The Phillies found a new way to let one slip away Friday night, and J.T. Realmuto didn’t bother dressing it up afterward.
Philadelphia carried a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh against the Baltimore Orioles, with Andrew Painter having settled in after a rocky first inning. Painter gave up two runs early, then blanked Baltimore the rest of the way before the Phillies turned to Orion Kerkering to begin the seventh.
That’s where it unraveled. Kerkering was tagged for four runs in the inning, and the Phillies walked off the field with a 6-4 loss.
For Realmuto, the frustration was obvious.
“It's tough. This is not the brand of baseball we want to be playing.
We've got the guys in this room to win. And we know that.
"This is not the brand of baseball we want to be playing."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) August 1, 2026
J.T. Realmuto reflects on the Phillies' bullpen following another frustrating loss. | @WapnerNewman pic.twitter.com/5emXNgfFct
We just have to play better. We're just not doing enough things, particularly late in the game.
I feel like, when it really matters, just not making the pitches we need to make and not getting ahead of guys and attacking them, and that's getting us in trouble” Realmuto said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia.
He also acknowledged the bullpen has become a concern, while stressing that the answer isn’t a lack of talent.
“We're concerned but we believe we have the guys in this room to get it done. We've got guys that have got a lot of big outs for us in the last few years, and with really good stuff. Like I mentioned, we're just not attacking the zone,” Realmuto added.
The loss sends Philadelphia to 57-53, though the club is still holding an NL Wild Card spot.
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