Vintage Nola
That’s a four-game sweep! The Philadelphia Phillies broke out the brooms on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, with Aaron Nola rising to the occasion. Nola pitched a complete game shutout—his first since April 18, 2021—allowing just five hits and striking out 11 batters. With that, the Phillies are a season-high 15 games over .500 at 70-55. The vibes surrounding baseball in Philadelphia are truly immaculate right now. Let’s soak it in, shall we? —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Aaron Nola: 9.0 IP, 5 H, 11 K
CIN Justin Dunn: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Standout bats:
PHI Kyle Schwarber: 1-for-4, HR (35), RBI
PHI Edmundo Sosa: 1-for-2, 3 RBI
PHI Bryson Stott: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
PHI Bradley Zimmer: 2-for-3
MORE: Phillies release 2023 season schedule —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Harper to be activated Friday
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced on Thursday that reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper would be activated from the injured list on Friday, ahead of schedule.
The Phillies have been without Harper since June 25, when a Blake Snell fastball hit him in the hand, breaking his thumb.
In his absence, the team has played well above expectations, but will be thrilled to have their marquee player back in the lineup.
This will be a major boost for Philadelphia. Harper was producing at MVP levels prior to his injury, and tore up Lehigh Valley, tallying five hits across two games, including two home runs, two doubles, and two walks. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Brandon Marsh begins rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Walk the plank 🏴☠️
Enjoy it, everybody, the Phillies are finally beating bad teams. Remember last season when Philadelphia had the “easiest” schedule down the stretch and it felt like a death sentence? A year later, it’s a god send. The Pittsburgh Pirates are up next on the schedule for the Phillies, and with Harper returning to the lineup, it should be an entertaining series. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Bailey Falter (1-3, 4.40 ERA)
PIT starter: Bryse Wilson (2-7, 5.74 ERA)
First pitch: August 26, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Kyle Gibson (8-5, 4.30 ERA)
PIT starter: Tyler Beede (1-3, 4.13 ERA)
First pitch: August 27, 6:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Noah Syndergaard (8-8, 3.77 ERA)
PIT starter: Roansy Contreras (3-4, 3.86 ERA)
First pitch: August 28, 1:35 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Wheeler placed on 15-day injured list
The hits keep on coming for the Phillies, as the club placed ace starting pitcher Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tendinitis.
The move is retroactive to Aug. 22 and would allow for Wheeler to return on Sept. 6.
Per Todd Zolecki, Phillies President Dave Dombrowski said he doesn't think Zack Wheeler's right forearm tendinitis is serious; they want to knock it out now, as opposed to having him pitch through it.
Cristopher Sánchez was recalled to make a start on Wednesday in which he pitched six innings and gave up just three runs. He may be asked to make another start as Wheeler recovers from his injury. Bailey Falter will take Wheeler's spot for his next start. —Kade Kistner, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Phillies promote slew of top prospects —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Kent Emanuel spins gem for Harper-less IronPigs
The IronPigs loved and lost this past week, they went from gaining a reigning National League MVP, to losing one within the span of just three days.
Still, they weren't left without hope, as southpaw Kent Emanuel took to the mound on Thursday, tossing seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing just three hits while striking out five.
In nine starts this year, Emanuel has managed a 2.02 ERA, striking out 43 batters across 49 frames of work. What's more, the left-hander has walked more batters (5) than he's allowed home runs (4) this season with Lehigh Valley.
Triple-A: Despite Emanuel's gem, IronPigs fall to Stripers
The IronPigs still managed to drop yesterday's game, despite Emanuel's dazzling effort! Even without Bryce Harper, the IronPigs gained Phillies center fielder Brandon Marsh yesterday, who is rehabbing from a bone bruise, and slotted Darick Hall back into their everyday lineup a day or so ago. One would think that, with two major league proven talents at their disposal, they would at least have a fighting chance. Unfortunately, the Pigs weren't able to muster a single run, and they fell to the Gwinnett Stripers, 2-0.
Double-A: Another day, another lead off home run for Johan Rojas
Make it double! Johan Rojas smashed a lead off home run for the second time in three days on Thursday. It was the fourth round-tripper of his Double-A career, and was an absolute line shot. Rojas has really dialed things up in late August. The 22-year-old has nine hits in his last 25 at-bats, including the aforementioned two home runs. He has also managed to wreak absolute havoc on the base paths, walking off yesterday's game with his sheer speed.
High-A: Lee Sang reaches base four times, continues career season
He'd cooled down from a red-hot start to his High-A career, but Marcus Lee Sang has once again begun to catch fire in late August. The 21-year-old turned an 0-for-17 stretch around by logging five hits in his last 12 at-bats. Overall, he's managed a respectable .766 OPS in his first 18 games with the Jersey Shore BlueClaws.
Single-A: Justin Crawford logs first affiliated ball hit
The Phillies first round pick from this year, Justin Crawford, was promoted to Clearwater from the complex on Thursday, and was immediately met with the first hit of his affiliated ball career. Crawford was excellent with the FCL Phillies, hitting .300 with a .391 on-base percentage, while swiping eight bags and showcasing his elite-level speed. His speed, glove, and arm are already plus to double-plus tools, but the major key to watch for Crawford will be the way his power develops from here on in. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Mark Appel was ready to hang up his spikes, now he's making a playoff push —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Castellanos is hitting like his old self again
Since the start of August, Nick Castellanos is hitting .316/.357/.516 with four home runs and a 144 wRC+. Only J.T. Realmuto and Darick Hall have put up better numbers, and neither plays every day. That means Castellanos has been the most productive hitter on the team this month.
When Philadelphia signed the slugging right-hander to a five-year, $100 million contract this past offseason, they were counting on production exactly like this. However, they were probably counting on it coming a little more regularly.
So, after months of mediocrity, Castellanos' recent hot streak raises an important question: can he keep it up? It's too soon to say for sure, but there are some promising signs.
If he can keep it up, the Phillies will finally have the Castellanos they thought they signed in the offseason. Combine that with Harper returning from the IL, and this offense could be downright scary in September and beyond. —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Could Mike Trout request a trade to the Phillies? —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies