Phillies are ready to turn the page after getting swept by Mets: ‘These guys got short memories’

The Phillies’ bus arrived back home late Wednesday night following their 6-0 loss to the New York Mets that capped a three-game sweep at the hands of their division rivals.

They were surely glad to leave Citi Field behind, since Wednesday marked their 10th consecutive loss in the stadium. As the Phillies return to the much friendlier confines of Citizens Bank Park — they entered Thursday with a 42-22 home record — manager Rob Thomson isn’t concerned about their ability to turn the page against the Atlanta Braves.

“It gets back to the experience of the players, it really does,” he said. “And I think you come in here and with me and the coaching staff, it’s coming in with a lot of energy and a lot of positiveness.”

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper: Phillies ‘got to have a sense of urgency’ after sweep by Mets cuts NL East lead to four games

In April, when the Phillies were swept at Citi Field for the first time this season, they fell five games behind the Mets in the National League East. They turned things around shortly after, rattling off five straight series wins and eventually reclaiming the NL East lead.

After the latest sweep, their commanding seven-game lead ahead of the Mets shrank to four.

“These guys got short memories,” Thomson said. “They’ve been through this for a long time, and especially this group. … The last couple years going into the playoffs, we’ve had stretches where we didn’t play well, and stretches of losing streaks, things like that. And they come out of it.”

The Braves are experiencing a disappointing season so far, but they may prove to be a bigger test than their record indicates. Atlanta has played well lately and has a 15-10 record in August.

Nick Castellanos was on the bench for Thursday’s series opener against right-hander Cal Quantrill, as the outfield carousel spins on. Brandon Marsh started in left field, Harrison Bader in center, and Max Kepler in right. Bader entered Thursday 3-for-3 in his career with a home run against Quantrill, which Thomson said factored into the decision.

Castellanos will start Friday against right-hander Bryce Elder, Thomson said.

Bader has started five straight games and is hitting .500 with two doubles and a home run over that span.

Meanwhile, Marsh has cooled off somewhat after a red-hot August.

» READ MORE: Inside Rob Thomson’s process to ‘mix and match’ playing time among the Phillies’ five outfielders

“He just needs to get back to the other side of the field,” Thomson said. “I think he’s a little bit pull mode right now, and there’s some swing and miss in there, but if he keeps it simple, gets back to basics, he’ll be fine.”

And as for the Phillies as a whole, Thomson doesn’t think they need any reminders about the importance of the season’s last month.

“These guys want to win, and they want to perform, and they want to win a world championship,” he said. “That’s what they play for. A lot of these guys, they haven’t done that yet. Even though they’ve been paid a great deal of money, they haven’t won. So that’s on their mind, and they want to get it done.”

The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, shortstop Aidan Miller, has put together a strong August for double-A Reading. In 22 games this month, he is hitting .348 with a 1.083 OPS. He seems to have unlocked some power as well, with four homers.

Miller, 21, stole his 50th base of the season on Tuesday.

“He’s really swinging the bat,” Thomson said. “… I don’t know what his batting average is, just from the start of July, but it’s got to be up there because it’s power. There’s a lot of slug in there. He’s really, really doing well right now.”

On Thursday, Miller was placed on the temporary inactive list by Reading.

Top prospect Andrew Painter started for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday. … Ranger Suárez (10-6, 3.07 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Elder (5-9, 6.12).