Alec Bohm didn’t need many words after the Phillies’ 6-1 loss to the Mets on Sunday to explain why the offense has been stuck in neutral lately.
“A lot of it’s just got to do with how tough the pitching’s gotten in this league. I think… you can really run into teams with some tough bullpens and, some tough, just - they can match up well and just, like - I mean, seems like you can go through some games where you see just three guys throwing 100 and - from both sides and moving the ball around and, you know, sometimes you can wait those guys out and get some pitches in the middle and do something with them, and sometimes they end up just kinda dominating you and making pitches and, you know, it can be tough.
But I think for the most part, obviously, some days more than not, we kinda do our best to grind the starters out of the game when they have their good stuff and try to see a few extra pitches and try to, you know, put good at bats on guys. But, you know, today it wasn’t really one of those days.
“
That came after the Phillies dropped their second game in three tries to the Mets and their fifth in their last 10.
The bigger issue for Philadelphia is that the slump isn’t just a bad week or two. The numbers have slipped across the board from last season to this one.
The Phillies are hitting .236 with a .303 on-base percentage, a .398 slugging percentage and a .701 OPS. They’re averaging 4.32 runs per game.
Last year, those figures were .258, .328, .431, .759 and 4.80, respectively. Their walk rate has fallen from 8.6% to 7.9%, while their strikeout rate has climbed from 21.7% to 23.7%.
By those numbers, the Phillies are 30th in OBP at .303, 24th in OPS at .701, 23rd in batting average at .236 and 19th in runs per game at 4.32. For a team with World Series aspirations and one of the league’s biggest payrolls, that’s a rough place to be.
Bohm’s own season mirrors the team’s slide. After a solid 2025, his batting average has dropped from .287 to .219, his OBP from .331 to .279, his slugging from .409 to .361 and his OPS from .741 to .640.
And that’s what makes his explanation land the way it did. Yes, pitching is hard.
Yes, bullpens can be nasty. Yes, some nights a lineup runs straight into a buzzsaw.
But the Phillies are living that reality every day, and Bohm’s production has fallen right along with the rest of the offense.
In Other News...
Phillies Make Urgent Bullpen Move As Pressure Starts To Build
The Phillies are turning to a fresh arm in the middle of a bullpen squeeze, calling up right-hander Alex McFarlane from Double-A Reading as they look for help in a relief group that has been trending the wrong way. McFarlane, the clubs No. 17 prospect, has earned the look with a 2.06 ERA and 12 saves in Reading, giving Philadelphia a power option it can lean on as the staff absorbs another hit.
The timing matters, too, with Brad Kellers injury adding to the urgency and forcing the Phillies to keep searching for workable innings. McFarlane arrives with a chance to stabilize things quickly, and the roster move to make room for him is expected to come from the pitching staff, leaving the club with another decision to sort through as it tries to steady the late-game picture. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Deadline Buzz Just Sparked A Familiar Front Office Debate
The Phillies have put themselves in position to shop from a place of strength again, and that has reopened a familiar deadline conversation around how aggressive president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski should be. With the club playing better and expected to buy, outside speculation has already started to circle possible fits, including an outfield option from Toronto who could be available if the Blue Jays decide to move him before the deadline.
The appeal is obvious enough on paper: a player on an expiring deal, modest production this season, and a profile that would give Philadelphia another layer of depth if the front office wanted to add there. Still, the bigger question around the Phillies is whether the outfield should really be the focus at all, because the more pressing need remains in the bullpen, and that is where the deadline debate figures to get most interesting. [Read more 🡒]