August 23, 2024
You saw it twice this week in Atlanta.
The (then) MLB-best Phillies mustered just three total runs in two losses to the Braves, failing to overcome marginal deficits. And in their one win in the middle of the three-game set, the Phils scored just three runs and rode a proficient bullpen to victory.
The Phillies are 16-18 (.470 win %) in one-run games now this season after Thursday's 3-2 loss. They're 58-35 in all other games (.624 win %).
Against the rival Braves, the Phillies top hitting trio of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper combined to go 2-for-33 with 14 strikeouts. What are the odds the three best hitters all went cold in their biggest series yet?
"Just gotta get it rolling," Turner told media members Thursday night. "I think all of us in general, it's kind of weird that we're all struggling at the same time. Normally when you have a good lineup, some guys or here but it's kind of weird that a lot of us are there."
But it's not just the superstars. As we've heard shouted before in this city (from the Art Museum steps, from the hoarse mouth of Eagles' legend Jason Kelce), "it's the whole damn team."
The Phillies have the fewest plate appearances this season when trailing in a game and it's not even close. They've been behind while at the plate 1,380 times (the second fewest in this category is the Dodgers with 1,534). In them, they understandably have the fewest hits of any baseball team, 274, but their .222 batting average is the fifth worst. No MLB team has fewer homers when trailing in a game than Philly either.
“It’s starting to get to that point in the season where it’s a play-well-or-go-home type deal," Turner said. "I don’t think we’re under any stress or pressure. More so, we want to play well. We know what we’re capable of, and we expect it out of ourselves.”
When it's late and close, the Phillies are hitting .234, according to baseball-reference. When they're ahead, they hit .259, and when it's tied, they hit .285. They hit into a few extremely costly double plays at the worst time this week. And it's clear that in order for them to win the NL East — not to mention the World Series — their ability to perform in the clutch is going to need to return.
Last season, the Phillies had the third most comeback wins with 44. This year, their modest 28 comeback wins put them right in the middle of the pack. Not surprisingly either, last year's Phils — with a worse bullpen — blew 29 leads, the fifth fewest. In 2024, you guessed it, they've already blown 30 advantages, the fifth most so far.
"It's the whole damn team."
The competition will not be getting any easier. The Royals are next on the docket — a playoff team if the season ended today. After that it's the Astros, the team that beat the Phillies in the 2022 World Series and current AL West leaders. And then it's the Braves again for four more games.
It will be critical for the Phillies to keep and hold onto their six-game NL East lead prior to facing Atlanta those final times next weekend. Otherwise, things could be a lot different when September starts.
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