The Philadelphia Phillies continue to search for answers as their losing streak reaches 10 games.
What began as a concerning start for the Philadelphia Phillies has quickly spiraled into disaster and a record-setting losing pace, and that continued on Friday evening. The Phillies opened up a three-game set against their division rival, the Atlanta Braves, but lost, again, with a final score of 5-3.
Philly’s losing streak has now reached 10 games. It’s their longest stretch without a win since an 11-game losing streak in 1999. Over this stretch, the Phillies have two series losses to the Cubs, one of them being a sweep, and a sweep at the hands of the Braves.
The Phillies currently have an 8-18 record, which not only has them in the basement of the National League East, but it’s also the franchise’s worst start to a season in over two decades.
There’s an old saying that you can’t win a division in April, but you certainly can lose it, and that’s the route the Phillies are currently headed. Philadelphia is currently 10.5 games back of Atlanta, who are in first place in the East.
Only one team has ever come back from a 10+ game April deficit to win the division, and that was the Detroit Tigers back in 1987, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Apr 24, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) retires Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin (30) after a dropped third strike during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesOne positive, or negative, depending on how you look at it, is that Philadelphia’s stars did show up on Friday, even though the team lost in the end, only adding more mystery to what exactly is going on in Philly’s lackluster starts.
Trea Turner and Bryce Harper each hit home runs in the win, accounting for all three of Philadelphia’s runs. Again, it was the rest of the lineup that had trouble producing.
Manager Rob Thomson still insists that he likes what he’s seen, effort and work-wise, from his team, but acknowledged that some mistakes are still being made. Philadelphia’s skipper knows it’s all on them to right the ship, if it already isn’t too late.
“Nobody's gonna feel sorry for us. And we just got to keep going,” said Thomson after Friday’s loss.
The Phillies need a win badly, and now they’ll turn to Zack Wheeler on Saturday, who hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since nearly eight months, to help them do just that.
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