After exploding for 18 runs over the last two nights, the Phillies’ offense struggled to find the clutch hit in a 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday afternoon. Ranger Suarez was solid for most of his six-plus innings, but ran into some trouble in the quick-strike offense in the fourth inning, which allowed the Orioles to take a massive 4-0 lead. Philadelphia had plenty of opportunities to climb out of the hole, but Phillies hitters never rallied against the Orioles in the midweek matchup.
Phillies 1-for-10 with RISP
Uncharacteristically, the middle of the lineup combination of Kyle Schwarber (0-4, 3K), Bryce Harper (1-4, 1K), and Nick Castellanos (0-4, 2K) all struggled against Orioles pitching on an overcast Philadelphia afternoon. Harper’s single came in the first inning. “You know, we had nine hits and three walks,” Rob Thomson said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We had chances, but we just didn’t come through.”
Philadelphia was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position (RISP) and left nine runners on base. The Phillies had base runners in every inning but the eighth, but Baltimore’s pitching staff of Trevor Rogers, Dietrich Enns, and Keegan Akin pitched around the action on the base paths.
Suarez Stumbles in the Fourth Inning
Suarez’s official stat line after the game is 6.1 innings, nine hits, five runs (all earned), and three strikeouts. The game’s momentum swung in the fourth inning. After Turner tripled and was stranded on third base to keep the game scoreless, Baltimore strung together four straight hits to open the inning against Suarez.
Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman both singled before Jeremiah Jackson’s double to left field scored the opening run of the game. The next batter, Coby Mayo, stepped up and smacked a no-doubt home run towards Harry the K’s in left field for a 4-0 Orioles lead in the blink of an eye. It was the third career home run for the 23-year-old infielder.
“Got hurt by a three-run home run again,” Thompson said of Suarez’s performance. “Kind of a hanging change up. But overall, I thought his stuff was good. The fastball … looked like it had a little more life today. Change-up was really good. Just one bad inning.”
Turner Shined in Loss
Trea Turner reached base four times on Wednesday afternoon, including his single in the fifth inning that scored Edmundo Sosa for the Phils’ only run. He was 3-4 with a double and a triple on Wednesday afternoon. “I tried to hit it where they weren’t,” Turner said postgame. “Feels like the last two weeks or so, the at-bats have been pretty decent for the most part. Today, it was nice to see one fall in my second at bat, and just keep rolling from there. Hopefully, more of that to come.”
Turner is currently second in the National League with 132 hits and trails San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado (133 hits). Toronto’s Bo Bichette leads MLB with 144 hits in the 2025 season.
A Phillies Rest Day Before an Extended Road Trip
The Phillies won the three-game series against the Orioles, 2-1. The Phillies finished the six-game homestand with a 4-2 record with identical 2-1 marks against Detroit and Baltimore. Philadelphia has an off day on the schedule on August 7, before embarking on a ten-game road trip where the Phillies finally see another National League-based club for the first time since before the All-Star break.
The Phillies (65-49) trip opens with a three-game series against the Texas Rangers (60-55) to finish off the seven-series, 21-game American League gauntlet this weekend. Zach Wheeler’s scheduled start on Friday evening was pushed back to Sunday afternoon due to shoulder soreness on Wednesday. The Phillies ace underwent imaging, which yielded clean results, and the club wants to give their star pitcher a few more days to rest.
Philadelphia returns to N.L. competition against the Cincinnati Reds (60-55) and Washington Nationals (44-68) next week to close out the road swing. The Phillies’ next home series begins August 18 against the Seattle Mariners.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
