Why Phillies Should Not Be Worried About Losing Series to Reds

Here's why the Philadelphia Phillies should not be concerned about losing the series to 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

The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing some great baseball of late, but they did recently slip up in their series at home against the Cincinnati Reds. 

Following their (9-19) start to the campaign, the Phillies have been red hot and one of the best teams in baseball. With a (25-25) record now, they have come storming back into contention, and getting to the .500 mark is an important accomplishment. 

Unfortunately, the team did enter their series this week against the Reds with a record above the .500 mark. However, with their first series loss under new manager Don Mattingly, the team fell back to .500. 

In the loss to the Reds, it was a bit of a mix of things that went wrong. In a 4-1 loss on Tuesday, the offense was mostly shut down by Cincinnati. The Phillies were without their star slugger, Kyle Schwarber, for this series with a stomach illness, and they certainly could have used him in this loss. 

Furthermore, with a chance to win the series in the finale, Philadelphia saw another bad outing from starter Aaron Nola and was unable to overcome it. While a series loss at home is never ideal, the team has been playing at such a high level that it was just a matter of time, and there shouldn't be a need for panic. 

No Need for Concern

Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Even though the loss on Wednesday felt like a bad one, considering how well they played and that it moved them back to the .500 mark, it is an impressive achievement that they were able to get back to that mark so quickly. 

While it shouldn’t be a concern that the team slipped up, they could be concerned about Nola’s production. The veteran right-hander has not been good once again this year, and there is reason to be worried considering how heavily invested they are in him. 

Now that the easy stretch of their schedule has come to a close, the real test is going to be starting for the Phillies. This weekend, they will be playing the Cleveland Guardians at home, which will be followed by a tough West Coast trip against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Furthermore, following playing the Padres on the road, they will face them again in Philadelphia. 

This will be a challenging stretch for the team and will be a great indication of how good they might be. However, the team has really rebounded nicely from the slow start, and there is reason to believe they will be a contender once again.