Hall powers Phils to series win
So far, the Darick Hall experiment has worked out well for the Philadelphia Phillies. The slugger continues to mash right-handed pitching, and picked up a double, a home run, and two RBI in Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Washington Nationals. Along with Hall, the bullpen helped lead the Phillies to another series win, tossing a combined five innings and allowing just one run. —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Bailey Falter: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, BB, 6 K
WSH Joan Adon: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Standout bats:
PHI Darick Hall: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
PHI Didi Gregorius: 1-for-3, 3B, RBI
WSH Juan Soto: 2-for-5, RBI, 2 K
WSH Josh Bell: 1-for-4, BB, 2B, K
MORE: Realmuto is heating up in Harper's absence —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Brogdon, Maton begin rehab assignments
The Phillies announced that both infielder Nick Maton (Clearwater) and reliever Connor Brogdon (Lehigh Valley) would begin rehab assignments on Thursday.
Maton landed on the injured list on June 4, when he suffered a shoulder strain upon making a phenomenal catch in the infield.
Brogdon had a bout with COVID-19, but the bullpen has surprisingly pitched exceptionally well without him.
Still, both of these youthful additions will serve as a depth boost for the Phillies, who have been hit hard with both pitching and infield injuries of late. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: O'Hoppe, Miller, Ramos to represent Phillies at 2022 Futures Game —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Is it in the Cards?
Is taking a lead for the third NL Wild Card spot in the cards for the Phillies? Well, they’ll find out this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals, who they are currently tied with for the final spot. When the Phils and Cards met over Fourth of July weekend, Philadelphia won the series 2-1. However, they’ll be tested even more so this time around, as they are now on the road and face a four-game set. —Declan Harris, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (7-4, 2.66 ERA)
STL starter: Adam Wainwright (6-6, 3.26 ERA)
First pitch: July 8, 8:15 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.91 ERA)
STL starter: Dakota Hudson (6-5, 4.29 ERA)
First pitch: July 9, 2:15 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Cristopher Sánchez (1-1, 3.48 ERA)
STL starter: Andre Pallante (2-4, 3.03 ERA)
First pitch: July 10, 2:15 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 4:
PHI starter: Aaron Nola (5-6, 3.15 ERA)
STL starter: Miles Mikolas (5-7, 2.72 ERA)
First pitch: July 11, 7:15 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
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Phocus on Phillies’ farm
Johan Rojas continued his breeze through Double-A on Thursday, mashing a triple and a single, while swiping his fifth bag in seven games. The young outfielder has only gone down on strikes once in his time with Reading, and has conversely walked four times. Rojas ended the day with a .345 average, alongside an .889 OPS.
Once the league adjusts to the youngster, those numbers will surely dip, but the fact that he has gotten off to such a strong start on such a challenging assignment is something to be praised.
Triple-A: Connor Brogdon tosses scoreless rehab outing
Brogdon is working his way back to the majors, and began with a solid outing. The right-hander allowed two hits, both singles, but managed to work around it, striking out two batters on his way to a clean frame.
Double-A: O'Hoppe logs first hit since return to Reading
After his long-awaited return to Reading's lineup yesterday, Logan O'Hoppe logged his first hit since his return from a non-COVID illness. The hit, an infield single, plated Johan Rojas, and was part of a 1-for-3 day for the catcher, in which he also registered two walks.
High-A: Disappointing day for Jersey Shore bats encompasses season
The Jersey Shore BlueClaws roster is loaded with "what if" talent, but thus far, it has been an exceedingly disappointing season for bats at the High-A level. Casey Martin, the Phillies volatile third-rounder from 2020, is hitting just .201 with a .570 OPS on the year. Ethan Wilson, a highly-praised second-rounder from 2021, is managing a .240 average with a .665 OPS. Baron Radcliff, their three-true-outcomes powerhouse from the fifth round of the 2020 draft, struck out three times on Thursday, hitting .198 on the year with a .673 OPS.
Single-A: Maton logs a hit in rehab appearance
After he went down with a shoulder strain while making a remarkable catch in the infield, Nick Maton is working his way back. His rehab assignment began in Clearwater on Thursday as he logged a RBI single, and managed to come around to score as well. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Have the Phillies found their center fielder of the future?
Matt Vierling has been one of the Phillies’ few developmental successes of the late-rebuild era, besides Ranger Suárez. Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, the outlook wasn't bright for Vierling to make the majors, let alone be a productive player.
With a .279/.347/.419 slash line for an OPS+ of 113 since his first plate appearance on June 19, 2021, only two Phillies who played both 2021 and 2022 in red pinstripes have had a higher OPS+ since that date: Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins.
Alongside his impressive OPS+, Vierling should be improving even further according to analytics. Had he enough plate appearances to qualify, Vierling would place ninth amongst all NL hitters in exit velocity, with an average of 91.6 mph.
The Phillies can't be ruled out of a blockbuster trade to acquire either Cedric Mullins or Bryan Reynolds, but with five and a half more years of team control on Vierling, Philadelphia may be less willing to deal such a heavy haul for either of the two former All-Stars. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
MORE: How the Phillies could acquire Bryan Reynolds —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies