Honestly, the Phillies should have swept the Padres this weekend. Of course, we won’t complain taking 2-of-3 in San Diego after a miserable trip through the desert. Rhys Hoskins rejoined the Phillies’ lineup today and Odubel Herrera went 4-for-5 from the plate to give the Fightins their first series win since their eight game win streak.

There’s absolutely no coincidence that the Phillies finally got things moving at the plate once Rhys Hoskins returned to the lineup. After a sacrifice fly from Manny Machado in the first inning, the Phillies took control offensively, powered by Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera.

Hoskins hit home runs in back-to-back innings and Herrera added three RBI on a single and home run in the seventh. JT Realmuto joined in with a two-run home run in the seventh to extend the Phillies lead to 7-1.

• Odubel Herrera: 4-5, one runs, 3 RBI
• Rhys Hoskins: 2-4, two runs, a walk, 2 RBI
• JT Realmuto: 2-4, two runs, a walk, 2 RBI
• Full Box Score >>

It’s amazing what happens when you add a threat like Rhys Hoskins to the center of the lineup.

Kyle Gibson was fantastic on the mound, throwing eight solid innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out three. Gibson has now gone 6+ innings in four of five starts since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline. Ian Kennedy, who joined the Phillies at the deadline as well, has been great in the bullpen as well.

The Padres scored a few runs in the ninth inning to bring the final score to 7-4, but honestly, after a tough week of Phillies baseball, none of that matters. Enjoy the win and lets regroup back at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday. The next six games for the Phillies will be at home, where they are 36-25.

The Phillies didn’t make up much ground while in San Diego, but there’s still hope on the horizon. The Braves just beat up on an Orioles team that have lost 18 straight games, but now will have to face the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers to close out the month of August. You would have to think that their current 16-3 record in August will take a hit playing teams other than the Nationals, Marlins, and Orioles. The Phillies sit comfortably in second in the National League, five games behind Atlanta. As for the NL Wild Card, the Reds have now taken over the second Wild Card spot behind the Dodgers. San Diego falls to one game back and the Phillies remain five games out.

The Phillies will have the day off tomorrow before heading home to play two games against the Tampa Bay Rays and four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. From there, they will face the Nationals and Marlins heading into September.

The time to go on another run is now. Red October depends on it.