The Philadelphia Phillies’ start to the 2026 season continues to be rough, as they dropped their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend, with the visiting team taking two of three games at Citizens Bank Park.

Here are three takeaways from another series loss for the Phillies. 

Philadelphia’s lineup has taken plenty of heat for the slow start, but the rotation has been just as shaky, and that was evident in the series loss to the D-Backs.

Jesus Luzardo struck out eight batters in the series opener, but he also gave up five earned runs in 4.2 innings of work. Taijuan Walker’s start wasn’t much better, as he gave up two earned runs in five innings. That said, both of those runs did come in the first inning, and he did settle down after that.

Zach Pop ended up being the opener for the Phillies in the finale as Andrew Painter was dealing with a migraine, so that last game of the series can go down as an anomaly.

Right now, the Phillies have a team starter ERA of 4.68, which ranks 23rd in MLB. There aren’t many options outside of Philadelphia’s current rotation. 

Zack Wheeler will be back at some point, but there’s no guarantee that he returns to his pre-procedure level.

At what point are there legitimate concerns about Philadelphia’s rotation and its depth?

If there is one positive takeaway from Philly’s series loss to Arizona, it’s that Philadelphia’s big three is really starting to turn it around.

The trio of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner combined to go 11-for-30 against the Diamondbacks and came up with a handful of big hits. 

Harper and Schwarber hit back-to-back home runs in the sole game the Phillies won of the series, and Turner came up big with an RBI double in the finale, even though Philadelphia came up short.

This trio is that is the lifeline of Philadelphia’s offense. Hopefully, as they start to get it going at the top, the rest of the lineup will follow. 

Philadelphia’s lack of production with runners in scoring position was a concern heading into the series, and it ultimately plagued the team and cost them the series. 

The Phillies were 6-for-19 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 19 runners on base throughout the three-game set.

The most consequential sequence for the Phillies came in the finale on Sunday, when they had runners at first and third with no outs. One run would’ve tied the game, but Philly couldn’t even scratch that as Harper got caught between third and home and tagged out, Adolis Garcia popped out, and Brandon Marsh was doubled up at first base.

If the Phillies are going to turn the offense around, they must start taking advantage of these scoring opportunities. 

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