2021 Phillies

[jaa36]

The Phillies won four and lost three for the week and now have a 62-50 record overall.

May 2: Phillies 2, Nationals 1. Zack Wheeler was terrific, striking out ten in seven innings. Didi Gregorius homered in the eighth to give the Phils the lead. A tired Raisel Iglesias put two runners on the ninth before he was relieved by Hector Neris, who struck out Gerardo Parra on a 3-2 pitch and then coaxed a game-ending groundout from Chris Owings.

May 3: Nationals 8, Phillies 6. Kevin Gausman took a 6-3 lead into the fifth before allowing the Nationals to tie the score with two home runs. Trea Turner's two-run triple in the sixth gave the Nats the lead. Washington's anonymous relief corps held the Phillies scoreless over the last five innings. Didi Gregorius drove in three runs for the Phils.

May 4: Phillies 11, Nationals 5. The Phillies scored six runs in the third inning to win in a rout. Jean Segura had four hits and drove in three runs. Rhys Hoskins hit his 22nd home run of the season.

May 5: Nationals 12, Phillies 11. The lead changed hands eight times as the Nationals won a wild one. The Phillies scored in the final five innings, but it wasn't enough, as Raisel Iglesias was roughed up for four consecutive hits upon his attempt to close things out in the ninth. The Phils mustered 16 hits in the loss, including homers by Rhys Hoskins and Adam Haseley.

May 6: Phillies 11, Mets 3. Mitch Haniger homered twice, the second one an inside-the-parker, as the Phillies rolled. Aaron Nola was solid over 7 2/3 innings, while Noah Syndergaard was knocked out in the third inning.

May 7: Phillies 11, Mets 10 (11 innings). Hot-hitting Jean Segura gave the Phillies the lead in the seventh with a two-run homer, but Jonathan Villar tied it back up with a homer in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias was victimized for two more runs in the tenth, but consecutive hits by Andrew Knapp and J.T. Realmuto helped the Phils tie the score in the bottom of the inning, and Segura provided a walk-off hit in the eleventh (though injured himself in the process).

May 8: Mets 4, Phillies 3. Jacob deGrom wasn't at his best, but the Phillies couldn't quite provide enough offense to get the win. Alec Bohm had four hits for the Phillies.

Transactions: As expected, Jose Alvarado was sent to Lehigh Valley, with Jimmy Nelson returning to the rotation. Jean Segura is awaiting final word on his injury, though it's likely he'll miss some time.

Around the league:
-Jose Ramirez had a five-hit game.
-Maikel Franco announced he would join the military (for the Dominican Republic?) after the season.
-Gerrit Cole threw a no-hitter against the Mariners... which I suppose isn't that impressive.
-Michael Brantley broke his kneecap and will miss the rest of the year.
-The NL West has had some pretty dramatic separation between the haves and the have-nots- the Dodgers have won 13 in a row, and the Diamondbacks have lost 14 in a row.
-Xander Bogaerts and Alec Bohm were the Players of the Week. Bohm had thirteen hits, including two home runs.

[jaa36]

A very disappointing week ended with a 4-game losing streak. The Phillies are now 2 1/2 games behind the Mets for the second Wild Card.

August 10: Phillies 5, Dodgers 3. Consecutive hits by Adam Haseley and Donavan Solano gave the Phillies the lead in the seventh inning. Brad Miller continued his remarkable season by reaching base all four times he came up. Kendall Graveman, Matt Barnes, Hector Neris and Raisel Iglesias each provided scoreless innings in relief.

August 11: Phillies 9, Dodgers 6. Didi Gregorius had three hits as the Phillies beat the best team in baseball for the second game in a row. Singles by Adam Haseley and Rhys Hoskins gave the Phillies a cushion in the eighth inning.

August 12: Dodgers 4, Phillies 2. Walker Buehler beat Aaron Nola in a battle of aces, with Buehler raising his record to 16-5 and his ERA to an even 2.00. Nola gave up four runs in the first inning, but settled down the rest of the way.

