OK, Phillies fans, do you want the good news or the bad news?
Well, I can give you at least one reason to Smyly.
That's not a typo. That's the Phillies new lefty pitcher.
Drew Smyly was rushed into the starting lineup Sunday because the Pirates are susceptible to southpaw pitchers. And he didn't disappoint. Smyly allowed just one run and four hits in six innings, striking out eight along the way.
And the Phillies got another strong outing from their bullpen, who shut out the Bucs over the final five innings.
Yes, five. The game went extra innings, in part because the Phils' offense remains MIA.
That's the bad news.
Over the weekend the Phillies scored all of three runs in 21 innings of baseball.
A home run by Rhys Hoskins in the 11th provided the margin in a 2-1 win. It marked the first time since early June that the Phils won a series against a team not named the New York Mets. They have not won a series against a team with a winning record since mid-May.
Smyly will certainly help calm a very jittery starting pitching rotation, but the Phillies are not going anywhere unless they start to hit.
Don't blame the $330 million man. Bruce Harper has done his part, and continues to show constant hustle.
But the rest of the lineup, expected to be one of the most potent in baseball, continues to struggle.
Winning the division is very likely out of reach, but the Phillies remain in the thick of the Wild Card race. But don't expect them to get a sniff of the playoffs unless they start to hit.
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