An incredibly rocky August has ended with the Philadelphia Phillies still with a legit chance at the postseason
This past August started well enough for the Philadelphia Phillies. Granted, the month’s opening series sweep was over the Miami Marlins. Also, the phrase “not dead yet” is never actually heard in the famous Monty Python scene in their Holy Grail film (the man “pretending to be alive” only says he’s “not dead”), but 4-0 is a good way to start a month.
Things started to slip a bit soon thereafter. Yes, there was an inspiring 7-4 win Aug. 15 against Boston. Newcomer Wilson Ramos contributed three extra-base hits and three RBI in his first game with the Phillies. The team’s August record on that date was 7-5; they were two games off the Atlanta Braves pace. Right about that time, however, Philadelphia began to pile up losses that all could have been termed the worst of the season.
On August 12, the shortstop they had traded to San Diego last December, Freddy Galvis, beat them with his first career grand slam. It came off hired ace Jake Arrieta, and Galvis finished the game with a batting average of .237, several points below his career average at the end of 2017.
In the first game of a doubleheader Aug. 16, the Phillies managed to lose a game not only by double-digits but by 20 runs, 24-4. To the New York Mets. Since the reader doesn’t have all day to read this, it will be only noted that two position players pitched for the Phillies in this game and gave up nine earned runs, only two more runs than one of the real pitchers. The seven runs Mark Leiter surrendered, however, were unearned. The Phillies committed four errors in the game, and were well on their way to 100 for the year, a mark they passed near the end of the month.
Oh, it should also be noted Jose Bautista became the first Mets player ever to drive in seven runs in a game he didn’t start. Bautista would become a Phillies bench player Aug. 28, after another RBI single against Philly Aug. 19.
Maddeningly, manager Gabe Kapler claimed he let his position players pitch in order to save arms for the second game of the doubleheader, and it worked largely because Rhys Hoskins homered to fuel what was called a “crucial” 9-6 win by MLB.com writer Joe Bloss. Apparently, just as there is no crying in baseball, there is also no embarrassment anymore.
On Aug. 21, in a lower-key worst-of-season-loss, the Phillies reliever Victor Arano gave up a game-tying home run to Nats rookie Andrew Stevenson after Stevenson had driven six hours through rain to play. Then he gave up a homer to the next hitter. Arano had been a bright spot in the Phillies bullpen. Three other relievers then gave up five more runs before the eventual 10-4 loss ended. The bullpen, which had stumbled out of the blocks this season, had been a bright spot for the team for months.