Phillies Lose 10th in Last 11 Games
By Matt Veasey
5. 8. Final. 1. 6
The Philadelphia Phillies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park in South Philly.
The ship continues to sink towards the bottom of Major League Baseball, as the Phillies dropped a 5-1 decision on Sunday afternoon to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
This was a sixth consecutive defeat for the Fadin’ Phils, their 10th loss in the club’s last 11 games. Since their high-water mark of 24-17 on May 18th, the Phillies have gone just 6-23.
Jake Lamb went 2-5 with two RBI, Brandon Drury 2-4 with two runs scored, and Phil Gosselin 2-4 with a walk and a run scored to pace the Dbacks offensive attack.
On the mound, Archie Bradley (3-3) went six innings, allowing just three hits with a pair of walks while striking out five. The bullpen trio of Tyler Clippard, Daniel Hudson, and Brad Ziegler then each tossed a shutout frame to nail it down.
The lone bright spot on the afternoon for the Phillies was the bounce-back performance of rookie starting pitcher Zach Eflin, who may have taken the loss, but who pitched well and kept the team in the game.
Eflin (0-2) went 5.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits while striking out three and walking just one batter.
“To a certain extent,” Eflin said per MLB.com correspondents when asked if he felt the need to prove himself. “I go out there every outing looking to dominate the game. It’s just fun to go out there and throw in front of 40,000. You’ve gotta go out there with a clear mind and learn from every outing.”
The Phils lone run came while trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 6th inning. Andres Blanco led off with a walk, moved to 2nd on a Jimmy Paredes single, to 3rd when Odubel Herrera reached base on an error, and then scored as Tommy Joseph grounded into a doubleplay.
Bradley and the Dbacks happily exchanged that run for the doubleplay, considering the Phillies had the bases loaded and nobody out. It would prove to be the home side’s best and last real shot in this one.
“Not a whole lot to be happy about except for Eflin,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said per MLB. “It was a good confidence booster for him, as well as the team. We were in the game until the ninth inning, so that’s a step in the right direction. However, the three hits, once again is our bane.”
On Monday afternoon, this series concludes, with Arizona trying for a four game sweep. If things continue to form, it won’t be a tough chore. The Diamondbacks outscored the Phillies by a combined 19-4 this weekend.