The Philadelphia Phillies have been a frustrating team to watch since the series before the All-Star break against the Oakland Athletics.
They’ve lost 14 of their last 21 games and six straight series, but they hope the losing is behind them with their recent series win.
The Phillies were dominating teams all season before this stretch. They held the title of being the top team in baseball for quite some time before the Cleveland Guardians recently took that from them. The Phillies hold it again after Wednesday’s win. Could the Phillies’ last five games be a sign of good things to come?
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The Phillies are 3-2 in their last five games against the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s nothing to throw a parade about, but Rob Thomson’s team is playing much better baseball.
The Phillies lost 6-5 in 10 innings to the Mariners on Aug. 3, but the team played hard and showed a lot of energy in the contest. They followed it up with a 6-0 win in the series finale thanks to eight scoreless innings by Zack Wheeler and home runs by Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott.
The top team in the National League began a series against the Dodgers on Aug. 5. They lost a close game 5-3 in the opening game. Cristopher Sánchez took the mound in the second game and pitched six innings while allowing just one run against a very good Dodgers lineup. The Phillies’ offense exploded with 14 hits, including back-to-back home runs by Edmundo Sosa and Schwarber. They won the game 6-2. The offensive explosion continued into the series finale with Schwarber stealing the show. The Schwarbarian went 4-for-4 with three home runs and seven RBI to help lead the Phillies to a come-from-behind win against the Dodgers. This was the team’s first series win since before the All-Star break when they swept the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies fans should feel a sense of relief with the team’s performance over the last five games. The offense has 50 hits, and the stars in the lineup are starting to produce again. The pitching group as a whole is beginning to look like the dominant group that they were prior to the All-Star break.
The schedule ahead begins to ease up for the remainder of the season. The Phillies take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a four-game series starting later today. They then head home to host the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals in back-to-back series. The Phillies will play two more first-place teams in the regular season. They play four teams under .500, including multiple series against the Marlins and Nationals. The hard part of the schedule is about to be behind them.
The Phillies have 48 games left until the playoffs. They’re the top team in baseball and hold a 7.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
It looks like the Phillies have put the losing behind them, and are back to playing winning baseball.
PHOTO: Matt Slocum/AP Photo
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