The Phillies went on an outburst of 21 runs to take the weekend series from the Yankees up in the Bronx, before another faulty Zack Wheeler start – his second in three appearances – stopped them short of the sweep in a 4-3 loss on Sunday.

The Phils are 60-45 to be left a game behind the Mets in the NL East race, but to still remain well within the postseason picture.

The trade deadline now sits just four days away, though, and is expected to be vital in determining how serious the Phillies really are about their World Series aspirations, and in turn, how much they're willing to part with in pursuit of them.

The club, as it's constructed now, is good, but its flaws have long been clear – to fans, frustratingly so.

The Phillies need a steady outfield bat and an even steadier bullpen arm or two if they intend to go deep into October this year.

They're about to see one option for the former when the club travels to the South Side of Chicago this coming week to face the White Sox and long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr.

The latter has potential options everywhere, too, of various relief talent and corresponding price – our own Adam Aaronson reviewed 15 of them earlier this week, from the big names in Emmanuel Clase and Mason Miller down to the more modest pitchers on the scale in David Bednar and Kyle Finnegan. 

The club is almost certain to add someone within the next few days, it just seems like a matter to what extent and who?

What feels certain, though, is that they can't leave July 31st as they are or with minor improvements at the margins, because another postseason wall will be waiting for them if they do, unless all the stars perfectly align.

Have your finger ready over the F5 key if it isn't already, Phillies fans.

A few other beats from the Yankees series...

Heating up

Yankee Stadium's shallow confines play well to the Phillies' lineup, and that was obvious throughout the weekend. 

Kyle Schwarber homered twice in Friday night's 12-5 win, the first of which counted for his 1,000th career major league hit, and so did J.T. Realmuto on a three-run shot in the seventh that put the Phillies ahead for good. 

Bryce Harper crushed a solo shot into right on Saturday, and with the game looking well in hand after a solid Ranger Suárez start, Edmundo Sosa followed up with a two-run homer in the seventh that mixed in between big RBI doubles from Trea Turner in the sixth and Schwarber only a few plate appearances after Sosa. 

Then on Sunday, Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp hit solo blasts in the second to spot the Phillies a quick 2-0 lead, before Wheeler's rocky four-run inning that followed left them in a hole they needed to climb out of starting with Kemp's second solo homer in the fifth. 

The Phillies did well to tee off on the Yankees' pitching, but the key here is that it's mostly been their big names taking charge, and throughout a month of July where they've all been – maybe somewhat quietly – heating up. 

Here are the July slash lines for the core part of the Phillies' lineup ahead of Sunday's series finale:

• Trea Turner: .300/.371/.388, 5 2Bs, 1 3B, 9 BBs, 5 RBIs, 5 SBs.
• Kyle Schwarber: .282/.371/.769, 11 HRs, 5 2Bs, 9 BBs, 27 RBIs, 1 SB.
• Bryce Harper: .296/.390/.676, 6 HRs, 9 2Bs, 11 BBs, 9 RBIs, 2 SBs.
• Nick Castellanos: .219/.250/.356, 3 HRs, 1 2B, 3 BBs, 11 RBIs, 2 SBs.
• J.T. Realmuto: .388/.397/.582, 2 HR, 7 2Bs, 1 BB, 10 RBIs, 1 SB.

Obviously, Schwarber's slugging has been insane and ramps up his price that much higher with each passing ball that he launches into the seats. 

But of major note, too, is that Harper and Realmuto have been really picking up their production after quiet or even mediocre first halves of the season relative to their career standards. 

Fans might still want more out of Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas, and Max Kepler at the plate right now, but the Phillies' lineup at the end of the day depends on its star power. 

They all have to be going in the top half of the order for the Phils to have a chance.

Shaky Wheels

Wheeler mowed through the first frame against the Yankees' lineup on Sunday in five pitches, with the help of a comical catch by Schwarber in left field to register the third out.

Laughs aside, that first inning looked to be a textbook setup for another Wheeler gem. 

Then the bases were suddenly loaded in the second. 

Giancarlo Stanton singled, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jasson Domínguez were hit by pitches back-to-back, and then Ryan McMahon drove a double down the right field line to tie the game 2-2 with no outs. 

Wheeler struck out Anthony Volpe to get one out down, and a sac fly to left by Austin Wells notched the second, but at the cost of Domínguez scoring from third for a 3-2 Yankees lead. 

Trent Grisham grounded another single into right to score a running McMahon from the second for a 4-2 New York lead before a Ben Rice groundout finally stopped the bleeding, but the hole was dug for the Phillies. Kemp's fifth-inning solo homer was the only run the Phillies scored after, which wasn't enough.

Wheeler fought through 5.2 innings to hold the Yankees to just those four runs from the second, before manager Rob Thomson made the call to hand the ball over to reliever Tanner Banks, who cleaned up with a scoreless 1.1 innings. 

This is Wheeler's third start since his complete-game gem against the Reds back on July 6th, though, and the second where he hasn't looked like his typical ace self – he got tagged for two homers and four earned runs in a no-decision loss to the Padres back on July 12 before the All-Star break. 

Every No. 1 has their rough stretches. Wheeler certainly has before, along with the body of work to suggest that he will work his way out of it, but pushing late into the summer and with the postseason chase only heating up, his recent struggles might be a slight concern to keep an eye on for now.

Nola to begin rehab assignment

Aaron Nola will report to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for a rehab assignment this coming week, and is expected to start for the IronPigs on Thursday at Worcester, per MLB.com's David Adler.

The veteran righthander we'll start by throwing either three innings or 55-60 pitches, and gradually work his way up to 90 pitches before returning to the Phillies. 

Nola has been out since the middle of May, first with an ankle injury and then a rib stress fracture that has put the 32-year-old, who isn't typically used to being sidelined, on the 60-day Injured List. 

Before that, he was struggling immensely, with a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA across nine starts. 

A return for Nola to the Phillies' rotation soon, hopefully fully healthy and back to form, would offer the club a bit of flexibility with its pitching down the stretch of the regular season. 

His availability would allow Taijuan Walker to move back into the bullpen, and maybe even Jesús Luzardo, too, if his inconsistency of late remains as a starter and doesn't get sorted out. 

Starting pitching, by far, is the Phillies' greatest strength, despite some setbacks, but a healthy Nola adding back into the rotation, in theory, could allow them to internally shore up their bullpen with some shuffles. 

Granted, they still very much need outside help for that.

Finally...

The call already came in way back in December, but on Sunday in Cooperstown, the late Dick Allen was finally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

After decades of campaigning and pleading from his family, friends, and baseball purists everywhere, the former Phillies star from the 1960s and mid-1970s had his plaque on the Hall of Fame stage, with a Philadelphia hat on in his portrait, ready to be enshrined forever into the sport's history. 

"Today, his name is enshrined among the greatest to ever play the game," Allen's widow, Willa, said from the Hall of Fame stage in Cooperstown, with her husband's plaque resting beside her and their family watching from the crowd. "I know beyond all the applause, Dick would want this moment to inspire others to play with passion, to live with heart, and to always be true to yourself."

"Thank you for honoring Dick," Willa continued. "Thank you for believing in him. And thank you for finally bringing him home."

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