The Philadelphia Phillies are gaining ground in the NL Wild Card race following two straight series wins. Against the Miami Marlins, they took three out of four games. They then took two out of three games against the Kansas City Royals. As things stand, the Phillies are 61-51, in a tie for the top NL Wild Card spot with the San Francisco Giants. They sit three games ahead of the last Wild Card position. Additionally, the Phillies are in second place, 10 1/2 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The Phillies started the week half a game ahead of the last NL Wild Card spot and 11 games behind the Braves in the NL East standings.
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On Sunday against the Royals, Taijuan Walker picked up his MLB-leading 13th win of the season. Walker now has a 13-4 record with a 3.98 ERA, 104 strikeouts, and a 1.260 WHIP in 23 starts. Of the previous 11 starts Walker has made, the Phillies have won 10 of them. In 21 of his 23 starts, he has allowed four earned runs or less. The Phillies bullpen backed up their starters, holding the Royals hitless in each of their two wins in the series. This comes after the bullpen blew a save in three consecutive innings against the Marlins on Wednesday, eventually leading to a loss.
Phillies Gaining Ground in Wild Card Race
Phillies Infielder Receives Standing Ovation
Much has been said about the play of Trea Turner lately. After making a costly error in the aforementioned extra-innings loss, Turner got some criticism. By all standards, Turner has underperformed this season. Despite this, after the team returned home on Friday, Turner received a standing ovation that served as motivation before his first at-bat. Thankfully, it appears to have paid off. In three games against the Royals, Turner recorded four hits including a three-run home run on Saturday. That home run helped secure a Phillies victory. Turner now has a .238/.291/.378 line on the season, with 11 home runs, 39 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.
WELCOME BACK TREA TURNER pic.twitter.com/rAzNGztJ1C
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 5, 2023
After being moved down the lineup multiple times, Turner is starting to get back on track. If he keeps this up it will be a welcome sign for the team. Turner will need to play a key role if the Phillies want to make another postseason run. One positive for Turner is that he leads the NL in at-bats this season with 458. It is also important for Turner to improve defensively. He has committed 13 errors this season, which ranks second in the NL. Turner has a .967 fielding percentage in 108 games at shortstop. Those 108 games are tied for the most at the position.
Phillies Gaining But Have To Replace Outfielder
Even as the Phillies gain ground, they continue to face adversity. The team placed Brandon Marsh on the injured list. Marsh suffered what the team calls a bruised knee during Saturday’s game. Marsh is expected to miss multiple weeks according to the team. To fill the open roster spot, the Phillies promoted Weston Wilson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Wilson will be making his MLB debut. So far in Triple-A, Wilson has a .260/.361/.524 line with 25 home runs. In addition, Wilson brings defensive versatility, being able to play multiple infield and outfield positions.
With Marsh out, Johan Rojas will patrol center field for the time being. Rojas has performed well enough in the eyes of the team that they altered their trade deadline plans. The team ended up not trading for a right-handed outfield bat. This chance was presented to Rojas after Cristian Pache went on the injured list a few weeks ago. In 17 games, Rojas has a .326/.356/.395 line with no home runs and eight RBI. Defensively, he has a .976 fielding percentage in 16 games in center field. Manager Rob Thomson stated that Wilson and Jake Cave will split time in left field during games where Kyle Schwarber is the designated hitter.
Thank You Cole Hamels
On Friday, former Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels announced his retirement. Prior to this announcement, Hamels had been attempting a comeback with the San Diego Padres, hoping to play for his hometown team. In 423 career games, Hamels had a 163-122 record with a 3.43 ERA and 2,560 strikeouts. With this news, all of the Phillies players on their 2008 World Series winning team have now retired. Hamels won the 2008 World Series MVP award, with a 1-0 record along with a 2.77 ERA and eight strikeouts in two starts. In addition, Hamels won NLCS MVP that same year. Thank you to one of the greatest Phillies of this century, and congrats on a wonderful career!
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned: Taijuan Walker, Trea Turner, Brandon Marsh, Weston Wilson, Johan Rojas, Cristian Pache, Jake Cave, Kyle Schwarber, Cole Hamels
Managers Mentioned: Rob Thomson
