Phillies Offense Wakes Up at Home, Crush Mariners in Statement Series Sweep
Aug 20, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) reacts after hitting a triple during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Phillies needed to come home and sleep in their home beds after the last 2 series on the road in Cincinnati and Washington, D.C., after losing the series in Cincinnati and splitting the series in Washington, and looking quite pedestrian in both.
Specifically, the offense, which has not been playing well since the clinic they put on in Texas. They have been pressing, and outside of Trea Turner, all of the Phils have been trying to hit home runs. This truly affected the approach of the team, and when the home run ball wasn’t there, neither was the Phils’ offense. Coming into this series against one of the hottest teams, the Seattle Mariners, the Phillies needed to figure out how to string together hits and manufacture runs if they wanted to win this series.
Thankfully, as the Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park, so did their offense.
In their three-game sweep of the Mariners, the Phils outscored them 29-13, and it wasn’t all with the long ball. What might be overlooked is that they out-hit the Mariners 48-21. They kept the line moving, and that gave them the chance to hit more than just solo home runs. Crooked numbers win series, and that was the case here.
One of the things I have been begging for from the Phils is to manufacture runs and get back to the approach that has been incredibly successful all season — think up the middle, be more discerning at the plate, and show discipline, particularly early in the count. This series, the Phils did just that and did something that hasn’t been done in 52 years, all 9 Phillies hitters had a hit before all 9 Mariners came to the plate, including something that feels even more rare than this epic accomplishment, Turner went deep for his first home run of the season at home, a 3-run blast that I’m sure felt great for him to get that monkey off of his back.
Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto also broke out in this series, Harper hit two mammoth 440+ ft home runs, and Realmuto a couple of home runs, and of course not wanting to feel left out, Kyle Schwarber not only hit his 44th and 45th home runs of the season, he also worked counts better and was rewarded with other RBI opportunities.
He’s been driving in runs all season, which is obvious by his leading the league in RBI, but this series showed that not only is Ryan Howard‘s team record of 58 home runs in jeopardy, but Schwarber seems to be getting more selective at the plate.
The other key component of the offense was that everyone was hitting, everyone was getting on base, and they didn’t look overmatched in the moments. Turner has been consistent all season, hands down the most consistent on the team, and this series rewarded that. It had been feeling like his multi-hit performances were in vain, but in the Mariners series, he was constantly in the middle of the scoring. Turner is truly the spark plug of this offense, and when he can heat up those around him, the offense looks like it can beat anyone.
What truly makes the Phillies’ offense feel like they are a championship-caliber team is when they have production from the bottom of the lineup. When the Phils get production from Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, Alec Bohm, and now Harrison Bader, which they got all series, that shows that the offense is as good as any in baseball. It also takes pressure off Nick Castellanos, who has truly looked lost since leaving Texas.
I am glad that I can finally call the team the Fightin’ Phila again, because their approach at the plate in this entire series shows that what they did in Texas wasn’t an anomaly. They thumped one of the hottest teams in baseball, and rang the bell all series, against a starting staff that was gaining momentum, a team that has 2 of the top home run hitters in the American League, and a team that is making a run at the Houston Astros in their division.
After a day off today, the Phils will get a chance to continue this approach and win another series at home against the Nationals.
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.
Get new articles emailed right to your inbox.
