Phillies news and rumors 8/2: Club set to play 28 games in 30 days in August

After sweeping the Dodgers in early July, the Phillies ended the month by dropping five consecutive series. Part of that streak included a sweep at the hands of the Yankees earlier this week. Altogether, the Phillies ended July with a 10-14 record. It was their worst month of the season.

With the calendar now flipped to August, the club hopes to put their recent stretch of bad baseball behind them. However, doing so may not be so easy. Their upcoming schedule isn’t all that simple.

The Phillies begin a 10-game West Coast trip Friday night in Seattle against the Mariners. After Seattle, they’ll pack their bags and head to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers again. The roadtrip concludes with a four-game set in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.

The Mariners are currently fighting with the Astros for the lead in the American League West. The Dodgers lead the National League West and trail the Phillies by 2.5 games for the best record in the league. As for Arizona, they are coming off their best month of the season — they went 17-8 in July — and entered August as the third NL Wild Card team.

After their stretch of 10 games in 10 days out West, the Phillies return home to Citizens Bank Park for two games against the Marlins and four games against the Nationals. They’ll then go on another roadtrip, facing the Braves in Atlanta three times and the Royals in Kansas City for three more. The Phillies’ August schedule finishes at home. They’ll host the Astros and then the Braves.

The Phillies are going to be busy in August. After starting the month with an off day, they’ll finish with 28 games in 30 days. Of those 28 games, 22 are against teams that entered August in a playoff position.

Perhaps the most important games this month for Rob Thomson’s club are those against the Braves. The two teams, who are separated by six games in the standings, don’t play each other again in the regular season after they conclude a four-game series in South Philly on Sept. 1. Those games could certainly go a long way in deciding who wins the NL East this year.

With one-third of the season left, each game will feel more important. The Phillies can only take it one day at a time. And they’ll have to do that beginning Friday in Seattle.

Must-read Phillies content:

• From Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert: Phillies starter Taijuan Walker says splitter ‘back to my normal’ in rehab outing.
• The Phillies are struggling right now. Phillies Nation’s Destiny Lugardo has the latest on that, plus managing partner John Middleton’s thoughts on the team’s trade deadline.
• One reason the Phillies are struggling? Bryce Harper isn’t performing like we’re used to seeing. Our own Tim Kelly details that with quotes from Harper himself.

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