Phillies rookie right-hander will have the opportunity to demonstrate his growth as he makes another appearance with Philadelphia. Recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on due to the roster expansion to 28 players, Phillips is set to make his seventh MLB start in the opening game of a two-game series.
Phillips (4-1, 5.50 ERA) began his initial stint with the Phillies promisingly but soon faced challenges. Reflecting on his earlier struggles, Phillips admitted, “I was trying too hard to stay in the majors, which led me to focus on results instead of my natural game of inducing weak contact. I thought that to avoid giving up runs, I needed to strike out more batters and do things outside my usual approach. This led to falling behind in counts and increasing my pitch count, which caused more problems.”
In his first three starts, Phillips gave up five earned runs over 16 innings, including a four-hit shutout against the Cleveland Guardians on July 27. However, he then allowed 17 earned runs in just 11 innings across his subsequent three starts, resulting in his demotion on August 17. “The main issue was mental fatigue,” Phillips said. “I got caught up in the emotions and adrenaline, which threw me off my game. I had to refocus on what made me successful in the minors.”
The Phillies (81-56) extended their lead in the National League East to seven games with a 3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves in 11 innings on Sunday. The Blue Jays (67-72) lost 4-3 to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, dropping two of three games in the series. Phillips has not faced the Blue Jays, who are expected to start right-hander Chris Bassitt (9-13, 4.27 ERA). Bassitt is undefeated with a 1.86 ERA in five career starts against the Phillies and had a strong outing against them earlier this season, allowing two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings during a 5-3 win on May 8.
In their loss to the Twins, the Blue Jays used a young lineup with five rookies, as key players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Daulton Varsho, and Alejandro Kirk were given rest. Toronto’s defeat was marked by a three-run homer by Royce Lewis in the eighth inning off Chad Green. Despite the loss, Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed confidence in his team’s resilience. “They’ll bounce back from this. I love how they fought and the support from the veterans. I’m confident they’ll be fine moving forward.”
A notable moment in the game was second baseman Leo Jimenez’s impressive catch on Max Kepler’s foul ball in the fourth inning, despite tumbling into the netting. Jimenez remained in the game after being checked by Schneider and the training staff. “We just wanted to ensure he was okay, particularly with his head and balance,” Schneider said. “I was pleased with his effort and his determination to stay in the game.”
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