The Philadelphia Phillies have really turned their game around since June. This month, they’ve won seven of their last 10 games and have moved to the top of the standings in the National League East.
The Phillies completed a four-game series against the Washington Nationals June 28-July 1. They won the opening game of the series 4-3. The Nationals came back to easily defeat them in the second game 17-7, but the last two games were won by the Phillies, starting a win streak heading into July.
The Phillies then hosted the Baltimore Orioles for a two-game series July 3-4. Pitcher Zach Eflin had his sixth straight start for the Phillies for the opening game against the Orioles. He gave the Phillies a 3-2 victory, only allowing those two runs in the seven innings he played. In the eighth inning, the Orioles had the bases loaded but weren’t able to score or even get a walk to give them one more run. Phillies first baseman Mark Trumbo hit his 11th home run of the season.
The next day, the Orioles scored the first run in the third inning, but the Phillies were able to come back in the fifth and seventh innings for two runs in each to send the Orioles home with another loss. Aaron Nola pitched this game for the Phillies and struck out nine Orioles over seven innings.
With the win streak continuing, the Phillies traveled to Pittsburgh to play the Pirates July 6-8. They easily defeated the Pirates 17-5 in the opening game. This game tied the National League record for the longest game in history in which all nine innings were played.
The Pirates made a change for the second game as the Phillies came away with only a slight win 3-2. The final game saw the Pirates win 4-1. Nick Williams hit a home run in the fourth inning for his 11th of the season and the Phillies only run of the game.
The Phillies then traveled to New York to face the Mets in a four-game series July 9-11 with a doubleheader July 9.
The Phillies lost the first game of the doubleheader 4-3, but came back to win the second game. With 10 strikeouts, Nola became the first pitcher in the National League to 12 wins on the season.
Another win for the Phillies occurred July 10 as they brought in pitcher Enyel De Los Santos for his Major League Baseball debut. The Phillies scored three runs in the second inning and finished 7-3 over the Mets.
The final game of the series July 11 ended in a loss for the Phillies 3-0. The game was scoreless through all nine innings forcing a tenth inning to decide the winner. At the bottom of the inning, the Mets had two men on the bases and Brandon Nimmo at bat. An incredible home run brought three runs in for the Mets and sealed the deal for the win for New York.
The Phillies made a quick stop in Baltimore to play a game against the Orioles July 12 after it was postponed back in May. They won 5-4.
They then traveled to Miami to play the Marlins in a three-game series July 13-15. The 89th All-Star Game will be held at Nationals Park July 17 with the Home Run Derby set for July 16. Rhys Hoskins will represent the Phillies in the Home Run Derby.