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Category: Phillies/MLB

  • Andrew Painter and Christian Scott were high school teammates. Now they will face off in a ‘special’ matchup.

    Andrew Painter and Christian Scott were high school teammates. Now they will face off in a ‘special’ matchup.

    NEW YORK — The message landed on Andrew Painter’s phone before the Phillies landed at LaGuardia Airport.

    When are you pitching?

    Christian Scott had to know. More importantly, a few former coaches from Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., needed to book plane tickets. Because if the Phillies’ starting rotation stayed in order — not a guarantee after Jesús Luzardo went on the injured list — Painter would face the Mets’ Scott, his former high school teammate, here on Saturday.

    From pitching to grilling, ‘Andy’ Painter is (finally) ready to cook for the Phillies

    “They were all pretty eager to figure out what was going on,” Painter said Friday. “I didn’t know if I was going to be throwing [Friday] or [Saturday]. So everyone was just kind of waiting for that answer.

    “It worked out.”

    So former Calvary Christian coach Alan Kunkel was en route to New York — “Can’t wait!” he said Friday in a text message — along with then-pitching coach Alex Norris.

    Painter and Scott were teammates in 2018, when the former was a freshman and the latter a senior. Not surprisingly, Calvary Christian was a powerhouse, winning the Class 4A state championship in 2016 with Scott and in 2018 with Scott and Painter.

    Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter had a roadmap of sorts in the form of Christian Scott, who he’ll face on Saturday.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Kunkel remembered Scott as “very emotional at times” on the mound; Painter was more laid-back. If there was a question about Painter in high school, Kunkel said some scouts wondered if he was competitive enough.

    “They were both equally competitive; they just did it different ways,” Kunkel said earlier this year. “I really think that if clubs thought [Painter] was as competitive as he really is, he’d have been the first or second [overall] pick of the draft. Because, man, he wanted the ball when it mattered.”

    If anything, Painter said Scott’s path through amateur baseball almost served as a road map.

    The Zack Wheeler conversation: Why he expected to thrive after surgery, and how much longer he wants to play

    Scott, 27, pitched for Florida before the Mets drafted him in the fifth round in 2021. Painter, 23, verbally committed to Florida, too, but changed course after getting drafted in the first round in 2021 and signing with the Phillies for $3.9 million.

    “We worked out together as well, outside of school,” said Painter, who drove with Scott twice a week to the Cressey Sports Performance training facility in South Florida. “Just kind of being able to lean on him for some of that stuff when I was just getting into it and kind of being able to take a little bit of his work ethic and kind of just pay attention to that stuff.”

    They’ve shared other experiences. Painter missed the 2023 and 2024 seasons after tearing an elbow ligament and having Tommy John surgery; Scott didn’t pitch in the majors last season while recovering from the same procedure.

    Painter made his major league debut this season. And after posting a 7.06 ERA and getting sent back to the minors in June, he returned a month later and has a 3.58 ERA in his last nine starts.

    Scott debuted for the Mets in May 2024 and had a 4.56 ERA in nine starts. He has a 3.76 mark through 22 starts this season.

    “It’s really awesome,” Painter said. “It’s not something you really think about when you’re in high school. … It’s a big day. It’s special. I can only imagine from [their coaches’] point of view how much they’re looking forward to it.”

  • Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan has a right groin strain, but he won’t go on the injured list

    Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan has a right groin strain, but he won’t go on the injured list

    NEW YORK — When reliever Jonathan Bowlan strained his right groin in April, the Phillies placed him on the injured list for 15 days.

    That won’t be the case now.

    Because although Bowlan was diagnosed Friday with a right groin strain and interim manager Don Mattingly conceded that it may result in a stint on the injured list at any other time of the season, the setup man will remain active to be eligible for the wild-card series.

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    “I thought the news was pretty good,” said Mattingly, who added that it’s a “mild strain,” according to the medical report. “It’s something that we’re going to try to work through, obviously keep evaluating daily.”

    Bowlan tweaked his groin on his second-to-last pitch to the Mets’ Nick Morabito in the eighth inning Thursday night. He said postgame that the injury didn’t feel as bad as earlier in the season.

    “It’s not that extreme,” he said.

    Bowlan emerged as the Phillies’ primary setup man in July when Brad Keller was lost for the season to Tommy John surgery. But after a solid first half, he has struggled recently, allowing runs in five consecutive appearances before Thursday night.

    Phillies pitcher Jonathan Bowlan had struggled in recent appearances before Thursday, when he exited with a groin injury.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Mattingly said the Phillies are better prepared to keep Bowlan on the roster, even if he’s unavailable, because they’re carrying an extra reliever in September. They also picked up veteran righty José Urquidy off waivers this week, giving them another multiple-inning option out of the bullpen.

    But Mattingly stressed that the Phillies also believe Bowlan could be ready before the postseason, which opens Sept. 29. If he went on the injured list, he wouldn’t be eligible to return until Oct. 3.

    “I mean, it sounded good,” Mattingly said. “They’re calling it a strain. I think if it was worse than that, there would be no reason to try to work through it, right? It’s something that we feel like he can work through. We’ll just keep watching it and go from there.”

    Can Trea Turner rescue his season despite career-worst stats at the plate? His manager and teammates believe so.

    Without Bowlan, rookie Alex McFarlane will be the top right-handed setup option, if he wasn’t already, in front of closer Jhoan Duran. Orion Kerkering hasn’t pitched since last Saturday night in Atlanta because of turf toe, although Mattingly said he remains available.

    “I think he’s ready to go, even though he hasn’t been used,” Mattingly said. “It’s just because the game wasn’t in his spot. Yeah, I think he’s ready to go.”

    From the left side, the Phillies have Tim Mayza, Brooks Raley, and Tanner Banks, in addition to top option José Alvarado. Mayza and Banks are available to pitch more than one inning, and Mayza started as an opener here Friday night.

    Pitcher Jesús Luzardo is dealing with left shoulder issues.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Waiting on Luzardo

    Although Jesús Luzardo hasn’t been cleared to resume throwing, Mattingly said he was encouraged by the progress of the star lefty’s inflamed left shoulder.

    “I feel a lot better about him just from the standpoint that he’s feeling better,” Mattingly said. “What we thought was going to happen is happening.”

    Mattingly said there’s “no schedule” for when Luzardo will try to play catch.

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    Benching Brandon

    Despite a deep second-half slump that has put Brandon Marsh on the bench against lefty starters, Mattingly said he isn’t ready to take him out of the lineup against right-handed pitchers, too.

    “I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind,” Mattingly said. “I don’t think I have the right [alternative] for that spot.”

    Besides, Marsh did start the All-Star Game for the National League. Through the end of June, he was batting .317 with an .868 OPS. Since then, he’s hitting .181 with a .492 OPS.

    Mattingly knows the Phillies need him to snap out of it more than they need to replace him.

    “I feel like we need him, and we feel like he’s getting closer to what we want him to be,” Mattingly said. “I will say, it’s easier to pull the trigger quicker on the pinch-hitter at times. But other than that, I’m not really thinking about flipping a righty into that spot.”

    Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh is hitting .181 with a .492 OPS since July 1.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Urquidy joined the Phillies before the game and was set to come into the game behind Mayza and pitch multiple innings. The veteran righty isn’t eligible for the playoffs because he wasn’t in the organization before Sept. 1. “Hired gun,” Mattingly said. “I’ve seen it before, seen it multiple times over the years, where a guy can’t pitch in the playoffs, but he has a chance to help you get there.” To open a roster spot for Urquidy, the Phillies optioned lefty Kyle Backhus to triple A. … Andrew Painter (3-9, 5.54 ERA) is scheduled to start at 4:10 p.m. Saturday against Mets righty Christian Scott (4-5, 3.76). They were high school teammates for one year at Calvary Christian in South Florida.

  • Aaron Nola keeps turning back the clock with dominant outing in Phillies’ shutout win over Mets

    Aaron Nola keeps turning back the clock with dominant outing in Phillies’ shutout win over Mets

    NEW YORK — Aaron Nola once stood on the mound here and struck out 10 consecutive batters, tying a major-league record set by a Hall of Famer with a 10-foot tall statue outside the main gate of this ballpark.

    Just in case anyone forgot who Nola is.

    It was a long time ago — June 25, 2021, to be exact — when Nola shared a feat with Tom Seaver. Nola is 33 now, with as much mileage on his iron right arm as any pitcher in the sport. And until this week, he wasn’t as essential to the entire Phillies’ operation.

    But with nine games to go, a playoff spot within reach, and star lefty Jesús Luzardo shut down by an inflamed shoulder, the spotlight is back on the Phillies’ longest-tenured player.

    José Urquidy claimed off waivers, will be available to pitch for Phillies on Friday vs. Mets

    What a time, then, for Nola to turn back the clock.

    That’s clearly what’s happening, the latest gem coming Thursday night when Nola faced the minimum 15 batters through five innings, didn’t yield a hit until the sixth, and threw 81 pitches over seven innings — a model of efficiency and effectiveness — in a 3-0 victory over the Mets.

    You could’ve sworn it was 2022 all over again.

    “It feels good,” Nola said, understated as ever.

    But here’s the thing: It wasn’t a one-off. Quietly, as is his nature, Nola has pitched like this for six weeks, beginning with a hard-luck 1-0 loss July 28 in Miami. In his last 10 starts, he has a 2.10 ERA in 60 innings.

    Aaron Nola on the Phillies' World Series chances: 'We definitely have the team to do it'
    Video: Aaron Nola on the Phillies’ World Series chances: ‘We definitely have the team to do it’

    These are the Phillies, though, so it couldn’t be all good. Jonathan Bowlan, who has emerged as the primary setup reliever, took over from Nola and left in the eighth inning with what the Phillies termed “tightness” in his right groin.

