Great defense has suddenly become yet another strength for the 2024 Philadelphia Phillies. They swept Rhys Hoskins and the first-place Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on the back of impactful plays in the field, dominant starting pitching, and timely hitting.
Rob Thomson has the Phillies firing on all cylinders as they enter the MLB London Series against the New York Mets.
Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- Friday 5/31: Win 4-2
- Saturday 6/1: Win 6-1
- Sunday 6/2: Loss 5-4
Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers
- Monday 6/3: Win 3-1
- Tuesday 6/4: Win 2-1
- Wednesday 6/5: Win 2-0
Looking Ahead
The Phillies will enter the spotlight of the sport in an international showcase at London Stadium with a two-game set against the rival Mets. They’ll travel to Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox after returning to American soil next week.
- Friday 6/7: Watch Chase Utley and Daniel Murphy compete in a home run derby as part of the MLB London Series festivities.
- Saturday 6/8 at 1:10pm EST: Ranger Suarez (9-1, 1.70 ERA) vs. Sean Manaea (3-2, 3.63 ERA)
- Sunday 6/9 at 10:10am EST: Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.73 ERA) vs. Jose Quintana (1-5, 5.17 ERA)
All stats as of the beginning of play on June 7
Phillies Shine On Defense
Dave Dombrowski didn’t construct the Phillies with great defense as a top priority. The future Hall of Fame baseball executive assembled a lineup of sluggers who struggled in the field during his first season in charge in 2021.
The Phillies finished dead last in the defensive runs saved metric (DRS) with -54 that season, according to FanGraphs. Their 2022 and 2023 numbers were only minimally better, but they’ve earned a +15 rating over a third of the way through 2024.
Fans in 2021 wouldn’t recognize the team that held the Brewers to two runs in a three-game series. Great starting pitching has carried them throughout the 2024 season, but the Phillies have found another way to prevent runs this week.
Alec Bohm has avoided a downturn after a brutal game at third base on May 27. He attacked tough grounders with confidence throughout the Milwaukee series. He’s shown incredible growth since a rough season in the field in 2021.
Edmundo Sosa has provided a short-term upgrade in the field (and arguably at the plate, somehow) with Trea Turner on the IL. Bryson Stott has made leaping catches at second base his signature play.
Two excellent defensive plays directly prevented runs in the three-game set of low-scoring affairs. Johan Rojas gunned down Rhys Hoskins by pinpointing a throw to the plate when the former Phillies slugger lumbered around third base on a single to center field.
Garrett Stubbs tagged out William Contreras in the seventh inning on Wednesday with a textbook block at home plate that nabbed the Brewers catcher by inches.
The hard-hitting Brewers left Citizens Bank Park with two runs in three games played.
Rob Thomson praised Bobby Dickerson, Paco Figueroa, and Dusty Wathan for putting the players in good position to succeed. The Phillies skipper also credited the hard work and persistence of his team defense that allowed them to steal a series sweep by winning in yet another way.
Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
Any Concerns?
The Phillies somehow lost the best team baseball moniker to the red hot New York Yankees. However, their 44-19 record warrants significant credit.
They’ve scored the second-most runs in the majors. Their pitching staff has the best collective starter’s ERA and the second-best overall ERA.
What could Rob Thomson possibly worry about with a World Series contender showing so few weaknesses?
“Health. I’m always worried about health. Players win games, and they’ve got to be on the field to be able to do it.” -Rob Thomson
Any team can take a downturn if the wrong players end up on the shelf. Thomson carefully considers ways for his team to avoid complacency, and his decision to warn against too much comfort is a strength as a manager.
Trea Turner hasn’t played since May 3. Although the Phillies hope he rejoins the lineup soon, they also lost Brandon Marsh to a hamstring injury on Sunday Night Baseball.
They dodged a major bullet after Ranger Suarez took a line drive to his pitching hand on Saturday. The Phillies hope to avoid the injury bug like any team does.
If it’s the manager’s biggest concern, it probably says more about strengths in other areas of the game.
