The Phillies are making August look easy.
They finished the month at 21-7 after opening Monday with a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks, a result that also pushed them into a five-game winning streak. It was a sharp finish to a stretch that began with them coming out of July on a skid, having dropped four in a row and four straight series before turning things around in a hurry.
Bryson Stott supplied the loudest swing of the night, launching a 464-foot solo homer to right field in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Bryce Harper followed in the third with a double off the center-field wall that brought home Garrett Stubbs and made it 2-0.
Aaron Nola did the rest of the heavy lifting on the mound. The right-hander worked into the sixth inning, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out five. It was the fifth straight start in which he’s allowed two runs or fewer.
At Chase Field, Ketel Marte’s first at-bat of the night came with boos from the home crowd drowning out the cheers. That followed his Boston no-show two weeks ago. Before the game, Marte was asked if he had a message for Diamondbacks fans, and he shook his head.
There was also more uncertainty around Corbin Burnes. Torey Lovullo said he could not say exactly when or where Burnes would make his next outing, and there was concern that the velocity still wasn’t where it needs to be.
Lovullo pointed to Burnes sitting at 90-91 with his cutter instead of the 92-94 range he’s known for, saying, ”Every time he throws a pitch, it’s shown at 90-91. It’s not the 92-94 that we know he can get to.
It’s not a top end. So I know there’s some that say yes, and I’m in that camp that you’re building up that overall number.
And it’s not the same, but we want that big number,” Lovullo said.
Around the league, the Cubs put on a power show for the ages. They blasted the Brewers 17-3 at Wrigley Field, with Alex Bregman going deep three times in a nine-homer explosion that set a franchise record.
The nine home runs tied for the second-most in a game in MLB history since at least 1900, trailing only the Blue Jays’ 10 on Sept. 14, 1987.
Chicago’s 62 homers in August also set a club record for a month and rank second all-time in a calendar month behind only the 2019 Yankees, who hit 74 in August.
And in New York, the Yankees had plenty to say about Boston radio voice Will Flemming after comments he made during Sunday’s game at the Bronx. Flemming had called Jazz Chisholm Jr. a “bush league player” after Chisholm stole two bases in the eighth inning with New York up 7-1, then suggested to WEEI color analyst Will Middlebrooks that Red Sox left-hander Jovani Moran should hit Yankees catcher Austin Wells in retaliation. Several Yankees players responded Monday by calling Flemming “unprofessional” and questioning why a radio announcer would suggest throwing at an opposing player.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Just Reopened A Frustrating September Debate
A tight loss to Philadelphia left the Diamondbacks with a familiar late-season headache, the kind that can hang around after a night when one swing flips everything. Brandon Pfaadt had been one of the steadier arms in the rotation for months, but his unbeaten run in the majors came to an end when the Phillies squeezed out the winning run and Arizona could not answer late.
Ketel Marte was back in the lineup after a stretch away, and his return was met with a mixed reaction from the crowd, which only sharpened the mood around a game the Diamondbacks felt they needed to finish off. Instead, the conversation turned back to the margin for error in September, and to how quickly one close defeat can reopen questions the club would rather leave behind. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Face A September Series That Could Sway Their Wild Card Fate
Philadelphias strong August has changed the tone of its September, with the Phillies settling into the No. 2 spot in the National League Wild Card picture while staring at a demanding stretch that also includes the Brewers and Braves. For Arizona, the timing matters just as much. The Diamondbacks are still in the chase, and this upcoming series gives them a chance to measure themselves against a club that has helped push the playoff race into sharper focus.
The matchup carries more than just another set of late-season games. Arizona has been trying to climb back into the conversation, and every head-to-head meeting with a contender matters when the standings are this tight. The first series between these teams in April already set a baseline, but this one arrives with far more at stake for the Diamondbacks, who need September to start cutting in their direction rather than making their path to October even steeper. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Get A Boost But One Bullpen Concern Just Got Bigger
The Diamondbacks got a timely jolt to the roster with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Blake Walston both coming off the injured list, a welcome development as the club keeps chasing a postseason spot. Any late-season push needs healthy bodies, and adding back an everyday outfielder along with a left-handed arm gives Arizona a little more flexibility at a point when every decision matters.
Ryan Thompsons move to the 60-day injured list only sharpens the concern on the pitching side, though, because it takes another reliever out of the mix for the rest of 2026. For a bullpen trying to hold up under the pressure of a crowded race, that kind of loss can change how the Diamondbacks manage matchups and innings the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]