May 08, 2024
The Phillies are good — even after a pretty feckless 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays Wednesday afternoon. They just aren't going to win every single game. Obviously.
They play 162 games for a reason, and for whatever factors you attest to undoing them this time, the Phils' latest seven-game win streak came to an end as the bats went silent to wrap up a quick two-game set against Toronto in a 1-1 tie.
Aaron Nola was just okay, but it wasn't his fault.
With the bases loaded in the third inning and no out, the Phils mustered just one run on a sac fly from Kyle Schwarber and squandered the opportunities they had relished during their prior stretch of winning 18 of their last 21.
Over the last few days, Bryce Harper blasted two three-run homers and a grand slam. On Wednesday, he went 0-for-4. It's going to happen.
With an off day on Thursday, perhaps having a taste of hubris will be good for the Phillies. They'll be able to lick their wounds and be introspective ahead of a road trip to Miami and Queens to play a pair of mediocre (or worse) divisional foes away from home.
They still have the best record in all of baseball, and their idle state Thursday won't rob them of that by this weekend with the Dodgers also resting.
Still, it's interesting how one game can really change things. A few days ago Alec Bohm was on track to fight for a batting crown — a .364 batting average. He had a mini-slump — hitless for seven at bats before he scraped up a hit in the ninth. The Phillies also enjoyed a three-game NL East lead Wednesday morning, their best in years. The Braves could chip it to two games if they beat the Red Sox Wednesday night.
Philly's offense averaged seven runs per game in their prior 11 wins at Citizens Bank Park. The three run they mustered against Toronto Wednesday is the fewest for the team since beating the Angels 2-1 on May 1.
There are 124 games remaining. Neither the 26 wins prior to this stinker, nor the game itself on Wednesday are really enough to make a real educated conclusion based on. However, having some adversity is always an invaluable factor for teams looking to truly contend. We'll see if they bounce back in the South Florida sun on Friday.
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