The Phillies were on top of the baseball world, then a weekend sweep from the Brewers felt like it sent them crashing straight back to Earth.
Is it the end of the world? Probably not. Does it hurt or raise concern? Yeah, a little bit.
How much? Locally, varying degrees of extreme. Nationally, here's a roundup through the latest wave of MLB power rankings…
MLB.com: 4th
The Phillies lost Bryce Harper immediately into the Braves series last week when a Spencer Strider fastball tagged him direclty on the elbow.
It ended up only being a bruise, and Harper is expected to be back for Tuesday night in Toronto, but still, not having him in the lineup always changes the entire complexion of it.
Bryce Harper will return on Tuesday after missing five games after being hit on the elbow with a pitch, on a play that the Phillies will likely remember the next time they play the Braves. The Phillies sure will be happy to have him back; after running into the Brewers' buzzsaw over the weekend, they find themselves suddenly out of first place. [MLB.com]
The Athletic: 6th
Jesús Luzardo has been amazing for the Phillies, well, up until Saturday.
For right now, though, the body of work he's put up in the rotation so far, along with the Phillies' overall performance, earns enough of the benefit of the doubt to chalk this past weekend up to an outlier.
Luzardo has been an All-Star otherwise, and should have an argument alongside the Phillies' mainstays.
Kyle Schwarber should be an All-Star. Zack Wheeler, of course. Probably Trea Turner (though the shortstop position is crowded). Bryce Harper and Bryson Stott are also in the mix at first and second. But we’re singling out Luzardo to highlight just how good he’s been.
Trading for him this winter was a mild gamble — Luzardo had been erratic in his career — but he’s been good enough to not only make the All-Star team but also potentially start for the National League. Wheeler, Paul Skenes and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (among others) are also in that NL starter conversation, but Luzardo’s been up there among the best of the best. An elite June could put him not only on the team but also on the mound in the first inning. [The Athletic]
A look at our read of the Phillies with building All-Star cases from last week HERE.
CBS Sports: 6th
Kyle Schwarber is still swinging with power, as usual, but the rest of the 2025 Phillies noticeably haven't been so far.
Where has the power gone? Kyle Schwarber still brings it, but he's the only Phillies player in double digits in home runs. He's also the only one slugging above .450 (Bryce Harper, with an injured elbow at present, is at exactly .450). [CBS Sports]
That might not be a bad thing, though, as many of the Phils' on-base numbers have spiked. You can read more about that shift HERE.
FOX Sports: 6th
That Luzardo start on Saturday was really bad, like all-time bad.
Well, that time atop the standings was short-lived. The Phillies had taken care of business against weaker competition until running into the juggernaut…uh, Brewers? Luzardo’s ERA ballooned from 2.15 to 3.58 after Milwaukee tagged him for 12 runs, but he had allowed just 16 earned runs in his first 12 starts combined. Despite how this weekend went, getting Luzardo via trade was one of the best moves of the winter. [FOX Sports]
The hope from many is that an outing like that will just be a one-off.
MORE: Is it time to move Schwarber back to the leadoff spot?
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