'It's been a long trip': Phillies hoping to reset upon return home

PHOENIX -- It was a long road trip against some of the top teams in baseball for the Phillies.

After a 12-5 loss to the D-backs at Chase Field on Sunday, a return to Citizens Bank Park is just what the doctor ordered.

Alec Bohm continued his hot August while Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh and Cal Stevenson each chipped in an RBI, but the Phillies’ lopsided loss on Sunday was their third straight defeat in the desert after winning the series opener on Thursday. They went 4-6 on the 10-game road trip against the Mariners, Dodgers and D-backs.

Philadelphia now returns home for six games just as its starting rotation is beginning to get healthy, a combination that could provide a much-needed spark for a team that’s 7-15 since the All-Star break.

“We’re not playing our best baseball right now,” said first baseman Bryce Harper. “We just have to keep going, understand we have a long season to go, and we just have to keep playing our game.”

The Phillies are 17 games over .500 at Citizens Bank Park (38-21), as opposed to 31-28 on the road. They now host two teams under .500: the Marlins (44-75) and the Nationals (54-65).

Sunday started off well enough, as Philadelphia jumped on D-backs starter Merrill Kelly courtesy of Bohm’s two-run double in the first. The offense added three runs in the seventh, but Arizona matched that output in the bottom half of the inning to put the game out of reach.

Bohm was a bright spot throughout the trip, though, as the 28-year-old hit .318 (14-for-44) with five doubles and seven RBIs. He doubled three times in the Phillies’ four-game series against the D-backs.

That wasn’t enough for Philadelphia, though, which has allowed 23 runs in its last two games.

“We scored early and then we had some other chances too,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We just didn’t get it done.”

Starter Cristopher Sánchez allowed seven runs in 4 2/3 innings, marking the second time in three starts he has allowed at least six earned runs. The 27-year-old southpaw had a stellar June, allowing just six earned runs in 33 innings while recording 23 strikeouts, but has allowed 28 runs in 38 innings since July 4.

“I missed a lot of pitches,” Sánchez said. “I think it was just the location.”

The bullpen wasn’t much better on Sunday, though, allowing a combined six hits and five runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief. Rookie Max Lazar was the only reliever to go unscathed, and has pitched 2 1/3 innings of hitless baseball since making his MLB debut on Saturday.

Philadelphia still leads the NL East by 7 1/2 games, and finished the season series against the D-backs at 3-4. The two teams met in the National League Championship Series in 2023, and the past weekend’s series could very well have been a preview of what’s to come this fall.

Before the Phillies can start thinking about October, though, they need to turn things around in August.

“It’s been a long trip,” Thomson said. “Let’s get home in front of our fan base and start winning some games and winning some series.”