    “No pop, nothing like that,” said Bowlan, who missed two weeks in April with a strained right groin. “All I can do is treatment, and re-evaluate and go from there. We’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.”

    The bullpen is already missing Brad Keller, sidelined in July by season-ending elbow surgery. Orion Kerkering has been slowed by turf toe. Rookie Alex McFarlane is already playing a big role. Without Bowlan, lefty Tim Mayza and others would have to take up the mantle.

    “We’ll find out more tomorrow,” interim manager Don Mattingly said after the Phillies pulled into a tie with the idle Cubs for the top National League wild card and lowered their playoff-clinching magic number to five. “I don’t want to be coldhearted, but you’d have to move on and find a way to fill that spot, which is not necessarily easy to do. But that means other guys got to step up. That’s all.”

    Just like Nola.

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    Nola is nothing less than one of the best homegrown pitchers in franchise history. On the Phillies’ all-time lists, he ranks second in strikeouts (2,045), fifth in wins (116), and seventh in innings (1,884).

    Someday, he’ll get a plaque on the Wall of Fame in Ashburn Alley.

    But through June, Nola had a 6.04 ERA — after an injury-plagued 2025 in which he finished with a career-worst 6.01 mark. Never one to overpower hitters with velocity, his command must be precise. And nothing has gotten easier for him, not with the advent of the pitch clock, the automated ball-strike system, a limit on the number of pickoff moves, and just the passage of time.

    It was fair to wonder if Nola, signed through 2030 at $24.57 million per year, was cooked.

    Aaron Nola has a 2.10 ERA in his last 10 starts.Seth Wenig

    “Not for me,” Mattingly said. “Honestly, guys that locate like that and work and are healthy, you know what they’ve been in the past. And guys just don’t quit trying to get better and reinventing themselves, in a sense. As you get older, you have to do it.”

    Indeed, after a decade of spinning his curveball, burying his sinker, and pounding the strike zone, Nola changed his pattern. In particular, he threw more changeups, even to right-handed hitters.

    “I think it’s just mixing well and throwing all the pitches for strikes and just trying to keep everything sharp and the delivery sharp,” Nola said. “Try not to be too perfect with my pitches.”

    Against the Mets, Nola relied on his signature curveball. He threw 47 pitches through five innings and sat through a long delay in the top of the sixth when Mets first baseman Jared Young got carted off the field on a stretcher in a scary scene after colliding with pitcher Nolan McLean and taking a knee to the head.

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    (Young had feeling in his extremities, according to the Mets, but was taken to the hospital, where a CT scan was negative.)

    Nola allowed a one-out walk in the sixth on a 10-pitch duel with Brett Baty before finally giving up a hit, a solid single to left field by Nick Morabito. He got through the seventh and might have come back for the eighth, too.

    “But just checking with him, he seemed hesitant to me,” Mattingly said. “He felt like he didn’t have the same fastball. He was kind of running out of gas.”

    NL wild-card standings

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    And given the uncertainty with Luzardo, Mattingly isn’t about to take chances with Nola — or any other starter.

    “We really hope [Luzardo] can come back healthy — and quick,” Nola said. “We really need him.”

    Meanwhile, there’s Nola, with his 3.88 ERA in 11 career postseason starts, tied for 14th-most among active pitchers.

    “Noles is huge,” Mattingly said. “It was tough there early for him, but he just hung in there, kept working, and next thing you know, you’re seeing this. And with Zeus, not knowing what’s going on as this thing gets down to the wire, how Noles factors in could be huge.”

  • Phillies Extra: Former GM Matt Klentak reflects on his Phillies tenure, working with the Brewers, and more

    Phillies Extra: Former GM Matt Klentak reflects on his Phillies tenure, working with the Brewers, and more

    Matt Klentak’s fingerprints are still on the Phillies’ roster six years after he was the team’s general manager. These days, Klentak is part of the front office for the Brewers, who recently clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title. With the Brewers coming to town Tuesday, Klentak joined Phillies Extra to discuss his current and former teams. Watch here.

    You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

  • José Urquidy claimed off waivers by Phillies and will be available to pitch Friday vs. Mets

    José Urquidy claimed off waivers by Phillies and will be available to pitch Friday vs. Mets

    NEW YORK — Don Mattingly was riding to the ballpark here Thursday, still unsure of the Phillies’ pitching plan for the next few days, when a name came across his phone.

    José Urquidy.

    Two days after getting designated for assignment by the White Sox, Urquidy was claimed off waivers by the Phillies. The veteran right-hander is set to meet the team in New York and is scheduled to pitch Friday, according to Mattingly, likely providing bulk innings within a bullpen game.

    “He’s going to be available tomorrow, I can say that much,” Mattingly said. “But how we’ll run the game, we’re not quite sure. We haven’t got there yet.”

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    The Phillies have a hole in the rotation after star lefty Jesús Luzardo went on the injured list with an inflamed left shoulder. Aside from being a critical blow to their chances for a deep postseason run, it left them with a short-term need for a starter against the Mets.

    Rather than bringing a pitcher from triple A, the Phillies decided to divide the start between relievers. Even so, Mattingly prefers to use at least one pitcher for multiple innings rather than passing the baton inning by inning.

    Urquidy, 31, started playoff games for the Astros once upon a time but missed the 2024 season due to Tommy John elbow surgery and has struggled to reestablish himself. He had an 8.53 ERA in five relief appearances for the Pirates before getting traded in July to the White Sox and posting a 4.37 ERA in six games (one start).

    Jesús Luzardo hasn’t been cleared to throw because of an inflamed left shoulder.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    So, with Luzardo still not cleared to resume throwing — “Until he’s kind of pain-free, it’s going to be no-throw,” Mattingly said as the lefty ran sprints in the outfield — the Phillies took a flier on Urquidy.

    Urquidy isn’t eligible for the postseason roster. Really, though, the Phillies only want him to eat innings here against the Mets and probably next Thursday night at home against the Brewers.

    Mattingly said Urquidy “has been throwing” since the White Sox took him off the roster. In his most recent appearance, on Sept. 8, he threw 65 pitches in four innings and gave up two runs on five hits and a walk.

    “I think missing Zeus’ start puts you in a bullpen game in some fashion, and a bullpen game one [inning] at a time is a little different than having a bulk guy in there who can throw 70-75 pitches,” Mattingly said. “So, we’re in a little better shape now.”

    Can Trea Turner rescue his season despite career-worst stats at the plate? His manager and teammates believe so.

    The Phillies ran a bullpen game last Saturday in Atlanta after scratching Luzardo from his scheduled start. In that case, they opened with lefty reliever Tim Mayza, who threw 31 pitches in three scoreless innings.

    Mattingly mentioned Mayza and lefty Tanner Banks as relievers who can go multiple innings. Urquidy will provide additional coverage.

    “We’re just built a little better — we’re a little more prepared, I should say — for this game than the one in Atlanta,” Mattingly said. “Because [scratching Luzardo] happened so late in Atlanta.”

    The move for Urquidy also enabled the Phillies to give rookie righty Andrew Painter an extra day of rest. Painter is scheduled start Saturday before Cristopher Sánchez in the series finale Sunday.

    Alec Bohm has hiked his average above .250 for the first time since the third game of the season.Erik S. Lesser

    Bohm takes the fifth

    With two hits and three walks in Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory in Washington, Alec Bohm hiked his average and OPS above .250 and .700, respectively, for the first time since the third game of the season.

    “I was in a pretty deep hole early on,” Bohm said. “For me, it was focusing less on what’s my batting average today and more on let’s go out and try to win a game today. Because the numbers are what they are. Can’t really do much about it at this point, so let’s try to go help the team win and contribute in some way.

    “Getting lost in that for a while, they’ve found their way back to, I guess, more of the norm for myself.”

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    It’s an admirable outlook for a player who will be a free agent after the season. But with a solid second half — .314 average, .844 OPS since the All-Star break, entering play Thursday — the righty-hitting Bohm also has moved into the No. 5 spot in the order and helped to balance the top half of a lineup that’s heavy on lefties with Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Luis Arraez.

    “I like it,” Arraez said through a team interpreter. “I like it because they’re bringing a lot of lefty pitchers to us right there. It gives Bohmer an opportunity to produce. And it’s good for a team to give him those chances.”

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has to manage the hole in the rotation created by the injury to Jesús Luzardo.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Mattingly met with the relievers as a group in left field before batting practice. The Phillies rank 20th in the majors with a 4.31 bullpen ERA. … Top prospect Aidan Miller, a shortstop, made his second start in a row at third base for double-A Reading in the Eastern League semifinal series against Hartford. … To add Urquidy to the 40-man roster, the Phillies moved reliever Caleb Kilian to the 60-day injured list. Kilian is sidelined by a strained oblique muscle in his left side. They will have to make a move to get Urquidy on the active roster. … The Phillies will face Mets rookie lefty Zac Thornton (4-5, 3.44 ERA) at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

  • MLB playoff tracker: Phillies wild-card standings

    MLB playoff tracker: Phillies wild-card standings

    The Phillies are alive and well in the hunt for the MLB playoffs, looking to lock up a wild-card spot. Each of the last two postseasons ended in the National League Division Series, as the Phillies struggled to recapture the Red October success that carried them to the World Series in 2022 and the NL Championship Series in 2023, when they made the playoffs as a wild card.

    Here’s a look at where the 2026 Phillies are in the wild-card standings, and their remaining schedule:

    National League East standings

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    Standings updated at least once/hour.

    National League wild-card standings

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    For more information on the current MLB standings and projected postseason matchups, check out MLB.com’s updated playoff picture.

    Brandon Marsh (left) greets Kyle Schwarber after Schwarber’s solo home run on Aug. 22.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Phillies’ remaining schedule

    Here’s a look at the Phillies’ schedule for the rest of the season, with their home series in bold:

    • Three games vs. Rays (Sept. 25-27)

    MLB playoff schedule

    The MLB playoffs begin with a best-of-three wild-card series round on Sept. 29.

  • Phillies won’t play on NBC Sports Philadelphia the next few nights amid playoff push

    Phillies won’t play on NBC Sports Philadelphia the next few nights amid playoff push

    The Phillies kick off a four-game series with the New York Mets Thursday, but fans will need to do a bit of channel surfing to catch all the games.

    Thursday night’s game will air on Fox beginning at 7:15 p.m., with Kenny Albert and Tom Verducci calling all the action. Ken Rosenthal will report from Citi Field.

    Aaron Nola (6-10, 4.69 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Phillies. Nola hasn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since way back on July 22, when he gave up five to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He’ll face Mets rookie Nolan McLean (11-9, 3.24 ERA), who gave up just two hits and struck out 10 in a win against the Phillies on July 19.

    On Friday, the Phillies jump off TV and onto streaming for their final appearance on Apple TV’s Friday Night Baseball this season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs on the call and Tricia Whitaker reporting from the stadium.

    Apple TV also has its own pregame show hosted by Sierra Santos alongside former outfielder Chris Young and MLB insider Russell Dorsey.

    It’s the fifth season of Apple TV’s seven-year, $595 million deal with MLB, which runs through the 2028 season. Over that time, the cost has nearly doubled from $6.99 to $12.99 a month.

    While Apple TV’s exclusive games remain an annoyance for baseball fans without the streaming service, they do come with one important perk — the ability to switch the audio feed over to 94.1 WIP and Scott Franzke and Kevin Stocker calls.

    The quality of Apple TV’s broadcast is also generally very good, with crystal-clear footage and minimalist graphics (though the constant probabilities and live gambling updates become a bit annoying).

    Scott Franzke (left) and Ruben Amaro, Jr. will call the final two games of the Phillies-Mets series on NBC Sports Philadelphia. NBC Sports Philadelphia

    The final two games of the Phillies-Mets series will be back on NBC Sports Philadelphia Saturday or Sunday. With Tom McCarthy calling Sunday’s NFL matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on CBS, it’ll be Franzke calling the games alongside former Phillies general manager turned announcer Rubén Amaro Jr.

    John Kruk will be back Tuesday along with McCarthy to call the Phillies’ series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the second-to-last of the season. And World Series MVP-turned-broadcaster Cole Hamels will be back in the booth for the final Phillies game of the season on Sept. 27 against the Tampa Bay Rays.

    Phillies playoff picture

    NL East standings

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    There was a moment where it seemed like the Phillies might overtake the Braves in the standings. But after dropping two of three against Atlanta last weekend, the Phillies’ chances of winning the National League East appear distant as best.

    The Phillies enter Thursday’s series opener against the Mets 4½ games behind the Braves with 10 remaining. Atlanta faces the AL West-leading Houston Astros this weekend, but finish the season against the lowly Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins. An epic collapse along the lines of the 1964 Phillies — who blew a 6½ game lead with 12 remaining — doesn’t seem likely.

    NL wild-card standings

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    If the season ended Tuesday, the Phillies would end up in the second wild-card spot, meaning they’d travel to Chicago for a three-game series against the Cubs.

    The good news is the Phillies are just a half-game down from the top wild-card spot entering Thursday. Overtaking the Cubs would move that three-game series to Citizens Bank Park.

    The bad news is the Cubs, who are off Thursday, own the tiebreaker against the Phillies. Chicago kicks off a three-game series against the Reds Friday before finishing the season with series against the Marlins and Boston Red Sox.

    The MLB playoffs begin Sept. 29 and will air on NBC.

    Phillies magic number

    That is the combined total of Phillies’ wins and/or losses by the teams on the outside looking in that are needed to secure at least the third wild-card berth and a spot in the playoffs.

    MLB playoff tracker: Phillies wild-card and NL East standings; updated magic number

    Phillies news

    Alec Bohm is batting .293 against lefties, including .500 since the beginning of August.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Remaining Phillies TV schedule

    • Phillies at Mets
    • Brewers at Phillies
    • Rays at Phillies
  • Zack Wheeler delivers seven scoreless innings in Phillies’ shutout of the Nationals: ‘They’re all must-win’

    Zack Wheeler delivers seven scoreless innings in Phillies’ shutout of the Nationals: ‘They’re all must-win’

    WASHINGTON — Most of the Phillies were already gone from the clubhouse to catch the team bus. But for the benefit of any stragglers, Kyle Schwarber took it up an octave.

    “It’s going to be a grind,” he said here the other night. “It’s not like it’s guaranteed.”

    Not even when it should be a walk in the park — or lots of walks in Nationals Park. Not for these Phillies. Not with 10 games left and a playoff spot still to be clinched.

    Case in point: Wednesday night. The Phillies knocked a rookie opener from the game after six batters. They worked seven walks through four innings, including four in the first — and 13 in all, their highest total in a game in … checks notes … 22 years.

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    And yet they ground out only a 3-0 victory over the Nationals behind seven workmanlike innings from old reliable Zack Wheeler, once again the most effective and healthiest of the Phillies’ Big Three starters.

    “It’s win games and get in the playoffs at this point. So they’re all must-win,” said Alec Bohm, who drove in the first run with a bases-loaded single and reached five times (two hits, three walks). “We just want it in our control. We win, then it’s in our control. If we don’t win, we’re scoreboard watching and who knows what can happen.”

    Cue the nightly check of the playoff race:

    • The Phillies (84-68) remained a half-game behind the (85-68) Cubs for the top National League wild card. The Phillies were one game clear of the Padres (83-69) going into Thursday’s games for the second wild card.
    • With any combination of six victories or Diamondbacks losses, the Phillies will clinch a wild card.
    • Chicago, which holds a tiebreaker over the Phillies, is off Thursday. The Phillies will begin a four-game series in New York against the out-of-contention Mets, who have played better after a brutal first half.

    Got all that? Good.

    NL wild-card standings

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    The Phillies are struggling to reach base at last month’s majors-leading clip. But even they couldn’t avoid taking what the Nationals gave them in the first inning, chiefly enough walks to score twice.

    And Wheeler took it from there.

    One day after Jesús Luzardo went on the injured list with an inflamed left shoulder and Cristopher Sánchez gave up five runs on eight hits in a loss, Wheeler was in command against the Nationals, third in the majors in runs despite being headed for their seventh consecutive losing season.

    Hayes: With Jesús Luzardo out, Phillies hitters need to start earning their millions

    Wheeler said he sought to exploit the young Nationals by throwing pitches off the plate early in the count “to try to use their aggressiveness against them.” It worked. He held them to four hits (three singles) and completed seven innings in 91 pitches.

    “I threw a lot of first-pitch balls, but that was kind of on purpose just to see if I could get weak contact,” Wheeler said. “If I was going in, I was trying to throw it off the plate. If I was going away, I was trying to make them chase a ball or two off the plate.”

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    Luis Arraez doubled in Bryce Harper for insurance in the seventh inning. Arraez reached four times, including his first three-walk game since 2024. Maybe it all gets the offense refocused. Maybe it was one game.

    Say this: Bohm has hoisted his average above .250 for the first time since the third game of the season. He’s batting .293 against lefties, including .500 since the beginning of August.

    “I was in a pretty deep hole early on,” Bohm said. “For me, it was focusing less on what’s my batting average today and more on let’s go out and try to win a game today. Because the numbers are what they are. Can’t really do much about it at this point, so let’s try to go help the team win and contribute in some way.

    “Getting lost in that for a while, they’ve found their way back to, I guess, more of the norm for myself.”

    Alec Bohm (right) is batting .293 against lefties, including .500 since the beginning of August.Nick Wass

    It’s a mature outlook for a player who has often been criticized for immaturity. But it’s undoubtedly the correct one in the second-to-last week of the season.

    At this late juncture, interim manager Don Mattingly is still trying to bring order to the bullpen. He put the lead in the unsteady hands of lefty José Alvarado, who sidestepped a one-out walk by getting dangerous James Wood to line out and Daylen Lile to fly out.

    Jhoan Duran, who hadn’t pitched in five days, went to a full count on the leadoff batter in the ninth before striking him out. He popped up CJ Abrams to win a seven-pitch duel before ending the game with a strikeout.

    The whole thing was imperfect. The Phillies went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They left 13 on base. They became the first team since the Tigers on June 8, 1955, to walk at least 13 times and score three runs or less in a nine-inning game.

    Can Trea Turner rescue his season despite career-worst stats at the plate? His manager and teammates believe so.

    “I look at it as, we won tonight,” Mattingly said. “That’s what I look at. No matter how we do it, we got the win. So, that’s really what matters at the end of the day.”

    Indeed. And in winning for only the second time in six games, they crossed Game 152 off the calendar in their quest to just get into the playoffs, reset everything, and take their chances.

    “After losing [Tuesday] night, we had to come out here with a win today,” Wheeler said. “I was just trying to do the best that I could and at least split.”

    It wasn’t easy, even though the Nationals tried to make it so. And it isn’t about to get easier, just as Schwarber warned.

  • Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    Brandon Marsh has struggled to make adjustments, and it’s broken his breakout season

    WASHINGTON — Two months ago, Brandon Marsh was the starting right fielder for the National League in the All-Star Game.

    Really. That happened.

    Since then, Marsh has been among the worst hitters in the league. Benched against left-handed pitchers, the long-haired, bushy-bearded Phillies’ outfielder batted eighth here Wednesday night after playing every day and hitting cleanup for much of June and early July.

    “I just think [teams] have made an adjustment to him, and then we’ve got to make it back,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “And we haven’t been able to do that.”

    J.T. Realmuto’s extreme success with the ABS system has the Phillies hoping he will challenge more calls

    It has broken Marsh’s breakout season.

    Consider this: After a two-hit game July 1 against the Pirates, Marsh was batting .319 with an .881 OPS. He dragged a .176 average and .470 OPS since then into the series finale against Nationals lefty opener Jared Simpson.

    Marsh’s success has always been rooted in his batting average on balls in play. Among all players with at least 2,000 career plate appearances, Marsh ranks sixth all-time with a .360 average on balls in play. Three of the top five are Hall of Famers (Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, and Billy Hamilton); a fourth in Joe Jackson.

    But as Marsh’s profile rose, teams began attacking him differently. In particular, Mattingly noted that Marsh has seen fewer pitches in the strike zone in the second half, especially early in counts.

    The two months since his start in the All-Star Game have been a struggle for Brandon Marsh.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Not coincidentally, his batting average on balls in play plummeted from .396 through July 1 to .221 since then.

    “Marsh is sitting back there at some point, and they’re probably not doing a ton of homework on him,” Mattingly said. “They’re attacking him. Whatever. He starts being aggressive early. He’s doing damage. He’s getting his hits. All of a sudden, he’s hitting .330 and he’s on the All-Star team, and it’s like, ‘Maybe we ought to do a little more work on this guy.’ Right?

    “At some point, he’s aggressive, [so] they’re going to be less likely to throw you strikes and get you to chase a little more. And then we’ve got to make the adjustment to back down maybe the aggression. Be aggressive when you swing, but it doesn’t mean you’re swinging at everything.

    “You see adjustments all the time, and I think that’s what’s happened basically.”

    In any case, after assisting Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber in carrying the offense for much of the first half, Marsh’s production has all but disappeared at a time when the Phillies need it.

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly plans to deploy a bullpen game Friday or Saturday in New York.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Where’s the depth?

    Rather than recalling triple-A starter Alan Rangel to fill the rotation vacancy created by Jesús Luzardo’s sore left shoulder, the Phillies will opt for a bullpen game Friday (or maybe Saturday) in New York and then likely again next week at home.

    “It’s nice to have, say, a bulk guy, which probably is 45 to 60 pitches,” Mattingly said. “If you’re able to do that, you’re not using one guy to get [each of] those innings for you instead of three [pitchers total], which leaves you in a better shape the next day. I’m not sure.”

    In that case, why not call up Rangel, effectively the No. 6 starter?

    “I’m sure we’re probably more comfortable with the guys that we have,” Mattingly said.

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    Rangel, who started Wednesday night in triple A, was 0-3 with a 5.88 ERA in seven games (three starts) earlier this season. He had a 10.23 ERA in his last five triple-A starts.

    Andrew Painter threw a between-starts bullpen session and likely will start Saturday with an extra day of rest. But if the Phillies need to use several relievers Thursday night, Painter could start Friday on regular rest.

    Mattingly noted that the Phillies have 10 relievers in the bullpen because of expanded rosters. So, although they lack a true bulk reliever, they can piece together a game.

    When the Phillies scratched Luzardo last Saturday night in Atlanta, lefty Tim Mayza completed three innings in only 31 pitches. He could be the choice to start against the Mets.

    Mattingly seemed to rule out veteran left-hander Nestor Cortes, who gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three batters on 32 pitches in 1⅔ innings Tuesday night in triple A. Cortes, 32, signed with the Phillies last month after biceps tendon surgery after last season.

    “Everything is a possibility, right?” Mattingly said. “But he’s not really built at this point.”

    Phillies top prospect Aidan Miller made his first career start at third base Tuesday night in a playoff game for double-A Reading.George Youngs/Reading Fightin Phils

    Extra bases

    Reading won 21-4 (you read that right) in the opener of the double-A Eastern League semifinal, with the best-of-three series moving to Hartford on Thursday night. Top prospect Aidan Miller made his first career start at third base and went 1-for-5 with three strikeouts; 22-year-old shortstop Bryan Rincon finished with two hits and five RBIs. … Aaron Nola (6-10, 4.69 ERA) is slated to start at 7:15 p.m. Thursday in New York against Mets righty Nolan McLean (11-9, 3.24).

  • With Jesús Luzardo out, Phillies hitters need to start earning their millions

    With Jesús Luzardo out, Phillies hitters need to start earning their millions

    Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Luis Arraez will make a combined $111.2 million this season.

    Now would be a good time for them to start earning it.

    The Phillies entered Wednesday night’s game in Washington ranked fourth in MLB in payroll but ranked 15th in runs scored, 19th in batting average, and 21st (!) in OPS.

    And this is a lineup that features the major league home run leader, Schwarber, and Arraez, who looks like a lock to win his fourth batting title in five years.

