June has been the month the Philadelphia Phillies normally turn it on, with Kyle Schwarber leading the way. This year was not the case as they finished this month 15-11 and lost Schwarber, JT Realmuto, and Harper to the 10-day IL for tightened groin, meniscus surgery, and hamstring injuries. At the time Harper was running out a ground ball in the bottom of the 9th inning and pulled his hamstring it did not look good, luckily it was a minor injury. JT Realmuto was playing through knee problems, but the team and he decided it was time to take care of it before it got any worse. Schwarber was playing left field at the time and left in the 9th inning with a tightened groin, but it seems to be okay. They expect to see Harper and Schwarber back after the all-star break but could return sooner if the club decides.
Some good news is Christopher Sanchez has been extended for 4 years’ worth 22.5 million and pitched two gems back-to-back starts after signing. Since his extension, he has 13 strikeouts, 1 complete game shutout, and no earned runs.
Nick Castellanos has turned around and got hot in the month of June hitting .276, 4 home runs, and 18 RBIs. He has been struggling this year at the plate, but he is finally starting to turn the corner, hopefully, he can keep it up. Rafel Marchan got the call about JT being hurt. He hit .219 2 home runs, and 4 RBIs on his limited playing time, but has shown some promise for a future backup catcher role.
July is a tough one for the Phillies as they go on the road to face the Cubs and the Braves, before returning home to face the Dodgers and Oakland. After the All-Star break, they will see teams like the Pirates who have Paul Skenes, Guardians who are also on a tear, and the Yankees who are AL favorites. Hopefully, the team can rally together before the big guys come back into the lineup to keep the 8-game lead in the division over the Braves.
First & Jenn 
Leave a comment