(Un)lucky #7
The Philadelphia Phillies’ winning streak was snapped at seven on Thursday against the Miami Marlins, and were shutout for the first time since June 21 against the Texas Rangers. At 62-49, Philadelphia still holds sole possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, but with the New York Mets on deck, they’ll have their work cut out for them. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Kyle Gibson: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
MIA Edward Cabrera: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Standout bats:
PHI Bryson Stott: 2-for-4, K
PHI Brandon Marsh: 1-for-2, 2B
MIA Joey Wendle: 2-for-4, 3B, RBI
MIA Lewin Díaz: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI
Schwarber exits game early with calf strain
According to Phillies' Interim Manager Rob Thomson, Kyle Schwarber exited Thursday's game against the Miami Marlins early with a mild right calf strain.
Schwarber had drawn a walk, but was tugged from the game after he reached first base, and was replaced by Brandon Marsh.
The injury comes with unfortunate timing, as the Phillies are set to face the New York Mets over the next three days, whom Schwarber is known to thrive against.
Luckily, it's a less-serious injury for the Phillies slugger. He is considered day-to-day. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Segura is an added bonus in a strong Phillies’ lineup —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Start spreading the news
For the first time since May 29, the Phillies and Mets will meet for a three-game series at Citi Field. Since then, the Phillies have undergone a lot of changes. On May 29, they were 21-27, five games back of a Wild Card spot, and still had Joe Girardi as their manager. Now, they are 62-49, have sole possession of the second NL Wild Card spot, a new manager, and have quickly developed into a well-rounded team that has a chance to do some damage down the stretch and into the postseason. However, they'll face tough competition in the surging Mets, and will have to do it without Schwarber. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Ranger Suárez (8-5, 3.68 ERA)
NYM starter: Max Scherzer (8-2, 1.98 ERA)
First pitch: August 12, 7:10 p.m. EST
Apple TV+
Game 2:
PHI starter: Aaron Nola (8-8, 3.17 ERA)
NYM starter: Jacob deGrom (1-0, 2.53 ERA)
First pitch: August 13, 7:10 p.m. EST
NBC 10/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.63 ERA)
NYM starter: Chris Bassitt (9-7, 3.39 ERA)
First pitch: August 14, 1:40 p.m. EST
NBCSP, MLB Network/94.1 WIP
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Phillies shut down Harper's throwing program
Don't worry, Bryce Harper is still set to return this season, but only as a designated hitter.
The Phillies elected to shut down the right fielder's throwing program due to continued elbow issues. This time, the diagnosis is stiffness, but discomfort in Harper's elbow has kept him out of right field since April.
The 2021 NL MVP is still hitting off of a tee, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Corey Seidman. But, the 29-year-old won't face live pitching until he has some more flexibility in his broken thumb.
Thomson is still confident that Harper will return before the conclusion of the season. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Emanuel stuns Charlotte in IronPigs’ start
Kent Emanuel tossed seven spectacular innings on Thursday, allowing just four hits, walking none, and striking out eight. The 30-year-old southpaw has yet to appear in a game for the big league club, but has dominated Triple-A, posting a 2.19 ERA in 37 innings, striking out 32 and walking just four batters.
It will be interesting to see what direction the Phillies decide to go with Emanuel now that they've entered the latter half of the season. The numbers have at the very least warranted some attention.
Triple-A: Sam Coonrod continues to work his way back to majors
After he was one of the Phillies' most reliable bullpen arms in 2021, Sam Coonrod has faced a difficult road back to the majors. The hard-throwing righty endured a right shoulder strain in late March, and has been out of commission ever since. During his current rehab stint, in seven innings with Lehigh Valley, Coonrod has struck out just three batters, and walked four. He has not looked quite right.
Double-A: De La Cruz belts first Double-A homer
There have always been concerns about Carlos De La Cruz's hit tool, but boy can he punish a baseball. The six-foot-eight goliath of an outfielder tallied two hits in Thursday's game, including his first home run since joining Reading.
High-A: Marcus Lee Sang continues hot start with BlueClaws
After an encouraging campaign with Clearwater, Marcus Lee Sang is off to a hot start in High-A. He continued that torrid pace on Thursday, launching a home run as part of a two-hit day. Through his first eight games with Jersey Shore, the 21-year-old has mashed three home runs, and a total of five extra-base hits in that span. Thus far, he's hitting .344 with a 1.088 OPS.
Single-A: Thursday brings another two hits for Hao-Yu Lee
The Phillies most promising young hitting prospect is heating back up. Over his last four games he's lashed eight hits, though the majority have been singles.
Lee has finally righted the ship post-injury in August, slashing .370/.485/.407 this month with four walks to eight strikeouts. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Alvarado is the best left-handed reliever in baseball
If you were to tell any Phillies fan at the start of the 2022 season that José Alvarado would meld into an integral part of the team's bullpen, they likely would've dismissed you immediately.
And yet, August has reared its head, and Alvarado is now both of those things. He is among the best, if not the best left-handed reliever in all of baseball right now.
Alvarado was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on May 27, but since being recalled, he’s held opponents to a ludicrous .183/.275/.310 slash, and has tallied a 15.71 strikeouts-per-nine rate.
It's been a tumultuous two years for Alvarado in the Phillies’ organization, but he seems to have finally figured things out. He could be well on his way to becoming one of the Phillies' forefront leverage arms. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: How the Phillies are playing moneyball in 2022 —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies