2021 Phillies

[jaa36]

I'll play out the 2021 season with the Phillies, trying to manage in a relatively traditional style a la Joe Girardi, and also making relatively traditional roster moves. I'll be playing out each game and report weekly on the results both for the Phillies and around the league.

April 1: Braves 10, Phillies 1. The Braves pounded six home runs- at least one off every Phillies pitcher- in the opening day rout. Marcell Ozuna hit two of them and drove in four runs.

April 3: Phillies 6, Braves 2. Alec Bohm and Jean Segura drove in two runs apiece as the Phillies evened their record. Zack Wheeler allowed one run over six solid innings.

April 4: Braves 8, Phillies 3. The Braves hit three more homers to take the series, with Zach Eflin allowing three runs in the sixth inning.

Roster moves: None.

Around the league:
-Shohei Ohtani was ejected on opening day for arguing balls and strikes.
-Fans in Miami (I guess there are some?) rallied behind a wayward cat.
-Jeff McNeil and Stephen Strasburg got into a dust-up and were suspended.
-Cavan Biggio hit for the cycle.
-Freddie Freeman signed a six-year extension with the Braves worth $237 million.
-The Dodgers started the season 4-0, and seven other teams also remain undefeated.

[jaa36]

The Phillies went 3-3 for the week and are now 4-5 on the year.

April 5: Phillies 3, Mets 2. David Peterson was terrific for the Mets, allowing just four baserunners in eight shutout innings. Edwin Diaz came in for the ninth and promptly served up a double and back-to-back homers by Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto to give the Phillies a dramatic walk-off win.

April 6: Mets 11, Phillies 1. No drama in this one, as the Mets shellacked Chase Anderson for eight runs in the first three innings. James McCann homered twice for the Mets. Roman Quinn pitched a one-two-three ninth.

April 7: Phillies 3, Mets 1. Aaron Nola was pulled with a no-hitter after six-plus shutout innings, having allowed five walks and struck out ten. Bryce Harper hit his third homer of the season to put the Phils ahead early.

April 9: Phillies 7, Braves 2. Didi Gregorius capped off a six-run rally in the fifth inning as the Phillies won easily. Zack Wheeler was effective over 5 1/3 innings.

April 10: Braves 8, Phillies 7. Rhys Hoskins homered twice and drove in five- but it wasn't enough as the Braves came back to beat the Phillies. Ronald Acuna Jr. had three hits, including his fourth home run, and drove in four. Connor Brogdon took the loss after giving up two runs in the seventh.

April 11: Braves 9, Phillies 8. For the second game in a row, the Phillies took a 5-0 lead but couldn't hold it. Jose Alvarado was victimized for two runs in the eighth, and Hector Neris gave up five hits in 2/3 of an inning to take the loss.

Transactions:
Matt Joyce hit the IL with a hamstring strain and will miss about a month. Mickey Moniak was recalled from the alternate site.

Around the league:
-Yadier Molina announced his retirement at the end of the season.
-Luis Robert and Jose Abreu hit three home runs apiece in a game against the Mariners (who are terrible). Robert is already up to eight homers on the season.
-Bryan Reynolds and Craig Kimbrel were suspended for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl.
-Carlos Correa was the AL Player of the Week, and Christian Walker won the NL award.
-After years of trade speculation and the Cubs crying poor, Kris Bryant signed a four-year extension worth $84M.

[jaa36]

The Phillies ran their losing streak to seven miserable games, including a four-game sweep against the Mets, before finally winning the last two games of the week.

April 12: Mets 3, Phillies 0. Robert Gsellman stifled the Phillies' bats, striking out eleven and allowing just three baserunners over eight shutout innings. Pete Alonso homered twice off Chase Anderson.

April 13: Mets 3, Phillies 1. Jacob deGrom allowed four hits and one run over eight innings as the lifeless Phillies lost again. Aaron Nola pitched well in defeat.

April 14: Mets 8, Phillies 6. A four-run lead in the eighth inning was no match for the Phillies bullpen, as Jose Alvarado allowed two runs in the eighth and Hector Neris allowed three in the ninth to give the Mets a walk-off win. Andrew McCutchen and Didi Gregorius both homered and had three hits for the Phils.

April 15: Mets 11, Phillies 4. Zach Eflin was knocked out after four innings, and the bullpen continued its immolation, with Ranger Suarez, David Hale and Brandon Kintzler all allowing runs. Pete Alonso homered in his fourth consecutive game against Philadelphia- he now has eight homers on the season, and all of them have come against the Phillies.

April 16: Cardinals 7, Phillies 5. Hector Neris was brought into a tie game in the eighth and served up a homer to the first batter he faced, Dylan Carlson, as the Phils lost their seventh straight. Matt Moore was atrocious, though Connor Brogdon gave the Phillies 2 1/3 excellent innings in relief. Alec Bohm homered, had three hits and drove in three.

April 17: Phillies 7, Cardinals 6. Chase Anderson was chased after three innings and four runs, but the Phillies mounted a comeback to finally snap their losing streak. Adam Haseley and J.T. Realmuto homered, and Brad Miller drove in the go-ahead run with a double in the eighth.

April 18: Phillies 4, Cardinals 0. Aaron Nola pitched a gem, a complete-game shutout in which he struck out nine and walked nobody, and lowered his ERA to 1.73. Adam Haseley went three for three.

Transactions:
With the bullpen a bloody mess, I acquired Matt Barnes from the Boston Red Sox for a nothing minor leaguer, with Boston picking up 75% of his salary. Barnes had been rocked for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings himself, so I'm hoping a change of scenery does him some good. Of course, the Phillies' recent track record in acquiring Red Sox relievers has not been good... Sam Coonrod hit the IL with a mild oblique strain, Ranger Suarez showed up briefly from the alternate site (allowing two homers in his lone inning of work), with JoJo Romero up to replace him. And Chase Anderson was DFA'd after allowing 15 runs in 12 innings of work; I doubt I'll find any. takers for the chump. We won't need a fifth starter for another week, but Spencer Howard will be called up to make that start.

Around the league:
-James Paxton will miss six weeks with an oblique strain. (His UCL is apparently fine in this universe.)
-Dylan Bundy will miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.
-Yoan Moncada and Dominic Smith were the players of the week.
-Fernando Tatis Jr. has gotten off to a great start, with a .441 average.
-The Cincinnati Reds somehow have the best record in the NL, at 11-4.

[jaa36]

The Phillies managed to win both series this week, taking four out of six games to inch closer to .500.

April 19: Phillies 7, Giants 6 (10 innings). The Phils put together a remarkable comeback from a 6-0 eighth inning deficit to win it in extras. Brad Miller and Rhys Hoskins tied to cap off a four-run eighth, and Mickey Moniak came up with a clutch two-out double to tie it in the ninth. Alec Bohm gave Philadelphia a walk-off win with a single in the tenth. The Phillies overcame a two-homer game from Mike Yastrzemski.

April 20: Phillies 4, Giants 1. Rhys Hoskins and Jean Segura each hit two-run homers to lead the Phillies to the win. Zach Eflin pitched six shutout innings, and the bullpen was solid.

April 21: Giants 7, Phillies 0. Anthony DeSclafani shut out the Phillies on four hits. Buster Posey homered as the Giants knocked out Matt Moore after three innings.

April 23: Phillies 6, Rockies 1. Aaron Nola was terrific once again, striking out ten and allowing one run in seven innings. Alec Bohm had three hits and drove in two for the Phils.

April 24: Phillies 8, Rockies 5. Zack Wheeler homered but allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings. Brad Miller gave the Phillies some breathing room with a pinch-hit three-run homer in the eighth. Philadelphia overcame a five-hit game by C.J. Cron.

April 26: Rockies 8, Phillies 6. The Phils jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Zach Eflin gave it all away in the fourth. Addison Russell broke the tie with a two-run homer off new acquisition Kendall Graveman in the sixth.

Transactions: Chase Anderson was traded to the Mariners for Graveman, with the Phils paying 75% of Anderson's salary to even out the dollars. Graveman's main advantage is that he is not Chase Anderson. Taylor Williams was claimed on waivers from the Padres, and JoJo Romero and Connor Brogdon were sent to the alternate site. Brad Miller complained about his playing time.

Around the league:
-Hyeon-jeon Yang left the Rangers to take care of his sick mother.
-Mariners manager Scott Servais blasted the media for bad press. The M's are off to an 8-14 start.
-J.D. Martinez and David Peralta were the players of the week.
-Luis Robert continued his torrid start to the season and has 12 home runs already.

[jaa36]

A 4-3 week puts us at 14-15 overall, just a game under .500. We're now five games behind the first-place Braves.

April 26: Cardinals 8, Phillies 1. Matt Moore gave up five runs and ten hits in five innings to take the loss. Veteran Adam Wainwright befuddled the Philadelphia bats, allowing just one hit and no runs in 7 1/3 innings.

April 27: Phillies 11, Cardinals 4. The offense finally clicked as the Phils scored seven runs in the first three innings. Andrew McCutchen, Alec Bohm, Roman Quinn and J.T. Realmuto all homered in the rout. Spencer Howard was ineffective in his first start, but the bullpen pitched well.

April 28: Phillies 9, Cardinals 3. The Philadelphia offense continued to roll as Didi Gregorius capped off a five-run first with a grand slam. Aaron Nola allowed three unearned runs over seven innings.

April 29: Cardinals 5, Phillies 3. The Phils chased started John Gant after just four innings, but three relievers kept them hitless for the last five frames. Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado both homered off Zack Wheeler.

April 30: Mets 21, Phillies 4. Yeah... we gave up 21 runs. The Mets had two eight-run innings in the rout. Vince Velazquez gave up six runs in a third of an inning, and Jose Alvarado five runs in 2/3 innings. Roman Quinn was brought in to record the final out and allowed three runs himself. Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil each had four-hit games for the Mets.

May 1: Phillies 7, Mets 4. Matt Moore pitched well enough to win, and the bullpen bounced back from a rocky outing the day before. Adam Haseley and Rhys Hoskins had three hits apiece.

May 2: Phillies 5, Mets 1. Spencer Howard allowed one run over 5 1/3 innings to get the win. Vince Velazquez, Jose Alvarado and Taylor Williams were all terrific in relief. Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura both homered for the Phillies.

Transactions: Spencer Howard was called up from the alternate site. David Hale was designated for assignment, but cleared waivers and accepted a demotion. Sam Coonrod completed his stint on the IL and was sent to AAA Lehigh Valley. Outfielder Billy McKinney was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee, and Mickey Moniak was demoted to AAA; McKinney has a little more pop than Moniak, and more versatility than still-injured Matt Joyce.

Around the league:
-Sean Doolittle will miss a week after tripping over a coffee table.
-Trevor Bauer tore a tendon in his finger and will miss four months.
-Jose Quintana tore his flexor tendon and will miss the rest of the year, because he pitches for the Angels.
-Brandon Lowe and Dansby Swanson were the Players of the Month for April. Lucas Giolito and our very own Aaron Nola won the pitching awards.
-Mike Trout had a three-homer game against the Mariners.
-Lowe and Christian Pache won the Player of the Week awards.

[jaa36]

A strong start to the week pushed the Phils above .500... before we dropped five games in a row to fall to 16-20 overall.

May 3: Phillies 7, Brewers 4. Rhys Hoskins, Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto all homered to power the Phillies' offense to a win. Aaron Nola wasn't at his best, but picked up his fifth win.

May 4: Phillies 5, Brewers 2. Zack Wheeler pitched seven strong innings as the Phillies won their fourth in a row. J.T. Realmuto drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth inning with a double.

May 5: Brewers 3, Phillies 2. Zach Eflin had to leave the game after just two batters, but the Phillies bullpen was effective overall, particularly Kendall Graveman and Vince Velazquez. Omar Narvaez hit a two-run homer in the seventh to give Milwaukee the win.

May 6: Brewers 6, Phillies 5. Bryce Harper hit a three-run homer in the ninth, but it wasn't quite enough as the Phils lost another close one to the Brewers. Matt Moore allowed five runs in the first inning but stayed in the game through four as the bullpen was spent from yesterday's efforts.

May 7: Braves 7, Phillies 5. The Philadelphia bullpen blew a three-run lead, with Archie Bradley taking the loss. Freddie Freeman and Ronald Acuna Jr. had three-hit games for Atlanta, while J.T. Realmuto had one for the Phillies.

May 8: Braves 5, Phillies 1. Aaron Nola had to leave in the fifth after running his pitch count up to 108, though he wasn't charged with any earned runs. Ian Anderson stifled the Philly bats, striking out nine in 6 1/3 innings.

May 9: Braves 8, Phillies 7 (11 innings). The Phillies bullpen choked yet again, failing to protect a three-run lead. Marcell Ozuna gave Atlanta a lead with a three-run homer in the seventh, but Didi Gregorius tied things up with a homer of his own in the next inning. The Phillies got the go-ahead run to third in the tenth and eleventh but couldn't score, and Ender Inciarte endered things with a walk-off double.

Transactions: None this week.

Around the league:
-Manny Machado put together a 22-game hitting streak for the Padres.
-Adley Rutschman missed a game after having a baby.
-Ozzie Albies and Nelson Cruz won Player of the Week awards.
-After feasting on us, the Braves have the best record in baseball at a 25-9.

[jaa36]

A 4-2 week inches us closer to .500...

May 11: Phillies 8, Nationals 4. The Phils fell into an early three-run deficit, but a three-run homer by Rhys Hoskins put them back ahead in the seventh. Vince Velasquez and three other relievers held the Nationals scoreless over the final five innings.

May 12: Nationals 4, Phillies 3. Four errors doomed the Phillies in this one. Matt Moore was effective over six innings, and J.T. Realmuto had three hits, but it wasn't enough.

May 13: Phillies 8, Nationals 5. Andrew McCutchen, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm all homered for the Phillies as Patrick Corbin was knocked out early. Spencer Howard only made it through 5 2/3 innings himself but picked up the win.

May 14: Phillies 4, Blue Jays 2 (10 innings). Hector Neris blew the save when he allowed a homer to Cavan Biggio to lead off the ninth, but Didi Gregorius drove in two in the tenth to give the Phillies the win. Aaron Nola was terrific once again, allowing only six baserunners and one run in eight innings and lowering his ERA to an NL-best 1.73.

May 15: Phillies 4, Blue Jays 3. The Phillies took a four-run lead into the bottom of the eighth, but almost gave it all away on two home runs. Archie Bradley put out the fire for his second consecutive save. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm homered, and Zack Wheeler moved to 5-1 with another strong start.

May 16: Blue Jays 5, Phillies 2. Teoscar Hernandez crushed a ball 472 feet for a grand slam in the third inning, and the Blue Jays never looked back. Zach Eflin labored through 5 1/3 innings, and Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto homered for the Phils. Realmuto has been on a tear, and his .359 average is tied for the best in the NL.

Transactions: The Phillies claimed started Jimmy Nelson off waivers from the Dodgers. Nelson was off to a strong start, with a 2.86 ERA thus far, but was a victim of the numbers game in Los Angeles. He'll likely push Spencer Howard back to AAA for now. Matt Joyce started a rehab assignment, though it's not certain that he'll rejoin the club or whether Billy McKinney will stick around.

Around the league:
-Willi Castro has run a hitting streak to 21 games.
-Free agent Roberto Osuna signed with the Cubs for $8.7M.
-Kyle Tucker and Eugenio Suarez were the players of the week.

[jaa36]

The Phillies took five of six, including a sweep of the Red Sox, to push back above .500 at 25-23 overall.

May 18: Phillies 8, Marlins 4. Jazz Chisholm hit a three-run homer for the Marlins in the first, but the Phillies bounced back with four runs in the bottom of the inning and never looked back. Bryce Harper reached base four times, including his ninth home run, to finally push his average above the Mendoza Line.

May 19: Marlins 9, Phillies 6. Jimmy Nelson was knocked out early in his first start for the Phils after giving up a grand slam to Jorge Alfaro, and Archie Bradley gave up three runs in the eighth inning to help the Marlins keep it out of reach. The Phillies has twelve hits, seven for extra bases, but it wasn't enough to hold off Miami.

May 20: Phillies 6, Marlins 5. Jazz Chisholm hit his second three-run homer of the series, and the Marlins took a four-run lead into the bottom of the eighth. The Phillies scored one in the eighth, and with one out in the ninth, Yimi Garcia gave up two hits and two walks. He was relieved by Braxton Garrett, who allowed a walk of his one and a single to Jean Segura that tied the score. Adam Haseley struck out, and Andrew Knapp took a close 3-2 pitch for a walk that ended the game. It was a remarkable comeback victory, but not even the best one of the week...

May 21: Phillies 3, Red Sox 0. Zack Wheeler struck out eight and allowed just two baserunners in 5 2/3 scoreless innings to win his sixth game. Brandon Kintzler, Archie Bradley and Hector Neris were excellent the rest of the way to preserve the shutout. Rhys Hoskins and Didi Gregorius drove in all the runs for the Phils.

May 22: Phillies 10, Red Sox 7. The runs came early and often in this one, as J.T. Realmuto helped the Phillies to an 8-4 lead in the second inning with a grand slam. Zach Eflin gave up six runs in just four innings, but the bullpen was fairly solid to help Philadelphia win the slugfest.

May 23: Phillies 9, Red Sox 7. Matt Moore put the Phillies in a hole once again, allowing four runs in the first three innings. Andrew Knapp cut that deficit in half with a two-run single in the fourth, and a two-run homer by Andrew McCutchen gave the Phils a one-run lead in the seventh. With runners on first and third in the eighth, Jose Alvarado threw a wild pitch that allowed the Sox to tie the score. Alvarado gave up two hits in the ninth, giving Boston the lead, and another wild pitch gave them a two-run advantage. With Adam Ottavino on for the save in the bottom of the ninth, Roman Quinn doubled and pinch hitter Adam Haseley homered to tie it right back up. Ottavino got two outs but walked Rhys Hoskins, and was pulled for Phillips Valdez. Alec Bohm took a pitch, then belted a fastball to left field for a walk-off two-run homer to give the Phillies a sweep and a four-game winning streak. The homer put Bohm in a tie for the league lead in RBI with 39.

Transactions: Matt Joyce, who was hitting just .174 on his rehab assignment, was designated for assignment and traded to the Dodgers for 25-year-old pitcher Victor Gonzalez. The left-handed Gonzalez has been off to a solid start with Los Angeles, allowing just one run in 16 2/3 innings, though we may actually not need him on the major-league roster just yet, as the bullpen has turned things around so well in recent weeks!

Around the league:
-Gerrit Cole struck out 16 in a game against the White Sox.
-Ryan Mountcastle and Mike Moustakas were the Players of the Week.
-The Astros and Dodgers have both been hot and have the best records in the AL and NL respectively.

[progen]

Lifelong Phillies fan since the 60's.

Hopefully you can find a solid leadoff guy, and someone in the two spot that can get on base. In real life, Harper now has 6 dingers, and only 10 rbi's. Pretty pathetic. Don't think they're much more than a .500 team, maybe 82-83 wins at the most. I hope they prove me wrong.

And their defense is atrocious!

[jaa36]

The Phillies ran their winning streak to seven games total, and took four of six during the week. We're now 29-25 overall, just 3 1/2 games out of first place in the NL East.

May 24: Phillies 2, Marlins 0. Jimmy Nelson bounced back with a strong start, striking out seven and allowing just three hits to pick up the win. J.T. Realmuto drove in the only two runs of the game with a single. Hector Neris allowed a hit and two walks but escaped the ninth with the shutout intact.

May 25: Phillies 1, Marlins 0. This time it was Aaron Nola's time to shine, as the Phillies' ace threw eight shutout innings, striking out ten and lowering his ERA to 1.73. Light-hitting Ronald Torreyes singled in the only run of the game in the fourth.

May 26: Phillies 4, Marlins 3. A two-run homer off the bat of Billy McKinney brought the Phils from behind in the eighth inning. Bryce Harper remained hot, reaching base four times.

May 27: Marlins 6, Phillies 1. Zach Eflin continued his poor season, allowing five runs in four innings and seeing his ERA balloon to 8.24. Meanwhile, Sandy Alcantara held the Phils scoreless over seven innings.

May 29: Phillies 5, Marlins 0. Matt Moore pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out five and allowing eight hits. J.T. Realmuto raised his average to .341 with four hits, including his 12th home run.

May 30: Rays 7, Phillies 4. The Phillies' normally steady bullpen got hit around today, with Jose Alvarado allowing three runs in a third of an inning. Four Rays hitters had multi-hit games.

Transactions: None this week. The team has been fortunate to avoid any serious injuries thus far...

Around the league:
-Joey Votto hit his 300th career home run.
-Pavin Smith put together a 20-game hitting streak.
-Byron Buxton and Mookie Betts were the Players of the Week.
-With a hot week, the Padres have overtaken the Dodgers in the NL West. Meanwhile, the White Sox now have the best record in the AL.

[jaa36]

The Phillies had their fourth consecutive winning week, taking four of six games again to advance their record to 33-27 overall. The Phils have now gone 29-17 since a 4-10 start.

May 31: Phillies 3, Reds 2. Aaron Nola had another solid start, allowing two runs over eight innings. Jean Segura hit a two-run homer in the third to put the Phillies ahead. The Reds scored two in the eighth to make it close, and Hector Neris worked his way out of a jam in the ninth to pick up his tenth save.

June 1: Phillies 5, Reds 2. The Phils put together another remarkable ninth-inning comeback, with J.T. Realmuto providing a pinch-hit, three-run home run off reliever Max Sceroler, his thirteenth of the season. Rhys Hoskins also homered in the win, and Andrew Knapp had three hits. Zack Wheeler continued a solid stretch of pitching, allowing two runs in seven innings.

June 2: Reds 7, Phillies 4. Zach Eflin allowed two home runs and was knocked out after the fourth inning, with his ERA ballooning to an unsightly 8.12 mark. Bryce Harper hit his tenth home run. The Phillies loaded the bases in the ninth, but Amir Garrett was able to shut the door for the Reds.

June 4: Nationals 5, Phillies 1. Home runs by Victor Robles and Raudy Read helped the Nationals to a 4-0 lead after five innings. Patrick Corbin held the Phils scoreless over seven innings, striking out nine.

June 5: Phillies 6, Nationals 1. J.T. Realmuto homered and drove in five runs as the Phils beat the Nationals. Jimmy Nelson walked five, but allowed just three hits over 5 2/3 innings. Matt Barnes, Jose Alvarado and Kendall Graveman were all terrific in relief.

June 6: Phillies 10, Nationals 3. A six-run sixth inning helped the Phillies come behind to get an easy win. J.T. Realmuto had three more hits and took over the NL RBI lead, and Alec Bohm drove in four runs himself. Aaron Nola was tagged for a three-run homer, but struck out 14 over six innings to get his eighth win.

Transactions: None this week. Why tinker when things are going well!

Around the league:
-Byron Buxton and Trent Grisham were the Players of the Month for May, Jesus Luzardo and Adrian Morejon the Pitchers of the Month, and Brandon Marsh and Pavin Smith the Rookies of the Month.
-Oliver Drake cut his hand cleaning up a broken window.
-Carlos Correa and Andrew Stevenson were the Players of the Week.
-Luis Arraez has pushed his average above .400 for the Twins.

[jaa36]

The Phillies went 4-1 on the week, including two walk-off wins against the Yankees! The team is now 37-28 overall, just 2 1/2 games behind the Braves in the NL East.

June 8: Braves 9, Phillies 8. Zack Wheeler put the Phillies in a 7-0 hole after his first two innings. The Phils clawed back, eventually cutting their deficit to just one run, and threatened in the eighth and ninth but couldn't push the tying run across. Freddie Freeman had four hits and Ronald Acuna Jr. drove in four runs for the Braves.

June 9: Phillies 10, Braves 2. The Braves led off the game with consecutive home runs off Zach Eflin, but he and five relievers held them scoreless the rest of the way. Andrew McCutchen answered right away with a leadoff homer of his own, and the Phils continued the parade with five more homers, including two by Alec Bohm.

June 10: Phillies 6, Braves 5. The Phillies found themselves in a 5-0 deficit in the sixth inning, but it didn't matter... Adam Haseley doubled and then scored the tying run in the seventh on a wild pitch, and another double by Rhys Hoskins gave the Phillies the lead. The bullpen was great once again, with Matt Barnes, Brandon Kintzler and Hector Neris closing out the game with scoreless innings.

June 12: Phillies 5, Yankees 2 (10 innings). Aaron Nola's start was delayed a day by gout, but Jimmy Nelson stepped up with five shutout innings. Didi Gregorius put the Phillies ahead in the seventh with a two-run homer, but Archie Bradley allowed two runs in the eighth as the Yankees tied it up. Hector Neris and Kendall Graveman threw a scoreless ninth and tenth, and with two on, J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run bomb to win it, circling the bases to "MVP!!" chants from a delirious Philadelphia crowd.

June 13: Phillies 2, Yankees 1 (10 innings). Nola was none the worse for the wear in returning from gout, allowing one run over eight innings and lowering his ERA to 1.95. Jean Segura tied the score with a homer in the eighth, and Hector Neris survived a shaky ninth to send it to extras, stranding runners on second and third. Brandon Kintzler threw a scoreless tenth, and light-hitting Roman Quinn singled home the game-winner in the bottom of the inning.

Transactions: Who needs roster moves when you're winning!

Around the league:
-The Angels have suddenly won 12 in a row. Brandon Marsh has a 21-game hitting streak for them, and Mike Trout leads the AL in WAR (naturally).
-Yordan Alvarez and Mike Yastrzemski were the Players of the Week.

[jaa36]

The Phillies suffered a four-game losing streak, mostly against the Dodgers, but bounced back with two victories in close games to finish the week.

June 14: Dodgers 10, Phillies 1. Cody Bellinger opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the third, and the Dodgers continued to pile up runs in the blowout. Tony Gonsoulin and three relievers held the Phils to just two hits, while Los Angeles collected 14.

June 15: Dodgers 7, Phillies 2. Rhys Hoskins hit a two-run homer in the first, but that was all the runs the Phillies could muster off David Price. Zach Eflin was hit hard yet again, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings.

June 16: Dodgers 5, Phillies 3. Utility infielder Sheldon Neuse, on for the injured Corey Seager, hit a two-run homer in the eighth off Hector Neris to give the Dodgers a sweep and their eighth win in a row. The Phillies had previously tied the score in the top of the inning with a single off the bat of Andrew Knapp.

June 18: Giants 2, Phillies 1 (12 innings). Frustrations mounted as the Phillies dropped their fourth in a row. The Phillies had a runner in scoring position in the eighth and in every inning thereafter, but couldn't score, and finally Matt Barnes allowed a game-winning sac fly in the twelfth. Tommy La Stella had four hits, including a home run in the seventh to tie the score.

June 19: Phillies 3, Giants 2. Aaron Nola had to depart with some neck stiffness in the fifth, but he should return to make his next start. Home runs by Brad Miller and Rhys Hoskins in the late innings helped the Phillies come from behind, and Kendall Graveman, Archie Bradley and Hector Neris were nails out of the bullpen.

June 20: Giants 5, Phillies 3. Bryce Harper hit a two-run homer in the ninth, his 13th of the season, to help the Phillies to another come-from-behind victory. Harper reached base four times on the day. It was another outstanding day for the bullpen, with Taylor Williams, Matt Barnes and Jose Alvarado giving the Phillies four scoreless innings.

Transactions: None, once again. Remarkably, the team hasn't had to make any roster moves in a month!

Around the league:
-Jorge Mateo hit for the cycle and had five hits for the Padres. Apparently with a surfeit of amazing players, the Padres designated him for assignment later in the week. They have the best record in baseball, so I suppose they know what they're doing...
-Matt Kemp announced his retirement at the end of the year.
-Former Phillie (for 6 2/3 innings) David Robertson signed a prorated $12M deal with the Dodgers. If you've got it, spend it!
-Tim Anderson and Francisco Lindor were the Players of the Week.
-Fernando Tatis Jr. is off to an incredible start, with 5.4 WAR already. He leads the lead in batting average (.356) and is in striking distance in the other triple crown categories (20 and 54).

[jaa36]

A tough week for the Phillies, as we were swept by the Mets and have now lost four straight. We're 40-36 overall.

June 22: Phillies 8, Nationals 7. Zach Eflin gave up four runs in four innings, but the Phillies bounced back to score eight runs in the next three frames to take the lead. The bullpen was shaky, and Hector Neris loaded the bases before getting the final two outs. Didi Gregorius had three hits.

June 23: Nationals 2, Phillies 1. The Phillies got two runners on in the ninth but couldn't tie the score. Rookie Steven Fuentes came into the game with a 7.00 ERA, but held the Phils to one run over eight innings.

June 25: Mets 4, Phillies 1. Aaron Nola was cruising through the first three, but gave up a grand slam to Jeff McNeil in the fourth. Jacob de Grom allowed one run in eight innings to get the win.

June 26: Mets 4, Phillies 2. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor homered off Zack Wheeler as the Phils dropped their third in a row. Vince Velasquez was a bright spot in the bullpen, striking out five of the six hitters he faced.

June 27: Mets 10, Phillies 9 (10 innings). This was a wild one... Consecutive singles in the fifth inning extended the Philadelphia lead to 5-2. Brandon Kintzler came on to start the seventh, and allowed all five hitters he faced to reach base and eventually score in a six-run inning for the Mets. J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer to tie it up in the eighth, and the Phils raced back in front when Alec Bohm scored on an error by Jeff McNeil. Hector Neris came on for a two-inning save- but immediately served up a homer to J.D. Davis, and it was tied up once again. The Phillies failed to score in the next two innings, and Jonathan Villar drove in the game-winner off Matt Barnes in the tenth.

Transactions: Zach Eflin continued to struggle and was sent down to Lehigh Valley, with Victor Gonzalez joining the club as a second lefty option out of the pen. We don't need a fifth starter for a bit- lots of off days- but Spencer Howard will come up to make that start this week.

Around the league:
-Mike Trout had a three-homer game.
-Trout and Cody Bellinger were the Players of the Week.
-Nelson Cruz was traded to the Diamondbacks- good luck out there in left field, Nellie!
-Walker Buehler is up to ten wins and a 1.85 ERA, and has a decent chance at a pitching triple crown if he keeps it up.

[jaa36]

The Phillies took both series this week, winning four games and losing two. With a week to go before the All-Star break, the Phils are four games back in a very competitive NL East.

June 29: Phillies 4, Marlins 3. J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run double in the fifth inning to break a tie for the Phillies. Matt Moore pitched well, allowing two runs and striking out eight in five innings to get the win. Kendall Graveman and Hector Neris both struck out the side in their innings, with Neris earning his 15th save.

June 30: Phillies 12, Marlins 1. Alec Bohm homered twice, his first one of the three-run variety and his second an inside-the-parker. The Phillies scored two runs on an Aaron Nola single and four consecutive walks in the second inning, chasing starter Trevor Rogers, and eventually piled up five more runs in the seventh to make it a blowout. Nola allowed one run and struck out ten in six innings to get his ninth win.

July 1: Marlins 9, Phillies 3. This one looked closer than it was, as the Marlins put up five runs on a hapless Archie Bradley in the ninth to pull away. Jesus Aguilar homered twice for Miami.

July 2: Phillies 2, Marlins 0. A great effort by Jimmy Nelson, who pitched eight shutout innings to lower his ERA to 2.42 in a Phillies uniform. Didi Gregorius drove in the first run and Andrew McCutchen homered for the Phils.

July 3: Marlins 5, Phillies 4. A tough loss, as Jose Alvarado, filling in for a tired Hector Neris against some lefties in the ninth, allowed a two-out double to tie the score, and Neris allowed a single to Ha-Seong Kim to put the Padres ahead. Billy McKinney had previously put the Phillies in front with a pinch-hit double in the sixth.

July 4: Phillies 5, Marlins 2. Rhys Hoskins provided some Independence Day fireworks by homering twice for the Phillies. Alec Bohm provided a two-run homer later on to give Philadelphia some breathing room. Matt Moore pitched well again, allowing one run over six innings.

Transactions: Victor Gonzalez was optioned back to Lehigh Valley (through no fault of his, he's thrown six scoreless innings for the Phillies), with Spencer Howard recalled to join the rotation.

Around the league:
-Brandon Woodruff struck out 15 for the Brewers.
-Tim Anderson and Cody Bellinger were the Players of the Month, Lance Lynn and Ian Anderson the Pitchers of the Month, and Brendan McKay and Ha-seong Kim the Rookies of the Month.
-The Top 100 prospects list was updated... the Phillies only player on the list is Mick Abel, currently #82.
-Chris Taylor hit three homers in a game for the Dodgers.
-Austin Meadows and Taylor were the Players of the Week.

[jaa36]

The Phillies swept the Cubs and ran their winning streak to six games before dropping the final two games before the All-Star break. The Phillies have a 49-40 record overall.

July 5: Phillies 3, Cubs 2 (11 innings). Aaron Nola and Alec Mills gave the fans a good old-fashioned pitching duel, as Nola struck out nine in 6 2/3 innings. Archie Bradley and Hector Neris were both great in relief, striking out three apiece themselves. The floodgates finally opened in the eleventh, when Adam Haseley doubled in a run and Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer. Brandon Kintzler was shaky in the bottom of the inning, allowing two runs and putting two more baserunners on, but Kendall Graveman came on to bail him out.

July 6: Phillies 4, Cubs 1. Zack Wheeler pitched six strong innings to get the win. Alec Bohm had three hits and Didi Gregorius drove in two.

July 7: Phillies 9, Cubs 3. Jimmy Nelson continued the string of good starts with one run over five innings. Rhys Hoskins homered, Bryce Harper and Adam Haseley had three hits each, and J.T. Realmuto drove in three runs. Vince Velasquez finished the game with two scoreless innings.

July 8: Phillies 3, Cubs 1. Spencer Howard pitched six innings and allowed one run to get his third win as the Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the Cubs. Billy McKinney put the Phils ahead with a two-run double in the seventh.

July 9: Phillies 8, Red Sox 4. Six different Phillies had multi-hit games, including Alec Bohm, who doubled twice among his three hits. Matt Moore homered and the bullpen was solid yet again.

July 10: Red Sox 3, Phillies 2 (10 innings). The Red Sox scored two runs in the first, but Bryce Harper tied it up with a two-run double in the eighth inning. Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley held the Sox scoreless in the late innings, but Hector Neris allowed a sac fly in the tenth innings to end the game and the Phillies' winning streak.

July 11: Red Sox 4, Phillies 3. Helped along by errors by Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura, the Red Sox jumped out to a four-run lead in the third inning. Gregorius tried to make amends, driving in three runs on a homer and a single, but it wasn't quite enough.

Transactions: None, other than the draft... This is a one-year dynasty, so I didn't pay too much attention, but we selected 17-year-old catcher Rene Lastres with our first-round pick.

Around the league:
-Clayton Kershaw tore his labrum when he fell off his scooter and will miss the rest of the season! Kershaw was 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA.
-Adam Wainwright will retire at the end of the season.
-Marcell Ozuna will miss the next 6-7 weeks with an injury.
-The Braves traded Austin Riley to the Rockies for Jon Gray.
-Mike Trout and Fernando Tatis Jr. led their leagues in the All-Star voting. J.T. Realmuto was elected was the starting catcher, Aaron Nola the starting pitcher, and Jimmy Nelson was selected as a reserve.
-Kumar Rocker was the top overall pick in the draft by the Pirates.
-Ryan Jeffers and Pavin Smith were the Players of the Week.
-The Dodgers head into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball, at 64-27. The White Sox are tops in the AL at 61-30.

[jaa36]

After a rocky 4-10 start, the Phillies have settled in as a fairly good team overall, going 35-20 since to enter the All-Star break 2 1/2 games out of a postseason berth. We've scored 415 runs (7th overall) and allowed 404 (6th), with the bullpen in particular making a nice turnaround after some early struggles.

On the offensive side, J.T. Realmuto has been worth every bit of his free agent contract, hitting .296 with 16 home runs and a team-leading 2.8 WAR. Alec Bohm and Andrew McCutchen have both come on strong in the last month and have 15 and 14 homers respectively. Bryce Harper hasn't hit for much average but has hit his share of home runs and walked plenty. Brad Miller has been a pleasant surprise in a reserve role. The middle infielders (Didi Gregorius and Jean Segura) have been a bit of a disappointment, and center field remains a hole, to no great surprise.

The pitching has been pretty solid overall. Aaron Nola has settled in as a true ace. Zack Wheeler and Matt Moore have both allowed a ton of home runs, but they've had some very good starts as well. Jimmy Nelson has been a terrific low-cost addition. Zach Eflin continues to scuffle in AAA. We've gotten remarkable work from three early-season bullpen additions in Kendall Graveman, Matt Barnes and Taylor Williams.

[jaa36]

The Phillies swept their series against the Marlins and are now 52-40 overall.

July 16: Phillies 8, Marlins 0. Aaron Nola was absolutely dominating, striking out 16 and holding the Marlins scoreless over eight innings. Nola allowed just there hits and two walks en route to winning his tenth game and lowering his ERA to 1.98. J.T. Realmuto had three hits, including a home run, and drove in five.

July 17: Phillies 4, Marlins 1. Zack Wheeler followed up Nola with a great start of his own, throwing six scoreless innings, and Matt Barnes, Archie Bradley and Hector Neris took things the rest of the way. Wheeler helped his own cause with an RBI single in the second, and Andrew McCutchen followed him up with a two-run homer.

July 18: Phillies 6, Marlins 4. Jimmy Nelson had to leave with a sprained ankle after just one inning, and Vince Velasquez put the Phils in a hole early by giving up a grand slam to Miguel Rojas. Alec Bohm had three hits, including a two-run homer that put the Phils back ahead in the seventh. After Velasquez, the Phillies bullpen threw six scoreless innings, capped off by Neris's 19th save.

Transactions: The Phillies swung a trade with the Giants for infielder Donavan Solano, giving up a minor league pitcher. Solano hit .289 with 31 doubles for the Giants, and he makes $3.25M in the last year of his contract. He'll get the majority of the starts at second base, with Jean Segura spelling Didi Gregorius at shortstop against most lefties. Ronald Torreyes was designated for assignment but accepted a demotion to Lehigh Valley. Jimmy Nelson was placed on the IL- he should only miss two starts- and Sam Coonrod was brought up to give the bullpen an additional arm, with Zach Eflin anticipated to return next week to temporarily replace Nelson in the rotation.

Around the league:
-Matt Olson won the Home Run Derby.
-Yordan Alvarez homered twice to help the AL with the All-Star Game, 6-3. J.T. Realmuto was one for three, Jimmy Nelson gave up one run in one inning, and Aaron Nola did not pitch.
-Chris Archer was traded from the Rays to the Brewers.
-Trea Turner hit for the cycle.
-Kenley Jansen signed a two-year extension with the Dodgers worth $15.8M.
-Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Bell won the Player of the Week awards.

[jaa36]

A 3-3 week leaves us at 55-43 overall.

July 20: Yankees 9, Phillies 1. Matt Moore was knocked around for six runs in just 3 2/3 innings as the Yankees bludgeoned the Phillies. Meanwhile, Jonathan Loaisiga struck out nine in 5 1/3 innings.

