Phillies, Gabe Kapler’s Giants heading in opposite direction

The Phillies have lost five straight games, whereas the Gabe Kapler-led Giants have won five straight

The Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants are heading in opposite directions, but not the way you would have expected them to heading into the shortened 2020 season.

Former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler has found recent success out west with the San Francisco Giants. Although Kapler’s team sits in last place in the National League West division — as do the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East — they have won five straight games against the Los Angeles Angels and Arizona Diamondbacks.

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In those games, the Giants won two by four-run margins, two by a five-run margin, and one by a six-run margin — all the while allowing more than two runs just once. In other words, the Giants seem to be clicking on all facets of the game, including their bullpen for holding the lead.

The Joe Girardi-led Phillies, of course, seem to be trending in the opposite direction. They are losers of five straight games, all of which they scored first and some while holding a significant lead.

Saturday’s disappointing 6-5 loss to the Atlanta Braves was the most recent example of the Phillies’ recent woes. Zack Wheeler tossed seven solid innings to help the Phillies maintain a 4-2 lead, but Hector Neris came in and allowed three runs in the eighth while recording only one out.

Brandon Workman, one of the three relievers the Phillies recently acquired via trade, was charged with the blown save and loss, allowing four hits and one run in 1 1/3 innings — including Adam Duvall‘s walk-off RBI single to center field in the ninth which allowed Dansby Swanson to score from third with two outs.

Neris and Workman’s struggles ultimately prevented Wheeler from improving to 4-0. They were also a continuation of the team’s kryptonite that is preventing them from contending this season — an underperforming bullpen.

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And, not only has Girardi’s team blown leads during their current five-game losing streak, they have done so in their last eight losses overall  — seven of which they held at least a two-run lead.

Had those seven losses been wins, the Phils would have had a 16-7 record; instead they sit at the bottom of their division and the sixth-worst record in baseball. Their bullpen’s 8.33 ERA is on pace to finish as the worst in Major League Baseball history.

To make matters worse, recall that Kapler and the Giants are on a five-game winning streak. The Phillies did not win five games in a row all of last season under Kapler. The Phillies are five games under. .500 for the first time since October 1, 2017 — before the now-Giants manager even assumed managerial duties in red pinstripes.

A little more than one month of the season remains. Time is running out for the Phils to find a way to turn things around.