The Phillies’ June swoon cost them 8 1/2 games in NL East standings | Extra Innings

The nicest thing we can say about the Phillies’ month of June is that it’s over. They opened the month nine games over .500 at 33-24 and with a three-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. They also had the second-best record in the National League and the sixth-best record in baseball.

After going 11-16 in June, the Phillies are 44-40 and trail the Braves by 5 ½ games entering their three-game series with Atlanta that begins Tuesday night at SunTrust Park. The Phillies also lost 7 ½ games in the standings to the Washington Nationals in June. The Nats, who pushed their record above .500 for the first time since April 18 with a win Sunday, were nine games behind the Phillies at the start of June and are just 1 ½ games behind them now.

The Phillies are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the fifth-best record in the NL. They are tied with the Rockies and Boston Red Sox for the 12th-best record in baseball. It’s a new month, and the Phillies have six games against the Braves and New York Mets before the All-Star break.

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— Bob Brookover (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

The Phillies’ miserable June started with three straight losses on the West Coast, and it was made worse by the season-ending knee injury to left fielder Andrew McCutchen.

Through May, the Phillies were averaging nearly five runs and four walks, but in June, they averaged just four runs and 3.3 walks. Their on-base percentage was .328 through May and .314 in June.

The No. 1 reason, however, for the Phillies’ June collapse was their pitching. The team ERA was 4.15 through May and 5.63 in June. After surrendering 88 home runs through May, the Phillies gave up 54 in June, an average of two per game. That needs to change or the Phillies are sure to be watching the postseason for an eighth straight year.

The Braves, of course, surged while the Phillies struggled. Atlanta’s offense performed well through May, averaging 4.8 runs, but during their 20-8 June, the Braves kicked things into another gear and averaged 6.7 runs. Their batting average was .257 and their on-base percentage was .331 through May. In June, they hit .277 with a .352 on-base percentage. It’s hard to imagine they can keep up that pace, but they have built themselves a nice cushion for the final three months of the season.

Bamboo Brad Miller received lots of media attention last week when he purchased some plants in Chinatown in an effort to reverse the Phillies’ fortunes. As our Matt Breen reports, he also has provided some big hits, including a couple of home runs, in his first three weeks with the team. He has a pretty good baseball story, too. The Phillies are his fourth team since the end of February.

Give Nick Williams credit for making the most of his demotion to triple-A Lehigh Valley. In his first 14 games with the IronPigs, he batted .407 with six doubles, a triple and two home runs. Marc Narducci caught up with Williams in Allentown.

Tonight: Aaron Nola is expected to face Atlanta’s recently acquired Dallas Keuchel, 7:20 p.m.

Tomorrow: Vince Velasquez against Braves rookie Bryse Wilson, 7:20 p.m.

Thursday: Zach Eflin against Braves rookie Mike Soroka, 7:20 p.m.

Friday: Phillies begin final series before All-Star break against Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Saturday: Phillies-Mets are the Fox national TV game, 7:15 p.m.

In case you missed it, catcher J.T. Realmuto was named as the Phillies’ only All-Star on Sunday. Realmuto is not having his best offensive season, but because of his incredible defense, FanGraphs still ranks him 29th overall among all major-league players with a 2.5 WAR. His defensive WAR of 15.7 is second only to San Diego catcher Austin Hedges among all players.

Realmuto has thrown out 24 of 51 runners attempting to steal, a 47 percent rate that is by far the best in baseball. No other catcher had thrown out more than 16 runners before Monday’s games.

Realmuto has five passed balls and has been behind the plate for 11 wild pitches. By comparison, the Mets’ Wilson Ramos, the catcher the Phillies acquired last season at the trade deadline, has a negative defensive WAR and has thrown out just 8 of 64 runners, 12.5 percent, attempting to steal. Ramos also has nine passed balls and has been behind the plate for 17 wild pitches.

Jorge Alfaro, the catcher the Phillies traded to Miami for Realmuto, has an impressive 6.7 defensive WAR and has thrown out 8 of 22 runners, 36.4 percent, attempting to steal. He has seven passed balls and has been behind the plate for 20 wild pitches.

Send questions by email or on Twitter @brookob.

Question: Andrew Knapp provides no offense whatsoever. Both Lehigh Valley catchers are hitting over .300. Why the reluctance to recall one and waive Knapp?

— Mike W., via

Answer: Mike, this falls under the category of a FAQ from Phillies fans, and it’s a legitimate one. I know for a fact that the Phillies would like to add a veteran backup catcher before the trade deadline, but I also know that the pitchers like the way Knapp calls and runs a game. That said, his lack of offense is an obvious problem for the Phillies on the days he plays for Realmuto.

The two catchers you speak of at triple-A Lehigh Valley are Deivy Grullon and Rob Brantly, and they have played well for the IronPigs. Grullon, 23, has been a force at the plate, hitting .307 with 12 home runs and an .881 OPS. He is still developing as a defensive catcher and it’s possible the Phillies want him to continue to play regularly.

Brantly, who will turn 30 this month, probably would not be a huge offensive upgrade over Knapp based on his career numbers in the big leagues, but he has earned big-league consideration.

Another issue is that the Phillies would have to create a 40-man roster spot to bring Grullon or Brantly to the big leagues. It is possible, maybe even probable, that we will see one of the IronPigs catchers before the season is over.