What’s the definition of “not going well?” How about playing a series against a team that came in on a 12-game losing streak, and getting swept? The series against the Marlins showed that it’s not just one thing plaguing the Phillies at the moment, it’s everything. Each loss came in a different fashion, with the one common thread being poor defense.
Next, the Phillies will travel to Baltimore to take on an Orioles team that theoretically should provide some opportunities for victories. However, considering
how poorly the team has played since the All-Star Game, any future opponents could say the same thing.
Opposition research: Jackson Holliday
Jackson Holliday was a can’t miss prospect. The son of a former All-Star and first overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holliday was rated as the top prospect in baseball prior to the 2024 season. When he was called up to the majors in April of that year, it was expected that the middle infielder would become an instant star.
For every Phillies fan who complains that the team is too slow to promote their young players, just remember that not every prospect, no matter how touted they are, is going to be succeed immediately upon reaching the majors. Holliday struggled so much that the team quickly demoted him. (For the fans who want to trade every prospect, this is some ammunition for your case.)
He returned to the majors at the end of July that year, and while he wasn’t awful, he certainly didn’t look anything like the star that was promised. 2025 was slightly better as he hit 17 home runs, but his defense was subpar and his OPS was only .690.
His 2026 season got off to a poor start when he suffered a fractured hamate bone in February that required surgery and delayed the start of his season to mid-May. He started slowly after returning and was batting .200 at the end of June. However, he’s had an excellent month of July so far.
At age 22, it’s far too early to write off Holliday’s chances of living up to the hype. He’s so talented that it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a consistently good player.
There have also been rumors that he’s on the trade block, but I don’t understand how that makes sense. The Orioles shouldn’t be buyers, and giving up on a top prospect at age 22 feels insane.
Hating on the Orioles
I attended one of the Orioles games in Philadelphia last year, and I taunted one of my friends who is an Orioles fan that their team was getting wrecked by Taijuan Walker and Max Kepler. (For some odd reason, Kepler did very well whenever I was in attendance. Obviously, I didn’t attend nearly enough games last year.) He said that was pretty much par for the course.
The Orioles hoped that after a playoff appearance in 2024, last year’s down season was just a temporary setback. But it seems like 2025 is far more representative of the state of the franchise since they are currently mired in fourth place and don’t appear to be headed back to the postseason.
The Orioles’ roster isn’t all that impressive with both the pitching staff and offense being mediocre at best. Two years ago, Gunnar Henderson looked like a real contender for the unofficial title of “best shortstop in baseball” but he’s got a sub-.300 on-base percentage this season. Adley Rutschman hasn’t built upon his promising first two seasons. Taylor Ward walks a lot, but he won’t come close to approaching the 36 home runs he hit last year. Their best hitter has been free agent import Pete Alonso, but he’s signed for four more years, and there’s little chance that contract doesn’t feel like an albatross by the end.
The Orioles as a franchise are a lot like the Cincinnati Reds in that they were a powerhouse in the 70’s and early 80’s and haven’t really done much of note since then. The closest thing they’ve had to relevance since then is when a young fan deflected a ball into the stands for a home run.
After sweeping the Tigers in the 2014 NLDS, they’ve lost ten straight playoff games. You’d think they could luck their way into at least one playoff win in 12 years, but apparently not.
Trivia
Last week’s answer: Granny Hamner batted .429 in the 1950 World Series. dirkniblick was correct.
This week’s question: In the 1983 World Series between the Phillies and Orioles, who was the only Phillie to hit more than one home run?
Additional thought about the series
I’ve been out of the country for a few days, and for whatever reason, the Phillies play awful baseball whenever I leave the United States. (I watched game six of the 2022 World Series in Cancun.) I return on Saturday night, so if you’re the type who likes to bet on the Phillies to win, Sunday might be your play.
As for the other games, considering the funk the Phillies are mired in, it’s tough to have much confidence. This core has gone through similar stretches in recent seasons, and eventually come out of it, so I don’t think this is a permanently broken team or anything. But until they do emerge, maybe everyone should do themselves a favor and take a vacation of their own.
