It was a fun weekend at Citizens Bank Park. A long one, a very long one, but a fun one for Phillies fans after their team pulled off three-straight comeback wins before a well-timed day off that everyone could probably use right about now.

After taking three out of four from the sinking San Diego Padres, the Phillies now sit at 51-42 and can go 10 games over .500 with a win Tuesday night, a milestone they didn’t achieve until Aug. 5 last season.

Urgency and the Benefit of the Doubt

Let’s talk a little bit about urgency, a go-to Phillies buzzword all season that came back into focus again this past weekend.

A quick refresher:

  • The Phillies elected to open the second half by turning to No. 5 starter Cristopher Sánchez, a debatable decision even before the Phillies played one of their worst games of the season Friday night.
  • Of course, the game wasn’t ugly because Sánchez allowed three runs over five innings. It was ugly because the defense gave away extra outs. It was also ugly because the lineup failed to deliver with runners aboard (1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and nine total left).
  • The pitching plan, and the ensuing performance, gave juice to the criticism that this team doesn’t move with enough aggression or urgency.

I believe the criticism more or less read something like this:

“How many fucking days off do Nola and Wheeler need?”

Those frustrated by the rotation alignment had to feel like they were being trolled when the Phillies released their game one lineup Saturday, one that included the likes of Drew Ellis batting sixth and Edmundo Sosa at second base in place of Bryson Stott.

Again, it probably read something like this:

“No Bryce Harper? He’s a designated hitter! He was just off for four fucking days! No Bryson Stott? He’s hitting .322 against lefties!”

I totally get it, too.

Sitting key players after a lengthy break, buying starting pitchers extra time, using lower-leverage relievers the way they did Friday night, especially with the game still in reach, it all comes across a bit, I don’t know, passive?

From a macro perspective, the Phillies’ 51-42 record is stellar, but with a massive payroll that basically had its division title aspirations wiped away after two months, both the roster and key decision-markers shouldn’t exempt from criticism. It’s been a bumpy ride, one that could still fall short of the postseason.

But at what point does the group that collaborates on these lineup decisions, which, like it or not, account for balancing workloads and production, draw less skepticism and immediate backlash? Mind you, it’s the same group that has the Phillies playing .648 baseball with the best ERA in the sport dating back to June 1st.

The rotation alignment and conservative approach with players like Stott and Harper looked soft, and foolish, until it wasn’t. Both players helped spark a late rally in the first win and then contributed in a big way to complete the a rare doubleheader sweep. Harper homered for the first time in 51 days.

Stott added a pair of hits:

On Sunday, a refreshed Zack Wheeler, who entered the day slumping with a 6.61 ERA over his previous three starts, allowed just five total baserunners and gave the Phillies seven solid innings.

As for Aaron Nola, are you seriously telling me after the first half he just had, that handing him a few extra days of rest isn’t worth a try?

I call this The Comcast — unplug it, wait a little bit, plug it back in, see if it works.

I’m not here to whip around red pom poms because the Phillies have won three in a row. There’s plenty here to criticize. How about a number of key position players playing below career norms? How about the season-long dismal overall production with runners in scoring position?

Want to get on the manager a bit? I’m cool with getting on him about not having a right-hander up for Fernando Tatis Jr. in the eighth inning, particularly with Gregory Soto fighting command issues. I think he might have been caught off guard by the Padres going to Tatis, and it almost cost the Phillies a win.

So no, it’s not that criticism is off limits. But maybe, possibly, the Phillies’ decision-making in terms of how to rest players in the midst of a 26-12 run since June 1 deserves some benefit of the doubt.

Best Moment of the Weekend

The best moment of the weekend? For me, it wasn’t the electrifying debut of Johan Rojas, the Bryce Harper homer, or Kyle Schwarber walk-off sacrifice fly. It was this:

The fans were awesome Sunday. I was stunned how many people hung through the 176-minute delay, and I was stunned how many stayed until the end. Maybe I shouldn’t have been. The fans brought it from start to finish this weekend.

Vibe Check

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this past weekend is that Bryce Harper looks more like… Bryce Harper.

He went 6-for-13 with three extra-base hits, including a much-needed home run. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we saw a more relaxed Harper yesterday.

And don’t overlook his game-tying RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning against Josh Hader.

All of this matters.

As one former player told me last night, when a team’s best players and most high-profile players are the ones delivering in the big moments, it can take momentum and the vibes (as it was explained to me) to a different level.  With Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber all delivering in key moments Sunday, the vibes should be strong right now.

Getting Closer

Despite their series win, the Phillies still haven’t moved back into playoff position. At least not yet.

They remain 0.5 games out of the final wild card spot, but they are also only one game out the top wild card spot. Brutal weekends for the Diamondbacks, Reds, and Marlins.

In all, there are currently five teams all within 2.5 games of one another for a wild card spot. Chaos:

Take a Day, Nick

I guess you can lump this one into the “lack of urgency” category above, but no issue here with getting Nick Castellanos out of the starting lineup Sunday. After a 1-for-15 start to the second half, including an 0-for-10 Saturday, I had no issue with parking a guy who didn’t benefit from the typical run of rest during the All-Star break after playing in Seattle last Tuesday night.

Obviously, the twists and turns of the game forced him into late action, but it’s clear Castellanos needs a breather right now. After raising his batting average to .316 on July 2, he is just 4-for-41 (.098 BA) with just one extra-base hit, 16 strikeouts, one walk, and one run batted in over his last 10 games.

That shakes out to a .119 OBP and .293 OPS.

https://twitter.com/mrmatthewcfb/status/1680021695531237377?s=46&t=scCygxyHPgZmxstsERId7A

See ya Tuesday.

Podcast!

Check out the latest episode of Crossed Up: A Phillies Podcast. Anthony and I discuss the Phillies’ weekend series win over the Padres, looming roster decisions, and more. 

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. Check it out on YouTube below.