Riding high into weekend, Phillies drop series

PHILADELPHIA -- The weekend is gone. It’s time to move on.

That was the consensus in the Phillies’ clubhouse following their 3-2 loss to the Padres on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, a defeat that seemingly erased the momentum Philadelphia had gained with a season-high-tying four-game win streak that included a sweep of the Cubs and Bryce Harper's memorable walk-off grand slam.

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But instead of finishing the week on a high note, Philly dropped two straight -- and thus, the series -- to San Diego, a club that hadn’t won two straight road games since the All-Star break.

“It happened and it's over with,” said Jason Vargas, who allowed two runs over 5 2/3 innings, both coming on Luis Urias’ fourth-inning homer. “There's really no time to think about what happened here and what could have or should have; we have to go to Boston and do the job.”

Following an off-day Monday, the Phillies open a two-game set against the Red Sox on Tuesday at Fenway Park. They’ll have another off-day on Thursday, then play three against the Marlins beginning on Friday in Miami.

Manager Gabe Kapler called the road trip “immeasurably important” following a 4-2 homestand that has the Phillies feeling good about themselves despite the wasted weekend. He used the word “frustrating” twice during his opening postgame statement to reporters, but when asked how disappointing it was to drop two straight after what had been a big week, Kapler became terse with his answer.

“I already expressed disappointment,” Kapler said. “I'm not going to express more.”

His players, on the other hand, didn’t try to sugarcoat the weekend.

“I don't think this is the way we thought this series was going to go,” said Harper, who left the game after five innings with dehydration issues. Harper was given an IV and was feeling much better after the game.

The Phillies, who scored 30 runs during the four-game winning streak earlier in the week, had just four hits on Sunday -- the same number as Padres catcher Austin Hedges, whose seventh-inning homer against Jared Hughes accounted for the game-winning run. A pair of RBI doubles by Jean Segura accounted for both Phillies runs.

Kapler liked the “grind in the at-bats,” noting that the Phillies forced Padres starter Joey Lucchesi to throw 109 pitches over six innings, and closer Kirby Yates to throw 27 in the ninth, when he struck out all three batters he faced.

“It's frustrating to lose the game and the series,” Kapler said. “We were 4-2 on the homestand and [had] really high-quality at-bats across the board today that didn't end with the best possible results.”

Rhys Hoskins went 0-for-4, part of a 1-for-17 homestand that extended the slugger’s skid to 3-for-45 (.067) over his past 14 games. Hoskins nearly tied the game in the eighth, blasting a 98.6 mph fastball to the center-field fence, where it landed in Manuel Margot’s glove.

“The at-bat quality remains strong even though the results aren't there,” Kapler said. “I know how disappointed he is in it, and I'm disappointed for him because I know this is going to turn around for him. I know that these at-bats are going to end with doubles and homers, and he's going to be incredibly important for us down the stretch. We can't wait to see it.”

The Phillies also received some tough injury news this weekend when it was determined that Jake Arrieta is headed for elbow surgery (not to mention David Robertson's Tommy John surgery this past Thursday). But the players know there’s an opportunity ahead of them. Two tough losses to the sub-.500 Padres doesn’t change that, no matter how difficult they may be to swallow.

“Obviously, it's disappointing to lose a series against the Padres, but you can feel the difference in here this week,” Hoskins said. “It just feels a little different; there's a little more swagger, a little more confidence. We're going to play a good team and we're going to be ready to play, I can tell you that.”