2 Phillies most to blame for concerning slump

The Philadelphia Phillies were enjoying a great recovery following their poor start to the season that led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson in late April. The hiring of interim manager Don Mattingly led to a sharp turnaround that saw the Phillies mount a serious challenge to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Additionally, the Phillies were fielding a team with explosive slugger Kyle Schwarber at the top of the lineup and veteran leader Bryce Harper in the middle of the order. Since left-handed starter Christopher Sanchez was having a Cy Young-worthy season, it looked like the Phillies might be the team that could eventually challenge the two-time World Series champion Dodgers for National League superiority.

The Phillies might still be that team, but a scenario that looked likely now appears questionable. After going into the All-Star break with serious momentum and belief, the Phillies lost six of the first eight series that followed. Instead of securing the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the NL playoff structure, they are in a three-way tie with the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second and third playoff positions. If it came down to breaking a tie at the end of the season with the Diamondbacks, Los Serpientos would have the edge because they had a better head-to-head record.

Phillies’ confidence has given way to desperation

There’s a certain desperation associated with the Phillies that have been a part of the team’s psyche for decades. “We’ve got to turn it around,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said, per Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. “There’s still plenty of time to do so. But nobody in here is happy about the brand of baseball we’re playing right now. We just need to figure it out, turn it around and play a lot better here pretty quickly.”

The team may be in the process of turning things around with consecutive wins over the Minnesota Twins. However, there are several reasons for the post-All-Star blues.

The Phillies clearly have two dependable starters in Christopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo. However, long-time veteran Aaron Nola has continued to struggle badly and it will be difficult for Mattingly to look at the 33-year-old who has been a mainstay with the team since 2015 and believe that he is going to get the job done.

This is still the case after his solid outing in the Field of Dreams Game against the Twins. He pitched 5 innings and limited them to 5 hits and 1 run while striking out 9. Unlike many games this season, his teammates gave him excellent support — Schwarber blasted two home runs into the corn — and the Phillies won by a 7-1 margin.

However, Nola’s full picture is not a pleasant one.

After double-digit wins from 2022 through 2024, he suffered through a 5-10 season with a 6.01 earned run average in 2025 when he suffered a right ankle sprain and a right rib injury.

This season has been more of a struggle for Nola. He has a 4-9 record with a 5.33 ERA while pitching 130.0 innings and making 25 starts. Only 7 of his starts have been of the quality variety, and he has given up a National League-worst 30 home runs.

Despite the sharp performance in the classic game in Iowa, there is enough evidence to suggest that Nola is not going to help the team down the stretch.

Realmuto is still a leader, but on-field production has dipped