August 13: Reds 6, Phillies 0. Sonny Gray pitched a complete-game shutout, striking out eight and allowing just four hits. Michael Lorenzen homered twice for the Reds, and Jesse Winker also homered and had three hits.

August 14: Reds 6, Phillies 3. Mike Moustakas hit a three-run homer off Kevin Gausman to provide the winning margin. The Phillies mustered 11 hits and brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but couldn't complete the comeback.

August 15: Reds 10, Phillies 8 (10 innings). A thoroughly dispiriting game that ended with the Phillies getting swept by the Reds and losing their fourth in a row. Donavan Solano, Didi Gregorius and Mitch Haniger had three hits apiece, with Solano homering twice. Meanwhile, Bryce Harper continued his remarkably poor season, going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts to drop his average to .202. The Reds scored one in the ninth and two in the tenth off Raisel Iglesias, who has a 12.60 ERA in a Phillies uniform thus far.

Transactions: Andrew McCutchen hit the IL with a fractured foot and will miss a month- this is actually the first serious injury the Phillies have suffered all season! Adam Haseley will take over in left field, with Mickey Moniak coming up from Lehigh Valley.

Around the league:
-James Paxton struck out 15 for the Astros. Wish I had pulled the trigger to get him a day earlier...
-Luis Castillo struck out 17 for the Reds.
-Stephen Strasburg will miss the rest of the season with bone chips in his elbow.
-Whit Merrifield and Ronald Acuna Jr. were the Players of the Week.

[jaa36]

The Phillies went 3-3 on the week and ended up 67-57- three games out of the second Wild Card.

August 17: Diamondbacks 3, Phillies 2. Aaron Nola took the loss as the Phillies dropped their fifth straight. Alex Young allowed one run in six innings for the Diamondbacks. Tim Locastro helped Arizona with a home run.

August 18: Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 1. Alec Bohm hit a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning to lead the Phillies to the win. Zack Wheeler allowed one run in six innings, with Archie Bradley and Andrew Miller closing things out.

August 19: Phillies 10, Diamondbacks 5. Bryce Harper broke out of his slump in a colossal way, blasting three home runs and driving in seven. Harper's grand slam in the eighth inning helped the Phils come from behind.

August 20: Padres 5, Phillies 0. Blake Snell held the Phillies scoreless over 6 2/3 innings. The Padres scored two in the first and three in the fifth to get the win.

August 21: Phillies 3, Padres 0. Matt Moore threw 4 1/3 perfect innings before he had to depart with a sore back. Five relievers finished the shutout for the Phils. There was some excitement as Mitch Haniger and Yu Darvish were both ejected for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl.

August 22: Padres 2, Phillies 1. Aaron Nola pitched well but dropped his third straight game. Didi Gregorius homered for the second straight game.

Transactions: None, but we may bring Spencer Howard up for a start or two as Matt Moore recovers from his injury. Mitch Haniger was suspended for four games, but that won't require a roster move.

Around the league:
-Jose Abreu and Ryan McMahon were named the Players of the Week.
-Trent Grisham will miss 5-6 weeks with a concussion. Grisham is currently third in the NL with 5.9 WAR.
-The Mets have overtaken the Braves for first in the NL East.

[jaa36]

The Phillies went 4-2 on the week and now are just two games back in the Wild Card standings.

August 24: Rays 10, Phillies 8 (10 innings). Alec Bohm had a big day, with four hits and three RBI. The Rays jumped ahead with four runs in the seventh inning off a hapless Andrew Miller, but Rhys Hoskins tied the score with a double in the eighth. The Phils loaded the bases in the ninth, but pinch hitter Andrew Knapp grounded out to end the threat. The Rays then put up two runs off Hector Neris in the tenth, and the Phillies couldn't answer.

August 25: Phillies 11, Rays 7. The Phillies tied the series with a win in another slugfest. Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura homered for Philadelphia. Kevin Gausman was rocked for five runs in 2 2/3 innings, but the bullpen was solid in the comeback.

August 26: Phillies 9, Diamondbacks 5. Adam Haseley and Dexter Fowler each hit three-run homers as the offense continued to roll. Jean Segura had three hits, and while the Phils got another shaky outing from their starter (Jimmy Nelson), the bullpen was solid again.

August 27: Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 7 (10 innings). J.T. Realmuto hit a three-run homer in the third, and another home run by Mitch Haniger tied the score at four in the fourth inning. Things stayed that way for the next five, but Raisel Iglesias was tagged for four innings in the top of the tenth. The Phillies scored three in the bottom of the inning, getting new life with Kole Calhoun dropped what would have been the final out of the game, but J.T. Realmuto grounded out with the bases loaded to end it.

August 28: Phillies 8, Diamondbacks 7. The Phillies squandered an early 6-0 lead, with Matt Barnes giving up four in the ninth this time around. But the rally caps came out again, and Adam Haseley singled with the bases loaded and two outs to give the Phils a walk-off win. Alec Bohm drove in three runs on the day.

August 29: Phillies 4, Diamondbacks 1. Zack Wheeler was great, striking out nine and allowing a single run over eight innings. Rhys Hoskins hit his 26th home run.

Transactions: Matt Moore did go the IL but should return soon. Didi Gregorius broke his hand and will miss a month, with Ronald Torreyes coming up from Lehigh Valley. Meanwhile, the Angels quickly grew sick of Roman Quinn and placed him on waivers- we put in a claim (as he'll be a valuable pinch-runner in September and possibly October) and demoted Mickey Moniak.

Around the league:
-Anthony Santander and Austin Riley were the Players of the Week.
-The Dodgers have a 94-37 record and are well positioned to break the all-time record of 116 wins, despite having Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Lux and six other players on the IL. The Padres have easily the second-best record in the NL but are a distant 13 1/2 games back.

[jaa36]

The Phillies were swept by the Nationals- but then returned the favor against the Marlins to end up 3-3 on the week.

August 30: Nationals 6, Phillies 5. The Nationals scored five runs on a shaky Kevin Gausman. The Phils closed the gap in the late innings, scoring two in the seventh, one in the eighth and two in the ninth, but Adam Haseley struck out with the bases loaded to end it. Donavan Solano had three hits.

August 31: Nationals 8, Phillies 6. Josh Bell got things started with a three-run homer in the first, though the Phils roared back with four in the third and one in the fourth to take the lead. But Kendall Graveman was tagged for three runs in the fifth as the Nationals went back in front. The Phillies once again scored in the ninth inning but couldn't complete the comeback.

September 1: Nationals 9, Phillies 4. The bullpen struggled once again, as Matt Barnes served up a grand slam to Trea Turner in the seventh inning. Rhys Hoskins remained hot, with three hits, including his 27th home run.

September 3: Phillies 7, Marlins 3. Aaron Nola pitched a complete game, striking out eleven, though he allowed a two-run homer in the ninth. The Phillies collected six doubles on the day, including two by Donavan Solano, who raised his league-leading total to 47 on the season.

September 4: Phillies 3, Marlins 0. The Phils got another strong pitching performance, this time from Zack Wheeler, who threw seven shutout innings and struck out eleven himself. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm both homered for Philadelphia.

September 5: Phillies 5, Marlins 3. Sandy Alcantara kept the Phillies' bats quiet, but the team teed off on relievers Zach Pop and Braxton Garrett to score five in the eighth and take the lead. Adam Haseley drove in three runs, and Kevin Gausman turned things around by allowing just one run over six innings.

Transactions: Jose Alvarado was recalled from Lehigh Valley with roster expansion, as was Victor Gonzalez, though he was removed from the roster as Matt Moore has now returned from the IL. He'll slot into the rotation again, with Spencer Howard providing an extra bullpen arm. Seranthony Dominguez has finally started his return from injury as well and will get some work in AAA before potentially rejoining the team later this month.

Around the league:
-Kyle Tucker and Austin Riley were the Players of the Month, Sam Hentges and Sterling Sharp the Pitchers, and Hentges and Pavin Smith the Rookies.
-Noah Syndergaard signed a two-year extension worth $30M total with the Mets.
-20-year-old rookie Wander Franco hit for the cycle.
-Jose Ramirez and Nick Castellanos were the Players of the Week.
-The Yankees and Red Sox are both doing their best to lose the AL East, having lost eight of their last ten.
-The Brewers have won five straight and are in the thick of the NL second Wild Card race- we are heading into a series against them next.

[jaa36]

The Phillies are executing their standard September swoon, getting swept by Milwaukee and going 2-5 on the week to fall three games behind the Braves and 1 1/2 behind the Brewers.

September 6: Brewers 3, Phillies 2 (11 innings). An excruciating extra-inning loss to start the series. Jimmy Nelson pitched six scoreless innings and helped his own cause with an RBI single in the fifth. Hector Neris got Omar Narvaez down 0-2 with two outs in the ninth before serving up a game-tying home run. The Phillies went down meekly in the tenth and eleventh, and light-hitting Manny Pina drove in the game winner for Milwaukee.

September 7: Brewers 3, Phillies 2 (11 innings). Same score, different day. Corbin Burnes and Matt Moore both pitched well. Rhys Hoskins drove in a run in the tenth, but Alec Bohm struck out with two on and two out to end the rally. Hector Neris blew his second save in two days in the bottom of the inning, and Brad Miller (who came in in a double-switch several innings before) kicked the ball in left field to allow the game-winner to score in the eleventh.

September 8: Brewers 8, Phillies 3. Brandon Woodruff left in the third inning with an injury, but Aaron Nola couldn't take advantage, giving up six runs in four innings. Bryce Harper homered in the loss as the Brewers completed the sweep.

September 10 (game one): Rockies 6, Phillies 1. In a game postponed from yesterday due to rain, Sam Hilliard homered and drove in four runs as Zack Wheeler was the latest Phillies starter to give up six runs. Meanwhile, German Marquez held the Phils to one run over eight innings.

September 10 (game two): Phillies 10, Rockies 6. The Phillies' bats came alive as they snapped a four-game losing streak, with Donavan Solano getting two extra-base hits and driving in four runs. The Phils hit four home runs on the day.

September 11: Rockies 6, Phillies 1. Jimmy Nelson pitched well, striking out ten in five innings, but Jake Fraley victimized the Phillies for three hits, including a home run. Kyle Freeland allowed just one run over seven innings.

September 12: Phillies 9, Rockies 4. Rhys Hoskins homered twice, reaching 30 on the season, as the Phillies rolled. Matt Moore was one out from a complete game.

Transactions: Andrew McCutchen returned from a month's absence on the IL, with Spencer Howard returning to Lehigh Valley. Alec Bohm strained his groin but is trying to play through it.

Around the league:
-Paul de Jong and Walker Buehler were both suspended for their roles in a brawl.
-Byron Buxton had a three-homer game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. outdid him a few days later, hitting four in a game!
-Miguel Cabrera hit his 500th career home run.
-Aroldis Chapman got his 3000th save.
-Anthony Rendon broke his knee and will miss six months.
-Martin Maldonado and Ronald Acuna Jr. were the Players of the Week.

[jaa36]

The Phillies turned things around by winning a wild one to kick off a four-game winning streak, then losing their final game of the week. After a Sunday rainout, the Phillies are a half-game behind the Brewers for the second Wild Card.

September 14: Phillies 13, Cubs 12. Would you believe the Phillies won a game in which 1. Aaron Nola gave up five runs in the first two innings, 2. the Phils committed five errors, 3. the Cubs were up by seven runs, 4. Ian Happ reached base all six times he was up, and 5P. Raisel Iglesias gave up a three-run homer in the ninth to blow his third save since joining the team? Well- they did! The Phils scored seven runs in the seventh inning to tie it, then went ahead in the eighth, and made up for the blown save when Andrew McCutchen hit a walk-off three-run homer in his first game back from injury.

September 15: Phillies 6, Cubs 1. Zack Wheeler was solid once again, allowing one run in seven innings to win his 14th game. Mitch Haniger and Donovan Solano drove in three runs apiece.

September 16: Phillies 5, Cubs 3. Kevin Gausman pitched well enough to win, allowing two runs over five innings as Philadelphia completed the sweep. Adam Haseley and Donovan Solano each had three hits.

