June 04, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
The Phillies offense is doing just what it needs to to keep winning.
The Phillies don't need to be worried about a potential Wild Card tiebreaker situation that involves the Padres.
After flexing even more dominating starting pitching this weekend at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies swept San Diego for the second time in as many weeks, spanning both coasts.
The offense was marginal — until the finale saw them smack 10 hits — but gems tossed by veteran Aaron Nola, Cris Sánchez and Zack Wheeler were a big catalyst for success in the series. And while the stats might not be entirely eye-popping across the board, the Phils are doing enough to get it done and that's what matters.
We had a little fun with this series win at home, and have come up with 10 awards to hand out as the good vibes continue to resonate in South Philly:
If it was ever possible to be disappointed by a seven inning, one run allowed outing from a star pitcher, fans at Wednesday's historic Sánchez outing might have been. However it was a very moving scene, as fans gave the big lefty a standing ovation when he relented his first run since April.
The hurler finally saw his scoreless innings streak end at 50.2 innings in a 3-2 win. But thanks to the streak, he's the front-runner for NL Cy Young and leads the majors in ERA and pitching WAR. A Sánchez start is a can't miss event in the city right now.
Wheeler was unhittable — literally — for the first five innings in Thursday's finale, but the third time through the order things got a little dicey. His no-hit bid ended in the sixth inning with one out but he promptly helped the Phillies' defense turn a double play one pitch later. Then in the seventh, he gave up a two-run homer to old friend Manny Machado. Wheeler has had issues with the longball of late. He allowed four solo shots in his last start in L.A
Still, he went seven strong, struck out eight and left with the lead. It's all you can ask for from your second ace.
After smacking four hits in the series opener, and another two for good measure Wednesday, the answer to this question remained yes. And then he collected a base hit Thursday and chipped in an insurance RBI on a strategic ground out.
When action wrapped up Thursday afternoon, Marsh was leading the majors in batting average at .333.
Turner continues to benefit from his move to second in the batting order. After one of the worst starts to his career at the plate, Turner had two hits Tuesday and another Wednesday, and Thursday he got a three-run seventh oozing with an RBI-single to help the Phillies get a little wiggle room in a tight game.
He's clearly hitting better in the 2-hole, and whether it's related to hitting behind MLB home run king Kyle Schwarber or just a totally random improvement, it's showing and helping the Phils.
A potentially costly injury scare — particularly for a catcher who makes such a huge impact on the pitching staff — came back on Sunday when Realmuto was hit in the wrist by a pitch against the Dodgers. After a few games off, he was back on the field to catch Sánchez Wednesday and hit the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the seventh, putting Sánchez back in position to earn a win after giving up his only run in weeks.
J.T. Realmuto puts the @Phillies ahead again! pic.twitter.com/qqWYr5vSWc
— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2026
For a hitter stuck near the Mendoza line, getting a hit in each game against the Padres is a big step in the right direction. Doubly so when his hit Wednesday was an RBI-double in a scoreless pitcher's duel, and when he hit a solo homer to give some insurance in a one-run game Thursday.
The Phillies have a big, gaping hole in two areas on offense — they need a righty bat to hit in the middle of the order, and they need someone in right field who isn't a liability at the plate. García is showing signs of life, and it couldn't come at a better time, with the trade deadline approaching quickly at the end of July.
This tweet, hat tip to Bob Vetrone, is pretty telling:
The Phillies have gone 13 CONSECUTIVE games without scoring MORE than FOUR runs . . .
— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) June 4, 2026
SINCE 1898, they have done that in 14+ straight games just 13 times (last in April, 2011) --
via https://t.co/AN4EPXyMlO pic.twitter.com/Oc6lTfYrXx
The Phillies are 14-5 in one-run games this season, the most wins of that variety in the major leagues. Two of them came in the Padres series with 3-2 wins on Tuesday and Wednesday.
They're right in the thick of the NL Wild Card picture with a 33-29 record — but they still have a minus-22 run differential, in the bottom 10 of the 30 MLB squads. When they lose, they lose with gusto. When they win, more and more it appears they do so in dramatic fashion.
Much of that drama comes from the flexing right arm of closer Duran, who has pitched with the slimmest of leads in each of his last four save attempts, converting all four of them. In fact, he did not allow a base-runner in any of the four.
He did it in the first two games against the Padres, twice preserving the aforementioned 3-2 victories. The Phillies, and any other contending team, certainly hope their closer is a luxury item — and that the offense can make a closer's job easy. The Phils' inconsistent offense hasn't done that much lately, thank goodness they have Duran to lean on.
Entering the Padres series this week at home, the Phillies were in the middle of their toughest scheduled stretch of the year. San Diego is the sixth team with a winning record they've played in a row. The White Sox, Blue Jays and Brewers are the next three.
Chicago will head to Philly this weekend, second in the AL Central and playing winning baseball of late. The defending AL Champs are next, in Toronto (who are technically below the .500 mark at the moment). And then the Brewers in Milwaukee — sporting the second-best record in the NL. They're getting battle tested, and so far they're testing well.
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