After losing the final two games in San Francisco, the Phillies returned home for a nine-game homestand desperate to find some magic, particularly with the offense, and turn this recent stretch of losses around.
The team opened a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but any magic would not be found on Friday night, as Philadelphia blew a 4-0 lead, surrendering five runs to Arizona in the fifth inning and ultimately falling 5-4.
Things got off to a seemingly ideal start, as a Bryce Harper double in the first inning scored Trea Turner, and a Brandon Marsh home run to left-center later in that same inning brought home three more to give the Phillies an early 4-0 lead.
In front of a crowd of 41,683, it seemed like a sure win for the Fightin Phils.
On the mound, Jesús Luzardo, who signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension with the Phillies, was dealing, taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning..
However, what seemed to be smooth sailing for the Phillies quickly turned into turbulence, and Luzardo was yanked eight batters later, with Arizona now on top 5-4 after five innings.
Luzardo gave up five runs on five hits, and the Phillies would never get the lead back.
Although Philadelphia did manage to get four runs across the board, the real story of the evening for the offense was the strikeouts up and down the usually potent lineup. The team struck out a total of 16 times. The strikeouts have been piling up for the Phillies this year, with bat-to-ball contact emerging as a major weakness in the lineup.
On Saturday, desperately looking for a rebound game, Arizona jumped out to a 2-0 lead as Taijuan Walker took the mound for the Phillies. Walker, who has had a challenging start to the season, eventually found his rhythm and went on to pitch five innings, allowing four hits and just those two first-inning runs while striking out six.
Unlike on Friday, the bats rescued the Phillies on Saturday, and all the action came in the third inning thanks to Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber connected on a three-run home run that scored Alec Bohm and Justin Crawford to put the team ahead 3-2. Harper, hitting next, took the second pitch of the at-bat, a 93 mph fastball, over the wall an estimated 419 feet.
The bullpen needed no additional support, as Jhoan Durán closed the door in the ninth.
A much-needed win for Phillies fans.
Looking to continue that momentum on Sunday and win the series, Philadelphia scored three runs in the sixth inning courtesy of a Turner home run and a Harper RBI double to take a 3-2 lead.
However, they could not hold it, as Arizona answered with two runs in the eighth, and Philadelphia was unable to regain the advantage.
Arizona held on to win 4-3 and take the series, 2-1.
A bright spot for the Phillies, however, was Andrew Painter, who was scratched from his scheduled start but did pitch five innings in relief due to a migraine. He performed very well, allowing one run on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk over five innings. This is an encouraging sign for the Phillies, who are counting on big things from the rookie phenom.
The Phillies begin another three-game series at home Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. Cristopher Sánchez (1-1, 1.65 ERA) will get the ball.
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