame. It was a stanza that included a two-run homer for Bryce Harper (who had a three-hit day), as well as one for Bryson Stott.
As a result, the Phillies ended their skid and avoided a sweep for the second straight series against an AL contender. However, they still lost their sixth straight series and are not exactly riding high right now.
After being pulverized 10-2 in the series opener Friday, they lost in heartbreaking walk-off fashion as newly acquired reliever Carlos Estévez walked in the losing run in Game 2. A 6-0 finale saw the Phillies finally return to winning ways. But with the Dodgers ahead Monday, it won't get easier anytime soon.
Is it time to panic? Should fans keep calm and carry on? Here's a look at three reasons why each reaction is reasonable right now:
In what seems like a totally different season from where things are now, the Phillies had a monster 11 game lead in the NL East back in the spring, when the vibes were immaculate in South Philly.
As readers are no doubt aware, the Phillies have free-fallen to just a six-game lead over the Braves in the division. It was not supposed to have gotten this close. It's actually remarkable that the Braves haven't made it even closer, as Philly has a 5-13 record in its last 18 games, and the Braves have squandered a few opportunities — like splitting a four-game set against the last place Marlins.
There are 51 games remaining and the seven final games between the Phillies and Atlanta will be monstrously important.
In each of the last two seasons, the Phillies have entered the postseason by the skin of their teeth. They were the final Wildcard team in 2022, and went on to the World Series, losing in six games. Last season they were unable to keep up with the Braves and clocked in as a Wildcard team once again, winning two series and coming a single win from a second straight NL pennant.
Many credit the revised playoff format — one that gives the best teams a 3-4 day break — as the cause for why teams like the Braves, the Dodgers, the Astros and other dominant teams fall short in October. There is little doubt the Phillies are among the top six teams in the NL and even a limping finish should still provide them a berth into the playoffs.
The Phillies collapsed already, remember? Leading the Diamondbacks 3-2 in the NLCS at home, the Phils went on to lose two games in a row (after leading the series 2-0 to start). But this is a city of collapses — so maybe it's just a reality.
A few months ago, the Sixers totally fell apart after having one of the best first halves in the NBA, bowing in a first round exit to the Knicks. Just before that, the revamped Flyers appeared destined to make the playoffs before expected, but totally faltered in the spring, missing the Wildcard by four points. And a few months before that, the Eagles totally disintegrated after a 10-1 start gave way to an 11-6 finish and divisional round exit.
The vibes are bad. It feels like another collapse. Run for the hills...
The Phillies had a record eight All-Stars this season. They had a bevy of players boasting MVP and Cy Young credentials through the season's first half. Some of them, like Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler and Trea Turner have track records for success. Others were totally out of nowhere in their domination, like Alec Bohm, Ranger Suárez and Cris Sánchez.
In addition, Philly had one of the weakest schedules in memory to start the year, barely brushing up against contenders until the weather got extremely hot. They're in the middle of a brutal stretch. We outlined it last week, with the rest of August looking like this:
| Opponent | Record |
| at Dodgers | 63-45 (1st) |
| at Diamondbacks | 57-51 (3rd) |
| vs. Marlins | 39-68 (last) |
| vs. Nationals | 49-59 (4th) |
| at Braves | 57-49 (2nd) |
| at Royals | 59-49 (3rd) |
| vs. Astros | 55-52 (2nd) |
| vs. Braves | 57-49 (2nd) |
Presented without comment — some before and after stats for the Phillies offense and pitching, looking at their drop off since the All-Star break in July. Everything except for the team record is up to date as of Sunday afternoon:
| Stat | Before ASB | After ASB |
| Record | 62-34 (1st) | 5-12 (29th) |
| Runs | 477 (3rd) | 57 (25th) |
| BA | .259 (3rd) | .229 (24th) |
| ERA | 3.41 (6th) | 5.10 (26th) |
| WHIP | 1.15 (2nd) | 1.40 (26th) |
Not good, Bob.
There's an argument to be made that a Phillies team that breezes to a 110-win season, never has any setbacks, never knows what it feels like to be knocked down — might not be a team built for a World Series run in a long postseason.
The Phillies have now been through the ringer this season, and there is still more than a month and a half of it to go. They've had debilitating (though thankfully short-term) injuries (Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Turner, Suárez and others). They've now faced a six-game losing streak with trouble on the road, trouble at home.
They have been bad against good teams, bad against bad teams, shut out offensively and knocked around on the mound. The Phillies control their own fate and then some, still leading in the division with an inside track to a No. 1 seed in the National League. The opportunity to bounce back is there, and there's still a chance they find their best baseball at the exact right time. Stay calm and carry on.
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