There’s some joke to be made here about Apple TV saving the greater Philadelphia area from the Phillies’ hideous start to the second half, but let’s skip the pleasantries and just get to the point.

One team entered play Friday night at 49-43 and in playoff position. The other team entered at 35-57, losers in 9 of their last 10 games, just days from likely executing a significant trade deadline selloff.

If you managed to successfully find the game on television last night, then you know the Phillies hardly looked like the team with postseason aspirations. On the bright side, at least you could easily switch over to Ted Lasso.

While it’s probably safe to pass on the panic after the Phillies’ comically bad 15-2 loss to the Cubs, their first game back from the break no less, this was an ugly game. It was also a game that confirmed what most already know — this team needs reinforcements.

They didn’t hit. They didn’t pitch. And a lone word doesn’t do justice to the mess that played out during the top of the fifth inning.

Here’s what I saw, what I think, and a little bit of everything else following the Phillies’ series-opening clunker with Chicago.

Pitching Priority

Phillies starting pitchers entered play Friday with baseball’s 10th best ERA and topped all MLB rotations in WAR, per FanGraphs.

So when we talk about this team’s needs at the deadline, it’s understandable if you don’t have starting pitching at the top of the list.

But I do.

True, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola have been two of baseball’s best starting pitchers this season. An inconsistent Ranger Suarez made an encouraging return from the injured list last weekend in Miami by tossing five shutout innings.

After that, things become far less certain.

In three starts from June 21 through July 2, Kyle Gibson amassed 9.69 ERA by allowing 14 earned runs over just 13 innings pitched. During those three starts, opponents slugged .727 and put up a 1.149 OPS.

To Gibson’s credit, he responded with two of his best starts of the season, holding the Cardinals and Marlins to just one total run over 13 innings before taking a step back against the Cubs last night.

Such is the life of the average back-of-the-rotation starter.

While the Phillies will be willing to live with Gibson’s box-of-chocolates performance down the stretch, they can’t pair it up with wishing on a Zach Eflin return or praying for quality starts from the Bailey Falter/Cristopher Sanchez combo.

Eflin hasn’t pitched since June 25 and doesn’t appear close to a return. Turning to Falter or Sanchez for a brief stopgap is a fine enough option, but going to either pitcher for 13-14 starts over the next two-plus months?

They just can’t do it.

Is Time Running Out for Didi Gregorius?

It has been a brutal season for Didi Gregorius.

After going 0-for-4 and stranding four runners in his latest showing, he’s down to .229 with a .632 OPS.

While his power production has completely eroded, his defense has been inconsistent at best. Only six shortstops have fewer than his -5 defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.

The eye test hasn’t been any more favorable.

After grounding out with the bases loaded to end the Phillies’ third inning threat, Gregorius soon found himself right in the middle of their fifth-inning mess.

With a chance to nail down Chicago’s Christopher Morel at the plate, Gregorius’ relay throw lacked both zip and accuracy, prompting Rhys Hoskins to cut the throw. Some fans out there felt there was a play at the plate. After the game, Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson felt there was an outside shot at Morel. Like Hoskins, I didn’t see it that way.

Either way, the ball was cut and then promptly thrown wide of centerfielder Matt Vierling, who was covering the second base bag. An easy out on the trail runner instead turned into a Little League home run and the Phillies never recovered.

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1550641101329108994?s=20&t=N8ht6HL6Q3yXHrzEXZzUWg

So, now what?

With Jean Segura likely to begin a rehab assignment next week, the Phillies will have some decisions to make upon the second baseman’s expected return next month.

With a .560 OPS, rookie Bryson Stott hasn’t exactly put a stranglehold on a job, but how much longer can this team ride with a struggling player who has shown not even a glimmer of upside?

What a Weird Season

Kyle Schwarber tapped out in the opening round of the home run derby earlier this week. It was a disappointing performance, but perhaps he was just lulling the competition into a false sense of security?

First pitch. 30th homer. Start the rout.

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1550621190158516226?s=20&t=XeYUoiLpyA2Irlrn_HZp4g

Not quite.

For one pitch, it looked like the Phillies were on their way to opening the second half with some thump on a night that featured textbook hittin’ season weather, but the runs never came.

Needing 63 pitches to record nine outs, Cubs starting pitcher Justin Steele was on the ropes early. But instead of delivering an early knockout blow, the Phillies squandered multiple scoring opportunities. Through three innings, the Phillies were 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position while stranding six total runners.

As for Schwarber, what a weird season. Truly.

With 69 games left, he is tracking a 52-homer pace. He was a National League All-Star, the league’s player of the month in June and has been a driving force in the Phillies’ resurgence. That’s more than anyone could have reasonably hoped for when he signed this past winter.

And yet, he’s in the midst of a 4-for-44 slump while hitting just .209 overall.

Schwarber’s latest homer would have had a cute little Old Takes Exposed note for Phillies fans to enjoy had the team not gone on to play one of its most miserable games of the season.

Steele’s pitch to Schwarber was a four-seamer, of course.

Sam Coonrod Makes Rehab Appearance

Sam Coonrod hasn’t pitched for the Phillies in 296 days. His last appearance came late last September, so it has been a while.

But he took an important step in rejoining the team Friday night down in Clearwater. He worked a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance, using 16 pitches to record a pair of strikeouts.

The fastball velocity was reportedly there, too:

The Phillies will likely dabble in the relief market prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline, but Coonrod could provide a valuable internal boost. Hell, at the very least, his arrival could spell the end of the Jeurys Familia experience, which included yet another ugly chapter Friday night.

With the Phillies trailing 4-1 in the fifth, Familia was called on to keep the Phillies within reach. Instead, he yielded back-to-back doubles, allowing both inherited runners to score, thus ending the competitive portion of the baseball game.

After the game, Thomson noted Familia only allowed one hard hit ball, but come on. Enough is enough.

Apple TV!

By now, you know the game was on Apple TV. You probably had one of two feelings about this:

  1. It’s 2022. Streaming services are a thing. Figure it out.
  2. This is a disgrace to Major League Baseball and a slap in the face to Phillies fans everywhere.

Once the game started, the Apple TV takes rolled in.

Not bad.

Welp.

Say what you will, but I learned something from the broadcast. Apparently, the batter’s eye at Citizens Bank Park exists in…left field. Who knew?

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1550670983085932549?s=20&t=uIEtUnocJtQd_D3PiqhKUQ