Is the Sky Falling in Philadelphia???

Last night in Flushing Queens, the Phillies got their teeth kicked in by the New York Mets. A shellacking of epic proportions. Widespread panic has filled the air (and airwaves *cough* WIP *cough*) of the Delaware Valley regarding our beloved boys in red. Is the sky falling? Or is that just our favorite feline-resembling bottom-feeder, again?

Well, I'd like to think there's a better chance it's raining catfish again as opposed to a Phillies collapse of old. But we can't ignore what just happened last night. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but it quickly vanished when Cristopher Sanchez - whose performance has become all the more important with Zack Wheeler out for the season - tripped on the mound, leading to a balk (which Pete Alonso astutely pointed out [Gee, thanks Pete! Nobody would've noticed that balk without you!]). After that, Sanchez threw a wild pitch, allowed four straight baserunners, Harper and Stott embarrassed themselves in a rundown, and things just got out of hand.

Entering the seventh inning, the Phillies were down 6-3. The best late inning team in all of baseball. That's no joke - no team has been better offensively than the Phillies over the final three innings this season. Due up was Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper. What more could you ask for? This should've felt like the start of something special. The start of a legendary comeback against their division rivals that will fuel them throughout this road series and continue to catapult them to success for the final month of the season. But it didn't feel that way. And it didn't happen that way.

Maybe it was the sloppiness the Phillies had displayed defensively. Maybe it was their new de facto ace getting uncharacteristically shaken up by a balk. Maybe it was Jordan Romano warming up in the bullpen. Whatever it was, you didn't feel any confidence in this team to come back from down 3 in Queens. And they didn't.

The way it played out? The Phillies trio went down 1-2-3 and Jordan Romano had an abysmal inning - right in line with what he's done all season long - allowing a grand slam and effectively putting the game out of reach.

The ONLY positive from last night's disaster was that Jordan Romano and Joe Ross threw a combined 63 pitches, meaning we hopefully won't see the Phillies two worst relief options for the rest of this crucial series. Rob Thomson's fix for Romano's continued struggles doesn't appear to be too inspiring.

Thomson stated "We've got to really check on him... see what's going on."

Well, Rob, I can figure that one out for you. He has an ERA of 8.23. In 42.2 innings, he's allowed 40 runs and 45 hits. He has been arguably the worst reliever in baseball this season and is seemingly trying to put together the worst season ever for a Phillies reliever. He is flat out terrible. And everyday he remains an option for the Phillies, the further of an insult it is to a fanbase that spends good money to see this team.

My heart aches for those Phillies fans who made the trip up to Citi Field last night - a Monday night to support our beloved squad. And they were rewarded with uncompetitive at-bats, an all-time Alec Bohm performance (striking out, hitting into double plays, and complaining), and vintage Jordan Romano and Joe Ross. The Phillies should be completely ashamed of themselves for the performance they gave last night. That being said, you move forward.

The season isn't over. It's one game.

If you're panicking, I question how long you've been watching baseball. Yes, Citi Field has been a house of horrors for them. No, that's not an acceptable excuse. But it's reality. It's a reality they'll be looking to alter tonight, when Jesus Luzardo toes the slab against Sean Manaea. The Phillies still have two of the three best players in the National League this season, in Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. Bryce Harper is still Bryce Harper. JT Realmuto is still one of the hottest hitters in the sport. The sky is not falling.