The Athletics arrived at Citizens Bank Park for a three-game series against a Philadelphia Phillies club that has caught fire under interim manager Don Mattingly. Since Mattingly took over, the Phillies have looked like a completely different team, sweeping the San Francisco Giants at home before taking three of four from the Miami Marlins in South Florida. Philadelphia kept that momentum rolling by taking the first two games of the series against the Athletics before a rough finale on Thursday prevented a sweep. Still, the Phillies secured another series victory and continued their impressive run under Mattingly. Let’s take a look back at the series.
Cristopher Sánchez took the mound Tuesday night in the series opener and looked every bit like a Cy Young contender once again. After finishing as the National League Cy Young runner-up last season, Sánchez delivered his best outing of the year, tossing eight scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and striking out 10.
Even Athletics manager Mark Kotsay took notice of Sánchez’s dominance. “He’s definitely one of the top pitchers in the game right now. The stuff looked electric from the dugout and, obviously, the performance kind of backs that up as well.”
Sánchez became the first Phillies pitcher to complete eight innings this season, and his outing continued what has been a dramatic turnaround for the club’s rotation. Over the last eight games, since Mattingly took over, the Phillies are 7-1. Their starting rotation has also found its rhythm again, posting a 1.60 ERA after battling inconsistency earlier in the season.
There was just as much to celebrate offensively, as the Phillies broke out for nine runs on 14 hits. Bryce Harper homered twice, giving him nine on the season, while his .948 OPS ranks sixth in the National League and 13th in baseball.
Trea Turner added two hits of his own as he continues to work his way out of an early-season slump, while Brandon Marsh collected three hits to raise his batting average to .325, good for 11th in MLB and sixth in the National League. The Georgia native continues to strengthen his case as an everyday option in the Phillies outfield.
There was plenty to celebrate at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Zack Wheeler got the start, and Phillies fans have almost been spoiled by the expectation that every time he takes the mound, there is a good chance the club is walking away with a win.
Wheeler allowed three runs on five hits, but there were encouraging signs, as his velocity climbed to a 95.0 mph average and he pitched into the seventh inning. His new manager was thrilled with what he saw from his ace.
“This is the best [start so far], I think,” Don Mattingly said. “He’s been good every time out, so I don’t want to make it sound like he hasn’t been good, but for me — just watching from the side — it felt like there was a little more finish to his stuff. I thought he was really good.”
While Wheeler left the game with the Phillies trailing, it still marked a quality start for the veteran as he continues working his way back into top form.
Despite trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies erupted for four runs to rally past the Athletics, 6-3. Edmundo Sosa delivered a bases-loaded two-run single to give the Phillies a 4-3 lead, Marsh followed with an RBI single to make it 5-3, capping a 3-for-4 night that included a triple, and Justin Crawford added an RBI groundout that scored Sosa for the final insurance run.
Brad Keller worked a scoreless ninth for his third save, escaping a bases-loaded jam, as the Phillies improved to 8-1 under Mattingly.
Thursday’s game showed that baseball has a way of humbling even the hottest teams, and sometimes a good run comes to an end. That reality was on full display for Andrew Painter, whose difficult stretch continued in another rough outing Thursday night. Painter lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing eight earned runs and three home runs as his ERA climbed to 6.89.
Command problems showed up early once again. Despite averaging 96.2 mph on his fastball this season, placing him among the hardest throwers in baseball, velocity alone has not been enough to keep hitters off balance.
The Athletics kept the pressure on the rest of the night, adding four more runs between the fifth and seventh innings to finish with 12 runs on 13 hits in an offensive explosion from the AL West leaders.
The Phillies managed just six hits and one run, which came on a solo home run by Kyle Schwarber, his 12th of the season. Schwarber finished with two hits on the night.
The final score told the story: a 12-1 rout.
Despite Thursday’s loss, the Phillies have played outstanding baseball since the managerial change, giving fans plenty to be excited about moving forward.
They will host the Colorado Rockies for a three-game series beginning Friday.
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