The slump reached its lowest point on Tuesday night. The Philadelphia Phillies have lost 16 of their last 24 games since the MLB All-Star Break, and they’ve tightened a National League playoff race that once seemed too comfortable to imagine.

The lineup posted seven gooseggs against a no-name starting pitcher for a team 31 games under .500. The Phillies got outscored by 16 runs against their NLCS nemesis. Trea Turner took a seat on the bench Wednesday.

Is the sky actually falling over Citizens Bank Park? The Phillies salvaged a series split with the lowly Marlins in a comeback victory on Wednesday. They have plenty of additional corrections ahead of them.

Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks

• Thursday 8/8: Win 6-4
• Friday 8/9: Loss 3-2
• Saturday 8/10: Loss 11-1
• Sunday 8/11: Loss 12-5

Phillies vs. Miami Marlins

• Tuesday 8/13: Loss 5-0
• Wednesday 8/14: Win 9-5

All stats as of the beginning of play on August 15

• The Worst Loss of the Season

  The midseason malaise came on full display in the first game of the current homestand on Tuesday. The Marlins entered the series in dead last place in the NL East ranked 29th in the majors in runs per game and tied for 27th in ERA.

  Taijuan Walker wiped away any optimism the home crowd had about facing an inferior opponent when he allowed two runs in an erratic first inning of his first start in nearly two months. The Philadelphia crowd brought out the boo birds early. 

  Unknown starter Valente Bellozo stunned the Phillies over seven scoreless innings and allowed just four hits against a deflated lineup.

  The boos turned to E-A-G-L-E-S chants in the late innings at a ballpark that’s supposed to be one of the liveliest in the major leagues. The Marlins embarrassed the Phillies in a 5-0 laugher.

  Kyle Schwarber’s grand slam on Wednesday reminded fans that baseball can be enjoyable to watch. However, the Phillies can’t call it a momentum-changer one week after they wasted the opportunity to allow a huge effort from Schwarber against the Los Angeles Dodgers to spark a winning streak.

  Confidence will come back with sustained success as the Phillies look to evolve back into the team that looked unstoppable in the early months of the season.

  Colin Newby on X (formerly Twitter): "What makes Rob Thomson think things will get back on track? Has it gotten to the point where the Phillies need to shake things up? "We're getting close, yea, but we'll see tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/2KPEKodcUC / X"

  What makes Rob Thomson think things will get back on track? Has it gotten to the point where the Phillies need to shake things up? "We're getting close, yea, but we'll see tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/2KPEKodcUC

• Trea Turner Sits In Phillies Win

  Rob Thomson decided to pull the trigger on a lineup change on Wednesday. He sat $300 million shortstop Trea Turner for utility infielder Edmundo Sosa.

  Turner has hit .168 in 22 games since the All-Star Break. It recently looked like he’d contend for a batting title if he reached status as a qualified hitter. However, he’s dropped from .349 to .297 during the slump. His subpar fielding and baserunning have made matters much worse.

  “It’s really about his (Turner’s) offense. He gets more time in the cage and (to) hone his swing and just get him off his feet (and) just let him breathe for a minute.” -Rob Thomson

  He’s far from the only culprit during the offensive slide, and another regular might take an involuntary seat during the upcoming weekend set against the Washington Nationals.

  The Phillies will face three consecutive left-handed starters to begin the series. Struggling lefties Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott are logical candidates to come out of the lineup.

  Colin Newby on X (formerly Twitter): "Trea Turner is on the bench against the Marlins.Could the off-day help him reset mentally to be more aggressive and turn it loose on the basepaths? pic.twitter.com/E2YuEuiUJ4 / X"

  Trea Turner is on the bench against the Marlins.Could the off-day help him reset mentally to be more aggressive and turn it loose on the basepaths? pic.twitter.com/E2YuEuiUJ4

• National League Playoff Race

  The Phillies built such a comfortable lead in the NL East in the early months of the season that a painstaking prolonged slump hasn’t put a division crown in serious jeopardy.

  The Atlanta Braves and New York Mets still have seven head-to-head chances apiece against the Phillies to close the division gap (a statement that might make some fans feel nervous in itself).

  However, the Phillies should also feel the pressure of losing a first-round bye awarded to the top two division winners in the National League.

  Colin Newby on X (formerly Twitter): "NL East Phillies 70-50 -Braves 64-56 6 GBMets 62-58 8 GB NL Home FieldLA Dodgers 71-50 -Phillies 70-50 .5 GBMilwaukee Brewers 2.5 GB Best MLB RecordGuardians 72-49 -Yankees 72-50 .5 GBDodgers 71-50 1 GBOrioles 71-50 1 GBPhillies 70-50 1.5 GB / X"

  NL East Phillies 70-50 -Braves 64-56 6 GBMets 62-58 8 GB NL Home FieldLA Dodgers 71-50 -Phillies 70-50 .5 GBMilwaukee Brewers 2.5 GB Best MLB RecordGuardians 72-49 -Yankees 72-50 .5 GBDodgers 71-50 1 GBOrioles 71-50 1 GBPhillies 70-50 1.5 GB

  Seeding hasn’t historically been a major concern entering the MLB Playoffs. However, the three-game Wild Card Series invites opportunities for talented but slumping teams like the Phillies to lose a short series to an inferior team with better momentum.

  Baseball expanded its postseason to 12 teams in 2022. While the opening round series have only reached a decisive Game 3 once in eight tries, the Phillies intend to avoid playing with fire.

  A stronger finish to the regular season and a push for the best record in baseball would mean increased likelihood of utilizing the home field advantage of Red October for additional games all through the World Series.

  “It’s the best home field advantage in baseball. The relationship between the players and the crowd seems absolutely tangible to the point that I think on those days when players are flat… I think the crowd helps to lift them and to keep them accountable and to push them through those moments.” –Buster Olney on Kincade & Salciunas

  The Phillies took five of six games against the NL West leading Dodgers this season to earn the standings tiebreaker.

  They swept the Milwaukee Brewers, the NL Central leaders, at Citizens Bank Park in June, and they’ll play three at American Family Field (you can still just call it Miller Park) from September 16-18.

  

  Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

• Ranger Suarez: No News Is Bad News

  Arguably the best pitcher in the NL owned a 1.83 ERA after his sixteenth start in 2024. He’d allowed two or fewer earned runs in each start excluding a so-so outing at Coors Field on May 26.

  All of a sudden, Ranger Suarez hit a wall. He allowed three or more earned runs in each of his next four starts.

  • Miami Marlins (6/30)- 4 ⅔ IP, 6 ER, 10 H
  • Atlanta Braves (7/6)- 5 IP, 5 ER, 6 H
  • Oakland Athletics (7/12)- 6 IP, 4 ER, 6 H
  • Minnesota Twins (7/22)- 5 ⅓ IP, 3 ER, 7 H

  He labored through a tough outing on July 12 that made it obvious he needed a breather. Suarez withdrew from the MLB All-Star Game despite his first career selection.

  When the Phillies also decided to delay his first start after the All-Star Break, the idea of caution to prevent cumulative fatigue and additional back soreness seemed logical.

  However, the Phillies then placed Suarez on the IL on July 27 with soreness on the opposite side of his back. Rob Thomson initially set a loose target for him to return during the Diamondbacks series from August 8-11.

  It didn’t happen. There might’ve been initial concerns about his inning totals when the precautionary rest period began, but a return with six weeks remaining in the regular season would probably land the Venezuelan lefty below his career high of 155 ⅓ innings set in 2022.

  The third-year manager again failed to set a definitive timeline after Suarez threw at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday. His repeated use of the word “potentially” sounded like hopeful optimism, but the extended injury timeline isn’t very encouraging.

  Suarez will pitch a simulated game on Sunday, making it unlikely the Phillies will activate him during their upcoming six-game road trip.

  Even if he pitched the first game of the following homestand, it’d mean 34 days in between starts, nine more leading into his most recent start, and over two months since he logged a statistical quality start.

  Colin Newby on X (formerly Twitter): "Ranger Suarez will NOT pitch on the six-game homestand.Hear Rob Thomson's injury update on an absence that just seems to keep dragging on pic.twitter.com/Y0DN582FG0 / X"

  Ranger Suarez will NOT pitch on the six-game homestand.Hear Rob Thomson's injury update on an absence that just seems to keep dragging on pic.twitter.com/Y0DN582FG0

• Need Something To Feel Good About?

  Alec Bohm hit two singles against the Marlins on Thursday night to reach base safely for the 31st consecutive game.

  Ed Delahanty’s franchise record of 56 from the 1896 season still looks out of reach. (Yes, that’s the same guy who got kicked off a train at the Canadian border and fell to his death into Niagara Falls.)

  Ted Williams holds the major league record with an outrageous 84 consecutive games reaching base safely. Bohm doesn’t have enough regular-season games remaining to break the record in 2024.

  However, the 28-year-old third baseman leads the majors with 43 doubles in firm control over the second-place Jarren Duran at 36. He’s on pace to tie Chuck Klein’s Phillies single-season franchise record of 59 doubles set in 1930.

  Bohm is tied with Turner for the highest batting average on the team. He also leads the team in RBI and total bases and ranks third in OPS.

  

• Looking Ahead

  The Phillies will host the Washington Nationals for four games at Citizens Bank Park this weekend. They’ll honor their late former team president David Montgomery on Saturday night before hosting Alumni Day on Sunday.

  • Thursday 8/15 at 6:40pm: Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78 ERA) vs. Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83 ERA)
  • Friday 8/16 at 6:40pm: Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98 ERA)
  • Saturday 8/17 at 6:05pm: Cristopher Sanchez (8-8, 3.63 ERA) vs. MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50 ERA)
  • Sunday 8/18 at 1:35pm: Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68 ERA) vs. Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72 ERA)

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