By the time the Phillies arrived home from a disastrous six-game road trip, there was nowhere to go but up. Losers of five out of six games on their swing in Toronto and Pittsburgh — and nine of their last 10 contests overall — the Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park for a three-game set in hopes of turning things around and quieting the noise about a spiral they could not stop.
They had the right man on the mound to begin the series, as Zack Wheeler was activated from the paternity list on Monday and tossed six innings of one-run ball. It felt as if the Phillies' lifeless offense was not going to do enough to win the game, but it finally found some juice in the 11th inning thanks to a stellar sequence of small ball that included a picture-perfect bunt from Otto Kemp. Brandon Marsh's walk-off punctuated a 4-3 win for the Phillies, who sent Mick Abel to the mound the following evening for his third major-league start. Abel did not have the tremendous command which powered his first two strong outings, only lasting four innings and allowing three runs on Tuesday night. The Phillies and Cubs traded blows in the middle innings, with Ian Happ's two-out, two-run shot off Taijuan Walker in the sixth inning putting Chicago ahead for good. They poured it on from there, handing the Phillies an 8-4 loss.
Wednesday afternoon's series tiebreaker was a big one, as all eyes were on Jesús Luzardo in his attempt to right the ship against Chicago's terrific offense after allowing 20 earned runs across his prior two starts. He did just that, settling back into the groove he had established in his first 11 starts of the year. A resurgent offense backed him up en route to a 7-2 win, netting the Phillies a series win that had to incite relief.
Everything that stood out from this three-game set:
Bryson Stott moved out of leadoff spot
It felt impossible for the Phillies to justify hitting Bryson Stott atop their order against right-handed pitching any longer. He entered this series slashing .190/.240/.256 since the beginning of May, a 32-game and 130-plate appearance sample. His season-long line plummeted to .239/.303/.338. As much as Stott might have the theoretical makeup of a leadoff hitter with his patient approach, base-stealing ability and propensity for working long at bats, he lacks the actual offensive production to make it a viable solution for any lineup.
As massively disappointing as Stott's fourth major-league season has been, it is worth noting that it is just that: his fourth full year in the bigs. He was slightly above average at the plate in 2023, which made him a very valuable player because of his excellent defense at second base and aforementioned base-stealing ability. In every other season of his career, Stott has been noticeably below average at the plate.
That does not mean Stott is not good enough to be a useful piece for the Phillies. But he has been woefully miscast in the leadoff role. Even when Phillies manager Rob Thomson moved him down to the fifth spot in the order on Saturday — the skipper indicated he was hoping to relieve Stott of some pressure — it is hard to argue Stott is not still hitting too high in the lineup given his consistent struggles at the plate. Stott was moved down to the seventh spot on Wednesday.
Stott will be 28 years old in early October, and at some point a player is what they have shown themselves to be. Stott is a threat to swipe a bag every time he reaches base, a fantastic defensive infielder, and a bottom-of-the-order bat. But it is tougher for the Phillies to treat him as such with so many hitters also failing to produce.
Jesús Luzardo bounces back
Thomson said before the game that he felt good about the work Luzardo had done since his most recent blowup start to regain his footing entering Wednesday's start, and the left-hander was very good, cruising for much of the afternoon with an early lead giving him some breathing room. The Phillies scored three runs in the opening frame and tacked on another three bay the end of the fourth inning, allowing Luzardo to throw plenty of stress-free pitches.
By the time Luzardo's work was done, he received a strong ovation from a crowd which could sense how important it was for him to find his best form again. Luzardo had earned every bit of that ovation, throwing six strong innings, allowing just one run on five hits and striking out 10 Cubs hitters without issuing a walk. It looked much more like the Luzardo that had been performing like a Cy Young contender before his pair of nightmarish outings.
"Obviously the last two [starts] have been extremely frustrating, and just a bad stretch," Luzardo said. "But being able to come back and just get the win with the team was huge… I don't think anyone else on the planet wanted it more than I did."
Odds and ends
Some more notes from this series:
• Abel was understandably disappointed with his outing on Tuesday — 4.0 innings pitched, six hits, three runs on as many solo home runs, three walks and three strikeouts on 89 pitches (56 strikes) — but he did battle despite unfortunate circumstances. Kemp whiffed on a hard-hit ball to third in the first inning, putting runners on the corners for MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. Abel spun a curveball to induce a double play, escaping the early jam.
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In the fourth, Abel missed his spot against Michael Busch, who blasted a 449-foot homer. But the trouble did not stop there, as Abel ended up throwing 30 pitches in that inning alone, effectively ending his night. Trailing 3-2, things really could have gotten out of hand as Abel labored with the bases loaded and Cubs superstar Kyle Tucker at the plate. But with a full count, Abel made his best pitch all night to stop the bleeding at just three runs:
Mick Abel, Elevated 81mph Curveball…and Sword. ⚔️ https://t.co/7il4OglKzh pic.twitter.com/Jva7gc9E2Z
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025
"It would have been easy to crumble there," J.T. Realmuto said. "It's not always easy to pitch in this ballpark, and especially in that situation, bases loaded against one of the best hitters in the league, and he came through… Just really encouraged with the way he's thrown the ball."
• On Tuesday night, Nick Castellanos logged his 231st consecutive start, surpassing Jimmy Rollins' streak from 2006-2008. Castellanos' run of consecutive starts is now the longest by a Phillies player since Pete Rose from 1980-1983 (350 starts).
• The only run Wheeler gave up on Monday night came on a first-inning solo shot from Tucker. That was the very first earned run Wheeler had allowed in any opening frame all year long. While some pitchers need a bit of time to get comfortable on the mound, Wheeler has found a way to constantly set the tone and put up a zero despite facing the best bats in opposing orders. Finally, he got bested by one of the game's elite hitters on Monday. Later on, though, Wheeler got Tucker swinging to notch his 1,000th strikeout as a member of the Phillies:
Zack Wheeler becomes the 10th player in franchise history to collect 1,000 career strikeouts as a member of the @Phillies 😤 pic.twitter.com/TxE9RMi7Ss
— MLB (@MLB) June 10, 2025
"It feels good," Wheeler said of the milestone after the game. "It's a nice accomplishment, and it was pretty cool… The fans gave me a standing ovation, and I appreciate that."
Up next: The Phillies will have Thursday off but remain home as they get set for a three-game weekend series against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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