PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies showed their offensive ceiling in the first inning Friday night. What followed was a reminder of their biggest flaw.
After building a four-run lead, the Phillies went quiet — striking out 16 times in a 5-4 loss to Arizona at Citizens Bank Park.
The contrast couldn’t have been sharper.
Trea Turner opened the bottom of the first with a single, Kyle Schwarber followed with a walk, and Bryce Harper lined an RBI double to right. Two batters later, Brandon Marsh crushed a three-run homer to left-center, giving the Phillies a quick 4-0 advantage.
It looked like the kind of inning that could spark a sluggish offense.
Instead, it was the last sustained rally of the night.
Arizona right-hander Mike Soroka settled in after the first and began to overpower the Phillies lineup. He struck out 10 over 5.2 innings, consistently generating swings and misses and putting hitters away once ahead in the count.
The trend extended across the entire lineup. Every Phillies starter recorded at least one strikeout as the club finished with 16 on the night — more than twice their seven hits — and managed just three hits after the opening inning.
The inability to adjust at the plate proved costly once the game shifted.
Jesús Luzardo carried the 4-0 lead into the fifth inning before Arizona broke through. A single, a walk, and a bunt hit loaded the bases, and Ketel Marte delivered a two-run single to cut the deficit in half. Ildemaro Vargas followed with an RBI single, and with two outs, James McCann lined a two-run double into right field to give Arizona a 5-4 lead.
Luzardo (1-2) was charged with all five runs in 4.2 innings. He struck out eight but couldn’t limit the damage once traffic built.
“Falling behind way too much all game,” Luzardo said. “The problem today was falling behind. Then having to go into the zone.”
That one inning was enough because the Phillies offense never recovered.
They went 2-for-6 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners, with multiple innings ending via strikeout. Alec Bohm finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and is now hitting .170, continuing a difficult start at the plate. Marsh also struck out three times after his home run, while Adolis GarcÃa added two more as the lineup struggled to generate consistent contact.
"It was just one of those days ... we got to be a lot better tomorrow," Marsh said.
There was one final push.
Justin Crawford gave the Phillies life in the ninth, driving a triple off the top of the fence in right field with two outs to bring the tying run within 90 feet. But Turner followed by flying out to left, ending the game.
For the Phillies, the formula is becoming familiar: early power, followed by extended stretches of swing-and-miss.
Until that changes, even a four-run lead may not be enough.
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