• March 29, 2024

Notes From The Phillies’ 5-2 Loss To Pittsburgh

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their second straight game on Wednesday night, falling to the Pirates 5-2. Their record drops to 28-55.

On The Mound

  • Ben Lively started and lasted just four innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk.
  • Lively gave up all four of his runs in the fourth inning.
  • Adam Morgan threw three innings out of the bullpen, and allowed a run on a hit and a walk.
  • Luis Garcia worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and two walks.
  • Hoby Milner picked up the final out in the ninth.

At The Plate

  • The offense managed two runs on 10 hits.
  • Maikel Franco supplied both runs in the first inning with a two-run homer, his 12th of the year.
  • Daniel Nava started in left, and went 3-4 with a double and a walk.
  • Freddy Galvis went 1-4 with a single.
  • Tommy Joseph picked up his first triple of the year.
  • Nick Williams went 1-4 with three strikeouts.
  • Andres Blanco went 0-4 in a start at second, dropping his average to .169 on the year.
  • Odubel Herrera went 2-4 with a couple of singles.
  • Andrew Knapp went 1-4 with two strikeouts.

Final Thoughts

Tommy Joseph has been struggling over the last few weeks.

Joseph’s average has dropped from .261. on June 22nd to .245 after last night’s 1-4. For July, Joseph is hitting just .227.

I don’t consider Joseph a long-term answer at first base. He’s a major-league player for sure, but he’s mediocre. He’s a starter on a bad team (like this one), but isn’t quite good enough to be a piece to build around for the future.

But he’s good enough that the Phils could probably bring back a decent prospect in a trade, which would then allow Rhys Hoskins to take over at first base.

Denny Basens

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