    Phillies’ late-inning bullpen struggles show up again in 6-3 loss to the Nationals

    This is a crisis. They’re a half-game behind the Cubs for first place in the wild-card race and just 3½ games ahead of the Diamondbacks who are the first team out of the three-team wild-card pool. Eleven games remain, the last 10 against the surging Mets, the first-place Brewers, and the first-place Rays.

    Sound the klaxon.

    The bullpen is in shambles. The starters are wearing down. The defense and baserunning — bad as ever.

    Now, on Tuesday, All-Star lefty Jesús Luzardo landed on the injured list with shoulder soreness. He’s done until the day before the season ends, but it’s fair to assume he’s done until next March.

    Cristopher Sánchez, one of the Phillies’ aces, has struggled of late.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    It’s easy to focus on the sudden struggles of lefty ace Cristopher Sánchez and bullpen surprise Big Jonathan Bowlan, and to criticize the significant mistake made at the deadline of trading for lefty reliever Brooks Raley, the 38-year-old who spent five years in the Korean league.

    But entering Wednesday the Phillies had lost eight of their last 12 games, and they had scored three runs or less six times.

    Your $111 million at work.

    Phils president Dave Dombrowski constructed this team to hit its way past all of the expected deficiencies: defense, baserunning, speed, and bullpen.

    Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

    The last four postseasons, those hitters failed. They didn’t fail to the same degree each playoff run, and they didn’t fail the entirety of each playoff run, and not every single guy failed, but the lineup underproduced to its pay grade, and that was the biggest difference between winning and losing.

    Not pulling Zack Wheeler against Yordan Alvarez; not asking Bryson Stott to bunt Nick Castellanos from second to third base; not Craig Kimbrel imploding, and not Orion Kerkering glitching. It’s been the hitters every October, whether late against the Astros, in the middle of the playoffs against the Diamondbacks, or early against the Mets, then the Dodgers.

    They can do this.

    When they won 15 of 17 games from mid-August to Sept. 1 they scored four or more runs 14 times.

    They were patient.

    They took close strikes.

    They walked like Egyptians.

    Bryce Harper, one of baseball’s best hitters in August, has tailed off in September.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Harper, hitting third, was in the middle of it all, hitting third in the order, so literally; and showing unprecedented discipline, so, figuratively as well. In a run that eclipsed both ends of that 17-game stretch, Harper established a career-high by reaching base in 35 consecutive games. He walked 37 times.

    His on-base percentage is .250 since.

    That’s the issue with this team.

    Schwarber will hit four home runs in five games, a run that ended a week ago, and then he’ll go 2-for-22 with seven strikeouts, as he did in the next five games.

    No one will argue that Turner’s season from hell is the biggest issue in the lineup, and no one will argue that Realmuto’s astonishing decline makes Nike stock look like a good investment.

    We will absolve Stott from this discussion, since he seems to have settled into a consistent offensive profile and since he’s been a defensive savior. We will absolve rookie center fielder Justin Crawford, too, as well as the outfield platoon.

    Hayes: Larry Bowa, Hugh Douglas, Doug Glanville recall 9/11 in Philadelphia

    And this is not a crisis of starting pitching.

    There are reasons the Phillies are paying more than $381 million in salary and cap taxes this year, and one of the main reasons is quality depth.

    They entered the playoffs last year without Zack Wheeler, perhaps the second-best pitcher in franchise history. They lost that best-of-five series to the eventual champion Dodgers in four games, but that had nothing to do with the starting pitching. Sánchez, Luzardo, and an Aaron Nola/Ranger Suárez piggyback start combined to allow six earned runs in 25 innings. That’s a 2.16 ERA.

    Luzardo might return. He’s eligible to come off the IL just before the postseason begins, but who knows?

    And will it matter?

    Zack Wheeler may be the second-best pitcher in Phillies history.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Luzardo, who signed a five-year, $135 million extension that nullified his free agency after this season, was an All-Star in July. He was 5-0 in his last seven starts, all Phillies wins, with a 1.08 ERA and three scoreless outings, including his first complete game, which was his last outing.

    Wheeler had been just as good as Luzardo, but, as was the case last season, when Wheeler was lost for the stretch run and the playoffs, there was plenty of depth behind him. Such is the case now, between Wheeler, Sánchez, a resurgent Nola, and suddenly competent rookie Andrew Painter.

    Andrew Painter’s potential role on a Phillies playoff staff is uncertain. Painter says any role is OK with him.

    All is not lost.

    But the starters have to have help. Luzardo won the last game he pitched, but he had to go nine innings and allow zero runs. Score of that game? 1-0.

    No team is going to have all of its highly paid offensive weapons producing at the same time. But if they hope to reach the playoffs, and if they hope to advance, the best starting pitching in history won’t help them if the bats don’t get hot and stay hot.

    One hundred eleven million dollars worth of hot.

    Starters are fading. The bullpen is trash. The defense and baserunning stink.

    Time to cash in on the bats.