The Phillies have had quite the rollercoaster of a season.
When they finished out the first half with what Don Mattingly called their “best game of the year,” when they outplayed the Tigers and Tarik Skubal, it felt like the break was coming at the perfect time after the long midwest trip.
Lately, it hasn’t been pretty.
But for a stretch before that, the club had looked sluggish — a squad that boasted six All-Stars at its home ballpark.
Was it much of a break, then, if their core was barely getting any time away from the game?
Don Mattingly noted pregame that it was obviously an “honor” for sluggers like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to take part, but he didn’t think the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game were “great things for those guys.”
That can be the case, but they needed to put all of that aside and salvage the series against the Yankees Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. And they did just that in their 11-4 win, snapping their four-game losing streak.
Who and what stood out in game No. 106?
QUIETLY STOTT
Since Mattingly took over and Bryson Stott began getting regular playing time at second — without Edmundo Sosa spelling him against most left-handers — his offensive numbers have taken off.
In the second inning Sunday, after the Phillies took a 1-0 lead in the first, Stott lined a low-and-in fastball into the first row of the right-field seats. Bringing his hands in, the Phillies’ second baseman clubbed the pitch 110.5 mph off the bat — the hardest homer of his career.
Not only has Stott been one of Philadelphia’s most consistent hitters, batting .289 since May 31, but it’s where he’s making contact that tells the story.
For Stott, his key has been where his hands are at the point of contact. His softly-hit batted balls typically head to the left side, but when he really connects, he predominantly pulls it.
Entering Sunday, Stott had pulled the baseball at a 36.2 percent rate, a career-high (second is 32.6 in 2022). His year-to-year jump (from 2025) is the 14th highest in baseball.
What has that led to?
A career-high in hard-hit rate. Last year, Stott produced a 29.5 percent hard-hit rate. That has soared to 38.3 percent — the second-highest jump from last year of all 181 qualified hitters.
You’re starting to see a number of Phillies, like Trea Turner and Alec Bohm, find a rhythm pulling the baseball.
One inning later, Stott knocked another base hit through the right side. And in the sixth, he pulled another — his 14th multi-hit game in his last 48-game stretch.
THE DISRESPECT?
The Yankees made an interesting decision that may have cost them the game.
In the third, with runners on second and third and two outs, Yankees righty Will Warren fell behind in the count 2-0 to Brandon Marsh, who, over his last 18 games entering play, was hitting just .129 — and just .140 against right-handers.
New York decided to intentionally walk Marsh, loading the bases — and pitch to Alec Bohm instead.
The Phillies’ third baseman has been one of the club’s best hitters with runners in scoring position. He’s batting a team-best .304 with a .983 OPS with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Bohm proceeded to work a nine-pitch at-bat, and on the ninth pitch, he dug out a sweeper and swiped it into left field. Neither outfielder could cut it off — hit just 87.5 mph, it rolled all the way to the wall, allowing all three runners to score.
It was a four-run third, and gave the Phillies a 6-0 lead.
Did Bohm have a chip on his shoulder in that spot?
The Phillies were fortunate to get that opportunity. Cristopher Sánchez wasn’t at his sharpest, but he still turned in six innings, allowing three earned runs. He got ahead of hitters all night long. That was enough, especially after the Phillies tacked on five more runs in the sixth.
DOWN ON THE FARM & ROTATION TALK
With all the talk surrounding the Phillies’ fifth-starter spot — which has now lost 11 turns in a row — a reinforcement from within would obviously be preferable.
Andrew Painter, who was sent down on June 18, has found some success recently at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. On Sunday, the tall right-hander made his fifth start, and dazzled. Six innings of one-run ball — the run coming on a homer — with six strikeouts and no walks.
Three of his last four starts have gone at least five innings with two or fewer earned runs. He touched 99 mph on Sunday. He fired 90 pitches, 61 of those for strikes.
Good life on his fastball, paired with strike-throwing, is exactly what the Phillies want to see.
Mattingly also pointed to Painter’s growing feel for a wrinkle in his arsenal.
“He’s kind of a secret slider guy at this point,” Mattingly said, noting it’s a pitch they want more developed than just a right-on-right weapon.
But even with the flashes, Mattingly made clear there’s no artificial timeline pushing Painter back to the majors.
“It’s not going to be something like, ‘Oh hey, now he’s ready, now he’s good,'” Mattingly said. “It’s going to be, let’s let Andrew develop — same pitch, same work, keep getting better — and when he’s ready, we’ll see him.”
The club has not optioned Brian Keller after he spun three innings Saturday following the opener, so there’s reason to think, as Mattingly put it, that Keller could be in play again in Baltimore this Friday.
With how thin the end of the Phillies’ bullpen is, it’s also reasonable to think Painter could be a contributor there, but the club has not changed his throw-day schedule recently. He’s built up, and the club wants him to be a starter long-term.
If the Phillies are unable to land a back-end starter, an Aaron Nola–Painter opener-bulk strategy could be an outside-the-box look in a playoff format, assuming they clinch later in the season.
Continue to keep an eye on how Painter progresses at Triple-A.
WHAT’S AHEAD
The Phillies have a strong opportunity to get in a rhythm after facing off against the Yankees and Dodgers this past week.
They’ll head to Miami and face the Marlins, who lost their 12th straight game on Sunday. The Phils, just a game over .500 at home (28-27), are 29-22 on the road this year and could build some comfort in the Wild Card race. Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Jesús Luzardo will go in South Beach.
After that, they’ll head north to play the Orioles, who sit fourth in the American League East at 51-55. That three-game set will precede the August 3 trade deadline.
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