Did The Phillies Big Early Lead Make Them Too Comfortable?
For the half of the season, no team in baseball could touch the Phillies. Go back to July 11th. the Phillies just finished a sweep of the Dodgers. They were…
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 13: Trea Turner #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on after striking out to end the bottom of the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park on August 13, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Marlins defeated the Phillies 5-0.
(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)For the half of the season, no team in baseball could touch the Phillies. Go back to July 11th. the Phillies just finished a sweep of the Dodgers. They were up 6.5 games in the NL, 9.5 in the NL East, and 3.5 over any team in the AL.
But then something switched. They went into that weekend and lost a series to the lowly Athletics. It was the finals series before The All-Star break, so we wrote it off. But out of the All-Star break, they continued to struggle. They are 12-18 since they came back, and have won only two series. They could make it 3 if they beat the Braves tonight.
They are still 7 games up on the Braves. But the Dodgers now have a 1 game lead over them, despite the Phillies being 5-1 in games vs the Dodgers. The Brewers were 7.5 games behind them on July 11th, and are now only 1 game behind them. And the 3.5-game lead over the best team in the AL is down to a .5-game lead.
It could be worse. They definitely got some help from around the league to soften the blow of this slump. But they took a dominating lead and made things incredibly tight.
What Went Wrong With The Phillies?
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)So what went wrong? Were they never that good to begin with? No, this is a very talented team. The way they were playing earlier in the season is way closer to what they should be than this. They have dealt with some injuries, but nothing so dire it should cause the team to fall apart.
When Jayson Stark joined The Best Show Ever on Wednesday, before they beat the Braves that night, he had an interesting reason for these struggles.
"When you think back on the edge that they played with for three months and how they look now, they clearly lost that edge. Did they lose it by sending a message to their players that this is under control? We're just going to try to make it through the marathon. JT go have your knee surgery and come back and get healthy. Ranger, take your time hitting the reset button. We'll see in a month and we'll be fine when we get to October.
When you do that, you're clearly taking your foot off that gas pedal that Rob Thompson was referring to. Maybe it sends a message. Maybe I'm overreacting to it. But they have not been the same team since they've done it that way."
It is not the first time Jayson Stark said this. He suggested something very similar a week earlier.
"Did they stop approaching the season as if the games mattered, or were they just trying to navigate the marathon and get to October? Whatever it was, it just feels like again from afar that they lost their edge somewhere along the way."
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)And it makes sense. When you are so far ahead, and everyone is constantly talking about how you have nothing to worry about, it is hard to keep up that same level of intensity.
Maybe they did pulled their foot off the gas a bit. Perhaps they got a bit too comfortable, and lost some of their edge. But if that is the case, they need to find a way to get it back. Even over this 5-1 stretch, they don't look like quite the same team that built up that early lead.
This team is too talented to not go all the way. They have mostly survived through this horrible stretch. but its time to slam your foot back on that gas. Be the team that had Phillies fans planning out the World Series parade in June.
You wasted all of your room for error. The division is not in peril, but the bye week, and home field advantage is. Figure it out. If it really was that they got too comfortable, they can no longer be comfortable.
Listen To Or Watch ‘The Best Show Ever?’ Live On The 97.5 The Fanatic And On NBC Sports Philly From 2 To 6 p.m. every Weekday
Citizens Bank Park hosted one of its most memorable series of the 2024 season. Phillies Alumni Weekend attracted fans of all ages to see former president and CEO David Montgomery posthumously join the Wall of Fame.
Related Content: Citizens Bank Park: The Place To Be In Philadelphia
Phillies Alumni Weekend
The legends from different eras attended the weekend festivities during a series against the Washington Nationals. Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton highlighted the star-studded list of champions from the franchise’s first World Series in 1980.
Carlos Ruiz and Brad Lidge kicked off the celebrations on Friday night before most of their former teammates got to the ballpark for their appearances.
Ballpark regulars like Larry Bowa, Charlie Manuel, and John Kruk also got a rise out of the crowd, as always.
The 20th anniversary of Citizens Bank Park’s inaugural season provided the perfect opportunity to honor David Montgomery. Sunday’s pregame ceremony and the entire weekend flawlessly highlighted the legacy of a proud organization.
Carlos Ruiz Throws Ceremonial First Pitch
The weekend started with a bang. Carlos Ruiz received a special gift from the Phillies organization, home plate from Wrigley Field on the day in 2015 when he became the second catcher in MLB history to catch four no-hitters.
Ruiz reversed roles with 2008 World Series teammate Brad Lidge on the ceremonial first pitch on Friday night. Lidge joked about returning the favor to his former battery mate.
The Panamanian backstop played 1069 regular-season games in 11 seasons with the Phillies from 2006-2016. Señor Octubre also caught 46 playoff games for some of the best teams in franchise history.
97.5 The Fanatic Instagram: Carlos Ruiz Throws Ceremonial First Pitch To Brad Lidge
David Montgomery On The Wall Of Fame
Former Phillies President and CEO David Montgomery joined the Phillies Wall of Fame posthumously on Saturday night.
Montgomery spent 48 years in various roles within the organization, rising into the executive ranks during the 1990s. He passed away in 2019 after a five-year battle with cancer.
His wife Lyn Montgomery and his daughter Susa McFall attended the festivities on David’s behalf.
The Phillies alumni in attendance lauded Montgomery for the family atmosphere he created within the organization. The Roxborough native built a reputation for his inclusion of all ballpark staff, from star outfielders to security guards and from starting pitchers to elevator attendants.
Mike Schmidt spoke about Montgomery after the Wall of Fame ceremony.
Photo by Colin Newby | BBGI PhiladelphiaMonty's Angle
Phillies fans stepping through the gates at Citizens Bank Park enter David Montgomery’s living legacy. His vision to move the team from Veterans Stadium led to a new era in franchise history.
He’s credited with a unique ballpark dimension that now bears his name. The left-center field wall at Citizens Bank Park has produced some crazy bounces over the years.
None were more memorable than J.T. Realmuto’s inside-the-park home run in Game 4 of the NLDS in 2022.
Former Phillies center fielder and fellow Penn graduate Doug Glanville unveiled the new name.
A Good Touch
The Phillies asked three alumni to change the bases after the third inning on Saturday as part of Wall of Fame Night. It felt fitting that Jim Thome took first and Juan Samuel took second.
Manny Trillo played along and took third base, where he shifted at some points during his career although he played second for the 1980 World Champions. Nice touch.
Legends Process Into Citizens Bank Park
The Phillies treated fans with an up close and personal look at the existing Wall of Fame inductees.
The franchise legends processed through the left field gate at Citizens Bank Park just steps shy of Ashburn Alley in front of a screaming audience about two hours before Cristopher Sanchez threw the first pitch on Saturday.
Fans who arrived early saw legends of all different eras. Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, and Greg Luzinski were among the stars who lit up the eyes of the older generation who watched the World Series in 1980.
Jim Thome and Bobby Abreu provided a trip down memory lane to the earliest years of Citizens Bank Park.
Charlie Manuel and Pat Gillick brought the entire crowd back to the Golden Era of Phillies baseball from 2007-2011.
97.5 The Fanatic Instagram: Legends Process Into Citizens Bank Park
On-Field Salute To 20th Anniversary At Citizens Bank Park
The organization wrapped up the weekend festivities with a pregame ceremony on Sunday. All alumni in attendance marched out of the dugout on a memorable afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
PhanaVision showed some of the career highlights of players who have made an impact on the long history of the Phillies, the longest single-name, single-city franchise in North American professional sports.
Series Victory Over The Nationals
The Phillies didn’t forget there was a series to play. They had hit their low point of the 2024 season after a 5-0 embarrassment against the Miami Marlins on the first game of the homestand on Tuesday.
They’ve recovered nicely by salvaging the split against the Fish and pounding the inferior Nationals in a commanding weekend series win that made the franchise legends proud.
Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Sanchez regained the form that helped the Phillies off to a hot start to gain control of the National League East. A loss on Sunday snapped a four-game winning streak, but they’ll hit the road now to face stronger opponents in the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals.
Photo by Heather Barry/Getty ImagesFull List Of Phillies Alumni Attendees
Circa 1980: Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Greg Luzinski, Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Bob Wine, Manny Trillo, Juan Samuel, Ron Reed, Dickie Noles, Gary Matthews, Garry Maddox, Steve Jeltz, Greg Gross
Circa 1993: John Kruk, Milt Thompson, Tommy Greene, Larry Andersen, Ruben Amaro Jr., Kevin Stocker, Jeff Manto
Circa 2004 Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, Mike Lieberthal, Brandon Duckworth
Circa 2008: Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Charlie Manuel, Pat Gillick, Brad Lidge, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Ryan Madson, Aaron Rowand, Erik Kratz, Kevin Frandsen
Local Alumni: Mark Leiter Sr., Greg Legg, Art Mahaffey, Ramon Henderson, Terry Harmon, Gene Garber, Doug Clemens, John Briggs, Howie Bedell
Photo by Colin Newby | BBGI Philadelphia
