Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder Provides Optimism Despite Losing Streak

Nick Castellanos provided reason for optimism for the Philadelphia Phillies despite another loss.

Jul 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts after hitting an RBI single during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies have been on a brutal streak since shortly after the All-Star break. Over their last 11 games, they have gone just 2-9.

While losing streaks are a common thing, even for the best teams, the Phillies have to find a way to get back on track in the near future.

Due to the losing streak, Philadelphia is now just 5.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East division race. They are also seven games ahead of the New York Mets.

The division is getting close again.

Despite another loss on Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers by a final score of 5-3, veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos spoke out and offered reason for optimism for the team and fans.

“I think we’re grinding right now. We’re just in a funk. But I will say our dugout was very good today. All our attention, I think, was more on the field than it was on our iPads. We were more in the competition. It was a good baseball game, right? Couple things here, a couple things there, and it changes. But I feel like they beat us today. We didn’t beat ourselves.”

Even with the NL East division getting closer, Castellanos is not paying attention to the standings.

“No, I’m not aware of the standings. I can’t speak on behalf of the team. The way I go about it is that tomorrow we have a baseball game. And, if we do the best we can to prepare, that puts us in the best position to win. If we win tomorrow, that’s a good thing.”

Clearly, the Phillies are still optimistic about their chances this season. They're just going through a rough patch.

Next up for Philadelphia will be two more games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and then a tough four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies need to find a way to get back on track in the next six games.

Right now, Philadelphia holds a 66-46 record. They are still a top contender in baseball, but that is subject to change if they can't turn things around in the next few games.

Castellanos is clearly pleased with how his team played in game one of the series against the Dodgers. Hopefully, they can use the positives from that loss to bounce back with a win today.