July 21: Phillies 14, Yankees 4. Gerrit Cole looked like he was cruising through four innings- until the Phillies erupted for eight runs (four unearned) in the fifth to chase him. They tacked on five more in the next inning to make it a blowout. Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto all homered, with Hoskins driving in five runs, and Jean Segura had four hits.

July 22: Braves 13, Phillies 3. A rare clunker by Aaron Nola gave the Braves a runaway win. Ronald Acuna Jr. had four hits, including one of four Atlanta home runs, and Freddie Freeman drove in four runs.

July 23: Phillies 8, Braves 2. The Phils scored five in the second and never looked back. Zack Wheeler allowed two runs in 7 1/3 innings to get his ninth win. Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in three runs.

July 24: Phillies 11, Braves 3. Bryce Harper hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to put the Phillies ahead. Zach Eflin returned from the minors to get the win, allowing two runs in five innings.

July 25: Braves 6, Phillies 1. Freddie Freeman homered twice and drove in five runs as the Braves tied the four-game series. Ian Anderson pitched seven innings, allowing just one run, and the Phillies grounded into five double plays.

Transactions: We had our eyes on James Paxton, who had a 3.45 ERA in 12 starts, before the Astros swooped in and stole him. I swung a deal for Kevin Gausman, who was 4-5 with a 3.67 ERA, for two minor leaguers, with the Giants picking up the majority of Gausman's remaining salary. Gausman will likely push Zach Eflin back to the minors. With five days left before the deadline, I'll likely attempt to upgrade center field and the bullpen if possible.

Around the league:
-Ryan McMahon and George Kirby were suspended for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl.
-Jose Abreu and Paul DeJong were the Players of the Week.
-Eduardo Rodriguez was traded to the Angels for two minor leaguers.
-James Paxton was traded to the Astros (as above) for three minor leaguers.

[jaa36]

It was a disappointing 3-4 week on the field... but an exciting one off the field as the Phillies shored up their club for a postseason run.

July 26: Nationals 8, Phillies 4. Spencer Howard gave up four runs in five innings to take the loss. Stephen Strasburg struck out ten over seven innings to get the victory. A three-run homer by Yan Gomes gave the Nationals a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

July 27: Nationals 7, Phillies 5. Juan Soto's second home run of the game helped the Nationals come from behind against the Phillies. Philadelphia had scored five early runs off Stephen Fuentes, but the Washington bullpen threw six scoreless innings.

July 28: Phillies 7, Nationals 1. Zack Wheeler threw seven shutout innings to break a string of lackluster starts. Alec Bohm hit his 18th home run and drove in three runs.

July 29: Nationals 6, Phillies 4 (10 innings). A double by pinch-hitter J.T. Realmuto tied the score in the eighth, but Andrew Knapp was thrown out at home trying to put the Phillies ahead. Trea Turner drove in two runs with a triple in the tenth, and the Phillies went down meekly against Daniel Hudson in the bottom of the inning.

July 30: Pirates 2, Phillies 1. Someone named Chad Kuhl held the Phillies to just one run over eight innings. Zach Eflin was effective, allowing two runs in six innings but taking the loss in what proved to be his last start in a Philadelphia uniform.

July 31: Phillies 14, Nationals 6 (15 innings). A wild affair was capped off with an eight-run Phillies rally in the fifteenth inning. Stephen Brault held the Phils to two runs in seven innings despite walking six batters. Meanwhile, Matt Moore left with an ankle injury after three innings, leaving the bullpen to take things the rest of the way. Didi Gregorius singled in the tying run in the top of the ninth, but the Phillies left the bases loaded and the game went to extras. The clubs traded runs in the eleventh, and they scored two runs apiece in the thirteenth. Kendall Graveman, the last man in the Phillies bullpen, stranded the winning run at third in the fourteenth, and in the next inning, the floodgates opened, with Jean Segura capping off the eight-run inning with a three-run homer.

August 1: Phillies 2, Pirates 1. Aaron Nola saved the exhausted Phillies bullpen, throwing seven innings and allowing one run to win his eleventh game. Matt Barnes and new acquisition Andrew Miller threw the last two innings to close out a tight game.

Transactions: The Phillies swung three trades before the deadline. The first one saw Mitch Haniger acquired from Seattle for a minor leaguer; Haniger was hitting .244 with 13 home runs and will play center field, with Billy McKinney designated for assignment. Next, Andrew Miller (2.70 ERA inn 40 innings) came over from the Cardinals for another minor leaguer, to give the Phils another lefty out of the pen. And finally, the Phillies traded Zach Eflin, Scott Kingery and Roman Quinn to the Angels for closer Raisel Iglesias, pitcher Patrick Sandoval and outfielder Dexter Fowler. Iglesias had a 2.09 ERA and 22 saves with the Angels and will push Hector Neris into a setup role. Brandon Kintzler (-0.2 WAR) was designated for assignment, and Jose Alvarado (5.40 ERA) will likely head down to Lehigh Valley when Jimmy Nelson returns from the IL in a couple days.

Around the league:
-Jorge Soler was traded to the White Sox for two minor leaguers.
-Marcus Semien was traded to the Cardinals for two players.
-Josh Donaldson hit three home runs.
-Brad Hand was traded to the Mets for four players; we actually were about to pull the trigger on a deal for him before the Mets struck, so picked up Miller instead.
-Alex Kirilloff, favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year, broke his elbow and will miss the rest of the season.
-Joey Votto got his 2000th career hit.
-Miguel Sano and Chris Taylor were the Players of the Month, Griffin Canning and Brad Hand the Pitchers of the Month, and Trevor Stephan and Adbert Alzolay the Rookies of the Month.
-Mike Trout and Lorenzo Cain were the Players of the Week.
-Trout now leads baseball with 7.0 WAR and has led the Angels to a 67-40 record, third best in the AL.