Philly Leader

SEATTLE – The Philadelphia Phillies continue to struggle, facing a 10-2 defeat against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Friday night. This marks their 12th loss in 16 games, a slump reminiscent of the period between May 15-31, 2022, which led to Joe Girardi's departure as manager and Rob Thomson's subsequent appointment.

“Obviously, we want this to change,” said designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. “We know with the room that we have, it’s going to change. Right? If we knew when, that’d be great.”

Thomson addressed his team before the game but downplayed its significance. “I thought I gave a pretty good speech before the game, but I guess it wasn’t good enough,” he remarked dryly.

Thomson attempted to put the current situation into perspective by referencing past difficult stretches in both 2022 and 2023. Despite recent losses, the Phillies still hold one of the best records in baseball and remain first in the NL East. However, Friday’s loss reduced their lead over the Braves to just five games, their smallest margin since May 28.

“If he would have told us that we were going to go through it and still be in this position, would you take that in Spring Training?” Schwarber said. “Absolutely. I think it’s a good way to frame it for us.”

Rookie Tyler Phillips experienced his first career loss after allowing eight runs in just 1⅔ innings against the Mariners. Previously undefeated with a 1.80 ERA, Phillips expressed his disappointment: “If you really want me to answer honestly, I think the thing that bothers me the most is that I let the team down.”

Schwarber echoed sentiments of maintaining focus despite frustrations: “You can be on this great high, then all of a sudden it can kick you right in the ass... At the end of the day...you’ve got to balance that.”

Bryce Harper is currently enduring a career-worst slump, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Friday and now hitting just 1-for-34. When asked if he needed a break, Harper responded: “I just want to play.”

Trea Turner has also been struggling post-All-Star break with a .157 batting average and .493 OPS. He left Friday's game early but clarified it was not due to injury; rather, Thomson has been giving him more rest during this challenging period.