A series against the last place Padres was supposed to be a boon for the Phillies’ postseason chances. Three games against rookie starting pitchers backed by a weak lineup was supposed to provide the Phillies with an easy opportunity to pick up three wins, two at the absolute minimum.
Friday’s loss was disheartening, but after Aaron Nola pitched the team to victory on Saturday, the Phillies seemed poised to win the series behind Jake Arrieta on Sunday. Instead, the team failed in just about every aspect of the game: Poor pitching, poor hitting, poor fielding, and poor baserunning.