Phillies Drop Fourth-Straight Game to Yankees, Losing Third Series in a Row
New York Yankees' Austin Wells, right, celebrates his home run with Ryan McMahon, left, as Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto, center, looks over his equipment during the third inning of a baseball game, Saturday, July 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
The Phillies drop Game 2 to the Yankees, handing them their third series loss since the All-Star break. They continue to struggle against left-handed starters this season. They are 12-27 against teams in playoff contention; only the last-place Kansas City Royals have a worse record against teams in a playoff position this season.
The Phils came into the game looking to put together better at-bats and get another stellar outing from a bullpen game where Tim Mayza got the start. Before the game, the team brought up Kyle Backhus and Brian Keller, making his major league debut.
The Phils made up for their goose egg in Game 1 with Bryce Harper hitting a sacrifice fly, which scored Trea Turner in the first inning. In the third, Austin Wells hit an opposite-field home run to tie the game off Keller. In the sixth, Cody Bellinger hit a single, scoring Wells to take a 2-1 lead. Jasson Dominguez hit a 420-foot home run to left in the seventh to extend the Yankees’ lead, 3-1, which is where the game ended.
Another Loss From the Fifth Spot in the Rotation
When it was announced that Mayza would start the game, and with the corresponding moves that were made pre-game, it was obvious this would be a bullpen game, and Don Mattingly would manage the game accordingly. He’d need them to stretch as long as they could to eat up innings, and Mayza as well as Keller pitched well to get through five, with the Yankees only scoring one run.
The bullpen gave up runs in the sixth and seventh, continuing the trend for the Phils of the late innings being an issue. Jose Alvarado came in and gave up the long home run to Dominguez, continuing his dismal season. The bright spot lately in the Phils bullpen has been Jonathan Bowlan, who pitched a scoreless eighth despite giving up a double to Bellinger. Jhoan Duran came in to get work in the ninth inning, striking out the side.
This is the 11th straight loss from the fifth spot in the rotation since May 18th for the Phillies, highlighting the need to address the fifth spot in the rotation.
Phillies Fail to Cash in With Runners in Scoring Position Again
The Phils offense sputtered with runners in scoring position again; they were 0-7 in this game, and they’re batting .182 in July in that category. When the Phils offense is at its best, they are taking advantage of the opportunities they have in front of them. When they do this, it opens up the entire offense, but this has been a struggle lately, as it was in this game. The Phils had more than enough chances, but they just couldn’t get a run across.
This is a concerning trend, especially going into the trade deadline. This is more proof that the Phils need to go after a right-handed bat that can be counted on in clutch situations; however, the Phillies need to get better at-bats from the players in the lineup now. The team presses when they’re in RBI situations, and it shows in games like this one where they face a top-level pitching staff.
This is the 25th game for the Phillies scoring one run; they lead the majors in that category. In the last 11 games from the fifth spot in the rotation, the Phillies have scored only 20 runs. The offensive approach needs vast improvement to fix this trend.
The Little Things Add Up Big in This Game
The Yankees had two long home runs, and there is not much that can be done about those, but there were many small mistakes throughout the game, including one that directly led to the second run. Edmundo Sosa got a late break on a soft pop fly by Paul Goldschmidt, which extended the inning and gave Bellinger the chance to break the tie in the sixth.
The other miscues didn’t have the same impact on the game, but there were two errors by Alec Bohm, one on a miscommunication with J.T. Realmuto over a pop-up in foul territory, and another on a throwing error on a bunt single by Jose Caballero in the seventh inning. When the Phillies score only one run in two games, small mistakes like these are not the way to turn around their struggles. The fundamentals are lacking right now, as they have been the whole month of July.
This loss is the first time since Mattingly took over that they have lost four straight games. Cleaning up the defense is a quick way for them to help out the pitching staff.
The Phillies will send out their ace, Cristopher Sanchez, to avoid the sweep against the Yankees.
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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