The Phillies looked listless for much of their series in St. Louis — a set of games that was almost a trap series after they had big time matchups against the Dodgers and Braves back to back preceding it..
Philly scored just four runs in the trio of games, losing two of them (they've scored just six in their last four games). The finale was as ugly as it gets, as the Phils wasted a Zack Wheeler start and were blanked 7-0 while surrendering seven extra base hits. They were also shut out in the series opener.
Who's to blame for the second series loss of the season? And who's playing well despite the team setbacks? A look at some winners and losers:
Winners
Cris Sánchez
The Phillies' homegrown starter continues to pitch impressively despite not having his best stuff. Sánchez earned a win in Saturday's Game 2 while allowing 10 base runners (eight hits and two walks). The defense helped him wiggle out of jams thanks to five turned double plays as he was only hit for one run. His 3.12 ERA is solid, but he's gotta find a way to keep guys off base.
Nick Castellanos
Casty continues to rake in the early going. On Saturday, his two-out two-run double got the Phillies on the board. He went on to have three hits for the second time this year. His .291 average this year is best among all Phillies offensive regulars.
Returning home
- MORE PHILLIES
- Phillies prospects: Andrew Painter starts for Single-A Clearwater, strikes out three
- Spencer Turnbull is looking for a job, the Phillies should give him one
- Phillies outwait the the rain, but not the Braves in series loss
It was hard to come up with even three worthy winners from this disappointing series — but following a lackluster 2-4 road trip the Phillies are happy to be heading back home for their next seven games. They have gone 5-1 to start the year at Citizens Bank Park, and will welcome the potent Giants for four games before the easily handled Marlins for three this coming weekend.
Losers
Aaron Nola
Nola is a double loser so far this season. He's pitched well worse than he usually does over his first three starts, losing all three outings with a 5.51 ERA. But he's also gotten a grand total of two runs of support over those three games. Even if his ERA was 1.51, he'd probably have a losing record. Leading things off on Friday, Nola allowed two runs over five frames, striking out seven. But the offense was shut out in the 2-0 decision and that was that.
Zack Wheeler
The Phillies' other ace starter didn't look so hot either against the Cardinals, surrendering a two-run homer and three doubles while striking out only three in his six innings in St. Louis. It's worth stating that allowing four runs in six innings is a good outing for a lot of major league arms. But not for the perennial Cy Young candidate. The bullpen didn't do very much to keep the Phils in it after Wheeler departed as they allowed three runs in their three frames.
Alec Bohm
Bohm's epic early struggles continue. The third baseman went 1-for-10 in the series and his batting average has fallen well below the Mendoza line to just .150. Don't be surprised if the team prescribes a higher dose of Edmundo Sosa at third base over the next few weeks (he's hitting .444). The two shutouts against the Cardinals are 40% of all of their shutouts from last season (they had just five in total all year).
Follow Evan on Twitter:@evan_macy
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports