How sweep it is
The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished something they hadn’t done since 1968 this past weekend: they swept the Pirates in a four-game series in Pittsburgh. They went 15-10 in July, are a season-high eight games over .500, and firmly in a National League Wild Card spot. Earlier this month, the club also swept the Miami Marlins on the road for the first time since 2010. Perhaps this is a good omen as the trade deadline swiftly approaches. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Aaron Nola: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, BB, 8 K
PIT JT Brubaker: 4.1 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 4 K
Standout bats:
PHI Alec Bohm: 4-for-5, 2B, HR, RBI
PHI Nick Castellanos: 4-for-5, 2 RBI
PHI Kyle Schwarber: 1-for-5, HR, RBI
PIT Kevin Newman: 3-for-5, 2B
MORE: Phillies trade deadline rumor/deal tracker —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Report: Harper has pins removed from his thumb
Bryce Harper is on the road to recovery. The Phillies and Harper's doctor consider the fracture in his thumb healed enough to progress, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber.
On Monday afternoon, barely 24 hours before the MLB trade deadline, Harper had the pins removed from his thumb.
Harper's injury occurred June 25 in San Diego when Padres starter Blake Snell hit the 2021 NL MVP in the hand with a pitch. Harper was removed from the game, and had surgery on his thumb just days later to insert pins and stabilize the break.
The recovery timeline for an injury of this nature can last up to 10 or 12 weeks, but Harper seems to be on track to the return to the Phillies by the end of August. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Phillies acquire Edmundo Sosa
The hot stove is on in Philadelphia. Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski acquired Edmundo Sosa from the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday.
Going to the Cardinals is left-handed reliever Jojo Romero. Despite a blistering start to his major league career, the young lefty has been plagued by injuries and sports a 7.89 ERA over 21.2 career innings.
Sosa has slashed .189/.244/.270 in 131 plate appearances in 2022, but he does have five defensive runs saved. It's a down year for him following a 2021 when he made his mark on the league.
In 2021, Sosa had an OPS of .735 with 61 starts at middle infield for the Cardinals. In those games, he had 11 defensive runs saved. Obviously, the sample size is small for Sosa, but the eye test confirms that he's a defensive superstar. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Report: Phillies linked to defensive stalwart Ramón Laureano —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Georgia on my mind
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Phillies now travel to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Braves for a two-game set. The Braves just swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, but prior to that, dropped their series against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. As the trade deadline looms, the NL East rivals will each look to upgrade their rosters for a deep run in October. Atlanta seeks to defend their World Series title and Philadelphia urgently tries to break their postseason drought. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Nick Nelson (3-1, 3.94 ERA)
ATL starter: Spencer Strider (5-3, 2.91 ERA)
First pitch: August 2, 7:20 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (9-5, 2.77 ERA)
ATL starter: Charlie Morton (5-5, 4.34 ERA)
First pitch: August 3, 12:20 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
MORE: The Phillies' offense still needs help —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Report: Phillies shopping for playoff-caliber starter
According to Jayson Stark of The Athletic, the Phillies are placing more emphasis on their pursuit of a playoff-caliber starter.
Tyler Mahle and Noah Syndergaard were explicitly mentioned by Stark, but there is reason to believe the Phillies could also look at arms like the Marlins' Pablo López, Giants' Carlos Rodón, Red Sox' Nathan Eovaldi, and more of the potential frontline arms prior to the Aug. 2 deadline.
Stark also went on to detail what has become a relatively public stance for the Phillies of late: they're not looking to move their prized prospects.
It is hard to imagine the Phillies could get a deal done for any major starter with control without the inclusion of at least one of them, but one can never truly know how other teams value certain prospects within a given system. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Report: Phillies targeting Cleveland Guardians’ Zach Plesac —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Phillies make multiple minor league promotions
The Phillies' biggest breakout arm in Ben Brown saw a promotion to Double-A Reading this weekend. It's well earned, and Brown is prepared to take the leap, but it leaves one wondering about the convenient timing, as Brown's name is sure to be brought up in trade discussions.
Other notable prospects to receive a promotion, per source, were Jersey Shore's Carlos De La Cruz, and Clearwater's Marcus Lee Sang. De La Cruz has been on fire with High-A, and will face a true test at Reading. However, Baseballtown being a notorious hitter's park presents an exciting opportunity for the 6'8" outfielder.
As for Lee Sang, he was having a solid year with Single-A, and will look to continue to improve with the BlueClaws.
Triple-A: Jean Segura nearing end of rehab stint
It hasn't been the strongest of rehab stints for the Phillies' second baseman, but Segura capped off his time in Lehigh Valley on a four-game hitting streak. Multiple outlets suggested that Segura will likely be with the Phillies for their series against the Atlanta Braves, which begins on Tuesday. Having Segura back will be a major boost for the Phillies' major league lineup. He is one of their most dependable bats, and is quite easily the best defender on the roster when healthy.
Double-A: Simon Muzziotti's big weekend
It wasn't a lofty number to top, but Muzziotti has already managed to surpass his previous career-high in home runs with four on the season. He's displayed decent development in his power stroke, boasting a strong (for him) .407 slugging percentage, and has flashed improved plate discipline as well. This weekend, he notched a four-hit game, which included his third home run in five games.
High-A: Andrew Painter posts another gem
It's almost become routine at this point, but yes, Painter spun another excellent start for the BlueClaws this weekend. He worked six scoreless innings, allowing five hits, and striking out five.
Single-A: Gunner Mayer solid since return
After missing most of May and June with an injury, Mayer finally returned to Clearwater in early July. His first outing was a tad rocky, but he's settled in since then, totaling 10 scoreless innings, and striking out a collective 15 batters. This second half will be an important one for him. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Report: Phillies promote Ben Brown to Double-A —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: Inside the Phillies' ideal trade deadline
The trade deadline is just a day away, so the Inside the Phillies staff came together to talk through their ideal deadline targets for the Phillies.
The assignment: pick one bat, one starting pitcher, and one reliever that would be an ideal, REALISTIC target for Philadelphia (I'm looking at you Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Mike Trout.)
See what our staff had to say:
The bats:
Ian Happ, Cubs (Lauren Amour & Alex Carr)
Bryan Reynolds, Pirates (Leo Morgenstern)
Joey Gallo, Yankees (Kade Kistner)
Enrique Hernandez, Red Sox (Ben Silver)
The starters:
Noah Syndergaard, Angels (Amour & Kistner)
Zach Plesac, Guardians (Silver)
Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks (Carr)
José Quintana, Pirates (Morgenstern)
The relievers:
David Robertson, Cubs (Morgenstern & Amour)
Anthony Bass, Marlins (Carr)
Hirokazu Sawamura, Red Sox (Silver)
Joe Barlow, Rangers (Kistner)