The Phillies get a reality check against the Dodgers, dropping two of three in a series that felt a lot like playoff baseball. Josh Liddick and Austin Myers break down what went wrong for the Phillies, from defensive and baserunning mistakes to an offense that continues to rely heavily on the long ball. The guys discuss the team's struggles to consistently get on base and score runs, whether the Phillies can truly compete with the Dodgers when October rolls around, and what this series might tell us about the team's postseason chances. They also dive into some of the biggest individual storylines from the series, including Trea Turner's recent power surge, Bryce Harper's 200th home run in a Phillies uniform, and Derek Hill making his case for a bigger role with his bat and glove. Plus, Josh makes the case for moving Aaron Nola to the bullpen, while Austin looks ahead to how the Phillies could use him down the stretch. With the trade deadline quickly approaching, the guys discuss Bryce Harper's comments about the Phillies needing to go "all in," how aggressive Dave Dombrowski should be, and whether the team should be willing to part with top prospects to make a major upgrade. They also look at the need for another starting pitcher, the search for a right-handed bat, and what the Phillies could be looking for as they prepare for the second half of the season. Finally, Josh and Austin look ahead to the upcoming series against the Yankees and what could be another important test for the Phillies. Follow and leave a five-star review for Catchin’ Phils: A Phillies Podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and iHeartRadio, and subscribe to Josh Liddick (Red Pinstripe Press) and Austin Myers (Phillies Perspective) on Substack to get their latest work straight to your inbox. The podcast is also streaming weekly on the Catchin' Phils YouTube channel. Episode timestamps: 0:26 — Intro: Dodgers series recap and Phillies concerns 1:45 — Playoff-style baseball, mistakes, and fundamentals 3:38 — Offense issues, OBP, and reliance on the long ball 6:26 — Stat about low OBP teams and postseason success 9:45 — Trea Turner, defense, and scoring decisions 17:10 — Turner’s 200th career homer and Harper’s 200th as a Phillie 20:04 — Wheeler vs. Wrobleski, pitching duel, and game two loss 24:24 — J.T. Realmuto’s baserunning mistake 29:14 — Big-picture view: can the Phillies beat the Dodgers? 34:56 — Phillies pitching well against Shohei Ohtani 38:27 — Aaron Nola’s struggles and bullpen debate 46:03 — Game three: Bohm, De La Cruz, and the series loss 49:11 — Marsh, clutch hitting, and late-game lineup decisions 51:16 — Hitting vs. pitching trends in baseball 54:01 — Bryce Harper’s “all in” trade comments 57:30 — What “all in” could realistically mean for the Phillies 63:34 — Yankees series preview and probable pitching matchups 67:49 — Closing thoughts and sign-off
