Phillies Snap Four-Game Skid with Solid Team-Win Over Orioles
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The Phillies started August off with a strong win where all aspects of the team came together, especially late, when the Phils had a four-run eighth inning to seal a 5-0 lead and snap a four-game skid over the Baltimore Orioles.
The Phillies were so happy to flip the calendar to August, putting July behind them. July was their worst month since 2018, and by far the worst stretch under Don Mattingly. Every aspect of the team has been bad in this stretch where they had a 9-15 record, erasing the incredible months of May and June for the Phils.
The scoring didn’t get started until the fifth in this game when Bryan De La Cruz hit a single that scored Bryson Stott, making the game 1-0. This was all of the offense until the eighth inning, where the Phillies finally put up a crooked number after the sixth inning. Alec Bohm extended the lead with a single scoring Kyle Schwarber; Brandon Marsh hit a single scoring Bryce Harper, making the game 3-0; Justin Crawford hit a bases-loaded single scoring two and making the game 5-0.
This was where the game ended on the back of one of the grittiest performances of the season thus far from the Phillies, ending the losing streak, giving hope for a strong August.
Sanchez Bounces Back
In his last start, Cristopher Sanchez gave up three earned runs over six innings, and in the starts after games where he has given up three or more runs, he has a 13-3 record with a 2.77 ERA, and the Phils are 20-6 in those starts since 2024. The Phillies needed a strong start from their ace and had him go a little deeper into the game to take some of the heat off the bullpen.
Sanchez was in cruise control for the first three innings, including striking out the side in the third inning. In the fourth, he did walk the bases loaded and was able to dance out of that as he has all season. His sporadic control issues caused him to load the bases again in the sixth, and again dance out of trouble. He did have 11 strikeouts, but he had five walks and 10 three-ball counts. Sanchez left the game with a one-run lead, but he certainly took the long way to get there. The Phils got the quality start they needed, but there is one thing that Sanchez needs to work on: he has stranded 239 runners, which sounds great, but the downside is that he is allowing himself to get into trouble and having to throw high-stress innings.
Phils Offense Finally Wakes Up Late
The Phillies offense in July has been paltry at best, where they are batting .230, which was 26th in baseball in the month. Along with this, they have not been getting clutch hits, particularly lately. In the last seven games, the Phils have scored one run after the sixth inning.
Luckily in this game they added on, even though it wasn’t truly necessary; scoring the four runs in the eighth was more important for the confidence than it was for the outcome of the game. The thing that was most impactful to the Phils in this inning was that they were much more selective, and that got them into better hitting counts, which led directly to walks and put them into great hitting positions. They also came into this game with one hit in the last three games off of opposing bullpens. The Phils’ approach flipped that, and that alone made a huge difference in this one.
Phillies Bullpen Preserves 13th Shutout of the Season
The Phillies lead baseball this season with 13 shutouts, which has been in large part due to the top three of the Phillies rotation, and spotty stellar play from the bullpen. The month of July has been particularly hard on the bullpen for the Phils, where they had a 6.13 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP, which led directly to 3/6 of save opportunities.
In this game, Sanchez got them into the seventh, and the bullpen responded accordingly. Jonathan Bowlan came in and gave up the only hit that the bullpen surrendered in the game, but otherwise pitched an incredible seventh inning, striking out three. Jose Alvarado came in to pitch a clean eighth, and Jhoan Duran came in to pitch a strong ninth to put his bad last outing behind him. This is an outing and a game that can truly turn the page for the Phils’ bullpen, which desperately needed to start another chapter in this season.
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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