The Philadelphia Phillies managed to erase a 5-run deficit late in the game last night against the Atlanta Braves, only to lose yet again in extra innings, 7-6.

Zack Wheeler got roughed up on the mound last night, tossing just five innings allowing seven hits, six earned runs, and three walks while striking out four. Nick Castellanos got the Phillies on the board in the second inning with a solo home run to right center field. 

Nick Castellanos Solo Home Run 

NICK CASTELLANOS. RING IT.#RingTheBell | #Phillies pic.twitter.com/yG1zl3Bthu

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) September 12, 2023

From there, the Braves jumped all over Wheeler.

Matt Olson, who might not be human, tied the game on a solo home run in the fourth and Atlanta scored six runs in the top of the fifth to jump out to a 6-1 lead entering the final three innings. 

I am well aware that the Braves are a very good baseball team and they hit a TON of home runs. They hit three off Wheeler last night.

Fine. Great. Whatever.

What I absolutely CAN’T STAND about Atlanta is how they round the base paths.

I’m not advocating to injure anyone, obviously.

However, if Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna are going to dance, flap their arms, and spin around the bases then they absolutely deserve to get hit in their next at-bat.

Long gone!#ForTheA | @ronaldacunajr24 pic.twitter.com/3WTep3H9Es

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 12, 2023

It’s annoying and there’s no way that the Phillies’ pitching staff should have allowed it to happen at Citizens Bank Park while falling behind five runs in last night’s game. Period. 

Anyways, the Phillies finally got another run on the board in the seventh inning when Trea Turner hit a ground ball to center field that deflected off second baseman Ozzie Albies to score Johan Rojas. 

Down 6-2, Bryce Harper stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the eighth inning and lit yet another spark for the Phillies, causing a home run to deep center field to cut the deficit to three runs. 

Bryce Harper Home Run – Career Hit 1,500 

Harper’s home run was the first he’s hit since belting home run No. 300 at Citizens Bank Park on August 30th. It also marked the 1,500 hit of his career. He is only the 18th player in Major League Baseball history to reach 1,500 career hits and 300 home runs before turning 31 years old.

Bryson Stott stepped up to the plate with 1-out in the bottom half of the eighth inning with Nick Castellanos on first and cut the Phillies deficit to just one, crushing a 2-run home run to center field, sending Citizens Bank Park into an absolute frenzy. 

Bryson Stott 2-Run Home Run

Down one run in the bottom the ninth inning, Trea Turner stepped up to the plate and of course, hit a solo home run to left center field to tie the ball game 6-6. 

Trea Turner Game-Tying Solo Home Run

Trea Turner is an unstoppable force and has been for the a month and a half straight.

He’s reached base in 23 consecutive games and has put up INSANE numbers over his last 30 games.

• Last 7 Games: .448 BA, 5 HR, 10 RBI 
• Last 15 Games: .435, 11 HR, 26 RBI 
• Last 30 Games: .395, 15 HR, 26 RBI 

Sure, I’ll even mention the “standing ovation” numbers that have definitely jumped the shark at this point. In 34 games since the ovations, Turner is now tied for the most home runs in Major League Baseball with Kyle Schwarber (16) and tied for the most RBIs with 40. He’s batting .383 over that span. 

Here’s the biggest problem, which if you have been watching the Phillies lately, you almost knew was going to happen from the jump last night. This baseball team falls behind early, late inning heroics turn a game that everyone thought was out of reach into a very tense and highly competitive match up, and they end up losing in dramatic fashion.

Last night was no different.

In a game that should have been one in the bottom of the ninth as the Phillies had runners on first and second with no outs and didn’t manage to close it out, Eddie Rosario gave the Braves a 7-6 lead in the top of the 10th inning and handed The Fightins the loss. 

The Phillies have gotten a game-tying or go-ahead HR in the 8th or 9th inning 5 times in the last 3 weeks and have lost every single one of those games. 

Frustrating, to say the very least. Bryce Harper knows it too.

Phillies Hunt for Red October

The Cubs and D-Backs also lost last night, allowing the Phillies to maintain a 2.5 game lead over Chicago for the top NL Wild Card spot and a 3.5 game advantage over Arizona. The Reds, Marlins, and Giants remain on the outside looking in, fighting for a playoff spot with less than 20 games left in the regular season.

Spencer Strider (16-5, 3.83 ERA) will take the mound against Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.26 ERA) tonight at 6:40PM as the Phillies look to split the 4-game series against the Atlanta Braves.

17 Games Remaining: vs. ATL (1), at STL (3), at ATL (3), vs. NYM (4), vs. PIT (3), at NYM (3)

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