4 Biggest Phillies Takeaways From Series Loss Against Reds

The Philadelphia Phillies have a few major takeaways from their series defeat by the Cincinnati Reds.

May 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (3) reacts after flying out against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

For the first time since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, the team failed to win a series.

The Cincinnati Reds went into Citizens Bank Park and handed the Phillies their first series loss since April 24-26, when they lost two out of three games to the Atlanta Braves. They had won six consecutive, catching fire since Rob Thomson was fired 28 games into the season.

Some impressive history was made during that stretch, but the Reds brought it to a halt, winning the last two games after dropping the opener, 5-4. Philadelphia, which is now 25-25 on the season, has climbed out of its early-season hole and will look to keep the positive momentum going.

Alas, there are a few things they need to keep an eye on as potential changes could be on the horizon. Here are four of the biggest takeaways from their loss to Cincinnati.

Lineup Missed Kyle Schwarber

May 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (12) hits a two run home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber has been a one-man wrecking crew at points this season. He leads the MLB with 20 home runs, still sitting atop the league despite not playing the entire series against the Reds because of an illness.

The Phillies certainly missed his bat in the order, scoring 10 runs in the entire series. Bryce Harper and Adolis Garcia, who took Schwarber’s spot at No. 2 in the order, didn’t have a single hit in 19 combined at-bats in the series.

They each recorded one RBI, stole one base, drew one walk and struck out four times. Certainly not the kind of production Mattingly was hoping for with Schwarber sidelined.

Aaron Nola Struggles

May 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola (27) throws a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Starting pitching is a strength of Philadelphia’s. But some real concerns are developing with Aaron Nola, who struggled again in the series finale against Cincinnati.

He surrendered four earned runs in five innings on eight hits with five strikeouts. The only encouraging development from the start was that he didn’t walk a batter, but the Reds’ lineup still found plenty of success generating production.

Nola now has an ERA of 6.04 and a WHIP of 1.56 on the season. Struggling mightily to locate his fastball, the coaching staff has to figure out a way to help him adjust his pitch mix to get to his curveball, which has been lethal.

The pressure is on the other members of the rotation to perform as Nola works through his issues.

Alec Bohm Stays On Fire

May 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) hits a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

With Schwarber out of the lineup, the Phillies desperately needed someone else to step up, and their third baseman answered the call. Alec Bohm has looked like a totally different player since being removed from the lineup in Game 2 against the Athletics and being held out of the lineup for a few games.

Since he returned to the lineup on May 9, he has recorded a hit in all 11 games that he has played in. During that span, he has a .405/.444/.786 slash line with four home runs, four doubles and seven RBI. He has struck out only five times in 45 plate appearances and drawn three walks.

Bullpen Woes

Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tanner Banks (58) throws a pitch against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

During the marathon MLB regular season, there will be some bumps in the road. Bullpen performance is sometimes volatile, fluctuating from excellent to ghastly in the same week. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the series against the Reds was one of the lows.

17 earned runs were recorded against the Phillies, and nine of them were charged to the bullpen. Chase Shugart, Jhoan Duran and Jonathan Bowlan were the only relievers who didn’t give up an earned run, pitching two, one and 0.2 innings, respectively.

Jose Alvarado, Tim Mayza and Tanner Banks all surrendered multiple earned runs, contributing to the underwhelming results and two losses.

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