Phillies’ Skid Hits 9 Straight Losses as Issues Mount Across the Board

The Philadelphia Phillies are going through one of the worst losing streaks in recent team history, losing now 9 straight with an 8-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Thursday afternoon. They stand at 8-17, last in the National League East, and hold the worst record in the National League as a whole.

This was a team expected to still be World Series contenders, and while frustration was reasonably there that the Phillies were running it back again after failing in the postseason once again, and seeming to regress in the postseason each year, no one truly believed they would not be good, let alone bad, especially not as inferior as they currently are. Yet here we stand with the league’s worst run differential at -50, 15 points worse than the next-worst team. And it’s not just one issue that the Phillies are struggling with; it’s everything.

Beginning with the biggest issue at the moment, and the one that gets most of the blame, is the fact that one of the most expensive lineups in the league has been absolutely atrocious.

As a team, the Phillies are hitting .178 with a .561 OPS against lefties. While they historically have had issues against left-handed pitchers, due to factors like the natural implication of a lefty-heavy lineup, and also the lack of development against same-side pitching from hitters like Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. However, this level of poor performance is beyond talent and development; it’s something deeper.

Part of the issue is the Phillies’ preparation for these matchups. A horrific indictment on the Phillies organization came out recently in a story from Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, where hitting coach Kevin Long came out saying part of the issues against left-handed pitching is because the team hasn’t had a lot of practice against lefties, and only recently gained a lefty batting practice arm. The lefty arm for batting practice used to be Long, but he got surgery in August last year, and still can’t pitch. The Phillies saw this issue and only recently fixed it by adding Logan Mathieu as the lefty batting practice pitcher during games.

The Phillies made progress Thursday afternoon, though, with a back-and-forth battle against the Cubs, hitting multiple homers, getting runs without the long ball, working counts, scoring in multiple innings, and hitting against both righties and lefties.

“I would say that’s how we play,” Kyle Schwarber said postgame. “That’s the way that we should go about our day … you know what, we give up some runs … and we were able to respond, and kept extending it into extra innings. That’s the way, I think, we play baseball.

“It’s a step in the right direction for us, I think, that the more games we play like this, the more that we come in with, you know, the energy that we had … good things are gonna happen.”

Part of the reason the offensive struggles have been so apparent is that the pitching staff has taken a major regression to begin this season. The rotation entered the season as arguably the best in the league and seemed poised to continue the success. Even with the pain of losing southpaw star Ranger Suarez, and beginning the year without a recovering Zack Wheeler, confidence was still high with talented arms in Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and rookie Andrew Painter.

Instead, the rotation has been inconsistent and often ineffective. Sanchez has been the most reliable arm, but even he struggled Thursday, allowing 6 earned runs in 5.1 innings on 12 hits and 14 baserunners.

“They hit a lot of balls where we weren’t standing,” manager Rob Thomson said postgame about Sanchez’s start.

While that seems like it goes without saying, it is what has been happening this season for the pitchers on the roster. A lot of the issues, especially for the starters, have been that hitters are just getting soft contact, and it keeps landing right where the Phillies are not.

The bullpen hasn’t been much better. While starting the year off super hot, once the team left San Francisco, it has just tumbled down to being a clear weakness. It also doesn’t help that the Phillies’ closer, Jhoan Duran, suffered a left oblique strain that put him on the 15-day injured list.

Some of the loudest cries this season have been for members of the organization, whether that be Thomson, hitting coach Kevin Long, or President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. Whether the idea of being dismissed is rash or not is a discussion for another day; right now, it’s clear no one in the organization is doing themselves any favors. Thomson has had games he hasn’t managed very well. Coaches like Long and Caleb Cotham also deserve scrutiny, as many of their players continue to struggle with recurring issues.

While Dombrowski has done a lot of good in Philadelphia, there is a case that he has failed to make sure this team avoids major regressions, like the one being dealt with currently. Dombrowski has spent the last two off-seasons avoiding big moves, instead going for smaller cost reclamation projects and depth pickups. This has led the team to have very similar rosters since 2022, and the issues have remained similar.

Ultimately, aside from the poor play, the Phillies’ skid has been fueled by brutal luck, and Thursday showed it perfectly. Even when the offense showed signs of life, nothing fell their way. Soft-contact hits by the Chicago Cubs kept innings alive, while hard-hit balls from the Phillies found gloves instead of gaps. The 10th inning summed it up: well-struck balls that likely drop during a normal stretch turned into outs, including a rocket from Justin Crawford right at Alex Bregman. Moments later, more weak contact went the Cubs’ way before Seiya Suzuki delivered the walk-off. Any other time, these bounces go the Phillies’ way. Not in the middle of a losing streak like this.

That is exactly the case. Thursday’s game showed needed progress; while the issues aren’t solved fully, they show the issue is not talent. Something that can change, and that is a major sigh of relief.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: