Looking to rebound from perhaps one of the ugliest stretches in recent Phillies history, a nine-game skid, the club’s longest losing streak since 2018, the Phillies opened a three-game series against the Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday. Desperate to find any kind of spark to break out of the slump, the weekend delivered a little bit of everything: bad, good, and at times, downright ugly.
On Friday, with a 10th consecutive loss looming, the Phillies grabbed an early 2–0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning after Trea Turner delivered a two-run home run. However, the advantage did not last long. Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. quickly answered, jumping on rookie phenom Andrew Painter’s fifth pitch of the at-bat, an 85 mph splitter, and, with a runner aboard, sending it over the left-field wall to even the score at 2–2.
Philadelphia regained the lead in the top of the fifth thanks to a solo home run from Bryce Harper, but Painter was unable to hold it. After allowing a single to Dominic Smith, he issued a walk to Mauricio Dubón, putting runners at first and second. With two outs, Michael Harris II came on to pinch-hit and did not disappoint the home crowd. Harris II jumped on a 96 mph four-seam fastball and drove it into left-center field giving Atlanta a 4–3 lead. Painter then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed the pinch-runner to score from third, extending the Braves’ advantage to 5–3, a cushion that proved to be all they would need.
The final score read 5–3, marking the Phillies’ 10th consecutive loss.
Painter’s ERA now sits at 5.25, having surrendered at least three runs in three of his last four starts.
“It’s not good,” Harper said, referring to the poor start to the season. “But obviously, there’s been a lot of teams that have come back from where we’re at. So, just gotta keep going, keep plugging.”
On Saturday, Philadelphia welcomed back a familiar and highly anticipated face: ace Zack Wheeler, who made his season debut after returning from thoracic outlet decompression surgery.
Wheeler looked solid in his return, going five innings on 84 pitches while allowing three hits, two runs, and three walks, and striking out six. His four-seam fastball averaged 95.5 mph in the first inning and 94.7 mph overall, a noticeable uptick from his rehab appearances.
The only real hiccup came in the fourth inning, when he threw 36 pitches and issued two walks.
“We lost 10 games in a row, and I’m the next guy up,” Wheeler said. “Obviously, I want to stop it. That’s always kind of been my thing over the years. If we are in a little slump, I want to be the stopper. Even if it’s two games in a row, I want to be that guy. I love being in that situation, and I take pride in it.”
Wheeler left the game with Philadelphia holding a 3–2 lead, but Atlanta refused to go quietly. By the end of the ninth, the score was tied at 4–4, sending the game into extra innings with the Phillies looking to avoid their 11th consecutive loss.
In the top of the 10th, Harper delivered the tie-breaking single to put Philadelphia ahead 6–4. Brandon Marsh soon followed with a single of his own, driving in two insurance runs to extend the lead to 8–4. Harper finished the afternoon with four RBIs.
Atlanta managed to get one run back in the bottom of the 10th, but the final score read 8–5, a Phillies victory, their first since April 13. The losing streak was officially over.
While Saturday’s win may have seemed to provide the momentum the team needed to get back in the driver’s seat and turn things around, Sunday’s performance proved otherwise.
Aaron Nola got the start, and things unraveled quickly. The third batter of the game, Matt Olson, delivered a three-run home run, putting the Phillies in an early 3–0 hole after just three batters. Nola would finish the day allowing seven hits, six runs, three walks, and two home runs over 4⅔ innings while striking out six. His ERA now sits at 6.03.
The Phillies’ offense proved just as ineffective, recording only two hits on the afternoon. One of those came on a Kyle Schwarber two-run big fly in the eighth inning.
The final score read 6–2, and Philadelphia finds itself back in the loss column once again.
The team now sits at 9–19 on the year and 10.5 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East.
The Phillies will return to Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday to open a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants. Jesús Luzardo is scheduled to get the start.
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