Swept! Phillies go down without a whimper in 5-2 loss to Braves
The Phillies dropped their 4th consecutive game in a 5-2 loss, as the Braves completed the series sweep in Atlanta.
Braves (91-55)Â Beat Phillies (80-66)
- Winning Pitcher:Â Spencer Strider (11-5, 2.67)
- Losing Pitcher: Connor Brogdon (2-1, 3.13)
- Save:
And that my friends is the conclusion of a series that wasn’t all that particularly competitive. We are in September and I am still confused as to what to expect from this Phillies squad. They go on a winning streak and then follow that with a losing streak. This cycle seems to be eternally repeating itself.
The problem is that the Phillies success seems to be predicated on beating up on teams that are below .500. They just were swept by their division rivals and still have to take on a team set for a playoff appearance in the Toronto Blue Jays followed by four more games against the Braves.
If they don’t go at least .500 over the next six games, before they get a respite by facing the Nationals and Cubs in consecutive series, the Milwaukee Brewers who are only 1.5 GB could easily catch them.
The Phillies couldn’t touch rookie Braves starter Spencer Strider today as they failed to even record a hit until the 6th inning when Alec Bohm tied the game up at one run apiece with a solo home run. Overall the offense was abysmal today with only four total hits.
Over the three game series the Phillies only mustered a total of 7 runs. It doesn’t matter who you are playing, if you are scoring less than 3 runs per game, you aren’t going to win.
All of sudden there is a lot riding on Zack Wheeler and his potential first start on Tuesday, after missing multiple weeks with arm soreness. But unless the Phillies bats can wake up in the friendly confines of CBP will it even matter?
Personally, I am trying to pretend this series didn’t even happen. I intend to wake up Tuesday morning ready for the official start to the playoff push.
Robbie Grossman gives the Braves a 1-0 lead
1-0 Braves
Bryson Stott briefly fumbles a ground ball but is able to recover and make a fantastic shovel pass only his glove to get the 1st out in the 5th inning.
Alec Bohm takes Spencer Strider deep in the 6th inning to put the Phils on the board and tie the game up at one run apiece.
1-1 Phils
William Contreras puts the Braves back on top with a solo home run off Connor Brogdon in the 6th inning.
2-1 Braves
Robbie Grossman adds on to the Braves lead with a solo home run off Sam Coonrod in the 7th inning. Thats Grossman second RBI of the afternoon.
3-1 Braves
Austin Riley extends the Braves lead in the 7th inning off Sam Coonrod.
4-1 Braves
Up Next for the Phillies
The Phillies have a scheduled off day on Monday before traveling back to South Philly to take on the Blue Jays in an extremely random 2-games series at Citizens Bank Park.
Kyle Gibson (10-6, 4.45) will toe the rubber facing off against Ross Stripling (8-4, 2.94) with the first pitch scheduled for 6:45 pm.
NBC Sports Philadelphia will carry the broadcast of the game.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Atlanta Braves
