Phillies’ Win Streak Ends as the Reds Tie the Series at a Game

The Philadelphia Phillies had a very uninspiring performance tonight against the Cincinnati Reds after having played such elite baseball, including a four-game win streak where both sides of the field did their part to score runs and protect leads.

In tonight’s 6-1 loss, however, the Phillies seemed lost at the plate to the point where a weather delay for a seventh-inning stretch could not help them reset offensively, as they continued to search for baserunners and contact.

It wasn’t until the ninth inning that the Phillies would be on the board, where it was ultimately too late to rally.

Offense Takes the Day Off

The Phillies’ lineup, though able to rack up a few base hits, had little slug to show for tonight, with guys not being able to start anything like they have been able to do these last few series. The offense, tonight, has fallen back into the tendency to chase, leading to the 10 strikeouts at the plate, and more runners left in scoring position.

Much disappointment has risen for Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler, who have struggled to make a statement for the Phillies as of late.

It was also disappointing to see the red-hot bench bats not come alive tonight, who had made such a presence in recent wins. This could be since no bats were put in for the left-handed pitchers the Reds put in later in the game. Guys such as Otto Kemp and Weston Wilson, who have been excellent recently, could have gotten a chance to start something against the lefty.

Ranger Begins to Repeat Last Season

Though the offense had a bad game, the story of the night is the Phillies’ starting pitcher in Ranger Suarez, who gave up six earned runs in less than six innings today. With only striking out three guys, Ranger walked two and gave up 10 hits for his six runs, bringing his ERA up to 3.28 on the season. Though there were a handful of bad calls behind the dish from the umpire, Suarez has not started his second half how he wanted, which is harkening back to his last season.

After coming off the injured list, Ranger finished his first half with a 2.15 ERA, with hopes that he was healed and ready to dominate the second half, leading into the postseason. This is not the case, as after tonight, Suarez’s ERA for the second half of the season is not up to 6.59.

Similar to last season, Ranger’s statistics went downhill at a rapid pace, except he had gotten hurt halfway through the season after being struck on the wrist at a high exit velocity. This time, however, there is no injury that we know of, at least, meaning that there are now real concerns regarding his season and postseason, his health and future with the Phillies, and even his trade value this offseason.

Bullpen Holds the Reds to Six

After Suarez had given in, Rob Thomson had brought in Joe Ross, who had recently been brought back up after missing decent amounts of time. Ross was able to get two outs to end the inning in eight pitches. For the next two innings, Max Lazar was able to go without giving up a walk or hit with only 22 pitches thrown.

With the postseason approaching, the Phillies will continue to rest guys who will be needed down the stretch, meaning these dominant relief appearances do not go overlooked, as they are very much so helping this Phillies team as they can be brought in with trust during the regular season, sparing guys like Jhoan Duran, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering many innings.

Phillies Hope to Wake the Bats Up

The Phillies play their series finale against the Reds tomorrow at 5:10, as the Cy Young dark horse in Cristopher Sanchez takes the mound in a much-needed win for the Phillies.

Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.