Familiar concerns arise for the Phillies in 5-2 series opening loss to the Braves
The team's defense and bullpen remain question marks as the Phillies try to chase down Atlanta in the NL East race. The gap now sits at five games after the Phillies' loss.
Never mind the 85-degree heat and 65% humidity. If you focused on everything else — Sánchez vs. Sale; Game 1 of 7, albeit over two weekends; a jam-packed ballpark — you would’ve sworn this was October.
Call it what it was, then: a dress rehearsal.
Because even if the Phillies don’t run down the Braves for the division crown — and it got considerably more difficult after a 5-2 loss Friday night that widened the deficit to five games with 21 to play — they remain firmly in postseason position after a torrid August.
In that case, these four clashes and the three next weekend in Atlanta will gauge how the Phillies will match up against the National League’s elite. And after one game, two familiar Phillies concerns arose.
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Bullpen.
Defense.
Cristopher Sánchez gave up three runs in the second inning but battened down the hatches and got through six. The Phillies cut into the Braves’ lead and were trailing 3-2 in the eighth when Orion Kerkering ran in from the bullpen.
Three batters later, it was 5-2.
After dangerous Matt Olson lined out, Kerkering got ahead of pinch-hitting Mike Yastrzemski but was unable to put him away. He walked him on six pitches, then hung a first-pitch sweeper to Mauricio Dubón.
There will be apprehension about Kerkering until there isn’t. As a rookie in 2023, he had a hand in the bullpen’s momentum-turning meltdowns in back-to-back games in Arizona in the NL Championship Series. Last year, he infamously threw away the ball to end the season at Dodger Stadium.
But Kerkering also remains among the high-leverage relievers in the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran. The Phillies will need him next month.
Sánchez stumbled in the second inning, allowing a leadoff walk to Lane Thomas and a single to Dubón. But the Braves didn’t score until Bryce Harper overran Austin Riley’s single through the right side. Instead of the bases being loaded with one out, Thomas scored on the play.
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The Phillies’ defense, maligned for most of the season, has actually improved since last month’s drastic infield realignment after the deadline trade for second baseman Luis Arraez. Harper’s play in right field has been a big part of that.
But there will be uneasiness about the Phillies’ defense until there’s not.
Led by Alec Bohm, the Phillies chipped away against Braves ace Chris Sale. Bohm lined an RBI double in the second inning and homered in the fourth to cut the margin to one run.
But the Phillies wasted an opportunity in the sixth inning after Arraez roped a leadoff double. Bohm grounded out before Edmundo Sosa and Bryan De La Cruz struck out.
With the minor league season winding down, Phillies farm director Luke Murton returns to Phillies Extra to discuss the state of the system and upcoming changes to his role. He also offers an encouraging update on injured top prospect Aidan Miller. Watch here.
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