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Jun 6, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) looks on from the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Three Key Takeaways From Phillies' Disappointing Series Loss to Reds

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies came into the series against the Cincinnati Reds riding high and playing some of their best baseball of the season. However, it was the Reds who bested them in the series by winning two out of three games.

Despite the series loss, the recent stretch by the Phillies has been an encouraging one. They have been able to build up a bit of a lead in the National League East with their recent success, creating some separation from the New York Mets.

However, the Reds are a hungry team that needed to make a statement to help improve their playoff chances. That unfortunately came at the expense of Philadelphia, who didn’t perform well after winning the series opener.

Here are three key takeaways for the Phillies in the series loss to Cincinnati.

Suarez Gets Shelled Again

After an amazing June, Ranger Suarez has seen his ERA start to creep up over the last two months of the season. In July, he was at a respectable 4.57. While that isn’t up to his capabilities, it wasn’t a terrible month.

However, in the loss to the Reds, the southpaw was hit hard, allowing six runs on 10 hits. It was the second really poor start in a row for Suarez, and it is a bit alarming. While the southpaw has been fantastic overall this campaign, the two recent outings might have the franchise starting to get a tad worried.

Offense Goes Cold

After a decent four-run performance in the series opener, the offense went cold for the Phillies. In the second game, they scored just one run on a Bryce Harper solo shot. In the finale against the returning Hunter Greene, they were shut out by a score of 8-0.

Even though the offense has been much better of late, the last two games proved that this is still a unit that can be inconsistent and too reliant on their stars to perform at a very high level.

Romano Struggles

After pitching a scoreless frame in the first game of the series, Romano was called upon in the series finale with the team down by a few runs. However, the right-hander was not on in his second appearance of the series and allowed four earned runs.

Even though the Phillies continue to try to give him chances, Romano has been far too inconsistent for them to trust him. While they can continue to try and get some value out of him, it’s hard to imagine that he will have a role on the team come October, the way things are going.

Series Recap:

Overall, the last two games of the series, the team did not look good. They were only able to muster one run in the final two games, and the momentum they had been building took a bit of a hit.

Next up for Philadelphia will be a four-game set on the road against the Washington Nationals. This should be an excellent opportunity to get back some wins after a disappointing series against the Reds.