Baseball teams win some games and lose some, but the rest decide their season.
The Phillies started strong but have hit a rough patch recently. They were on track to win 106 games by July, but things have changed. They’ve gone 10-15 in their last 25 games with a minus-27 run differential, losing five straight as of Saturday. Their lead in the National League East has shrunk from 9.5 games to just five over the Braves, with more head-to-head matchups coming soon.
Let’s dive into why the Phillies are struggling lately.
Pitching Problems
Early in the season, the Phillies had an amazing pitching staff with a 3.09 ERA, leading all teams. Their rotation had many quality starts and their bullpen was solid too.
But since July began, their pitching has fallen apart. They’re now ranked 27th in ERA and FIP (which looks at strikeouts, walks, and home runs). Only nine quality starts out of 25 attempts (36%). Relievers are having more “meltdowns” than “shutdowns.” Injuries haven’t helped either; Spencer Turnbull and Taijuan Walker went on IL in June, Ranger Suárez followed after posting a 6.61 ERA in three starts since July 1st .
Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler’s ERAs have also risen. The bullpen is struggling too: Matt Strahm blew three saves in his last ten appearances while José Alvarado allowed nine runs over his last few innings.
Cold Bats
The offense isn’t as bad as the pitching but still underperforming. They’re tied for 19th place in wRC+ since July started—same as Blue Jays and Pirates. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm have been bright spots along with Nick Castellanos and Weston Wilson providing some power.
Bryce Harper has been particularly cold at bat lately; his recent performance places him between Garrett Stubbs and Cristian Pache statistically—definitely not where fans want him to be! His exit velocity is down slightly while launch angle is up but not hitting within his most effective trajectory band:
| Split | Exit velocity | 95 mph+% | Launch angle | LA 10-30 degrees% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Before July 1 |
91.3 mph |
48.1% |
13.4 degrees |
34.1% |
|
Since July 1 |
 |
