The Phillies are down in D.C. for four against the Washington Nationals beginning Monday.

The Nationals have been a bit of a surprise this year. They have one of the best offenses in MLB. Their .741 team OPS is the fifth-best in MLB. To put that into perspective, the Phillies are 25th at .696.

What’s holding them back is pitching. They have the sixth-worst ERA in baseball at 4.64. The Phillies have had the opposite problem this year: good pitching, bad offense.

Though things are seemingly on the upswing after a great weekend against the New York Mets. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are as hot as they could possibly be. Let’s see if that carries over into the week.

All four games will be broadcasted locally. Here is this week’s TV schedule:

• Monday, July 22 at 6:45 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Tuesday, July 23 at 6:45 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Wednesday, July 24 at 6:45 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Thursday, July 25 at 6:45 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler warmup song “Rooster” by Alice In Chains was nearly over by the time he was ready to throw his first pitch of the game. The unusual delay came from NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, which aired after the conclusion of the U.S. Open.

“We heard yesterday it was going to be 7:20 or 7:30 because of the golf,” Wheeler said after the Phillies’ 6-2 win over the New York Mets on Sunday. “They came to us at about 6:45 and said 7:20. 7:18, whatever it was, we were all waiting. 7:19, they walk out so I run out there too thinking it was 7:20. When I get done with my warmups, it’s about 7:23, and I looked over and (crew chief) Bill (Miller) is like, ‘You got two minutes left. I’m like, ‘OK. I don’t know why but, sure.’ It bugged me enough to hit 97 and 98 right there.”

He felt slightly inconvenienced, and he took it out on the hitters.

Pitch No. 1 to New York Mets rookie leadoff hitter Carson Benge registered at 97.1 mph. His hardest fastball of the night came two batters later against Juan Soto at 97.7 mph, just a tick shy of his hardest fastball of the season at 97.8 mph in a start against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates in May.

Wheeler is far removed from his Mets days. In his seven years with the Phillies, he has seen plenty of them. He will see them again in his next scheduled start on Friday night at Citi Field.

“I don’t want to put too much out there, but I think it’s kind of like, you kind of see how it’s going,” Wheeler said. “See how aggressive they are with what you’re throwing and go one way or the other.”

Through 18 career starts against the Mets, Wheeler has a 3.36 ERA. Sunday night, however, was the first time he faced the Mets without any of his former teammates on the roster. The younger Mets lineup with Benge, Soto, Bo Bichette and a bunch moving parts battled against Wheeler, who loaded the bases with three walks in the sixth.

Don Mattingly walked to the mound and put his hand on Wheeler’s waist. Mattingly asked Wheeler if he had one more hitter in him. They wanted to save Jonathan Bowlan for the right-handed hitting Marcus Semien. Wheeler gave up a run, but got the out he was looking for on a ground ball.

“I was a little tired, but I wasn’t too tired to keep going,” Wheeler said. “I’m gonna be honest. I was honest with Rob (Thomson) and I’m going to be honest with (Mattingly). I felt like I had more in me.”

Nine months removed from thoracic outlet decompression surgery, Wheeler is off to the best of his career. Really.

His 2.11 ERA through his first 11 starts of the season is the lowest of his career by a decent margin. His previous low was a 2.42 ERA through his first 11 starts of 2025. He’s actually thrown four more innings this year through 11 games than he did last year. He still has that high 90s fastball with ride. The secondaries work and he is still fooling hitters, as evidenced by the two strikeouts looking with fastballs in the fifth inning. The backdoor sinker to Francisco Alvarez to get him on strikes may have been his most impressive pitch of the night.

He has had an ERA under 3 through 11 starts in six of his seven seasons with the Phillies, with the only exception being 2023, when he had a 3.60 ERA. In each of his last two seasons with the Mets in 2018 and 2019, Wheeler had an ERA well above 4 in his first 11 starts.

Wheeler’s seven-year tenure with the Phillies has been a roaring success. But it can’t be understated just how incredible the comeback has been so far. Of his 11 starts, eight have been quality. The Phillies are 9-2 so far this year when he takes the mound. Even though his impact on the field is felt every five days, it’s not a coincidence that the Phillies are 34-17 since Wheeler came off the IL on April 25.

He was not at his best on Sunday, but less than his best is still pretty good.

“Zack’s always kind of Zack,” Mattingly said. “You know he’s gonna keep you there.”

PHILADELPHIA — With the rotation spot left by Andrew Painter‘s demotion still vacant, the Phillies made some roster moves on Sunday night to address the pitching situation for their upcoming series against the Nationals.

Swingman Bryse Wilson was designated for assignment after the club’s 6-2 win to complete a series victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, interim manager Don Mattingly announced. Reliever Max Lazar was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus (elbow inflammation) is expected to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Monday prior to the opener of Philadelphia’s four-game series at Nationals Park. The Phillies have not yet announced a starter for that game.

“Still TBD tomorrow,” Mattingly said.

The Phillies (42-35) will add another pitcher before that game. The player they choose to put on the roster will likely start or at least pitch multiple innings.The Phillies could treat Monday as more of a bullpen game, but Mattingly has expressed that doing so is not his preference. If the team wants innings, it would make sense for right-hander Alan Rangel to come up from the IronPigs.

Rangel has had multiple stints as a long man in Philadelphia over the past two seasons, and he’s been Lehigh Valley’s best starter this year with a 3.99 ERA. The 28-year-old is the only Triple-A starter on the 40-man roster at the moment.

Backhus, who had a 4.66 ERA in 10 appearances before he hit the IL in late April, will be the team’s third southpaw in the bullpen. The club sent Tanner Banks down on Thursday, leaving José Alvarado and Tim Mayza as the only lefty relievers. Perhaps one of Backhus or Mayza could be deployed as an opener on Monday if the Phillies decide to go that route.

The Phillies sent down Lazar after three appearances in the majors. He was promoted Tuesday and made two scoreless outings before allowing two runs in two innings on Saturday.

Wilson signed with the Phillies on a minor-league contract before the season, opted out earlier this month and returned on another minors deal. The big-league club purchased his contract on Thursday, adding the veteran as pitching depth. He threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen on Thursday night. It seemed like he could have been a consideration for Monday’s start, but the Phillies chose to find another candidate.

That candidate to face the Nationals just hasn’t yet been named.

PHILADELPHIA — Reliever Kyle Backhus is expected to rejoin the Phillies’ bullpen this week.

The side-winding left-hander has been on the injured list with elbow inflammation since late April, but interim manager Don Mattingly said Sunday that he expects Backhus to be activated at some point during the club’s upcoming series against the Nationals.

“I would say this series coming up, for sure,” Mattingly said when asked about Backhus’ impending return. “Exactly which day, (I’m) not 100%.”

The Phillies (41-35) have a rubber match with the New York Mets on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park and will then travel to Washington for a four-game series at Nationals Park. They have not yet announced a starter for Monday’s opener in the aftermath of Andrew Painter‘s demotion to Triple-A. Mattingly said Sunday that it could depend on bullpen usage in Sunday’s matchup with the Mets.

Right-hander Bryse Wilson could be the starter, but he’s been sitting in the bullpen since he had his contract selected on Thursday. He pitched two innings that night. Wilson could be needed for length if Zack Wheeler exits early on Sunday for some reason, which would seem to take him out of the running for Monday’s start in that scenario.

Alan Rangel, a right-hander in the rotation at Lehigh Valley who’s had multiple stints as a long man in Philadelphia, could be another option; he would require the Phillies to make an additional roster move, while Wilson would not. Perhaps the Phillies could go with a bullpen game, although Mattingly has indicated that he does not prefer that route.

The picture should be clearer after the action is complete on Sunday.

As for the bullpen, the Phillies should be adding a third lefty into the mix soon in Backhus. The team sent down Tanner Banks on Thursday, leaving José Alvarado and Tim Mayza as the only left-handed relievers on the active roster. Mayza has been solid, but Alvarado has struggled. The club could use another lefty to step in and contribute.

Maybe that could be Backhus, who had a 4.66 ERA in 10 appearances but started to throw the ball better before he got hurt. He has a funky delivery and has mowed down left-handed hitters in his two big-league seasons; righties have been an issue.

The Phillies believe Backhus can be helpful once he’s back. He should have his opportunity to prove it shortly.

PHILADELPHIA — Wrestling fan Kyle Schwarber can appreciate a good crowd pop.

The sold-out crowd of over 43,402 at Citizens Bank Park collectively lost their mind when a second Schwarbomb landed in the upper deck. His second home run of the third inning against New York, a three-run shot on a 97 mph sinker in the middle of the plate against left-hander Cionel Pérez, made it 11-0. His third home run of the game, a two-run blast in the seventh against Tobias Myers, made it 15-3.

Stone Cold Schwarber leads all of Major League Baseball with 28 home runs this season. He recorded his fifth-career three-home run game and first since Aug. 28, 2025, when he hit four in one game against the Atlanta Braves. He is the only active player with five three-home run games. Schwarber hit a combined 1,272 feet worth of home runs.

The Phillies need at least one hometown babyface for the Home Run Derby on July 13. Bryce Harper could do it, but he’ll need to be selected to the All-Star Game and that’s not a given considering how many National League first basemen are having great years. Schwarber is a natural choice given his home run prowess. Maybe there is a candidate out of left field. Could it be Brandon Marsh?

Schwarber is not ready to make a commitment either way on the Derby, but he is at least thinking about it.

“Our crowd like tonight shows you how electric it’s going to be for not only that night, just the whole week in general,” Schwarber said. “I think it will be really special to have the All-Star Game in Philly. Our fans are going to be able to show out for that.”

Schwarber’s big night was a bit overshadowed by Harper’s first MLB cycle. The always humble Schwarber wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s only the second time in MLB history that a team had one player hit for the cycle and another hit three home runs in a single game.

“The opportunity to play with him every day, it’s a lot of fun,” Harper said about Schwarber. “For him to be able to go from first-round pick to World Series champion to DFA, to blowing out his knee, having the comeback to his career that he’s had. I don’t think there’s a better power hitter in the game.”

We’ll probably see a lot more than three Schwarbombs if Schwarber says yes to the Derby. His last Home Run Derby appearance came in 2022 at Dodger Stadium. His only Derby as a Phillie ended with a first-round loss to Albert Pujols. He competed against Harper and Rhys Hoskins in the 2018 Home Run Derby at Nationals Park. He won All-Star Game MVP last year after hitting three home runs in the swing-off to break the tie in the All-Star Game.

This year’s Home Run Derby will have a new format. Instead of clocks and a rushed pace, each hitter gets a limited amount of swings per round. That means every home run off Schwarber’s bat will get to be properly admired.

“We’ll see what happens,” Schwarber said.

PHILADELPHIA — You knew Bryce Harper was going to go for it.

His aggression at times on the bases has led to outs and loud criticism. “Where’s the accountability?” some would say. The conversation was uncomfortable, frustrating, but necessary at times.

On Saturday night, it led to his first big league cycle. He had the “blessing” of his coaches to run out any ball in the gap, but Harper didn’t really need it. Kyle Schwarber told him to aim for Monty’s Angle in left-center field. He didn’t even need to do that.

All it took was four at-bats for Harper to hit for the cycle. Needing a triple, Harper lined a ball deep into the left-center field gap. With the Phillies up by ten runs, there was little harm in taking a risk. Schwarber would have ran through a stop sign from third base coach Anthony Contreras.

“I was pretty predetermined on going,” Schwarber said after the Phillies’ 15-3 win over the New York Mets on Saturday night. “And I’m glad AC was on the same page.”

A risk on the bases is what led Harper to doubling in his second at-bat in the third inning. On the first pitch, Harper lined a ball to right-center field. The right fielder Eric Wagaman cut the ball off drifting to his right. He fired a throw well offline, and Harper slid in safely with a double. A more competitive throw may have led to an out.

Harper was happy to talk about it after the game.

“I’ll tell you what, I don’t really care what people think about my base running because that’s how I’ve always played,” a vindicated Harper said. “I’ve done it since I was seven years old. I don’t really play a different way when I know I can try to get to second base. I’ve made mistakes on the bases. I’m going to. Little kids are going to do the same thing, and I’ll preach to them to play the game hard, and if you get thrown out at second or third, then so be it.”

The cutoff man Zack Short had a play at third if he wanted it. Instead, he went to the plate, where Schwarber scored standing up. The official scorer could have called it a double with Harper advancing to third on the throw. But it went the other way. A riot would have ensued if Harper didn’t get his cycle.

It was his first cycle since May 2010 when he was playing for the College of Southern Nevada. Harper, who was weeks away from becoming the No. 1 overall pick, was putting up video game numbers.

“Super regionals: 7-for-7, four homers and a cycle,” Harper said. He actually went 6-for-7. He tripled in his final at-bat of the day to get the cycle. This one didn’t take as long.

Harper is the first Phillie since Gregg Jefferies on Aug. 25, 1995 to hit for the cycle in his first four at-bats of a game.

Harper has done plenty in his career: Two MVPs, Rookie of the Year, NLCS MVP. But he has never hit for the cycle in the 1,861 games he has played in Major League Baseball. Harper looked to the sky as he stood at third. When the inning ended, Harper tipped his helmet to the crowd applauding as “Flower” by Moby played. Harper’s longtime teammate and friend Trea Turner patted him on the back on his way back to shortstop.

Someone was going to pay. Before Saturday’s game, Harper had one hit in his last 22 at-bats. He had been hitting the ball hard, but right at opposing defenders. He took early batting practice outside with teammates, something Harper rarely does. He may do it again tomorrow. Harper wanted to remember what it feels like to hit a home run.

“In baseball, you go through things like that and sometimes it feels like a big ole glove out there,” Harper said. “Last couple weeks, it’s felt that way.”

He will once again swing his “heavy” bat on Sunday. He switched from his typical 34-inch, 31.5-ounce bat to his 34-inch, 35-ounce bat from the 2023 season. Harper typically only uses the heavier bat during his pregame work.

“I said to (hitting coach Kevin Long) about a month ago, I said, ‘Man, I want to swing this thing in the game,'” Harper said. “And I never did. And finally I was like, ‘Screw it, I’m going to do it today.'”

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Triple-A Lehigh Valley has gone to battle with Worcester all week long without its skipper.

IronPigs manager Chris Adamson traveled to Australia this week to officiate a wedding, certainly a unique way to utilize his week of vacation for the season. While he’s on the other side of the globe, position coach Ray Ricker has assumed co-managerial responsibilities for this week’s home series, where the IronPigs have gone 2-2 thus far.

“Tank left a lot of bread crumbs for us to follow,” Ricker said. “We’ll just continue the work that we’ve been doing. Guys are going to prepare as professionals. We’ll keep getting them ready for the game. They will keep getting after it.”

Although this is new territory for Ricker in just his first season with the IronPigs, he’s been around baseball for long enough to know what’s been in store for him this week. This is his sixth season in the Phillies organization, having previously been on the staff for the FCL Phillies, Double-A Reading and Low-A Clearwater.

“I’ve really enjoyed the pro side since joining it in 2020,” Ricker said. “At the heart of it, you’re always just trying to get better, figure it out.”

A catcher in college, Ricker also served as the head baseball coach for Division II Post University from 2014 to 2019 after seven seasons as an assistant. 

“It’s still working with a plan and with guys who are extremely motivated to get better and go to the highest level they can,” said Ricker, comparing collegiate coaching to coaching in the minors.

IronPigs position player rehab coach Andrew Graham was also elevated to co-manager alongside Ricker for the series. Graham, a former minor leaguer himself, spent the past 15 seasons as a manager in the Detroit Tigers’ farm system.

Adamson will return to the helm next week when the IronPigs stay in Lehigh Valley to host Syracuse. The rare two-week homestand should allow for some more consistency with the club’s pre-game routines, according to Ricker.

“When we’re on the road, you don’t know how much cage time you’re going to have,” he said. “Here we have our weight room, we know what we’re going to have nutrition wise, you know your cage time, so it’s just a little easier to get in the routine and kind of get into the flow.”

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies will have their two aces Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler lined up to face the New York Mets over the week. After that, the rotation order is changing.

The No. 5 spot previously occupied by Andrew Painter will be moved up a day from Tuesday to Monday. The club is not yet ready to announce what they will do with that spot, but they have a pretty good idea where things are heading.

They are TBA on Monday for now with an official announcement likely coming before or after Sunday’s game. Jesús Luzardo will get six days of rest in between starts and pitch Tuesday, with Aaron Nola pitching the third of four against the Nats on Wednesday. Sánchez will start the finale on Thursday.

“We have a decent idea,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “I don’t think we’ve made it final, but I think we have an idea of where we’re going.”

It doesn’t sound like it will be a bullpen game. “There is no plan to just go, you know, two innings and then try to do the whole thing with the bullpen,” Mattingly said. “Won’t be that kind of game. We’ll definitely have bulk.”

So who are the candidates to pitch those bulk innings, either as a starter or with an opener in front of him? Bryse Wilson is up with the major league club. He pitched two innings on Thursday against the Mets. Alan Rangel, who last pitched on Wednesday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, is also a candidate to pitch. Getting him up to the majors would require sending someone out.

Painter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday after a rough outing. He will not be inserted into the Lehigh Valley rotation immediately. He will throw side sessions before returning to the mound for game action. The Phillies are focused on fixing flaws in his delivery.

One bullpen arm could rejoin the Phillies next week in D.C. Left-hander Kyle Backhus, who has been on the IL since April 30 with a forearm issue, is scheduled to pitch on Saturday night against the WooSox in Lehigh Valley.

“I feel like he’s ready, so this is kind of the last step,” Mattingly said. Backhus coming back once again gives the Phillies three lefties in the bullpen.

Trea Turner is back playing shortstop and in the leadoff spot after leaving Thursday’s game earlier after a hit-by-pitch. Turner was hit in the lower right calf area and is feeling better.

“For me, the biggest danger with that is him running differently and running into a hamstring or a hip (injury) or something like that,” Mattingly said. “So we made sure he can run. That was his biggest issue, just pushing off. The off day did him well.”

PHILADELPHIA — Tanner Banks wore street clothes — a T-shirt and a black hat — as he went around the home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon, dapped up teammates and said goodbye for now.

The day after the club demoted rookie starter Andrew Painter, Banks was also optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Painter’s two-inning, six-run outing against the Marlins on Wednesday forced the Phillies to use six relievers (seven if you count the one out recorded by Garrett Stubbs). Banks allowed four runs (one earned) and two home runs.

The Phillies have had to alter their roster and their pitching plans. With Banks’ ERA at 5.96 and a need for fresh relievers in Philadelphia, the team made a swap.

“l’ll tell you what I told them: You go through stretches where you don’t play well and you can kind of see the writing on the wall at times, especially when there’s super limited arms with any type of control in the bullpen,” Banks said. “But also understanding I’ve got to be better, so having an opportunity to go down there and kind of refine some things and work on some things and get back to what’s gotten me to this point.”

Banks admitted that it “sucks” to be sent down. He’d been on the big-league roster since he was traded to Philadelphia at the 2024 deadline, and he was one of the club’s go-to lefty relievers last year. But he has not pitched well this season; he’ll have an opportunity to work on his craft with the IronPigs.

“You can look at it one of two ways,” Banks said, borrowing a mindset of saying “good” in response to adversity from a viral clip of former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. “You can either say, ‘Woe is me,’ or you can grind it out and make the most of it and be a better version of yourself from it.”

With Painter and Banks sent down, the Phillies promoted right-handers Seth Johnson and Bryse Wilson, and both pitched in Thursday’s 6-4 loss in the opener of a three-game series against the Mets. After veteran Aaron Nola, who’s struggled to go deep into starts this year, gutted out five innings, Johnson entered for the top of the sixth in a tie game.

The 27-year-old tossed a shutout inning. He has not been able to stick in the majors so far in his career, but, as interim manager Don Mattingly put it, Johnson has been “one of the best relievers in Triple-A baseball” in 2026. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have another capable bullpen arm in the mix if he can handle it.

In the seventh, José Alvarado gave up three runs, highlighting Philadelphia’s shortage of reliable left-handed relievers. Tim Mayza has had a solid showing after re-signing with the Phillies on a minor-league contract before the season. But it’s been thin without Alvarado and Banks contributing. Lefty Kyle Backhus is currently on a rehab assignment and could come off the injured list relatively shortly.

Wilson followed Alvarado and threw two scoreless innings. He started at Triple-A, but the Phillies said he’d be available out of the bullpen to start his Phillies tenure and go from there. He’s been a swingman at the big-league level before, and he said he’s comfortable as a starter or reliever.

“We have a guy that can protect us in the bullpen,” Mattingly said of Wilson.

But Wilson, who had a 6.29 ERA with the IronPigs but put together three scoreless starts in a row before the Phillies purchased his contract, could be an option to fill the vacant rotation spot left by Painter. The club has an off day on Friday, but Mattingly said the Phillies haven’t talked about adjusting the rotation. That would mean the Phillies will need to choose a starter for Tuesday’s game in Washington.

Wilson could be the man for the job, as long as he doesn’t throw out of the bullpen in the meantime. Right-hander Alan Rangel could be another candidate; he’s been up with the Phillies as a long man before and has a 3.99 ERA with the IronPigs. The team could also potentially try a bullpen game on Tuesday depending on how things shake out, but it’s not Mattingly’s preference.

“For me, it’s not the best scenario,” he said.

There’s no perfect choice, as the Phillies were relying on the former top prospect Painter to step in as the fifth starter. As president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski noted, the 23-year-old could come back later. But Philadelphia still needs a solution behind their top-end starters for right now.

Dombrowski said that the Phillies’ current issue is not particularly unique and that most clubs he’s spoken with are also searching for rotation depth. He’s confident in Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo to carry the load. But the team will still need to figure out how it will handle the situation with its depth on hand.

“I kind of consider it part of a baseball season,” Dombrowski said. “You go kind of go through this every season that I’ve ever been through it. So I don’t think there’s anything unusual in that regard.”

PHILADELPHIA — At one point, it was strike one, strike two and good luck for Phillies reliever José Alvarado. These days, opposing hitters have been fortunate when facing the hard-throwing left-hander.

Entering a tie game in the top of the seventh inning on Thursday night, Alvarado allowed three runs in an eventual 6-4 Phillies loss to the Mets. The lefty took the defeat in the opener of a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. His ERA rose to 6.58 in 32 appearances.

“I’m more in the strike zone, staying more consistent with that, and the hitters feel confident that they can hit against me right now,” Alvarado said through a club interpreter. “It feels like 100 mph is something that they see a lot at this level. It’s not surprising anymore. They’re just hitting well against me right now.”

Alvarado said that he feels like the best version of himself in terms of his mentality. He feels like he’s throwing strikes. But in terms of the effectiveness, he is far from the version of Alvarado that had a 2.53 ERA with 14.1 strikeouts per nine in 101 outings between 2022 and 2023.

In the pitcher’s estimation, batters might have gotten used to seeing this type of velocity and stuff. Alvarado isn’t throwing quite as hard as he did at his peak, but he’s still averaging 98 mph on his heater with a hard-biting cutter to pair with it. It hasn’t led to results in 2026.

On Thursday, Alvarado gave up a hit and a two-out walk before a pinch-hit, RBI single by Eric Wagaman and a two-run triple by Marcus Semien put New York on top. The Phillies (40-35) scored once in the ninth, but it was not enough to come back against Mets closer Devin Williams.

“The ball’s coming out,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “It’s not like he’s down in velo or anything like that. Just got to get the ball to the right spots.”

At the start of last season, Alvarado looked resurgent. His velocity jumped, and he had a 2.70 ERA with seven saves through 20 appearances. Then he was hit with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He was not as sharp when he came back. His season ended in September due to a forearm strain since he was not eligible for the postseason.

When Alvarado returned from the suspension last year, he maintained that the banned substance he tested positive for did not impact his early-season performance. This year was a chance for a fresh start. He has been hit hard lately, and his fastball, while still high in velocity, has been down a tick compared to 2025.

The Phillies’ decision to flip Matt Strahm for Jonathan Bowlan this past offseason has been a home run in terms of pure value. But the trade put a greater importance on left-handers Alvarado and Tanner Banks this year.

Alvarado has struggled. Banks was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday afternoon in the midst of a poor season. Kyle Backhus, a lefty reliever the Phillies acquired in a separate trade on the same day they dealt Strahm, has been on the shelf since late April, though he is currently on a rehab assignment. Veteran Tim Mayza, re-signed to a minor-league contract before the season, has emerged as the team’s most reliable southpaw out of the bullpen. The group is looking pretty thin right now.

“I feel OK,” Mattingly said when asked about the left-handed relievers. “Mayza’s been throwing the ball good. Alvy’s been kind of in and out. We do feel like Kyle’s on the mend where we’re going to get him back at some point, it feels like, fairly soon. So I think we’ll be in a good spot with the lefties.”

The unit would look a whole lot better if Alvarado could regain his form.

“Sometimes, I think about maybe going to my older self, maybe mixing it up a little more in the zone, not throwing the same way right now,” Alvarado said. “Myself today, I’m just happy that I’m throwing strikes. I feel good with that version of staying consistent in the strike zone.”

PHILADELPHIA — For the second time this homestand, Trea Turner has left the game early after getting hit by a pitch.

Turner departed the game Thursday against the New York Mets in the top of the third inning with a right calf contusion. He was hit with an 80 mph sweeper that slipped out of the hands of Mets starter Sean Manaea. Turner stayed in the game to run the bases, but did not stay long enough for his spot to come up again in the lineup.

Interim manager Don Mattingly said postgame that Turner was “hit in a tough spot right above the bottom of the calf.”

“I’m not a doctor, but towards the bottom where it starts to get into the Achilles, he was having trouble putting pressure, pushing off,” Mattingly said. “Trea, with the history of some hamstring and other things with legs, he said he had trouble on defense. Felt like he was a liability on defense, so he couldn’t really move. It’s a day off tomorrow, hopefully it’ll be good by the night game. We’ll see.”

Turner has spent time on the IL in each of the last two years with hamstring injuries.

Turner has ran into some bad luck with getting hit. He was hit in the wrist and left the game early on Monday night against the Miami Marlins. He missed a game, but was back in the lineup on Wednesday for the series finale in Miami. He went 3-for-5, raising his season OPS from .595 to .608.

This is all coming at a time where the hits have not fallen for Turner this year. Wednesday’s game was an encouraging sign, but Turner’s numbers at the plate have been unfathomably bad.

The Phillies made a few defensive changes when Turner was lifted. The starting left fielder Edmundo Sosa moved to shortstop, with Brandon Marsh going from right to left field. Derek Hill moved from center to right field, and Justin Crawford entered the game to play center field. Crawford is batting leadoff.

The Phillies dropped the opener of Thursday’s game against the Mets 6-4. Juan Soto homered twice against Aaron Nola. José Alvarado allowed three runs in the seventh inning.

PHILADELPHIA — Bo Bichette took batting practice on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park in a sleeveless blue hoodie with an interlocking “NY” logo in orange and a Mets wordmark across the chest.

At one point this winter, it seemed like the infielder might have been taking in Philadelphia from a different perspective in 2026. But Bichette signed a lucrative three-year deal with New York — not the Phillies — in January after spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Blue Jays.

“We had a lot of good talks,” Bichette said of the Phillies. “It’s a great team over there. Obviously, Donnie (Don Mattingly) being over there was enticing to me. Great talks, great organization.”

The buzz about Bichette and the Phillies heated up shortly after the new year rolled around, and the discussions made sense. Bichette worked with Mattingly, who had recently been hired as bench coach before taking over as interim manager in Philadelphia, in Toronto. The Phillies had (and continue to have) a need for an impact, right-handed-hitting bat. Bichette could have filled that hole.

Bichette ultimately signed a $126 million contract with the Mets that includes opt outs after each of the first two years. But Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski admitted back in January, during a Zoom meeting with reporters after the team had pivoted back to veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto, that he thought the club was “very close” to a longer-term agreement with the two-time All-Star Bichette. He acknowledged that a deal was never done, but he thought it was going to happen, calling the situation “a gut punch.”

Did Bichette also feel that an agreement with the Phillies was that close?

“I thought it was an opportunity, for sure,” Bichette said. “But there was definitely things that needed to be worked out for that to become a possibility. So no, I didn’t think that.”

The Phillies likely would have given Bichette more guaranteed money — but over the course of much more time. The 28-year-old took a deal that gave him a high annual salary with the ability to potentially test free agency again as soon as this upcoming winter. He said Thursday that he felt like the Mets were the right fit.

“At the end of the day, I think it just became obvious to me that it was the right decision for me and my wife,” Bichette said. “There’s my family, too. But there’s a lot of parallels between the two: passionate fanbase, organizations that are trying to win. And it just became clear to me that that’s just the right decision.”

Still, there were certainly people who thought Bichette was going to be a Phillie. Maybe he would have been if outfielder Kyle Tucker had signed with the Mets instead of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“I was a little surprised,” Mattingly said, “because I thought it was one of those that was kind of a done deal, or at least really close to it. It looked good for us. Some stuff went down timing wise and changed things. So yeah, I was a little surprised he didn’t end up here, but guys got to do what they got to do for their own career.”

Bichette has had a down year in what’s been a disappointing Mets season, with eight home runs and a .677 OPS entering Thursday. But he’s turned it on this month, batting .387 with a 1.039 in his first 15 June games. He’s still someone the Phillies could use in their lineup.

But after the way it all went down, he’s unlikely to be a popular figure in Philadelphia for this three-game series. The crowd booed as his name was announced during pregame introductions, then booed louder during his first plate appearance.

“Like I said, passionate fanbase,” Bichette said. “I watch Eagles games and Phillie games. I don’t know what the reception will be, but I definitely won’t be surprised by anything.”

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies are pressing pause on Andrew Painter’s major league season.

The rookie right-hander was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley following Wednesday’s start against the Miami Marlins. He allowed six earned runs in two innings. His season ERA is 7.06, the second-highest in the majors among pitchers that have thrown at least 65 innings.

It is not what the team nor player envisioned when he was brought up to the majors at the beginning of the year.

“We think the best thing for him is to kind of get a reset,” Dave Dombrowski told reporters on Thursday. Painter will throw side sessions over the next few days, then will make his first start of the year in Triple-A within the next seven to 10 days, Dombrowski estimated.

As for how the Phillies will fill his rotation spot at the major league level, they are not ready to announce anything yet. Right-handed pitcher Seth Johnson was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The Phillies also selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson, who is available for multiple innings out of the bullpen on Thursday behind starter Aaron Nola. Tanner Banks, who has been in the Phillies bullpen since the second half of 2024, was optioned to Triple-A.

Wilson could make the next start in the Painter spot, which comes up on Tuesday in Washington. They could do a bullpen game, though it wouldn’t be ideal.

“For me, it’s not the best scenario because you’re taxing your bullpen every five days, or you have a chance to without somebody that’s taking down four or five innings,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “That puts you in a little bit of bind.”

There is a lot for him to work on. Painter’s fastball got crushed to the tune of a .404 batting average against. His calling card pre-Tommy John surgery was his fastball. He has thrown it only 33% of the time. He needs to get command of it back. It also has to look less enticing to the hitters.

Improving his delivery will be the main focus.

“Most of it is delivery-oriented, it’s what it comes down to because when he’s done some things with his delivery, which is going more directly to the plate rather than spinning off, he’s had more life,” Dombrowski said. “And you see it at times. He threw some pitches yesterday that were outstanding, but not on a consistent basis. So the feel is that when he does that, when he gives that effort going forward, his ball’s got more movement, he’s got more command of his pitches and his split looks better at that time, too. That’ll be the goal.”

The move down to Triple-A gives Painter and the Phillies more time to focus on these changes. It will be easier without the pressure that comes with getting results at the major league level for a team with championship aspirations.

“I think it was the best thing for him,” Mattingly said. “At this point, it’s hard to keep working and keep trying to get better and perform at the big league level. And he’s not the first guy this has happened to. It happens to 90% of the guys that are coming and going back. Very few guys just come and stick and then never see the minor leagues again.”

The Phillies are still hopeful that this is all a blimp in the radar and that Painter could be the star pitcher he was projected to be when he was lighting the minor leagues on fire in 2022.

“I think he’s going to be a very good pitcher,” Dombrowski said. “Again, it’s difficult. He’s coming off a situation where he had Tommy John surgery, so last year he was coming back from that. Sometimes, it takes a while to come back and be quite as effective. I mean, his stuff, his fastball is upper 90s, he’s got three good breaking balls, he’s got a split. He’ll command his pitches better when he gets his delivery refined. So we think he’s going to be a very good big leaguer.”

Adolis García officially out for the remainder of the season

The Phillies announced on Thursday that outfielder Adolis García will undergo surgery to repair his torn right latissimus dorsi on Wednesday, June 24. The recovery is six to eighth months, meaning he is officially done for the season.

In the meantime, Gabriel Rincones Jr. will take down at-bats in right field against right-handed starting pitchers. Against lefties, the outfield arrangement is Edmundo Sosa in left field, new trade acquisition Derek Hill in center field and Brandon Marsh in right. They are essentially platooning in two outfield spots, something they did at the end of last year with Marsh and Otto Kemp in left and Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos in right.

In the absence of another acquisition in the outfield, Rincones will get an extended opportunity in the coming weeks.

“We’ll see. He made a nice flash with the home run,” Dombrowski said. “But he’s gonna get every opportunity to contribute. I mean, that’s where you kind of have to see where he is too before you start making some decisions and where else you’re going with other needs that you have.”

For the first time this season, the Phillies will face off against the rival New York Mets, as the two teams meet for three games in Philadelphia.

The series will take an unusual format, as Thursday’s opener will be followed by a rare mid-series off-day Friday to accommodate that night’s World Cup match in South Philly. The series will then conclude over the weekend with a pair of nationally televised night games Saturday and Sunday.

The Phillies (40-34) are coming off a series win against the Miami Marlins, and enter Thursday second in the National League East, 6 1/2 games back of the Atlanta Braves. 

Meanwhile, the Mets (33-41) sit in last place, 13 1/2 games behind the Braves. Having entered the season with expectations of contending in the division, New York had a dreadful April, much like Philadelphia. But unlike the Phillies, they have been unable to recover, plagued all season by inconsistent performance and injuries to key players. 

The Mets ultimately took last year’s season series with the Phillies, winning seven of the 13 games played between the clubs. But the last time they met, in early September, the Phillies swept the Mets in a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park. 

This upcoming series will be the first of two between these teams over the next week, as the Phillies and Mets will also play three games at Citi Field next weekend.

Here’s when and where you can watch the series on TV:

• Thursday, June 18, at 6:40 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network (out-of-market only) 
• Saturday, June 20, at 7:15 p.m. ET: FOX
• Sunday, June 21, at 7:20 p.m. ET: NBC, Peacock

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — With one out in the bottom of the fourth and Triple-A Lehigh Valley up by a run over Worcester on Tuesday, Carter Kieboom provided his squad with an extra boost. 

After receiving his first two pitches out of the zone, the third baseman drilled a middle-middle sinker into the left-center gap, scoring Christian Cairo and legging out the double for his 23rd RBI of the season and second hit of the night, following up a second-inning single.

While the IronPigs would go on to lose 5-3 at Coca-Cola Park, Kieboom managed to rack up his 15th multi-hit performance of the year. The 28-year-old has appeared in 56 games for Lehigh Valley this season — the third most behind Cairo and Bryan De La Cruz — and is batting .285, second on the team behind Felix Reyes. He has a .774 OPS in International League play. Kieboom has racked up five years of major-league experience, but he doesn’t necessarily feel as though that gives him an edge over his fellow teammates in his first year for the IronPigs.

“I just think you should know what you’re doing every day, and that’ll help you out with some success,” Kieboom said.

Kieboom, a highly touted shortstop prospect coming out of high school, was selected 28th overall by the Washington Nationals in the 2016 MLB draft. He made his way to the big-league roster at 21 years old, appearing in 11 games during the Nationals’ 2019 World Series-winning season. Following the departure of Anthony Rendon, Kieboom moved to third base full-time, starting 89 games across 2020 and 2021. A right elbow strain sidelined him in 2022, and after getting limited play in 2023, he spent the 2024 season with Triple-A Rochester before electing free agency.

The Los Angeles Angels inked Kieboom to a minor-league contract in 2025, when he slashed .319/.368/.449 for Triple-A Salt Lake in 93 games. He went 2-for-8 in three games for the Angels in September, and after spending two months with the Cleveland Guardians this offseason, he was traded to the Phillies and is back to slugging at the Triple-A level.

“I came over here so I could get some everyday reps,” Kieboom said. “I just show up every day, try to do my job the best I can, and if I’m in the lineup, great. If I’m not, then I’ll keep working, so that when I am in the lineup I’m ready.”

Kieboom called facing major-league pitching “relentless,” noting that “you’re facing the best of the best in the world every day.”

“You get the best offensive players and best pitchers in the world going at it every single day, so it definitely makes it a little bit more challenging,” he said. “But as a player you adapt and adjust to take on that challenge.”

The experience he’s built through 136 major-league games provides plenty to offer to his teammates. Having a veteran that’s gone through the highs of top-tier prospect status and lows of being a bench player is certainly a boost to the clubhouse, according to IronPigs manager Chris Adamson.

“Some of the stuff he’s had to go through is really beneficial for some of these young guys that are going through the same thing, whether it’s here or in the big leagues,” Adamson said. “Having a more experienced person get in the box has been great for us. The on-field stuff’s been good, but he can really bring a wealth of knowledge and experience on the behind the scenes stuff as well.”

Kieboom’s made his name known at every Triple-A destination he’s stopped by, and Lehigh Valley is no different. He’s less worried about his next major-league shot and more concerned with staying healthy, taking it “one day at a time” and following up a solid first half of 2026 with a successful second half.

“As long as you take your job seriously and get your work in every day, and kick around balls and throw a little bit come game time, you should be ready to go,” Kieboom said.