Phils split series with Cards
In the finale of the four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Philadelphia Phillies scored one run, received a poor outing from Aaron Nola, and lost Alec Bohm to a dislocated finger. After shutting them out the first two games, Philadelphia surrendered 10 runs in the final two. Not exactly the way you’d want to end a series that started out so strong. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Aaron Nola: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 7 K
STL Miles Mikolas: 7.1 IP, 6 H, ER, 5 K
Standout bats:
PHI Rhys Hoskins: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
PHI J.T. Realmuto: 2-for-4, K
STL Corey Dickerson: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, K
STL Lars Nootbaar: 1-for-1, HR, RBI
Report: Four Phillies to miss Toronto road trip
Four members of the Phillies will miss their two-game set in Toronto this week due to their vaccination status.
J.T. Realmuto, Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm, and Kyle Gibson, having declined to vaccinate thus far, will not be allowed to enter Canada when the Phillies cross the border.
Per Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies will replace Realmuto with Rafael Marchan, and the club has stated they have a replacement ready for Bohm too.
However, Nola is unable to be replaced because he isn't lined up to start in Toronto. Gibson can be replaced for Wednesday's game only. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Bellatti to make first career start in bullpen game against Blue Jays —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Realmuto: “I’m not going to let Canada tell me what I do…
…and don't put in my body for a little bit of money,” Realmuto told reporters on Monday. “It's just not worth it.” The Phillies’ catcher will forfeit close to $260,000 due to missing the two-game set against the Blue Jays. The series will mark the first time Philadelphia has been in Toronto since the pandemic, as they haven’t been to Rogers Centre since a three-game visit in Aug. 2018. Wilson Ramos earned Player of the Game in an 8-3 win in game one. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Andrew Bellatti (1-3, 3.14 ERA)
TOR starter: José Berríos (6-4, 5.44 ERA)
First pitch: July 12, 7:07 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (8-4, 2.46 ERA)
TOR starter: TBD
First pitch: July 13, 7:07 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Latest Inside the Phillies podcast
Alex Carr, Kade Kistner and Ben Silver discuss the Phillies’ recent series in St. Louis, as well as some trade deadline targets. Could Philadelphia be the perfect landing spot for New York Yankees outfielder Joey Gallo?
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Schwarber to participate in Home Run Derby
In addition to being named an All-Star for the second consecutive season, Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies announced on Tuesday that the slugger will participate in the 2022 Home Run Derby on Monday, July 18.
He joins many of MLB's biggest power hitters, including Albert Pujols, Juan Soto, Ronald Acuña Jr, and Pete Alonso as the fifth candidate announced for the event.
This years' derby is due to be a show, as two-time champion Pete Alonso will attempt a three-peat.
Schwarber has demonstrated monstrous power this season, belting a National League leading 28 home runs, many of them being tape-measure shots. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Snubbed! Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola not included on NL All-Star roster —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
The 2022 MLB Draft is wide open for the Phillies
The Phillies are in possession of the 17th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, which is set to kick off Sunday, July 17.
What the Phillies need:
The Phillies could really use a sure thing offensively. An argument can be made that they should play to their strengths and draft another pitcher, but they are already quite deep in that regard. Unless an arm like Dylan Lesko falls to 17, Philadelphia should probably be looking at a bat.
What the Phillies will likely pick:
If the aforementioned Lesko falls, the Phillies have an opportunity to take an albeit injured arm, but one that was the consensus number one pitching talent in the draft prior to his injury. They could also choose to go the fast-track route. The Phillies lack MLB-ready starting pitching depth, and could look to go the same direction with someone like Kumar Rocker, who would surely blitz through the minor league system and serve as ready-to-go starting pitching or bullpen depth down the stretch.
What about the later rounds?
Past the third round, it's likely that the Phillies will target arms with intriguing profiles, as they did last year when they found Griff McGarry in the fifth round. The Phillies are quite confident in their ability to "fix" arms now, and there are a bunch of pitchers that could use some tweaking in this draft. RHP Blake Burkhalter, LHP Drake Batcho, or even knuckleballer Cory Lewis could be on Philadelphia’s radar, among many others. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: McGarry enters Baseball America's top 100 prospects —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Stott's plate discipline is keeping him in lineup
Bryson Stott has struggled in almost every category, but one thing has kept his season afloat, and oddly enough, it's not his defense.
Since June 4, Stott has a walk-rate of 11.0%. That ranks third among Phillies with at least 80 plate appearances in that span. Only Rhys Hoskins and Kyle Schwarber have worked a higher walk-rate.
Looking at Stott's Savant page is like looking into a blueberry bush. There are a lot of blue circles, but one thing stands out. His whiff% and chase-rate are among the highest in the league.
Though Stott is struggling to make clean contact when he does swing, he is at the very least making contact. It provides a level of confidence that Stott can evolve to become a more well-rounded hitter because he didn't start the season this way. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Knebel is rediscovering success in new role —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
This trip is totally spoiled for me by the news that the Phillies have players who refuse to vaccinate and somehow blame Canada for protecting its citizens. Really hoping they win without Realmuto, Nola, Bohm, and Gibson. How do any of them face their teammates? Spoiled, selfish, and seriously misinformed. Why don’t they talk to a doctor about it?