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Category: Phillies/MLB

  • Boyertown’s Trey Yesavage reflects on ‘insane journey’ from single A to the World Series with Blue Jays

    TORONTO — Just over a year ago, Trey Yesavage threw his first pitch in double A.

    In the time since, the 22-year-old Boyertown native was called up by the Blue Jays, pitched in the American League Championship Series and the World Series, and has established himself as a key member of Toronto’s rotation.

    It’s still hard for him to wrap his head around how quickly it happened. Yesavage’s double-A debut for the Toronto affiliate New Hampshire Fisher Cats was on June 12, 2025. The game happened to be in Reading, less than 20 miles away from Yesavage’s hometown, and the stands were packed with his friends and family.

    The latest stop on the rapid rise of Trey Yesavage? World Series starter at 22: ‘He’s one of a kind’

    It marked just one of four promotions for Yesavage last year as he ascended from single A to the majors in the span of six months.

    “It’s been an insane journey,” Yesavage said. “I’m just so blessed to be in this clubhouse every day with these guys.”

    Yesavage grew up a Phillies fan and maintains his Eagles fandom. He won’t pitch against his hometown team in this series, as Dylan Cease and Max Scherzer are both returning to Toronto’s rotation from the injured list this week.

    But Yesavage has the Blue Jays’ visit to Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 7-9 circled on his calendar, and he hopes that things will work out so that he can pitch there.

    “Being a Philly fan is different,” Yesavage said. “I’m still an Eagles fan, so I embrace the Philly energy and toxicity. So I kind of get it. But I’m just excited to play in front of those people.”

    Blue Jays’ pitcher Trey Yesavage, who pitched in the World Series last year, grew up attending minor league games in Reading as a kid, since it’s so close to Boyertown.David J. Phillip

    Yesavage said he grew up attending minor-league games in Reading, since it’s so close to Boyertown. Even though he’s never been a member of the Phillies organization, the Fightin’ Phils are honoring him on July 5 for Boyertown Day, distributing a bobblehead that depicts him as a Boyertown Bear.

    “It’s me in my high school jersey,” Yesavage said. “It’s weird that I’m with a different organization. I played there against those guys, and it’s cool, but it’s weird.”

    Yesavage graduated from Boyertown Area High School in 2021, and starred at East Carolina University before he was drafted in the first round by Toronto in 2024.

    His unusually high arm angle and signature splitter helped him fast track to the majors. After his whirlwind 2025, Yesavage started this season on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. In his eight starts since being reinstated, he has a 3.16 ERA.

    Back in Toronto as Phillies interim manager, Don Mattingly reflects on Blue Jays’ run to the World Series

    Throughout it all, support back in his hometown has been constant.

    “Got a lot of energy, lot of support from those people, especially in the playoffs,” Yesavage said. “Some of the elementary schools were having Blue Jays Days, and wrote letters to me, and it’s really cool to see support from ages 5 and up who can actually understand baseball. So love those people, and they’re the reason why I’m here right now.”

    Extra bases

    Toronto moved the scuffling Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the leadoff spot for Tuesday’s game for the second time in his career. He was 1-for-4 through eight innings on Tuesday. “I’m sure [Toronto manager John Schneider] is trying to get something going, give Schneids a different feel for Vlad. I’m hoping it doesn’t really work — for a few days,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. … Left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus (left elbow inflammation) began a rehab assignment Tuesday with triple-A Lehigh Valley. … Jesús Luzardo (4-4, 4.56 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale against Blue Jays right-hander Scherzer (1-3, 9.64). Scherzer will be making his first start since April 24, after which he was placed on the injured list with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation.

  • Jhoan Duran blows his first save in Phillies’ 3-2 walk-off loss to the Blue Jays

    Jhoan Duran blows his first save in Phillies’ 3-2 walk-off loss to the Blue Jays

    TORONTO — Most times when Jhoan Duran makes the jog from the bullpen to the mound, the result of the game seems like a foregone conclusion.

    The Phillies closer had been perfect in his first 16 save opportunities of the season. But on Tuesday, the Blue Jays managed to end that streak, walking Duran off, 3-2, in the ninth inning.

    “You know it’s going to happen at some point,” said interim manager Don Mattingly.

    The first two batters Duran faced singled on ground-ball hits that found holes in the infield. The Jays used two pinch-runners, and a wild pitch brought the tying run home before Brandon Valenzuela hit an RBI single to end it.

    Boyertown’s Trey Yesavage reflects on ‘insane journey’ from single A to the World Series with Blue Jays

    “They just kind of got us in a bind at that point,” Mattingly said. “They run [Daulton] Varsho, and it’s hard to throw anybody out, really, with those guys. So, yeah, it’s one of those games.”

    Duran entered the game after Bryson Stott drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth against Louis Varland. The Blue Jays pitching staff confounded the Phillies’ offense for most of the game, as they struck out 15 times. But with two out in the ninth, Stott punched an opposite-field double to break the 1-1 stalemate.

    It marked just the second earned run that Varland has given up this season.

    The Phillies’ only other run came in the first inning when they strung together doubles from Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh to take a 1-0 lead against starter Dylan Cease. The ball only left Turner’s bat at 64.4 mph, but he was aggressive against Toronto’s rookie right fielder Yohendrick Piñango and wound up on second. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored easily when Marsh laced a slider to right field.

    After that, though, the Phillies couldn’t generate much against Cease. He only allowed one more hit — a single — and walked one while striking out 11. Cease generated 29 swings-and-misses from Phillies hitters, including 10 on his fastball.

    “Just the way his hand is, he hides the ball well,” Stott said. “So you have a split second to see kind of what pitch it is. Usually when they’re not kind of cupping their hand, you can see the pitcher’s fingers or whatever it is, so you kind of have an idea of what’s coming the whole way. But with him, it feels like halfway there, you pick it up, and then he’s throwing 99 [mph]. So it makes a lot of guys late, and his pitches are moving all over the place.”

    Zack Wheeler held Toronto to one run over six innings. He gave up some hard contact early, but managed to escape a few jams. Wheeler allowed a leadoff single in the second inning, but immediately erased the runner with a double play. Kazuma Okamoto followed that up with a double and Wheeler then hit Andrés Giménez with a fastball to put two on. But he stranded both runners with a strikeout.

    Back in Toronto as Phillies interim manager, Don Mattingly reflects on Blue Jays’ run to the World Series

    “It wasn’t the best, wasn’t the sharpest,” Wheeler said of his outing.

    Wheeler said he found the mound tough and wasn’t able to push off like he normally does, so he had to rely on his upper body more.

    “I think that’s kind of why it wasn’t as sharp,” Wheeler said. “Velo’s down just a tick. So we kind of take those games and throw them out right away.”

    Still, he held Toronto off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, when Wheeler’s cutter to Jesús Sánchez didn’t get high enough above the zone. Sánchez — who had also doubled in the third — sent it into the Phillies’ bullpen in right field for a solo shot that tied the game at 1.

    J.T. Realmuto (left) loses the ball as the Blue Jays’ Brandon Valenzuela (59) waves Myles Straw in to score on a wild pitch during the ninth inning.Sammy Kogan

    “Cease was really good; I thought Zack was good,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, it was one of those games that’s just not going to be a bunch of runs going up, with a guy like Cease and Wheels. … I thought the at-bats were OK. He’s just one of those guys that you’re going to have your hands full when you start the game.”

    Although Cease was cruising, since he was making his first start after being reinstated from the injured list, Toronto manager John Schneider lifted him after six innings and 93 pitches. Former Phillie Jeff Hoffman pitched a scoreless seventh and Mason Fluharty retired the side in order in the eighth, before Stott came through against Varland.

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more

    The Phillies finished with five total hits. Bryce Harper drew their only two walks.

    “You always want to score, especially when you get guys on base,” Stott said. “But felt like when [Cease] needed a pitch, he got it, and sometimes you just run into guys who have that stuff that day, and he kept us off-balance.”

    Orion Kerkering took over for Wheeler in the seventh and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. He returned for the eighth to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and induced a line out. José Alvarado retired the next two batters before Duran entered in the ninth.

  • Shane Victorino Boys & Girls Club getting a facelift as All-Star festivities come to Philly

    Shane Victorino Boys & Girls Club getting a facelift as All-Star festivities come to Philly

    There’s a new addition to the list of All-Star events coming to Philadelphia this July.

    In partnership with America 250, MLB Together is working to achieve 250,000 volunteer hours pledged leaguewide. It now includes an All-Star week project to refurbish the Shane Victorino Nicetown Boys & Girls Club as it approaches the 15-year anniversary of its opening in September 2011.

    April Brown, MLB’s senior vice president of social responsibility, said MLB Together works with the host club during All-Star week to carry out projects within the community.

    MLB Together’s legacy projects include work with the Veterans Multi-Service Center, Ashburn Field refurbishment at FDR Park, Tree House Books, Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park, Miracle League, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Garden Mobile.

    One of the MLB Together legacy projects includes work on the Philadelphia Stars Negro Leagues Memorial Park.Erin Blewett / For The Inquirer

    On July 11, the plan is for more than 100 volunteers to descend upon Victorino’s Boys & Girls Club.

    “We’ll be rolling up our sleeves and painting the teen room, putting together some new furniture, decorating, and doing some internal work, in addition to some external work,” Brown said. “Some planting and some weeding and taking care of the baseball field, which is literally across the street from the Boys & Girls Club.”

    The center, which was created to give kids a space to play and grow, originally was a century-old facility that was going to close. With the help of the Shane Victorino Foundation, the building was refurbished to open the Boys & Girls Club.

    Shane Victorino’s advice for Justin Crawford, a changing rotation, and more

    The 2008 World Series champion, two-time All-Star, and four-time Gold Glove winner said the day the club opened has remained his favorite moment in its 15-year history, but to now renovate it with the help of the MLB is surreal.

    “Having the 250th anniversary [of America] and Major League Baseball All-Star Game, if you had told me that I’d be partnering with MLB, Major League Baseball and their projects, and what they’re trying to do with the Boys & Girls Club, it’s definitely a pinch-me moment,” said Victorino, who played eight of his 12 MLB seasons with the Phillies. “It means a lot to me as far as where it is today.”

    Shane Victorino is a World Series champion and four-time Gold Glove winner.Yong Kim/Staff Photographer

    Brown said the volunteer outings are a “great opportunity to bring everyone into the fold” and create a community off the diamond when events like the All-Star Game bring attention to baseball. During the World Baseball Classic, MLB Together participated in a beach cleanup in Miami and has been working in New York before heading to Philly in July. Fans can get involved at mlbtogether.com/a250 to volunteer in their communities.

    “I think at the end of the year when we achieve the 250,000 hours, it will be about the hours, but it will be about the community that was connected across the country,” Brown said. “Every place where we play our game, all of our 30 major league clubs and our 120 minor league clubs are all a part of this initiative, so that unifying connector of everyone rolling up their sleeves and doing good for others, it will be what’s most important.”

  • Cristopher Sánchez strikes out 10 as the Phillies top the Blue Jays

    TORONTO — Cristopher Sánchez glanced toward the Phillies dugout and signaled, one more.

    He was already at 101 pitches in the seventh inning, and Orion Kerkering had already warmed up in the bullpen. The Blue Jays had just brought switch-hitting catcher Brandon Valenzuela in the game as a pinch-hitter with two runners on.

    But interim manager Don Mattingly nodded, deciding to grant Sánchez’s request. Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham headed out for a mound visit to check in and discuss how to attack Valenzuela, but the ball stayed in Sánchez’s hand.

    “Sánchy’s easy to trust,” Mattingly said.

    And the Phillies lefty made sure that trust wasn’t misplaced. Like he had all night in the 5-2 win over the Blue Jays, Sánchez rebounded from adversity to induce a groundout from Valenzuela to end the inning.

    Back in Toronto as Phillies interim manager, Don Mattingly reflects on Blue Jays’ run to the World Series

    “I don’t like leaving guys on base,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I felt great today. … Obviously a big thank-you to the manager for trusting me with that. And I told him that after the game.”

    An early offensive outburst was just enough for the Phillies to take the first game of the series. Sánchez gave up two runs, including his first homer allowed since April 23.

    He had cruised early in his start, retiring the first six Blue Jays he faced. But after a long top of the third while the Phillies worked long at-bats against lefty Patrick Corbin, Sánchez’s command initially wasn’t as sharp.

    He allowed his first hit of the day, a leadoff double to Myles Straw, and then fell behind in the count to Tyler Heineman. But he battled back to induce consecutive groundouts, conceding one run, and then struck out George Springer.

    Ernie Clement led off fifth inning with a homer — the first Sánchez had allowed since April 23 — but he responded right away by retiring the next three Blue Jays. He helped himself out with a strong defensive play on a grounder hit back to him. Sánchez bobbled the ball, but recovered, barehanded it, and fired it to Harper who picked it for the out.

    “I’m laughing a little bit because [Alec Bohm] at the time told me, ‘Don’t throw it, don’t throw it.’ I threw it anyway,” Sánchez said.

    Sánchez also picked up right fielder Adolis García in the sixth inning. Yohendrick Piñango, the Blue Jays’ nine-hole hitter, doubled and then advanced to third when García misplayed the ball off the wall. The ball deflected off García’s foot, and he was charged with his third error of the season.

    “I talked to him after the inning, right away, and he told me just to stay calm because he was there for us,” García said. “I think it’s really important for us to have that type of communication because it allows us to be aggressive and just go after the ball.”

    Sánchez struck out the top of the Blue Jays order — Springer, Nathan Lukes, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — to leave Piñango at third base.

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more

    “I think the sixth is huge. It kind of shows who he is, right?” Mattingly said.

    Sánchez struck out 10, five of which came in the sixth and seventh inning as he seemed to get sharper as his outing progressed.

    The Phillies had seven hits and drew five walks. They jumped out to an early lead in the second inning. Bryson Stott won a nine-pitch battle against Corbin with a double to center field and García blasted his third homer in the last five games to put the Phillies up, 2-0.

    García has continued to hit early before each game with the hitting coaches. He said he focuses on getting his timing down in those extra sessions. It’s paying off: After posting a .125 average and .182 slugging percentage in May, he is hitting .269 and slugging .654 in June.

    “I feel good, and I feel comfortable at the plate. I think it’s about making the adjustments,” García said.

    Patience against Corbin paid off for the Phillies in the third. After Kyle Schwarber flew out to center field to start the inning, the next seven Phillies reached base — walk, walk, hit by pitch, single, single, walk, and fielder’s choice — and they scored three more runs.

    What if the Phillies’ most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He’s working to make it happen.

    They couldn’t get much going against the Jays bullpen, which took over in the fourth, but the early cushion was enough with Sánchez on the mound for seven.

    “Whenever we have him on the mound, the type of pitcher that he is, it’s almost a sure win if we get him run support,” García said.

    Brad Keller took over in the eighth and sidestepped a walk and a single for a scoreless frame, while Jhoan Duran picked up his 16th save of the season in the ninth to seal the win.

  • Back in Toronto as Phillies interim manager, Don Mattingly reflects on Blue Jays’ run to the World Series

    Back in Toronto as Phillies interim manager, Don Mattingly reflects on Blue Jays’ run to the World Series

    TORONTO — Moments after the Blue Jays’ World Series hopes dwindled away in Game 7 against the Dodgers last November, Don Mattingly sat in Toronto’s dugout and looked out at the field at Rogers Centre.

    Bo Bichette, who departed the Jays for the Mets in free agency a few months later, shared a hug with his bench coach before they disappeared into the clubhouse.

    “I was just kind of watching the end of it, and taking it in,” Mattingly said. “I usually get out of the dugout after a game, but that one I just kind of watched, took it in, and then Bo came over.”

    On Monday, Mattingly was sitting at that ballpark but in the opposite dugout, now as the Phillies’ interim manager. It marked his first visit to the Rogers Centre since the 11-inning, 5-4 loss that cemented the Dodgers as back-to-back champions.

    Over his more than four decades in baseball as a player, manager, and coach, 2025 was Mattingly’s first time being involved in a World Series.

    “What I learned: It’s hard to get there; it’s hard to move through each round,” he said. “Just emotional, right? If you’re the team that doesn’t get the last out, it’s a crash. No matter if it’s at that level or it’s the first round. That feeling is the same.

    “But once you get away from that, from last year’s standpoint, you really are proud of the team, right? What they were able to accomplish, the guys that are in there, and you feel for those guys, and they kind of laid their hearts out there.”

    Don Mattingly has plenty of familiarity with the Blue Jays’ roster.Lynne Sladky

    Mattingly spent three years as bench coach for Blue Jays manager John Schneider. He stepped down after the World Series, as he felt like he had accomplished his goal of helping Schneider, a younger manager, establish himself.

    He couldn’t have predicted that five months later, he would be managing again. Mattingly initially planned to retire but changed his mind after he was approached by the Phillies in the offseason for their open bench coach job. And after Rob Thomson was fired following the Phillies’ slow start, Mattingly was back at the helm.

    He said he’s taken many lessons from his previous stops into his position.

    “I think a lot, the way Schneids does things, and the way Toronto actually does things,” Mattingly said. “But I can say the same from everywhere. From Miami, I can say the same from LA, I could say the same from being around Joe Torre with his staff. So you’re always taking. I always try to take from everyone, good or bad. Take the bad, and know that that’s not what you want to do, right? So I’m taking all the time.”

    Don’t blame Rob Thomson for the Phillies’ flawed roster | Marcus Hayes

    With this series against Toronto, Mattingly’s familiarity also gives him a leg up with game-planning.

    “It’s a little less having to totally go through a club you don’t know anything about,” he said. “Like a lot of the White Sox guys we just got done playing, there was a lot of new faces that I hadn’t seen play before. It makes me more comfortable. I don’t know if it makes it easier, but I definitely kind of know who these guys are, in a sense, and how they use them. But you still got to get outs, and make plays, and all that kind of thing.”

    Brandon Marsh slid over to center field on Monday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Justin Crawford sat against Blue Jays left-hander Patrick Corbin on Monday, with Edmundo Sosa drawing into the lineup at left field and Brandon Marsh sliding to center. … Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.31 ERA) is scheduled to start against Blue Jays righty Dylan Cease (3-3, 3.05) on Tuesday. Cease will be making his first start since he was placed on the injured list on May 25 with a left hamstring strain.

  • ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more

    ‘Phillies Extra’ Q&A: Larry Bowa on Philly’s 1976 All-Star Game, a Trea Turner rebound, and more

    Larry Bowa remembers the roar.

    Fifty years ago, the All-Star Game came to Philadelphia as part of the country’s bicentennial celebration. Bowa was among five Phillies players in the game, and when they were introduced with the National League squad, the ovation shook Veterans Stadium.

    With the Midsummer Classic set to return to town next month, Bowa, 80, joined the Phillies Extra podcast to recall Philly’s baseball summer of ’76, as well as the state of the current Phillies.

    Here are a few excerpts from the conversation with the World Series-winning former Phillies shortstop. Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

    Q: When someone brings up the 1976 All-Star Game in Philadelphia, is there a specific moment or memory that comes to mind?

    A: The fact that we played in our own city was unbelievable. The crowd reaction when they introduced all of us is something that you never, ever forget. With the exception of winning the ’80 World Series, that was an incredible moment for me to play in front of your hometown in your ballpark.

    And looking at the cast of characters, the players on both sides — I happened to just check out the roster a couple days ago — and the American League had some good pitchers there. And the thing that stands out in my mind, you have a meeting before — it’s a lot different now, obviously; it’s more of an entertainment thing now. Back then, it was, “Hey, you better win or you’re going to be embarrassed.”

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    I remember Pete Rose. Mark “The Bird” Fidrych was going to pitch against us, and he was on fire. He had one of those years where he’s talking to the ball and doing all that. And three or four of us were sitting around there, and Pete says, “You know what I’m going to do? He’s going to start talking to that ball, I’m gonna hit a base hit up the middle.” … And I knew Pete was a great player, and I said, “Man, if this guy’s that good …” Sure enough, base hit, right up the middle. He’s talking to the ball, and boom. And he looked in the dugout, and he gave me like a little thumbs-up, and I went, this game must be easy for him because to call that against a pitcher that was probably the greatest pitcher at that time in the American League, it was unbelievable.

    Just the reaction of the crowd, especially when they said, “And now from the Phillies,” and they introduced all of us. And if I’m not mistaken, I think there were seven Reds on that team and five Phillie guys, which at that time, those two teams were pretty good. You can throw in the Dodgers, they were really good, too. So, there were three teams there that were well represented in that game.

    Cristopher Sánchez’s streak of scoreless innings ended at 50⅔ on Wednesday, the longest in franchise history.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
    Q: Have you ever seen anything like Cristopher Sánchez, just in terms of a transformation or the kind of growth that he’s had?

    A: No, I haven’t. And when I first saw him pitch, the control was a huge issue, and now I’m watching this individual pitch now, and to me, and I know there might be some guys slighted, but he’s the best pitcher in baseball. The outs that he makes other teams get are very soft. As an infielder, as an outfielder, you’re always ready, because he doesn’t walk a lot of guys. He doesn’t run deep counts. His work ethic is off the charts. He’s a very humble individual. Hopefully, this can continue because literally right now we have two No. 1s. I mean, you talk about Sánchez and [Zack] Wheeler, and I still believe in my heart that we’re going to be in the playoffs. I know Atlanta has got a big lead and all that. I’m not even worried about that. But when we get in, and I know we’re going to get in, I wouldn’t want to face this team with the pitching staff that we have, especially in a short series, whether it’s five games, whether it’s seven games.

    Cristopher Sánchez’s scoreless innings streak ends, but not before he made history in Phillies’ 3-2 win

    Sánchez is the kind of guy that you wouldn’t know if he won 20 games or if he lost 20 games. You wouldn’t know if he’s losing 8-1 or winning 1-0 . He’s a humble individual. … I wish, and I love Ranger [Suárez], [but] I wish Ranger had a little bit of Sánchez’s work ethic because I think Ranger could have attained the same type of success.

    But Sánchez’s work ethic, I haven’t seen anybody — I should say this, Clayton Kershaw worked like that, and that when I watch Sánchez, I’m thinking of Clayton Kershaw, the work ethic that they put in. Hopefully this thing can continue, because right now, when we take the field and we have Wheeler or Sánchez on the mound, it’s almost like that team in ’72 when [Steve] Carlton took the mound, we knew we were going to win. And I think that’s the feeling right now when those two guys take the take the mound in Philadelphia.

    Trea Turner, the reigning National League batting champion, has struggled for most of the 2026 season.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
    Q: If they could get Trea Turner going at the top of the order in that one or two spot, that would be a huge boost to an offense that could really use it. What do you see from Trea?

    A: I expect him to be where he’s supposed to be at the end of the year. People don’t see the work he puts in. … This guy works harder than anybody out there. I think sometimes he lets his hitting affect when he goes [on the field at shortstop], not as much as he did the first year when he first came over, but when he feels he’s not helping the ballclub offensively, I think it weighs on him a little bit. I think they made a great move hitting him second.

    What if the Phillies’ most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He’s working to make it happen.

    I don’t think Trea’s the kind of guy that’s going to work pitchers and all that and look for walks. He’s one of those guys that, once he gets into his groove, I don’t care where you throw him, he’s going to get base hits. And lately he’s been coming on. I expect a good second half … I think he’s going to be fine, but he’s his own worst critic. Believe me, he wants to do well. He knows he’s disappointed the team. It seems like when Trea doesn’t get on — I know we got the big boys in [Kyle Schwarber] and [Bryce Harper] — but when Trea gets on, we’re a very good offensive ballclub. When he’s not, sometimes we have to struggle for runs.

    Nothing against the other guys on the team, but Trea seems to be the guy that ignites us. And them switching the lineup a little bit lately, having Schwarber lead off, I think it might have eased his mind a little bit. But I expect big things from him moving forward, because he’s too good a hitter to be hitting what he’s hitting. To me, he’s the catalyst for our team.

  • Brandon Marsh sparks Phillies’ offensive surge in 9-5 series finale win over White Sox

    Brandon Marsh sparks Phillies’ offensive surge in 9-5 series finale win over White Sox

    The mural covers the side of a restaurant on a city block in Fishtown. It’s impossible to miss. It also symbolizes promise during this half-decade of Phillies contention.

    And it came to life Sunday.

    It wasn’t only that Brandon Marsh continued a yearlong rise into an All-Star before our very eyes by homering in his third game in a row and leaping to make a catch against the left-field wall.

    No, this time, Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott — the other members of the trio that teammates once dubbed “The Daycare” and inspired the artwork on Frankford Avenue — delivered big fifth-inning hits in a series-winning 9-5 victory over the White Sox in Citizens Bank Park.

    “The best thing about this team,” said backup catcher Rafael Marchán after the Phillies won for the ninth time in 12 games to maintain their hold on a wild card, “is if the big guys can’t do it that day, there’s going to be someone that’s going to find a way to help us win.”

