Phillies Offense Offensive Again
By Matt Veasey
6. 1. 82. Final. 0
Short of some disastrous injury to a long-term piece of the puzzle, the 2015 season cannot get any worse for the Philadelphia Phillies. But the offensive results, and the word “offensive” is meant there in the negative sense, of the team’s hitting attack droned on for yet another night in Thursday’s loss to the Miami Marlins.
In the series finale, the Phillies managed just 5 total hits against a half-dozen different Marlins’ arms. The result was a complete waste of the best outing yet for rookie pitcher Alec Asher, and a 1-0 defeat at Marlins Park.
The loss was the Phillies’ 8th in their last 9 games, and left the club with 22 losses in the 29 games since the last time they managed a winning streak. The result dropped their “Magic Number’ for clinching the worst overall record in MLB, and the subsequent top overall pick in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft to 4 over the Braves.
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Asher was making his 5th start, and had not found success in any of his previous four appearances. In this one, he was fantastic, allowing just 3 hits and a walk across 7 innings. It was the first time that he has ever reached the 7th inning since his MLB debut.
Unfortunately for Asher, the Marlins also received a strong performance from their starter, Jarred Cosart, a former Phillies’ prospect who was dealt away at the 2011 trade deadline in exchange for Hunter Pence.
Cosart shut the Phils out over 4 innings, allowing 4 hits and a pair of walks before having to leave after being struck in the arm by a comebacker off the bat of Odubel Herrera. He was followed up by a handful of relievers who each continued the shutout, until closer A.J. Ramos finished it off with his 29th Save.
The game’s lone run scored in the bottom of the 7th when Marlins’ catcher J.T. Realmuto tripled with one out, scoring Derek Dietrich, who had singled in front of him.
“I think some of the guys are fatigued,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “Even though they’re young … I think everybody is getting tired. The more you lose, the more beat up you feel.”
The guys are not the only ones fatigued, not the only ones who feel beaten up. The fan base is feeling that same way. There is hope for the future. We have seen some of that. But it will be somewhat of a relief when these final nine games are over.