Mookie Betts hit a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning off Ranger Suarez and added an insurance run in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 5-3 win over the Phillies last night. It turned out to be the the Phillies second straight loss and they have now fallen below .500 yet again at 32-33. That was far from the worst thing that happened last night in Los Angeles.

Bryce Harper tweaked his lower back in the fourth inning. He finished the at-bat with a strikeout and would not return to the game. Harper’s back has been an issue since late last season and an MRI in Clearwater last February revealed that it was an issue with the QL (quadratus lumborum) muscle.

Harper and Girardi both believe this is something they can manage throughout the season and neither were ready to say that a trip to the injured list would be needed. Harper is now considered to be day-to-day for the time being, but we all know how that goes.

Jean Segura is more of a concern. Segura pulled up awkwardly after beating out an error in the ninth inning last night. He was replaced by a pinch running and headed into the clubhouse. Girardi was not confident that Segura would be day-to-day like Harper.

On the season, Segura has been playing All-Star caliber baseball, slashing .332/.379/.465 with a .845 OPS. Losing him would for an extended period of time would be costly for the Phillies.

Zach Eflin was on the mound for the Phillies and had a solid, but not great outing last night. Eflin pitched five innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, and zero walks while striking out two. Andrew McCutchen tied the game at 1-1 with his 11th home run of the season. Cutch had a rough start to the 2021 season but over the last 15 games, he’s batting .269 with four home runs and 12 RBI.

Although the NBC Sports Philly and Phillies social media accounts refuse to say his name, I certainly will. Odubel Herrera hit an opposite field single in the top of the 5th inning to score two and tie the ball game at 3-3 for the Phillies. Everyone wants to act like Herrera doesn’t exist, however over his last 15 games, Herrera is batting .308 with two home runs and seven RBI.

Now, the Phillies will need some guys to step up. Rhys Hoskins seems like a logical option however he has been down right awful since June 5th. Hoskins is a miserable 0-for-33 since early June after basically carrying the Phillies through the month of May. The Phillies last night as a team, went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and the bullpen let the game slip away thanks to Mookie Betts.

Tonight, they will face Clayton Kershaw. Zack Wheeler will be on the mound hoping to avoid the sweep before heading north in California to play the San Francisco Giants.

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