Scuffling Phillies ‘bring the same energy’ amid struggles at the plate

The Phillies are in a funk.

Bryce Harper is 1-for-15 on this homestand. Trea Turner is 1-for-17. Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs has pitched twice for the Phillies in the last 15 days — an 18-3 loss to Oakland and again on Monday against the Yankees.

And even when they’re not being blown out bad enough to put a position player on the mound, the Phillies are struggling to find ways to win. Following Monday’s 14-4 loss, they have a 21-22 record since returning from London on June 11.

It looked like things had turned around after their 8-0 rout of the Guardians on Saturday, especially when Harper hit an opposite-field bomb after going 0-for-9 before that. But since then, the Phillies have dropped two straight.

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Part of the problem, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, might be players trying to do too much to turn things around.

“Big hits are hard to come by, right?” Kyle Schwarber said. “It’s great when big hits are rolling off left and right. You know, getting a hit in general is hard. So it’s not going out there and trying to chase that hit, and chase that big moment. It’s letting it all come to us.”

New deadline acquisition Austin Hays is hitting .167 and has struck out five times in the three games since he joined the Phillies. Thomson believes he’s chasing at the plate.

“I think that’s natural for any player coming over new ballpark, new organization, fan base, teammates. They want to do well,” Thomson said.

And how is the team handling this rut, especially considering the Phillies had one of the best starts to the season in franchise history?

Thomson said the mood in the room is business as usual, and the only long-term worry he has around his team is maintaining its health.

“I think they bring the same energy every day,” Thomson said. “But when you are scuffling, people think about it because they care. But I think the energies are good. I think they understand that you have to grind through this thing. Fighting, working, competing.”

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As the losses have piled up, the Phillies have maintained that this is all part of the game.

“I think that’s why you don’t see teams winning 115 games. Because it’s difficult,” Thomson said. “It’s a difficult game. There’s a lot of ups and downs, injury factors you got to ride through, there’s slumps you got to ride through. Even though we got off to a good start, I’ve always said it’s not how you start. It’s how you finish. So we have to get back in gear here.”

Tuesday’s scheduled Yankees starter, Gerrit Cole, was scratched with general body fatigue. Will Warren will replace Cole and make his major league debut. ... Former Phillies manager Joe Girardi is in town as part of the Yankees broadcast team, and Thomson, his longtime coach, said Girardi stopped by his office on Tuesday. ... Ranger Suárez (lower back soreness) was throwing on flat ground. ... Dylan Covey (shoulder) will pitch two innings on Wednesday on a rehab assignment in Reading, following Taijuan Walker. Thomson said that Covey had a bit of a setback in his recovery after rolling his ankle, and that once he returns to the big-league club it will be in a bulk reliever role.

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