    Marchán might as well have been speaking for himself after homering in the second inning of a seesaw game in which the Phillies led 3-2 and 4-3 but also trailed 2-1 and 5-4.

    But it’s really more about Bohm and Stott. Like Marsh, they were supporting characters who brought youthful energy when this run began in 2022. Now, they bat behind the star trio of Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper.

    You might say the Daycare is all grown up.

    Brandon Marsh’s breakthrough no surprise to Kyle Schwarber: He has a ‘high ceiling, and he’s tapping into it’

    Into what, though? Marsh has matured as a core player, perhaps even the Phillies’ most consistent hitter in their season-reviving 26-11 run under interim manager Don Mattingly. He leads the majors with a .338 average and has an .889 OPS.

    Remember when Marsh started only against right-handed pitching? Yeah, that’s a thing of the past. He has been one of the best outfielders in the majors.

    “It seems like now we’re starting to talk about him every day,” Mattingly said. “He’s just swinging the bat, and he continues to swing it. And not only average but power, you know? It’s extra-base hits, he’s driving in runs.”

    Said Marsh: “I don’t know about the power. That was first row, bro.”

    OK, so Marsh’s leadoff homer in the third inning did eke over the fence. But it came on a curveball, and he drove it the other way to left field to restore the lead for the Phillies at 4-3.

    Alec Bohm hits a sixth inning RBI single against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    And if Marsh had plans to go away for a few days in the second week of July, he should probably cancel.

    The All-Star Game is beckoning.

    “I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t on my mind, but I’m really not focused on that,” Marsh said. “I’m really just trying to enjoy right now. I’m just enjoying this moment. I’m really focused on just trying to be present here with these guys and still just be a sponge to my teammates and just keep learning from them and just trying to be the best I can be.

    “But it would be really, really cool to be a part of that group this year, especially here in Philly.”

    Yet while Marsh has ascended to the level the Phillies believed he could reach when they traded for him at the deadline in 2022, Bohm and Stott struggled through much of the first two months of the season.

    What if the Phillies’ most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He’s working to make it happen.

    Even now, these were the numbers they carried into the fifth and sixth spots in the batting order entering play Sunday:

    • Bohm: .218 average, seven homers, .624 OPS.
    • Stott: .216 average, six homers, .638 OPS.

    But trailing 5-4 in the fifth inning, Bohm punched a game-tying double the other way to right field before Stott drove in Marsh as the go-ahead run with a single to center field.

    Marsh, Bohm, and Stott combined to go 5-for-10 with three runs and five RBIs.

    And there it was: hope, symbolized by the three players in a 2-year-old mural of the “Daycare.”

    “That whole middle of our order, all really good today,” Mattingly said. “It felt like it was up and down the order today.”

    The Phillies recorded 11 hits, five of which came with runners in scoring position. And they needed it. Aaron Nola lacked his usual control. He walked four batters, three of whom came around to score, and lasted only 4⅓ innings.

    After weeks of being pushed back into contention by otherworldly starting pitching — “If we wouldn’t have won those games, you all would have been asking a lot more questions about the offense,” Mattingly said — the Phillies busted out for 20 runs in the three games against the White Sox. Before this week, they went 13 games without scoring more than four runs in a game.

    It surely helps when it’s more than Schwarber, Harper, and Marsh driving in the runs.

    “We’ve just got to keep this train going,” Marsh said. “It’s been driven by our pitchers. They’ve set the tone for us. And as hitters, we’ve picked it up as well. We’re just trying to give those guys a couple of runs because that’s pretty much all they need.

    “Just trying to do our part so they can do theirs.”

  • Andrew Painter presses for command; Don Mattingly asked to join NL All-Star staff

    Andrew Painter presses for command; Don Mattingly asked to join NL All-Star staff

    The lessons are coming quickly for Andrew Painter in his first major-league season.

    Sometimes, though, it’s as basic as throwing a strike.

    Take, for instance, the first batter Saturday. Painter fell behind in the count and tried to get White Sox leadoff man Sam Antonacci to swing at a fastball above the zone. Instead, Painter hit him, the beginning of a tone-setting three-run rally in an eventual 6-3 Phillies loss.

    What if the Phillies’ most impactful addition was a resurgent Trea Turner? He’s working to make it happen.

