The Philadelphia Phillies let another potential series sweep slip away late in the game yesterday at Citizens Bank Park in a 10-8 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. 

Cristopher Sanchez was on the mound for the Phillies and only lasted 4.2 innings, allowing seven hits, five runs (three earned) and zero walks while striking out five. 

Jeff Hoffman relieved Sanchez, pitching 1.1 innings allowing a hit while striking out one and was followed by Matt Strahm who pitched a hitless, scoreless inning while striking out one of his own. 

With the Phillies down 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Trea Turner stepped up to the place and gave the Phillies a 6-5 lead, crushing a three-run home run to deep left-centerfield.

Trea Turner Hits ANOTHER Home Run in August

The game was handed over to the later inning guys in the bullpen, who continue to struggle and send the anxiety levels of Phillies’ fans anxiety through the roof in what feels like every single game since the All-Star break. 

Gregory Soto is pretty tough to figure out. One day he looks like one of the most dominant closers in Major League Baseball, the next he only survives 0.1 innings and allows two earned runs while walking two. Seranthony Dominguez certainly didn’t help allowing two hits in relief of Soto that gave the Angels a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Bryce Harper had different plans. He stepped up to the plate with Kyle Schwarber on first base and crushed his Career No. 300 home run to put the Phillies up 8-7 heading into the final inning. 

Bryce Harper Home Run No. 300

Obviously, you want Bryce to get the win here on the day he hit his 300th home run. That would have been the perfect ending to cap off a dominant sweep of the Angels but that’s just not how the cookie crumbled. 

Along with Harper, the Phillies as a team crushed 59 home runs in the month of August, which broke a franchise record and tied the third most all-time in Major League History for the most home runs hit in a single month of the season.

Read More: Philadelphia Phillies August Roundup >>

Phillies Hunt for Red October

Even with the loss yesterday afternoon to the Los Angeles Angels, the Phillies are 7-3 over their last 10 games and 74-59 on the season. They posted a 17-10 record in the month of August and currently sit atop of the NL Wild Card race with a three-game advantage over the Chicago Cubs.

As for other teams in the race, no one seems to be interested in pulling away from the pack, with the Giants, D-Backs, Reds, and Miami all lurking behind the Phillies and Cubs for the third and final Wild Card spot heading into the final month of the regular season.

Schedule Note: The Phillies will begin September tomorrow in Milwaukee Brewers, who sit in first place in the AL Central. The Chicago Cubs will head to Cincinnati to face the Reds and the San Francisco Giants will be in San Diego to face off against the Padres.

Day off today. Milwaukee tomorrow. September baseball has finally arrived. Should be fun.

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