Death, taxes…
…and the Philadelphia Phillies scoring 10+ runs the night before and not showing up the next day.
After scoring 11 runs on 18 hits Tuesday night, the Phillies' bats were silenced by Cincinnati Reds' starter Nick Lodolo on Wednesday afternoon. Despite Ranger Suárez being just as dominant as Lodolo, the Phillies were unable to supply him with run support. Jose Barrero hit a two-out RBI single off of Seranthony Domínguez in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading Cincinnati to a 1-0 win. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Ranger Suárez: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K
CIN Nick Lodolo: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 K
Standout bats:
PHI Rhys Hoskins: 1-for-3, BB, K
PHI Alec Bohm: 1-for-4, RBI, 2B
CIN Alejo Lopez: 3-for-4, 2B
CIN Jose Barrero: 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K
MORE: What does 10,000 wins mean to the Phillies? —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Phillies claim Bradley Zimmer
Bradley Zimmer was not a name the Phillies thought they'd be interested in barely three weeks after acquiring their center fielder of the future in Brandon Marsh…but here they are.
Zimmer is a not a hitter any club wants in their lineup, but the Phillies need him defensively. He has a career .214/.301/.337 slashline. At the very least, he's capable of drawing a walk and turning the lineup over.
Waived by the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday, Zimmer was the only non-internal option available to the Phillies if they wanted a replacement for Marsh, who was injured attempting a leaping catch on Tuesday.
MRI results on Marsh’s left knee revealed no structural damage—which is encouraging news—but he did suffer a bone bruise, along with a sprained ankle, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. His IL date is retroactive to Aug. 17, so his earliest return date would be Aug. 27, though it's likely he will need more time to heal. —Lauren Amour & Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
The Mets…again?
Hey, didn’t we just play these guys?
Yup, just last weekend. This time, the New York Mets will visit Citizens Bank Park to take on the Phillies in a four-game series, with Saturday containing a doubleheader. Philadelphia will look to awaken their offense that was shutout on Wednesday, and scored just two runs across three games against New York last time they met.
This will be the final regular season series between the NL East rivals. —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Aaron Nola (8-9, 3.07 ERA)
NYM starter: Chris Bassitt (10-7, 3.27 ERA)
First pitch: August 19, 7:05 p.m. EST
NBC 10/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Bailey Falter (0-3, 4.85 ERA)
NYM starter: TBD
First pitch: August 20, 1:05 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (11-6 2.92 ERA)
NYM starter: TBD
First pitch: August 20, 7:15 p.m. EST
FOX/94.1 WIP
Game 4:
PHI starter: Kyle Gibson (8-5, 4.30 ERA)
NYM starter: TBD
First pitch: August 21, 1:35 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Report: Schwarber likely to return to lineup Friday
Phillies' slugger Kyle Schwarber, who suffered a mild calf strain on Aug. 11, is likely to return to the lineup on Friday against the New York Mets.
It was reported last week the Schwarber would avoid being placed on the injured list, and was still available off the bench. He’s made two plate appearances as a pinch-hitter since his injury.
Phillies Interim Manager Rob Thomson said on Tuesday that Schwarber would not appear in the lineup until at least Friday.
With the Phillies short on outfield depth due to Brandon Marsh’s injury, getting a healthy Schwarber back would be fantastic news for Philadelphia.—Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Fireman Seranthony Domínguez just keeps getting better —Leo Morgenstern, Inside the Phillies
Camargo and Muñoz shine as IronPigs rout Bison
Phillies fans who have watched the bulk of the team's games this season may remember the likes of Johan Camargo and Yairo Muñoz, who both showed out in Lehigh Valley's 15-3 domination of the Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday.
Camargo, who has scuffled in Triple-A, logged three hits, including a double, as well as three RBI and two runs scored. Muñoz, who has torn through the Triple-A level lashed four hits, two of which were doubles, and knocked in three runs while scoring three times.
Triple-A: Erik Miller scuffles in Triple-A debut
Debuts can be difficult, just as adjusting to a higher level of competition can prove difficult. Both instances were the case for Miller, who was tagged for three hits and two runs on Wednesday night. Growing pains are to be expected in the transition from Double-A to Triple-A, and if the lefty can bounce back, he could be an option for a September callup.
Double-A: Another outstanding start for Ethan Lindow
Every year it seems as if a soft-tossing Phillies southpaw begins to string an impressive season together. This season, that arm is Ethan Lindow. The 23-year-old, who began his season in the High-A bullpen, has fully transitioned back to a starter role in Reading and has shined of late. He's allowed two runs or less in each of his last seven starts, and less than three runs in all but two of his 14 total starts with Reading.
High-A: Mitts are a-popping as Andrew Baker touches 103
The stadium gun at Jersey Shore is notoriously slow, by about four miles-per-hour to be exact. Painter and Abel's upper-90's fastballs often clocked at 94-96 mph (if that) in their time with the BlueClaws. That doesn't stop right-hander Andrew Baker from gassing 98-99 on a nightly basis, otherwise known as 102-103 mph.
Single-A: On the comeback trail, Starlyn Castillo gives reasons for optimism
The road back from Tommy John surgery has been long for Starlyn Castillo, but the promising young righty tossed his best start since his return on Wednesday. He allowed two runs across four innings of work, striking out six and walking two. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Painter, Abel climb rankings of MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list —Lauren Amour, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: The Phillies struck gold with Edmundo Sosa
He's only appeared in nine games thus far with the Phillies, and yet, Edmundo Sosa has already showcased just how valuable he will be to Philadelphia.
Armed with a premium glove and a bat with budding potential, Sosa has demonstrated precisely why the Phillies were prepared to deal reliever JoJo Romero to acquire him.
During Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds, the former St. Louis Cardinals’ product served as a human highlight reel, almost single-handedly earning the Phillies the win, driving in three of their four runs, and making several impressive plays in the field.
In a sporadic 62 appearances this season, Sosa has already tallied four outs above average at shortstop and one at third base. He's also manufactured seven defensive runs saved on the year, all of this while playing just 314.2 innings in the field this season. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
MORE: Why you should root for the Phillies to lose a few games —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies