After losing game one of their three game series to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night, the Phillies would fall again last night by a final score of 4-2. The offense continued to struggle, and the defense was far from good. The team now sits 3.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves, with a 61-59 record.

Ranger Suarez took the hill last night for the Phillies, still on a pitch count. That pitch count wouldn’t really come into play, as Ranger was done after just four and two thirds. In those innings, Suarez allowed 8 hits, 3 earned runs, while walking 4 batters.

The Phillies got on the board early, with a Diamondbacks passed ball that would score Odubel Herrera. Bryce Harper would cannon Josh Rojas out at home with an 88 mph dart, after Rojas tried to test Harper by blowing a stop sign from his third base coach.

The Diamondbacks would tie the game up shortly after, with a wild pitch that would go in their favor this time. The Phillies offense continued to struggle, with just three hits in the first seven innings. A major hitting slump struck this Phillies team at the worst time, and it seems like nothing is taking them out of it. When the Phils can’t get anything going against a Diamondbacks team with the 29th worst combined ERA in baseball, that is going to be a problem.

The series’ that should be won always seem to be the hardest ones for the Phils. Going up against the worst team in the league in Arizona, and hitting the baseball like a Triple A team just won’t get the job done. The struggles at the plate have been hard to watch, with 7 hits in their last two games combined. If this team really wants to fight for the division title, they need to get back on track fast.

The Diamondbacks would take a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 7th, but that lead would be cut to two with Odubel Herrera up at the plate in the 8th.

The most exciting part of the night happened in between innings, when Caleb Smith walked off the field for the Diamondbacks. He went through his typical routine of umpires checking his glove, but his glove was confiscated after a foreign substance was felt inside. Smith was not happy, and it seemed like he denied anything when the umpire asked him about it. Smith would eventually be ejected from the game, and his glove will be inspected by the MLB.

The Phillies couldn’t rally back, and eventually fell to the DBacks by a final score of 4-2. The team will close out the three game series today at 3:40 EST, sending Zack Wheeler to the mound. The Phillies now fall to 61-59 on the season, have lost a series to the worst team in baseball, and sit 3.5 games back of the NL East leading Atlanta Braves.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports