Well, I’m glad that’s over
The Philadelphia Phillies dropped three of four games to the New York Mets over the weekend, with Sunday’s 10-9 loss being particularly painful. The only game the Phillies won was game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, in which Bailey Falter started the game. They dropped all three games started by Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Kyle Gibson. Luckily, the Phillies will not face them again in the regular season, with the Mets winning the season series, 14-5. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Kyle Gibson: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
NYM Jose Butto: 4.0 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Standout bats:
PHI Jean Segura: 1-for-1, HR, BB
PHI Alec Bohm: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI
NYM Mark Canha: 3-for-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI
NYM Jeff McNeil: 3-for-5, 2 2B
MORE: Phillies, Nationals to participate in 2023 MLB Little League Classic —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Harper to begin rehab assignment
Phillies manager Rob Thomson announced on Monday that Bryce Harper will begin a rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. He could return to the Phillies lineup as early as next Monday, per The Athletic's Matt Gelb.
The Phillies also made a roster move prior to Monday night's game, designating reliever Tyler Cyr for assignment, and adding southpaw Michael Plassmeyer to the active roster.
Plassmeyer, who came to the Phillies in a minor league swap with the San Francisco Giants, adds length and accuracy to Philadelphia's bullpen.
The soft-tossing left-hander has been stellar with the IronPigs in Triple-A, tossing a 2.83 ERA across 11 starts, while walking just 15 batters in that span. Plassmeyer boasts an impressive career 2.2 walks-per-nine rate in his minor league career. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Knebel done for season with tear in shoulder—Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Red (Phillies version)
Last week, the Phillies visited Great American Ballpark to take on the Cincinnati Reds for three games after dropping two of three games to the Mets. The Phillies won the series, and outscored the Reds 15-8. Now, Cincinnati will travel to Philadelphia to face the Phillies for four games, with the Phillies looking to bounce back after another dreadful weekend against the Mets. Talk about déjà vu. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Noah Syndergaard (7-8, 3.95 ERA)
CIN starter: Luis Cessa (3-1, 5.50 ERA)
First pitch: August 22, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: (probable) Ranger Suárez (8-5, 3.31 ERA)
CIN starter: Nick Lodolo (3-4, 4.12 ERA)
First pitch: August 23, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: (probable) Aaron Nola (8-10, 3.25 ERA)
CIN starter: Graham Ashcraft (5-3, 3.97 ERA)
First pitch: August 24, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 4:
PHI starter: (probable) Zack Wheeler (11-7, 3.07 ERA)
CIN starter: Justin Dunn (1-1, 6.08 ERA)
First pitch: August 25, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Report: Seranthony Domínguez avoids structural damage
The Phillies have seemingly dodged what could have been a major blow to their season on Monday. Closer Seranthony Domínguez has reportedly avoided structural damage after hitting the injured list with triceps soreness.
Usually when a pitcher experiences any injury related to the tricep in their throwing arm, the worst case scenario comes to mind. However, it appears Domínguez may have avoided that, per Gelb.
Domínguez will now rest for five days before beginning throwing again, and is eligible to return on Sept. 2.
Philadelphia could really use Domínguez's presence back in the bullpen as they begin embark on the final stretch of the 2022 MLB season, and hopefully, well into the postseason. —Kade Kistner, Inside the Phillies
Painter and Abel gems give glimpse of future rotation
The Phillies were given a glimpse at their future rotation this past weekend, as their top prospects in Mick Abel and Andrew Painter both twirled gems for the Double-A Reading Phillies.
On Saturday, Abel took the bump, and debuted in fine fashion. He tossed six innings of two-run ball, striking out eight batters in the process. Both of Abel’s allowed runs came via solo home runs, which gave fans a bit of a peek into how hitter-friendly a park Baseballtown can be.
Then, it was Andrew Painter’s turn. He cruised through six innings of shutout baseball, striking out eight and allowing just three hits. He didn’t walk a batter.
Triple-A: With slew of bullpen injuries, all eyes on Morales
Francisco Morales has been solid with Lehigh Valley since his re-promotion. Across his last five appearances, the right-hander has tossed six innings of one-run ball. He’s logged a 1.50 ERA, allowing seven hits and walking just one batter, while striking out four in that same span.
Double-A: Ortiz’s grand slam puts exclamation point on Reading’s big weekend
Abel and Painter’s debuts weren’t the only exciting thing to happen in Reading this past weekend! Jhailyn Ortiz made sure to leave his mark on Sunday too, as he launched a fifth-inning grand slam, which aided the Reading Phils in their 8-0 win over Portland.
High-A: BlueClaws narrowly avoid no-hitter thanks to Garcia’s solo shot
The Jersey Shore BlueClaws were on the verge of being no-hit on Sunday, but thankfully dodged the bullet, thanks to Luis Garcia’s solo home run in the bottom of the ninth.
Single-A: A big weekend for a Phillies recent draftee
The Phillies drafted Cade Fergus because of his exciting upside, which was somehow still available in the 13th round. Fergus tallied a three-game hit streak across the weekend, which included a grand slam in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Who would start Game 4 of a postseason series for the Phillies?
Despite a few bad losses as of late, the Phillies remain the second NL Wild Card team. If the season ended today, they would face the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-three postseason series.
In such a series, Philadelphia would only need three starters, and hopefully Nola, Wheeler, and Ranger Suárez would all be rested and ready to go. Were the Phillies to advance in the postseason, however, they would eventually need a fourth starter. And as things currently stand, it's hard to know who that would be.
Noah Syndergaard and Kyle Gibson are performing at a pretty similar level this season. Gibson has made 24 starts, pitching 132 innings with a 4.30 ERA. Syndergaard has made fewer starts—just 18, with a total of 98 innings pitched—but with a lower ERA (3.95).
As things currently stand, Gibson probably has the edge to start a potential game four. His veteran experience will be an asset in October, and Syndergaard is the more natural choice to transition to a bullpen role.
The next six weeks will play a big role in determining who Philadelphia's fourth starter is. As the season winds down and the Phillies fight for a postseason berth, Gibson and Syndergaard will be in a little battle of their own. Hopefully, it lights a fire under both of them to pitch as well as they can down the stretch. —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Could the Phillies be players for Michael Conforto? —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies