Phillies Troubling Trend Continues Against Braves and Chris Sale

Chris Sale mowed down the Philadelphia Phillies to help the Atlanta Braves get a series win.

Apr 26, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Truist Park. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to snap their 10-game losing streak during their second series in a week against the Atlanta Braves in the second game of their three-game series.

It provided the Phillies with a chance to win a series for the first time since they defeated the Colorado Rockies two out of three times between April 3 and 5. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be for Philadelphia.

They were defeated in the rubber game, 6-2, for their 11th loss in 12 games and sixth consecutive series loss. And that performance continued what has been a troubling trend for the Phillies in the first month of the season.

Opposing them on the mound that afternoon was Chris Sale. The 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner has made a habit of shutting down and dominating opponents in the fashion he did to give the Braves another series win over their rivals.

Chris Sale dominated Phillies

Apr 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

He fired six shutout innings, with the only base runners allowed coming via one hit and two walks. Sale struck out nine, giving him 38 on the year through 35 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.31 in the process.

It wasn’t so much that Philadelphia was the latest victim to get defeated by Sale; more so that their troubling performance against left-handed pitching continued, and there doesn’t look to be any change in sight.

The highest batting average on the team, amongst players with at least 10 at-bats against lefties this season, is Felix Reyes, who is hitting .231. Kyle Schwarber has the highest on-base percentage using the same 10 at-bat minimum at .322.

Reyes also owns the best slugging percentage at .462, just ahead of Bryce Harper, who is slugging .458. There isn’t another player on the team who has a slugging percentage above .388.

Phillies producing alarmingly low numbers against southpaws

Mar 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) reacts after striking out during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

As a team against left-handed pitching, the Phillies have produced a .179/.270/.293 slash line. All three of those numbers are currently ranked last in baseball.

They have managed some power output, with their nine home runs against southpaws ranking in a tie for 12th with the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. But they are tied for 26th with eight doubles.

Philadelphia has also struck out 90 times in 341 at-bats. That amount of at-bats against southpaws is the third most in the MLB behind the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs, and it would come as no surprise if it keeps climbing.

If opponents have the opportunity to stack left-handed pitching against the Phillies, they are going to do it. Until they prove capable of producing at just below average levels, not being the worst team in baseball against southpaws, there is no reason for opposing teams not to take advantage.