The Philadelphia Phillies are playing their best baseball of the season during the first half of August. The club won two of three games against the Kansas City Royals and three of four against the Washington Nationals. They defeated the Minnesota Twins in a lopsided victory, 13-2, on August 11. However, Philadelphia lost the next two games of the series to Minnesota.
Several players throughout the lineup are excelling during August. Trea Turner, Nick Castellanos, and J.T. Realmuto have improved over the last week. All three hitters lacked consistency at the plate. However, they were better offensively for the majority of the 10-game homestand.
Phillies’ Showing Further Improvement Offensively
Philadelphia is Looking Like a World Series Contender in August
The Phillies have one of the best lineups in the league over the previous seven days. At the time of this writing, the club has a .264 batting average. They have a .353 on-base percentage, a slugging percentage of .498, and an on-base percentage of .851. Despite struggling on offense in two games against the Twins, they have done well offensively over the last two weeks.
Club Looking to Put Consecutive Losses Behind Them
Bohm and Thomson Ejected During August 13 Contest
After scoring one run to go along with a mediocre .212 batting average in their previous two contests, the Phillies are looking to return to consistent offense one again. The club did have some bad calls go against them recently, such as Alec Bohm being called out on strikes on a pitch out of the strike zone. However, every team has calls go against them several times over the course of the season.
The Phillies with just 1 run over these last 2 losses to the Twins
0-14 with runners in scoring position and 17 left on base these last two days
Alec Bohm gets ejected after reacting to being struck out to end the seventh inning. pic.twitter.com/tM4tdJSoO7
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 13, 2023
Bohm and manager Rob Thomson commented on their ejections at the bottom of the seventh inning following the Philly’s 3-0 to the Twins on August 13:
“We would have had Bryce Harper coming up with the bases loaded, down by one. You never know what’s going to happen. I felt like I did all I could, and the bat was taken out of my hands. But it’s just a bunch of humans out there. Mistakes happen,” Bohm said.
The Phillies manager mentioned the team had other chances to generate offense in the loss:
“Being an umpire is very difficult. (Home plate umpire Alex MacKay) missed the call, but we had other opportunities. It makes at-bats more difficult if the umpire is slightly inconsistent. But we had some good pitches to hit, and, again, we didn’t get it done.”
The Phillies were playing as well at any point of the season before the 8-1 loss to the Twins on August 12. Turner was excellent at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a run scored. He went 1-for-4 in the club’s 3-0 loss. In his last seven games, he is 13-for-27 with a .481 average, one of the best in the league. The shortstop’s on-base percentage of .517 and his .741 slugging percentage is also tied among the top hitters in MLB.
Phillies Are on the Road This Week Versus the Blue Jays and Nationals
Walker Will Receive An Extra Day of Rest Following His Most Recent Start
Taijuan Walker will not pitch during the Phillies’ upcoming away games this week against the Toronto Blue Jays and Nationals. He pitched five innings and gave up three earned runs on three hits, including two home runs, during his last start versus the Twins on August 12. His previous start giving up more than one home run was on May 1 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The pitcher walked six of Minnesota’s batters with only two strikeouts.
Pitchers Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola will start for the Phillies against the Blue Jays on August 15-16, respectively. Michael Lorenzen, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez are scheduled to be the starting pitchers for Philadelphia during their three-game series against the Nationals on August 18-20.
Main Photo Credits: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
