July 23, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Trea Turner hasn't been great playing shortstop this season.
The Phillies just don't feel quite good enough.
After a measuring stick series loss to the dominant Dodgers at home earlier this week, the trade deadline has some added pressure for the Phils front office.
The Yankees are next on the docket this weekend, as the AL's top Wild Card team will come to Citizens Bank Park for a second straight test for the Phillies against a true World Series contender.
But before that series starts up Friday, here's a look at some nagging Phillies thoughts you should know about:
It's hard to make sense of the Phillies' performance this season on paper. On one hand, having a 19-7 record, MLB's best, in one-run games isn't something to sneeze at. Much of the credit there goes to Jhoan Duran, one of the best closers in the sport right now. There is some veteran clutch on this roster for sure.
But this week's series loss to Los Angeles made clear a glaring deficiency — they just can't handle good teams.
Philly has padded its record this season with wins against bad teams, with a 29-16 record when playing clubs with sub .500 records this season. Against contenders, they have a losing mark (27-31). That record against teams above .500 ranks 14th in baseball, behind teams like the Twins and Tigers.
Pretty often in other sports, particularly in the NFL, you see teams make the playoffs with soft winning records, built on easy schedules. It's possible the Phillies are in that category.
A couple days ago, the Phillies placed third-string catcher Garrett Stubbs (who has been hanging on the MLB roster due to a lack of other bench options) on the injured list. A mini-crisis is brewing at backup backstop, as Rafael Marchán hurt his knee in the ninth inning against the Dodgers Wednesday night.
Veteran starter J.T. Realmuto catches a lot of innings, but if both backup catchers end up on the IL, 14 days in a row is a long time for the 35-year-old to have no time off. There are no other catchers on the Phils' 40-man roster, so they'll potentially be making a big league dream come true for Triple-A catchers Paul McIntosh or Payton Henry.
The eyeball test suggests the Phillies are really bad defensively. If you watched them against the Dodgers, this is pretty clear.
The metrics back it up.
| Category | Stat | MLB Rank |
| Def. efficiency | .670 | 29th |
| Errors | 50 | 14th |
| Double plays | 58 | 29th |
| Fielding runs above avg. | -7 | 30th |
| Runs saved per 1,200 innings | -1 | 29th |
No comment is really needed.
Trea Turner's 15 errors are tied for the most in baseball, and his -13 total fielding runs above average is the third worst of 565 defensive players.
The Braves have clawed back to having a four-game lead in the NL East after Philly closed the division gap to as close as two games (down from 10.5 a few months ago). Atlanta probably feels more comfortable with a little more breathing room there. The Phillies have played .500 baseball over the last 20 games.
The Phils still hold the second of three NL Wild Card slots, with a 2.5 gap between them and the next team in the standings, the Diamondbacks. But with a minus-15 run differential, it's hard for the Phillies to hide their tendencies — scraping by with low-scoring pitching duels one day and then being blown out due to their bullpen or fifth starter the next. They have the fifth most wins in the NL, but also the 10th worst run differential. The Dodgers, who won two of three in Philly this week, lead with plus-157. It's like they're playing a different sport.
It's been out there that the Phillies have been looking at adding a cheap fifth starter to help alleviate the weakest part of their rotation (and potentially the entire baseball team), but according to The Athletic's Matt Gelb, they might have higher aspirations than that.
"Of late, the Phillies have been more willing to discuss higher-caliber arms — the kind of pitcher who would be capable of starting a postseason game.
That would cost more in prospects than a filler fifth starter. But, as the Phillies have canvassed the dearth of hitting upgrades and considered their bullpen situation, all roads could lead to a bigger rotation addition as the piece that raises the bar the most." [The Athletic]
Gelb goes on to discuss how there is an abundance of high-quality starting pitching likely to be available on the open market with the trade deadline less than two weeks away. The Phillies might swing for a top arm who can contribute in a postseason series. And it would probably be the right move.
42–15: Phillies record when Sanchez, Wheeler, Luzardo start.
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 23, 2026
14-32: when anyone else starts
The Phillies have lost 5 straight games that Aaron Nola has started. He has given up the most home runs in baseball since the start of the 2023 season. He has a 5.82 ERA this year. Do… pic.twitter.com/pacid7EDmt
SIGN UP HERE to receive the PhillyVoice Sports newsletter
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
