The Phillies dropped a brutal 5-2 game to the Braves on September 4, and it wasn’t just a tough loss, it highlighted every single weakness this team has right now. With 41,883 fans watching at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia fell five games behind the Braves in the NL East, and is dangerously close to slipping behind the Cubs into the second Wild Card spot. If the season ended today, the Phillies would be on their way to Wrigley Field for the Wild Card round. That’s a rough look for a squad with postseason hopes.
The Bullpen Bridge Collapsed, Again
Look, Cristopher Sanchez pitched his guts out, making it through six innings. Yeah, he gave up three runs in the second, five hits total, walked three batters, and only retired the side in order once. It wasn’t his sharpest, sure, but he threw 108 pitches. He was done, and the Phillies were only down by a run. What happened next? Classic. They needed that “two-inning bridge” to Jhoan Duran, and it crumbled. Mauricio Dubon slammed a two-run homer off Orion Kerkering in the eighth inning, pushing the Braves lead to 5-2. This bullpen issue? It’s been a problem, and it burned them again when they needed runs to tie it up.
Where Was the Batting Order?
The other glaring issue? The bats went silent, especially when it mattered. Bryce Harper came into this game with a crazy 35-game on-base streak, rocking a .500 on-base percentage during that time, hitting homers, doubles, and reaching 100 walks on September 2. Then he went 0-for-4. Ouch. He even popped to third to end the fifth with runners on second and third, completely killing a rally. It’s wild because in their 79 wins, Harper is hitting .330 with a 1.070 OPS, but in their 62 losses, he’s at .196 with a .677 OPS. He’s the catalyst, no doubt, but the team folds when he’s not carrying them.
And it’s not like he’s getting much help. Kyle Schwarber, who leads the majors with 40 homers, only has 7 since July 19 and is hitting .201 with a .718 OPS since then, racking up 199 strikeouts. Trea Turner’s season OPS is .668, which is worse than Harper’s OPS in *losses*! Turner hit just .215 with a .572 OPS in August. In the second inning, after the Braves scored three, Luis Arraez singled and Alec Bohm doubled him in. Edmundo Sosa got hit, putting runners on first and second with no outs! But Bryan De La Cruz grounded into a double play and J.T. Realmuto struck out. Later, in the sixth, Arraez doubled, Bohm grounded out, then Sosa and De La Cruz struck out. They didn’t threaten again. These are missed opportunities that kill games.
The Phillies now have three more games against the Braves this holiday weekend, then another three in Atlanta next weekend. They need to figure out their bullpen, and get some consistent hitting beyond Harper, or this Wild Card dream could turn into a nightmare real fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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