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Phillies stumbling out of second-half gate
- Updated: July 22, 2016
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies’ high hopes for the second half have suffered a setback.
They exited the All-Star break believing they could make a long-shot run at a National League Wild Card. Why not, they said? But after the Phillies managed just three hits and Jerad Eickhoff struggled Thursday night in a 9-3 loss to the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, they have lost five of seven games since the break to fall to 44-53 and nine games behind the Marlins for the second Wild Card.
“I’m not giving up hope for that Wild Card, because I’ve seen us better,” Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said.
But the Phillies still have to play 30 more games at home this season, which is not necessarily a good thing.
They scored just 17 runs in the seven-game homestand against the Mets and Marlins, and they are hitting .218 with a .627 OPS and averaging just 2.9 runs per game at home. Their runs-per-game average ranks last in baseball, a half-run worse than the Braves.
Conversely, the Phillies are hitting .260 with a .724 OPS …
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