It’s hard to say a team reached rock bottom over three months after firing its manager following a ten game losing streak, but the Phillies hit a new low today when they blew a 6-0 lead to the Marlins in an 8-6 loss, finalizing a sweep at the hands of a team who entered the series on a 12 game losing streak.
Things truly unraveled in the seventh, when manager Don Mattingly elected to push starter Jesús Luzardo with a short bullpen and a 6-3 lead. Luzardo, who had given up a two run homer in the fifth
to cut the lead to three, gave up a single to Esteury Ruiz to begin the inning before retiring Brian Navarreto on a pop up. But Ruiz then stole second and was able to advance to third on a throwing error from J.T. Realmuto. Luzardo then walked Jacob Marsee on seven pitches, and despite being at 98 total pitches, Mattingly elected to leave him in to face NL batting leader Otto Lopez. Lopez promptly singled to cut the lead to 6-4 and put the tying run on base.
Mattingly had then seen enough, but with Jonathan Bowlan available in the dugout to escape the jam, he elected to turn towards Seth Johnson who entered the day with a 5.74 ERA. Johnson was entrusted to escape a one out, runners on first and second jam. He was able to get the second out on a pop up, but then Johnson walked Liam Hicks to load the bases before surrendering a two-run single to Xavier Edwards that knotted the game at 6-6, a game that was 6-0 after the top of the fifth inning. Johnson finally retired the side on a pop up but not before uncorking a wild pitch.
Bowlan finally entered the now tied game in the eighth inning. He allowed a leadoff walk before retiring Ruiz on a strikeout. But then the meltdown was completed against the next batter, as second generation Phillie killer Griffin Conine blasted a two-run homer to put the Marlins up 8-6. The Phillies offense then went down in order in the eighth and ninth, having had just two base runners since the fifth inning. The team-wide collapse cemented one of their ugliest losses in a season that’s rapidly gaining more such examples.
Philadelphia will now enter its last series before Monday’s trade deadline at 57-52 after losing 8 of their last ten games. They still somehow occupy a postseason spot despite it all, but that precarious lead is now down to 1.5 games as of this writing.
