Gabe Kapler likes to call tough losses "gut punches," and his squad took three of them to the solar plexus during their just-completed 2-4 road trip against the Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays. It could have been a lot of worse. The Phils did land a jab Sunday, salvaging the final game in Toronto with an 8-3 win fueled by home runs from the quartet of Rhys Hoskins, Carlos Santana, Maikel Franco and Wilson Ramos.
The Atlanta Braves had a chance to deck the Phillies with a Joe Frazier left hook down in Miami, but the best they could do against the lowly Marlins was a split of a four-game series, leaving the Phillies just three games behind in the NL East.