All good things must come to an end. After winning nine straight games to begin the month of June, the Philadelphia Phillies’ win streak was broken on Sunday afternoon as they dropped their series finale to the Arizona Diamondbacks 13-1. Interim manager Rob Thomson has now been handed his first managerial loss, currently owning an impressive 8-1 record as Phillies skipper.
How it Happened
The Phillies entered the contest rocking the same lineup build they have used in recent days. From Kyle Schwarber to J.T. Realmuto, the top five of the lineup has only changed when Realmuto has been given a day off behind the plate. Didi Gregorius then was slated in the six-spot with the Phillies Daycare taking over the bottom third in Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Mickey Moniak.
Ranger Suarez was set for his 12th start of the season for the Phillies, going into the contest with a 4.42 ERA. Suarez’ durability has come into question this season, however, as he has averaged 5.0 innings per start so far. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, were set for a bullpen game as 25-year old reliever Kyle Nelson made his first career start.
Suarez struggled to work through the top of the first inning, requiring 40 pitches alone to record the first three outs of the game. After Jordan Luplow and Josh Rojas reached base, giving the Diamondbacks their first two batters on base, Ketel Marte hit a ground-ball to Alec Bohm at third. Bohm then throws to second instead of tagging Luplow, who is directly in from of him, missing both outs as the Diamondbacks loaded the bases.
Later in the inning, with one out, Pavin Smith hit a comebacker to Suarez, setting up a 1-2-3 double play. Realmuto, however, missed the throw as an error allowed two runs to score. Marte later scored as the Diamondbacks claimed an early 3-0 lead.
The pair then began to make up for it in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Phillies on the board. Realmuto reached base on a two-out infield single before advancing to second on a walk to Gregorius. Bohm then stepped up to the plate, slinging a single into center field, scoring Realmuto as the Phillies cut the deficit to 3-1.
After a leadoff walk to Josh Rojas in the top of the fifth, Christian Walker hit an RBI double into center field. The one-out double was the final nail in the coffin for Suarez as the Phillies went to the bullpen after 4.1 innings of work. Nick Nelson entered the game in relief for the Phillies, recording two quick outs to end the inning. Suarez ended the day with four runs, two earned runs, over the course of 4.1 innings including four walks.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins worked back-to-back walks with one out, putting two runners on with Bryce Harper due up at the plate. Harper reached base on a hard-hit ball to Rojas at third, resulting in an error and loaded bases for the Phillies.
Nick Castellanos and Realmuto, however, both struck out to reliever Noe Ramirez as the Phillies left the bases stranded. Nelson then struggled in the top of the sixth, allowing four runs on the inning as the Diamondbacks opened up their lead to 8-1.
The Phillies’ bullpen woes did not stop with Nelson as Jose Alvarado and James Norwood pitched the seventh and eighth innings respectively, allowing two additional runs each, increasing the Diamondbacks’ lead to 12-1.
Down 11 runs, the Phillies turned to backup catcher Garrett Stubbs to pitch the top of the ninth. Stubbs, the first position player of the year to pitch for the Phillies, allowed a solo shot to Jake McCarthy for his first career earned run.
The Phillies went down quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Odubel Herrera reached base on a dribbler down the third base line for the Phillies’ sole baserunner of the inning.
Inside the Stats
The Phillies struggled on every side of the ball in their first loss of the month on Sunday. Early defensive miscues by Bohm and Realmuto draw the eye while Phillies’ pitchers combined to walk 11 batters on the day. Suarez earned the loss on the day as he now owns a 4-4 record while dropping his ERA to 4.40 on the year.
Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offense left five runners on base in the fourth and fifth inning alone. The Phillies went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the day as the team was unable to put together any form of rally.
Realmuto closed out the day going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double the lone run scored for the Phillies. The Phillies overall only managed seven hits on the day, with the additional three coming from Gregorius, Bohm, Stott, and Herrera. Nick Castellanos and Mickey Moniak, meanwhile, went 0-for-7 combined on the day, striking out a combined six times.
What’s Next
The Phillies, now back to reality and sitting at 30-30 overall, will face old friends in the form of the Miami Marlins for a three-game set beginning Monday. Despite the loss on Sunday, the Phillies are riding a three-series winning streak as Aaron Nola will look to begin the winning streak anew.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
