Bottom of the order thrives in Phillies’ sweep over Rangers
Aug 9, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielders Brandon Marsh (16), Harrison Bader (2) and Max Kepler (17) shake hands following a against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
On the road against the playoff-contending Texas Rangers, the Phillies completed a crucial 3 game sweep to help build their divisional lead over the Mets. Despite the team’s recent success, it’s just the first sweep the Phillies have completed in 56 days, when they swept the Blue Jays. You’d have to go back even further to find a series sweep on the road. It’s been 80 days since the Phillies last pulled it off when they swept the Rockies in Colorado.
Doing the heavy lifting at the plate this series was surprisingly the 6-9 hitters in the lineup. Across the 3 games, they combined for 15 of the 25 total hits the Phillies had this series.
Game 1 of the series saw Brandon Marsh have one of the best games of his career en route to the 9-1 victory.
Marsh has been on fire since coming back from the injured list. On April 16th, Marsh’s last game before hitting the IL, he went 0 for 2 and ended the game with a batting average of .095. In 29 ABs in April, Marsh went 0 for 29.
Ever since his return on May 3rd, Marsh has been a completely different player. He’s got a batting average of .313, 6 home runs, and 22 RBIs in the 76 games since May 3rd. This continued success was highlighted in Friday’s blowout of the Rangers. He went 4 for 5 with a home run and 2 doubles. His home run gave the Phillies the lead in the 4th inning, and they led the rest of the game.
On national TV in game 2, Max Kepler of all people took center stage, hitting 7th in the lineup.
Kepler, who has been one of the more maligned players on the team all season, has strung together a nice week since the trade deadline.
In a 1-run win, Kepler’s 2 hits would be the difference. He broke through Jacob deGrom after 6 dominant innings with a 2 RBI double to put the Phillies ahead 2-1. A Bryson Stott RBI single would bring Kepler home to add on an insurance run.
Stott also picked up 2 hits in the game as his great month of August at the plate continues. Stott is on a 4-game hitting streak with a batting average over .400 in August while still being a Gold Glove caliber 2nd baseman.
In the 3rd and final game of the series, 3 of the 4 runs the Phillies scored were knocked in by the 6-9 bats.
Edmundo Sosa started the damage in the 5th inning by blasting a 403-foot home run for his 6th of the year to tie the game. Weston Wilson, who is hitting over .400 in his 4 games in August, gave the Phillies the lead with a clutch RBI single to score Stott.
Stott had another good day at the plate with his 2nd straight multi-hit game and 3rd in his last 4 games.
Looking for some insurance in the top of the 9th inning, the bottom of the order came through yet again. Harrison Bader led off the inning, getting hit by a pitch to put the leadoff runner on base. Sosa hit into a sacrifice bunt to put Bader in scoring position with 1 out. Stott followed that up with his 2nd hit of the day, though Bader wouldn’t score and instead put runners on the corners. Brandon Marsh brought Bader home via a sacrifice fly to add some cushion for Jhoan Duran in the bottom of the inning.
It’s been a dream start to the month of August for the Phillies. Their 7-2 record is second-best in the National League, trailing only the 9-0 Brewers. Those same Brewers swept out the Mets, who have been one of the worst teams in all of MLB for the past month. The Mets’ seven-game losing streak has allowed the Phillies to build a season-high 5.5-game lead in the division.
With 2 winnable series coming up in Cincinnati and Washington, the Phillies have a prime opportunity to continue to pull away from the Mets and compete with the Brewers and Dodgers for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
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