Clutch Hitting Still Missing as Phillies Fall to Padres
Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber, right, is congratulated by Bryce Harper after hitting a home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, July 11, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Orlando Ramirez)
What a difference a day makes.
It feels like more than 2 days ago that the Phillies scored 13 on the Giants, but the offense didn’t make it on the plane from San Francisco.
There was some home run power shown in the game, but there was also terrible pitch selection by the Phils. Granted, San Diego has a very good pitching staff, including one of the best bullpens in the National League. It has seemed all season that if the Padres have a lead in the 6th inning, it feels like the game is out of reach.
Tonight, Ranger Suarez took the mound looking to carry the momentum that the starting staff has had recently against one of the hottest offenses in baseball, the San Diego Padres. They are a far cry from the Giants’ anemic offense, but Suarez came in leading the league in hard-hit ball% with 27.5%. However, he was hit hard in the second inning, giving up the only three runs in one inning.
The Phils had their chances, and the best came in the 8th, when they had the bases loaded with one out, and failed to capitalize on that opportunity. Robert Suarez came in to close out the 9th quietly, giving the Padres a 4-2 win, earning Suarez his 28th save. It definitely stings watching a top-notch closer close out a game.
The offense teased throughout the game, but the lack of clutch hits for the Phillies failed them.
The second inning started well for the Phillies, with Nick Castellanos hitting a long home run off of Ryan Bergert, and it looked like the thunderous offense from game 3 in San Francisco was getting warmed up. Castellanos deposited a flat sweeper into the seats in left field, and the Phils struck first.
The Padres dropped a 3 spot on Suarez in the bottom of the second inning, where the Phillies made two errors in the inning. But the Phils weren’t ready to relinquish the momentum just yet, because in the top of the next inning, Kyle Schwarber hit another long home run, his 30th of the season.
Just when the momentum felt like it was shifting, the Phillies started to swing at bad pitches once again, ala game 1 in the Giants series.
The Phils did nothing substantial until the top of 8th inning, when they had runners on first and second, with one out, the runner on second was Trea Turner, and when Alec Bohm singled to right, becuase of the the incredible arm of Fernando Tatis Jr., they had to hold Turner up, loading the bases, Castellanos hit a dribbler in front of the plate and Jason Adam, the Padres pitcher who flip to the catcher to get the force out. Max Kepler then popped out, and that ended the threat.
Another breakdown of the Phillies’ offense, in this inning alone, they had the bases loaded with one out, and failed to bring the tying run home. This West Coast road trip is starting to expose the Phils’ offense and how the lack of consistency is starting to become an issue. The All-Star break is coming at the right moment for this offense, which has been looking like it’s running on fumes. Performances like game one in the Braves series and game 3 of the Giants series are masking a bigger issue: the lack of clutch hitting.
I don’t think it’s time to panic, because the linchpin of the offense, Bryce Harper, essentially missed the month of June, and this was the time when the Phillies seemed to have lost their identity offensively. It’s hard to be critical of a team that is 54-39, and in first place by a narrow margin in the National League East, but last year showed that the Mets can get hot at any moment, so losing close games hurts a little more.
We also saw what this offense can do in April and May; they were consistent, hitting well with runners in scoring position, and the power was plentiful. But when Harper went down, the Phils looked lost, and it’s not on Harper; it’s more on the other players to stay consistent. The only hitter that has remained consistent is Turner, especially on the road.
If the Phils hope to have any chance at storming the second half and going into the playoffs strong, consistent, clutch hitting needs to show up after the All-Star break, or this could lead to another October heartbreak.
Tomorrow is a battle of aces, with Zack Wheeler making his last start before the All-Star break, taking on Yu Darvish, who is trying to battle back from injury. Tomorrow feels like an incredibly important game, and let’s hope the Phillies’ offense shows up.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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