83 Games Later, The Phillies Are Still The Phillies: 7th-Day Stretch
Ten months ago, Ranger Suárez pointed to the sky, pumped his left fist and fell into J.T. Realmuto‘s arms. Suárez recorded a 1.32 ERA in 14.2 innings in his first career postseason last year. He started three times and relived twice. Suárez won two games. He saved the swing of Bryce Harper‘s life to send the Phillies to the 2022 World Series. It was the type of thing Phillies teams of years past could have only dreamed of. A home-grown player coming through in the clutch in front of a sold-out, raucous crowd.
Only 4,000 fewer fans populated Citizens Bank Park on this Sunday afternoon in the middle of June 2023 than that took in that pennant clincher last Oct. 23. The Phillies jumped to an early 3-0 lead, but Suárez faltered. In the third inning, he walked two hitters with two outs. An error by Brandon Marsh earlier in the frame exacerbated the pressure. Stone Garrett, a 27-year-old enjoying a solid year on a Nationals team once again in the gutter, walloped his second go-ahead home run of the series. The Phillies launched two home runs but went 1-8 with runners in scoring position. They outscored the Nationals 24-11 but ended the weekend with a 1-2 record.
The Phillies are 44-39 with six games to play in the first half. They had the same record through 83 games last year. After those 83 games, of course, the Phillies had neither memories of the thrills they experienced last October, nor the pressure that comes with following them up. There was hope that the postseason was this core’s true form, one that only took so long to be unlocked because of just how crushing the weight of their decade-long drought was. The Phillies freed themselves of that burden on Oct. 3 in Houston and returned there 25 days later for Game 1 of the World Series. They signed Trea Turner to the biggest contract of the off-season. They also added Taijuan Walker and Craig Kimbrel, who have been outstanding lately after poor starts. It seemed like a foundation that could catapult them to the National League’s upper echelon.
Instead, they are merely one of many October hopefuls in the senior circuit — just like they were last year and the year before that and that and that and that. They have a roster on paper that separates them from some of those clubs. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is arguably their two biggest problems — No. 5 starter and left field defense. Cristopher Sánchez had a 2.40 ERA in three June starts. In a week, Harper will receive a prize far greater to him than an All-Star nomination — four consecutive days off — and likely play first base for the third time in his legendary career. Kyle Schwarber will move to DH and everything will be fine because all Phillies plans — especially logical ones — always work flawlessly.
The agonizingly close postseason misses that preceded 2022 could’ve been avoided if the Phillies had just won the games they were supposed to. They largely did that during an 18-8 June — and even won a few games they shouldn’t have. Not all of those came against the strongest competition. But a Phillies team that was 71-72 against teams not named the Nationals won the N.L. last year. That team had its flaws and challenges. At this point a year ago, Harper and Jean Segura were on the injured list for the long haul. They recalled their Triple-A cleanup hitter, plugged him into Harper’s spot and watched Darick Hall produce an .847 OPS during Harper’s absence. They recalled Hall again after a dismal June for Kody Clemens, and he went 1-4 on Sunday. He will be the team’s starting first baseman against righties for at least the next week.
July is a critical month for the Hall’s and Sánchez’s of the organization. The Phillies entered the season with the league’s 21st-ranked prospect pool. And it has not been the year any of their top three pitching prospects envisioned, although Andrew Painter is scheduled to face hitters for the first time since Spring Training on Tuesday.
The Phillies were happy to part with intriguing lottery tickets like Ben Brown and Logan O’Hoppe at last year’s deadline since it meant finding the right pieces to push the team over the top. But there are teams that can offer far greater packages of prospects than them — or at least feel more comfortable parting with youngsters of a similar caliber as Phillies prospects the club won’t relinquish easily. Cost-controlled young talent is all but a necessity in some capacity to win, even in a non-salary-capped league. The Phillies wouldn’t have made the postseason last year without Hall’s emergence. And they would’ve had a much harder time navigating the biggest moments without someone like Suárez.
The Phillies conquered so many obstacles last season in just reaching the postseason, let alone while they were there. Another chaotic good first 83 games of a season do not mean the fruits of that labor don’t exist. It will be fascinating to see how the Phillies handle September. They will likely be in a similar position — right on the cusp of the postseason bubble. But the wonder of what Red October would be like — and the fear of missing out on it again — is gone. These Phillies know exactly what they are chasing now. It would be great if the 2023 Phillies were the ones someone else had to chase. But for now, they’ll have to settle for the familiar comfort of their imperfect past.
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