Going into Wednesday afternoon's series finale with the Marlins (GameTracker), the Phillies were 3-8 since the All-Star break, and they had scored only 43 runs in those 11 games. That includes a 10-run game and an 11-run game. Other than those two outbursts, the offense has been in a real rut the last two weeks, and even going back before that.
Tuesday's loss was Philadelphia's second 1-0 loss in the last five games, and, following the game, Bryce Harper said the team needs to add prior to Monday's trade deadline.
"I think we need some help," Harper said (via MLB.com). "But you know, I think we've proved pretty much all year we've done a pretty good job. But anytime you can get some help in here and reinforcements, I think it helps."
Harper added, "We'll see ... that's a Dave question," when asked whether he's confident the Phillies will get the help they need before the deadline. Dave refers to Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who is certainly no stranger to deadline wheeling and dealing. He's imported Jhoan Duran, Brandon Marsh, Gregory Soto, and others at the deadline in recent years.
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Prior to Wednesday's game, interim manager Don Mattingly essentially told Harper to say in his lane and let the front office do what it has to do.
"I sense Bryce thinking about it," Mattingly, whose son Preston is the Phillies' general manager, said (via MLB.com). "I don't really sense anybody else thinking about it, honestly. I've been through this. Guys want to be GMs, what you need without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly what where this thing goes. Not only this year, but moving forward. Players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people's money. Let it go at that."
All Harper did was state the obvious, and I don't think there's anything wrong with a star player saying his struggling team needs to add before the trade deadline. We've seen players say they're disappointed when their team doesn't act at the deadline, most notably Dallas Keuchel with the 2017 Astros. (They later added Justin Verlander via the now-defunct August waiver trade process.)
Mattingly, though, made it personal.
"We haven't played great since the break," he said on Wednesday. "That's factual. But you can't let that bother the next phase of where we're going. I liken it to the fact of what I've been saying, that you're saying that we don't like our players that are here, and I just don't … I think you're always trying to get better. You should always incrementally try to get better, no matter who you are. If you're the Dodgers, who won two straight (World Series titles), they're trying to get better in different ways. We're in the same boat, right? You're always trying to get better. But when you say something about our team, then you're saying something about one of our players that you don't like."
Philadelphia's right-handed hitters have a .646 OPS this season, the lowest in baseball by 16 points. They've also gotten some of the worst right field production in the sport. A right-handed-hitting outfielder is an obvious target at the deadline, not that there are many quality players who fit that profile available. Bullpen help is another need.
At 57-51, the Phillies are six games behind the Braves in the NL East. They're in the second wild-card spot and two games up on a postseason berth.
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