Another frustrating loss for the Phillies

The Phillies can’t buy a break right now.

A day after losing Bryce Harper to the IL, the Phils dropped another one in Pittsburgh, falling 2-1 on Saturday thanks to a seventh-inning bomb from Henry Davis.

That’s eight losses in the last nine games for a team that looked like a juggernaut just two weeks ago.

Roster Moves: Otto Kemp gets the call to The Show as Bryce Harper hits 10-Day IL

It was a frustrating one, because Ranger Suárez gave them another strong start — seven innings, two runs, five hits — but once again, the bats just didn’t show up.

Kyle Schwarber provided the lone spark with a solo shot in the first, his 20th of the season, but that was all the offense Philadelphia could muster.

SchwarBOMB! pic.twitter.com/pfrExzCFcu

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) June 7, 2025

The Pirates tied it in the bottom of the first on a Nick Gonzales triple and an Andrew McCutchen single. From there it was a pitcher’s duel, until Davis caught Suárez with a first-pitch changeup in the seventh and sent it out to left-center to give Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Oh, Henry! (again) pic.twitter.com/nR9RTDzHKN

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 7, 2025

Alec Bohm tried to spark something in the seventh with a leadoff double, but after Pirates starter Andrew Heaney exited with calf cramping, rookie reliever Isaac Mattson came in and shut it down.

Mattson struck out Nick Castellanos, got J.T. Realmuto to fly out, and got Bryson Stott on a grounder to strand Bohm at third. That was the ballgame right there.

Mattson picked up his first big-league win, and David Bednar closed it out with a clean ninth for his eighth save.

Otto Kemp made his MLB debut, starting at third base after being called up to replace Harper on the roster. Kemp went 0-for-3 but did get the start. The Phillies desperately need someone to step up with Harper out, but the lineup looked flat again.

The one silver lining: Ranger Suárez continues to be nails. That’s six straight quality starts for him, though the offense has wasted a couple of them lately.

Up Next for the Phillies:

The series wraps Sunday, and it won’t get any easier — Cristopher Sánchez goes for the Phillies against Paul Skenes.

This team needs a win in the worst way. The slump is real, and with Harper now sidelined, they’re going to need some new heroes to emerge fast.

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