    “He beat himself there by trying to command a pitch [in a] 2-1 [count] when I just need you to control the zone and collect a strike and move it to 2-2 on a foul ball,” pitching coach Caleb Cotham said Sunday. “Say that wasn’t commanded as well, but you’re 2-2 now vs. you commanded the heck out of trying to go up and in and you missed two inches left of where you’re trying to go.

    “You need to command the count by throwing strikes, and that, for him, comes first. If you’re ahead in the count, you get to throw to more aggressive locations. He’s trying a little too hard to command perfect locations, which gets him behind, and it’s tough to work back from that on good hitters.”

    Eleven starts into his major-league career, Painter has a 6.21 ERA, 108th among 111 pitchers who have worked at least 55 innings this season.

    It’s not what the Phillies expected from the 23-year-old righty, their most hyped pitching prospect since Cole Hamels.

    Andrew Painter throws against the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Most surprising, though, is the ineffectiveness of his fastball. Opponents are batting .390 and slugging 585 on a heater that ranks in the top 75th percentile in average velocity (96.6 mph), according to Statcast.

    Some rival talent evaluators suggest that Painter may be able to amplify his fastball by getting more extension through his delivery. With less time to react, hitters perceive the pitch to be even faster than it is.

    Despite his 6-foot-7 frame, Painter ranks in only the 51st percentile with 6.5 feet of extension. By comparison, 6-7 Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski reaches upwards of 7.5 feet.

    But Cotham is focused on less complicated things.

    “I can sit here and say I don’t necessarily care about extension as a metric,” Cotham said. “I think extension is as important as it is for a person to throw good pitches.”

    Cristopher Sánchez’s scoreless innings streak ends, but not before he made history in Phillies’ 3-2 win

    After the first inning Saturday, in which Painter walked two batters in addition to hitting Antonacci, Cotham said they talked about “trying to let it rip with full belief right down the middle.”

    “If he’s in the zone a little bit more, I’ll take my shot there,” Cotham said. “When he’s at his best, he’s controlling down and up. It’s not just this constant up, kind of noncompetitive miss.

    “Big-league hitters are very good at hitting fastballs, and obviously the fastball’s gotten hit. But there’s a different type of fastball where it’s like, if I have enough stuff behind it, belief behind it, the same pitch that a guy maybe hits out, now he fouls it off.

    “So, I think the path through is not, try harder to be more pinpoint. It’s more belief that I’m good enough, and I need to throw strikes when I need to throw strikes and balls when I need to throw balls.”

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has an offer to serve on the National League coaching staff for the All-Star Game next month.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Star man

    Fan balloting for the All-Star Game got underway only a few days ago, but the Phillies already have one All-Star.

    Interim manager Don Mattingly confirmed that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts asked him to join the National League coaching staff. He deferred comment until MLB announces the staffs, but USA Today reported that Roberts reached out to Mattingly and Cardinals manager Oli Marmol.

    It would be the second time that Mattingly has coached in an All-Star Game. As manager of the Dodgers, he was on then-Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s NL All-Star staff in Cincinnati in 2015.

    Is it finally time for Mike Trout to be traded? The all-in Phillies make too much sense.

    “Any time you can be involved with the All-Star team, obviously it’s an honor,” Mattingly said, “The All-Star Game is a big deal. It’s kind of like an award show almost for MLB, right?”

    Mattingly, hired in January by the Phillies as bench coach, thought his managerial days were over until he was tapped to replace deposed manager Rob Thomson on April 28.

    As a player, Mattingly was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games. His favorite memory: meeting Rod Carew at his first All-Star Game in 1984 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

    “He was kind of the guy I watched as a kid and kind of patterned hitting after, and Rod signed a bat for me and brought it to me,” Mattingly said. “He obviously read something that I talked about it. That was probably my [biggest memory], just making the first one and then having Rod reach out.”

    Extra bases

    Top pitching prospect Gage Wood allowed one run in four walk-free innings Friday night for double-A Reading. He has allowed three runs in 11 innings with 14 strikeouts and one walk in three starts since the Phillies promoted him two levels from low-A to double A. … Cristopher Sánchez (7-2, 1.46 ERA) is scheduled to start at 7:07 p.m. Monday in Toronto against Blue Jays lefty Patrick Corbin (2-2, 3.98).