Familiar concerns for Phillies in 5-4 loss to Cardinals

Despite battling back from two separate two-run deficits, the Phillies lost to the Cardinals in ten innings Sunday night. The defeat snapped the Phils’ eight-game winning streak at Citizens Bank Park and marked just their third loss in their last 23 home games.

Phillies fans have been frustrated with starting pitcher Taijuan Walker all season, and Walker didn’t do much to win them back in this one. He allowed four runs and five hits in five innings, walking three batters and striking out five. Walker served up a two-run home run in both the first and third innings, and the Cardinals hit him hard all night.

“[Walker] left the ball up a couple times, the two home runs were cutters left out over the plate,” manager Rob Thomson said after the game. “I’ve seen his command better. He’s gotta keep the ball down. And he knows that. So, we just keep working on it.” Walker now sports a 5.73 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in seven starts this season.

Another player frequently criticized by fans, utility man Whit Merrifield, struggled on Sunday as well. He went hitless in four at-bats with a strikeout, and he’s now hitting .176/.257/.275 (.532 OPS) in 114 plate appearances this season. Perhaps the most disconcerting number for Merrifield is his .111 batting average over his last 15 games/54 ABs, indicating that he’s playing even worse as the season goes on.

Asked how he’ll get Merrifield going, Thomson indicated that the 35-year-old may need more regular playing time. “Because he hasn’t played, I think that’s the problem. So, we gotta try and somehow get him some more playing time.”

Adding injury to insult, Brandon Marsh left the game in the eighth inning with a right hamstring issue. Marsh was still being evaluated Sunday night after the game, and the severity of the injury likely won’t be known until Monday.

It wasn’t all bad for the Phillies in Sunday’s nationally televised game. A Garret Stubbs double was the big hit in the second inning as the Phils tied the game at two. Bryson Stott drove in two runs to tie the game at four in the fifth. Stott also made a few dazzling plays at the shortstop position.

The Phillies bullpen was also outstanding following Walker’s departure. Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jeff Hoffman, and Jose Alvarado kept the Cardinals scoreless through the ninth. Gregory Soto pitched the tenth and looked like he might escape the inning without allowing the ghost runner to score.

But with two outs, St. Louis infielder Nolan Gorman singled home what proved to be the winning run. In the bottom of the tenth, Alec Bohm moved ghost runner Bryce Harper to third base with a long fly out to right field. Harper was left stranded 90 feet from home, however, as Cristian Pache and Nick Castellanos struck out to end the game.

The Phils are now 41-19 this season through 60 games. Six of the Phillies’ 19 losses have been in extra innings, and seven of their losses have been by one run. An optimist would say those numbers show that the team doesn’t go down easy. A pessimist would argue that the losses show that situational hitting is another concern for this talented Phillies squad. Time will tell whether such a concern is warranted.

A lot has gone right for the Phils this season. They’re 6.5 games ahead of the Braves in the National League East, even after Atlanta gained a game on them Sunday. They’re scoring runs and pitching well. But if you’re a worrier–and, in particular, if you’re worried about Taijuan Walker, Whit Merrifield, injuries, and the Phillies’ performance in close games–this was a game that might keep you up all night.

The Phillies’ homestand continues on Monday, when Rhys Hoskins and the Milwaukee Brewers come to town. Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.32 ERA) gets the start at 6:40 p.m.