PHILADELPHIA — The boos started early Friday night at Citizens Bank Park.
They didn’t stop.
This wasn’t another warning sign. The warning signs are already there — and they’re getting louder by the day.
The Phillies entered the night reeling after being outplayed in back-to-back losses to a Cubs team that arrived in Philadelphia struggling itself. Instead of correcting course, they slipped further in a 9-0 loss to the Braves, a game that felt over almost as soon as it began.
Right now, nothing is working.
Taijuan Walker was the most visible problem Friday, but far from the biggest one.
The veteran right-hander tried to adjust his pregame routine in hopes of avoiding his now-routine first-inning struggles. It didn’t matter. Walker allowed two runs in the opening frame and never recovered, finishing with seven earned runs over four innings as his ERA climbed to 9.16.
Atlanta broke the game open in the second inning with a three-run home run, then added another in the third to stretch the lead to 7-0. The game was effectively decided before the middle innings.
Walker is a problem. But he’s not the problem.
That distinction belongs to an offense that has fallen into the bottom quarter of Major League Baseball in nearly every meaningful category — and looked the part again Friday night.
Outside of Bryce Harper, who collected three hits including a triple, the lineup offered little resistance. At-bats lacked urgency. Situational hitting was absent. At times, it looked like a group simply going through the motions.
The Phillies had their chance early. Bases loaded, no outs in the first inning. They didn’t score.
That moment lingered — another missed opportunity in a stretch now defined by them.
From there, MartÃn Pérez, a late addition to Atlanta’s rotation, controlled the game with little pushback. The Phillies managed scattered hits and never mounted a serious threat.
As the Braves added on late, the crowd responded accordingly.
This wasn’t just frustration with one night. It was cumulative.
The Phillies have now dropped three straight and own the worst run differential in the National League. The issues are layered — inconsistent pitching, defensive lapses, and an offense that isn’t producing — but the lack of offensive identity continues to stand out.
And the tension is building.
The idea that this is just a slow start is fading — fast.
There is a change coming. Zack Wheeler is nearing a return, and when he does, Walker’s role will almost certainly shift — whether that means a move to the bullpen or something more significant.
But that won’t fix what’s happening right now.
Because this isn’t about one pitcher or one game anymore.
It’s about a team that hasn’t shown it can consistently play winning baseball — and is starting to feel the weight of that reality from its own crowd.
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