September 17: Phillies 6, Mets 2. The Phillies advanced their winning streak to four games, with Jimmy Nelson throwing five solid innings. Bryce Harper reached base four times, and Andrew McCutchen hit his 20th home run.

September 18: Mets 5, Phillies 3. The Mets scored two off Jose Alvarado in the eighth inning to break a tie. Noah Syndergaard went eight innings for New York.

Transactions: None.

Around the league:
-Jared Walsh hit three homers for the Angels.
-Jordan Hicks was injured by a pitching machine.
-Max Kepler and Ryan McMahon were the Players of the Week.
-The Dodgers have a 105-45 record and have a very small chance of breaking the all-time wins record.
-The Astros and the White Sox have clinched playoff spots.

[jaa36]

The Phillies have fattened up on the hapless Orioles and Pirates- winning seven straight to put them comfortably in front for the second Wild Card, with a 4 1/2 game lead! Our magic number to clinch is just three, with seven to play.

September 20: Phillies 4, Orioles 2. Aaron Nola allowed one run and struck out eight over six innings, and Archie Bradley, Hector Neris and Raisel Iglesias threw the final three frames. Brad Miller homered for the Phils.

September 21: Phillies 3, Orioles 2. Zack Wheeler gave up two runs in the seventh to allow the Orioles to tie the score, but Donovan Solano singled in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning. The bullpen was solid once again, with Raisel Iglesias picking up his second consecutive save.

September 22: Phillies 12, Orioles 1. The Phillies scored in six consecutive innings in the rout. Donovan Solano had four hits, including two more doubles. The Phillies collected 13 hits and 13 walks, with three other players also reaching base four times in the game, as the Phillies completed a sweep of the Orioles.

September 23: Phillies 9, Pirates 3. Alec Bohm had three hits and drove in five runs in another blowout. Bryce Harper hit his 25th homer of the season.

September 24: Phillies 9, Pirates 2. In his first game back from injury, Didi Gregorius homered twice and had three hits total. Mitch Haniger and J.T. Realmuto also homered for the Phils. Matt Moore left with an injury in the second inning, but the bullpen performed admirably in the win.

September 25: Phillies 5, Pirates 0. Aaron Nola pitched eight shutout innings to get his 15th win of the season. Didi Gregorius homered again for the Phillies.

September 26: Phillies 3, Pirates 2 (10 innings). JT Brubaker had shut down the Phillies' bats, Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to tie it. The Phils got superb relief work once again, and Mitch Haniger hit a sac fly in the tenth to end it. Donovan Solano extended his hitting streak to 17 games and now has 55 doubles on the season.

Transactions: Didi Gregorius returned from the IL, with Ronald Torreyes designated for assignment again. Matt Moore, Matt Barnes and Andrew McCutchen all sustained minor injuries but won't need to hit the IL.

Around the league:
-Jorge Soler and Daniel Norris were suspended for fighting.
-Donovan Solano and Willi Castro were the Players of the Week.
-The Angels made the postseason- but Mike Trout is on the IL after sustaining a concussion.
-Most of the division races have been decided, but the Red Sox hold just a two-game advantage over the Rays in the AL East.

[jaa36]

The Phillies have done it- making the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The team finished with a record of 91-71 and will head to San Diego for a one-game playoff.

September 27: Mets 4, Phillies 3. The Phillies took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but the first-place Mets snapped their winning streak at seven games. Pete Alonso homered off Hector Neris in the eighth, and J.D. Davis hit a walk-off double off Raisel Iglesias in the ninth. Andrew Miller and Matt Barnes were both injured- Miller is out for the postseason with a torn meniscus, while Barnes might return from a knee injury if we go deep enough into the postseason.

September 28: Phillies 8, Braves 6. Dexter Fowler walked with the bases loaded in the ninth to give the Phillies the lead. Alec Bohm remained hot, homering for the second consecutive game.

September 29: Phillies 6, Braves 1. Matt Moore gave the Phillies seven shutout innings as they officially punched their ticket to the postseason. Alec Bohm kept rolling with a grand slam.

September 30: Braves 6, Phillies 4. Aaron Nola gave up two runs in six innings in his final start of the regular season, but Seranthony Dominguez was tagged for four runs in a third of an inning to take the loss.

October 1: Phillies 6, Marlins 1. Zack Wheeler needed to leave in the second inning with a finger blister- but fortunately, he should be OK to return for the playoffs. The bullpen was excellent, and Jean Segura and Roman Quinn had three hits apiece.

October 2: Phillies 15, Marlins 12 (14 innings). A meaningless game that would not end... Both teams scored six runs in the eighth inning. They matched up for a run apiece in the twelfth and thirteenth, and the Phils put up four in the fourteenth, with Donovan Solano picking up his fifth RBI of the day. With the Phillies' bullpen totally depleted, Roman Quinn came on to get the last out.

October 3: Marlins 4, Phillies 0. Sixto Sanchez held the Phillies' second string scoreless over 7 2/3 innings. Jimmy Nelson and Spencer Howard gave the rest of the Philadelphia staff some much-needed rest.

Transactions: Andrew Miller and Matt Barnes both hit the IL, as above. Zack Wheeler and Dexter Fowler were left off the Wild Card game roster.

Around the league:
-Eric Hosmer called a players-only meeting for the Padres, which Ha-seong Kim later said "didn't work." The Padres finished 95-67, so things weren't so bad...
-Wilmer Flores and Madison Bumgarner were suspended after a brawl.
-Jose Ramirez and Ronald Acuna Jr. were the Players of the Month, Frankie Montas and Luke Weaver the Pitchers of the Month, and Matt Manning and Ke'Bryan Hayes the Rookies.
-Lucas Giolito threw a no-hitter for the White Sox. Giolito won the pitching Triple Crown, with 21 wins, a 2.77 ERA and 331 strikeouts.
-The Dodgers finished with 112 wins. The Mets and Reds also won their divisions in the AL, and the Yankees, White Sox and Astros took theirs in the AL.

[jaa36]

The Phillies ended up third in the league in scoring, and seventh in runs allowed. All around, the team really came together after a slow start, and then went 16-3 down the stretch. We were helped along quite a bit by excellent health- with only Didi Gregorius and Andrew McCutchen spending any significant time on the IL among the regulars, and relievers Matt Barnes and Andrew Miller at the very end of the season.

The lineup was deep and productive, with every regular contributing. Alec Bohm was third in the league with 119 RBI. J.T. Realmuto was easily worth his new contract. Bryce Harper hit just .232, but led the league in walks. Donovan Solano had a crazy 57 doubles. Rhys Hoskins led the team with 32 home runs. Brad Miller was a reliable pinch-hitter all season.

The pitching staff was also very good. Aaron Nola finished third in the league with a 2.77 ERA. Zack Wheeler was a reliable #2 after a slow start. The rest of the rotation was decent after Chase Anderson and Zach Eflin were dumped. The back end of the bullpen had its share of hiccups, including midseason acquisition Raisel Iglesias, but the Phils were able to get good performances from low-cost options like Kendall Graveman, Matt Barnes and Taylor Williams.

[jaa36]

The Phillies' first postseason trip in a decade ended quickly and unceremoniously as we lost the one-game playoff 7-0 to the Padres. Aaron Nola got down 4-0 in the first after a home run by Fernando Tatis Jr., and Blake Snell held the Phillies to a single hit over seven innings. Oh well...

Around the league:
-Sonny Gray threw a postseason perfect game for the Reds against the Mets!
-Yoenis Cespedes surprisingly came back and played great for the Twins this season, but then book a bone in his elbow during the playoffs.
-Adam Haseley started a charity (and I stiffed him and was called greedy by an anonymous source).
-Justin Verlander suffered a setback in his rehab from Tommy John and decided to retire.
-Luis Urias injured himself moving furniture.
-The Mets, winner of 96 games in the regular season, defeated the 99-win White Sox in seven games to win the World Series. Boo.

That pretty much wraps things up! Thanks for reading.