Frustration mounting in Philly? The Phillies entered the week knowing they needed help, but after blowing a six-run lead and getting swept by the Marlins, the urgency surrounding the Trade Deadline (Monday 8/3 at 6pm ET) has reached a new level. In the last 10 games, they are 2-8, and not only have fallen further out of the Division Race with Atlanta, but now have teams like the Padres, Pirates, Nationals and Marlins within 2GB of the Final Wild Card Position.
After the loss, Phillies Interim Manager Don Mattingly knows the pressure to perform and that times ticking, he repeatedly made the point of “Finding Out Who We Are” in his Post Game Interview. In the last 12 games, Harper hitting .186 and Marsh hitting .116, the in All-Stars bats have seemed to still be on break and have the 23rd worst Team Era in that time as well. The bright side is that the Clubhouse recognizes the problem. Bryce Harper said “Obviously, the last month, I haven’t done my job to the best of my ability”, and Marsh echoed similar comments by saying “Just going through a grind right now. It’ll be alright”.
Neither team came into this weeks series playing extremely well, but after consecutive 1 Run games to open the series, Philadelphia came out strong and got out to a 6-0 lead through their first 5 at-bats. Jesus Luzardo allowed the 2 baserunners via a Double and HBP, after a Sac Bunt and RBI Groundout to make it 6-1. They had Miami with 2-outs and a Runner on Second, Heriberto Hernandez hit a 2-Run Homerun to make it 6-3 Phillies. Then in the 7th Inning, Miami ties it up 6-6 and the Griffin Conine hit his 9th homerun of the Season to Put Miami up 8-6 which was the Final.
They believe they have more to offer. The question is whether the Front Office agrees. For the Phillies, do arms like Daniel Lynch, Antonio Senzatela, or Huascar Brazobán make the difference in the Bullpen? What bats can they afford to bring in, does an outfield bat like Daulton Varsho, Mickey Moniak provide more production than Crawford, Garcia, and Sosa have thus far? They haven’t committed to Alec Bohm long term yet, do they try to flip him for a more experienced bat, Matt Chapman perhaps?
What Prospects are teams looking for in return? With only 3 current Top 100 Prospects and not projected to get much immediate impact from any of them, how much Farm Equity are they willing to sacrifice to make this year work? Should they sacrifice the small bits of future talent for a chance to correct this season, or do they Retool in the Offseason through Free Agency and hope for a more consistent Roster performance? Because of late, the help they need is their Stars to step up and right the ship and prove they are worth investing some Deadline effort into.
As previously mentioned, this core group of Players aren’t getting any younger. While on field performance doesn’t raise any major concerns, the fact that Bryce Harper hasn’t won a Championship yet and what his plans for the future may be after another disappointing season. Does he decide he needs another change in scenery and chance to win? A lot can change in the plans of the Philadelphia Front Office over the next couple weeks and amongst many teams will be interesting to see what those Rosters look like Post Deadline.
Philly needs to make it work sooner than later, of the teams battling around that Final Wild Card spot, besides the Padre’s, they have the most pressure to succeed now. With 5 Selected All Stars, and 6 Participants, they have the talent to compete, now they need to show the will to win and hold a lead. If they can’t correct the Bullpen consistency and ignite the Big Bats, missing the Postseason is a real possibility and with a Step Back this Season, Bryce and other’s may look for a change.
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