June 11, 2024
Matthew Childs/Reuters via USA TODAY Sports
The Phillies after their win in London on Saturday.
The Phillies were in London over the weekend.
The experience was incredible. You can read about that from me HERE.
They split the two-game set with the Mets. You can read about that from staff writer Adam Aaronson HERE.
The latest wave of power rankings are also out, and the Phillies can still be found either right at the top or right behind the Yankees. Here's a rundown...
The Phillies took the first game in London, then lost the second. The latter, while frustrating in the moment, is hardly going to take away from anything. The London Series was awesome, Bryce Harper produced another signature moment, and the Phillies are still really good at baseball.
The frustration of how Sunday’s game ended -- and the Phillies probably shouldn’t freak out about José Alvarado, he had given up just one run before then since May 17 -- shouldn’t ruin anyone’s thoughts on that London excursion. If the Phillies make it as far as they think they can this year, one of the lasting memories, and most vivid images, will be of Bryce Harper doing his soccer celebration after homering on Saturday. It was fantastic: We’ll see it on his Hall of Fame highlight reel someday. [MLB.com]
They're a little banged up right now though, and the bench is struggling a bit offensively too.
But it's alright. They got David Dahl on the comeback tour now.
The Phillies will see their depth tested with Brandon Marsh (hamstring) and Kody Clemens (back spasms) landing on the IL, joining Trea Turner (hamstring), who remains without a timetable for his return. The injuries to Marsh and Clemens aren't serious, but the Phillies' bench was already a little weak with Whit Merrifield, Cristian Pache and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs all providing little offense. Veteran outfielder David Dahl, an All-Star with the Rockies in 2019, got the call. He has battled a ton of injuries in his career and played four games in the majors last season and none in 2022. He went 3-for-5 with a home run in his first two games. [ESPN]
They also still left London with baseball's best record.
The loss on Sunday was their 20th of the season. They lost their 20th game May 14 last year and May 19 in 2022. [CBS Sports]
🔥🔥🔥 analysis.
Their starting pitching is also still really good.
The Phillies rode strong starts from Zack Wheeler (7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER), Cristopher Sánchez (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER) and Aaron Nola (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER) to a series sweep over the Brewers, then split with them in the London Series. They have baseball's best starting rotation, but the pieces have also fallen into place in the bullpen with Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and José Alvarado regularly shortening games. [B/R]
MLB trade rumors: Phillies 'have interest' in Luis Robert Jr.
Injuries aside, which are on track to clear up soon, they're a pretty complete group.
The Phillies are winning at a historic pace and, as Matt Gelb wrote recently, they look like one of the most complete teams in the major leagues. A genuine juggernaut. Their pitching staff has been one of the top two in the majors, along with the Yankees. They entered Monday second in the majors behind the Yankees in run differential. But they have been mopping up teams without Trea Turner, and Gelb makes the argument that their offense has room to grow. Maybe an uptick in run production compensates for a regression on the pitching side. But what if the Phillies actually have another gear? [The Athletic]
The Phillies will be back at it Tuesday night up in Boston against the Red Sox.
Phillies about to walk tight rope with tough roster decisions
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