Before the Phillies could collect a pair of hits against Mets righty Nolan McLean, they were down 5-0. Don Mattingly had to go to his bullpen after the fourth inning. Sunday’s starter Alan Rangel, who tossed 91 pitches, allowed five New York runs. His 61 pitches through two frames were the most by a Phillie since Zack Wheeler threw 61 on June 2, 2023. Eleven of the 23 Mets who came to the plate against Rangel reached safely. Seven hits, including a first-inning two-run shot from Francisco Lindor, three walks and a hit by pitch. “More than anything, [he] just wasn’t able to put guys away today,” Mattingly said. The Phillies, dominated by McLean, lost 6-1 to their division rival on a beautiful afternoon. It highlighted one of the biggest issues this Phillies club has had in 2026. The No. 5 starter spot has been a black hole. It’s not anything new, but the situation has not improved. Luckily for the Phillies, they have received much better performances from Aaron Nola of late. But whoever has taken the ball on that fifth day has struggled mightily. Between Rangel, Andrew Painter, who has not improved since his Triple-A demotion, and the four relievers who have opened games, the numbers are undeniably hideous. In those 21 outings, that group is 1-11 with a 6.87 ERA, 99 hits allowed, 16 homers surrendered and a 1.77 WHIP across 74 2/3 innings. For reference, the highest ERA of any starter who has made 20 starts this season belongs to Rockies righty and former Phillie Michael Lorenzen, who has a 6.22 ERA. To make matters worse, if you include Taijuan Walker in that list of “fifth starters,” the ERA inflates to 7.33 and the WHIP to 1.82 in 25 outings. For historical context, that group as a collective would have the fourth-highest ERA since it became a stat in 1913 by a starter who made at least 25 starts. Only the Phillies’ Les Sweetland in 1930 at 7.78, Detroit’s Mike Moore in 1995 at 7.53 and Minnesota’s Jim Deshaies in 1994 at 7.39 were worse. The club is 5-19 in those games. They haven’t been victorious from that turn in the rotation since May 18. 62 days ago. It’s scheduled loss, in a sense. For at least Rangel’s first handful of outings before Sunday, he looked serviceable. Since rejoining the club, he had a 4.41 ERA, which was much better than what the Phillies had received from the other options in that rotation spot, with 17 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. It’s a tough spot. The club would likely have a short leash there while needing higher quality from that fifth day. But Rangel threw strikes and kept them in games for the most part. The issue was that he was not a reliable option once a lineup got its third look at him. That, in and of itself, means at least one out of every five days, you’re asking for four or five innings from the bullpen. And for a ‘pen that has struggled and been depleted by injuries this year, for that to be the standard as August approaches is less than ideal. “You’re kind of managing two games at once,” Mattingly said. “You’re managing that game, trying to get through it, and then you’re trying to keep guys available for tomorrow.” It’s not a relief group with a ton of depth to begin with. The last thing the Phillies need is for their trusted relievers, like Jonathan Bowlan and Orion Kerkering, outside of Jhoan Duran, to burn out by the end of the season. So, where can the Phillies turn? It feels like their deadline “priority” change depending on the day of the week. When a left-handed reliever has a tough day at the office, they need a southpaw in the ‘pen. When Brad Keller sustained his season-ending UCL injury earlier in the week, it was a setup man. On days when Philadelphia can’t do damage against lefties, it’s a right-handed bat. And on days like Sunday, it’s rotation depth. Having at least three key holes entering the August 3 deadline, which is 15 days away, is not where you want to be, especially when you look at the landscape. As of Sunday morning, 23 of the 30 clubs in Major League Baseball were either in a playoff spot or within 3 1/2 games of the final Wild Card spot. Seventy-seven percent, ladies and gentlemen. For a team that does not have the best farm system, adding that much competition for rental-type players means Dave Dombrowski and the rest of the Phillies’ front office will be paying a premium for modest talent. That’s the hole the Phillies have dug for themselves. As for the rotation, there are some starters on teams that have drifted out of contention. Cincinnati’s Brady Singer, who has a 4.56 ERA this year, has been strong lately. Over his last seven starts, he has posted a 2.81 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. One of those outings came against the Phillies on July 9, when he spun 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He is in his final year of arbitration and could be moved. If the Phillies were less concerned about the tax past the third luxury-tax threshold, Giants left-hander Robbie Ray would be the highest-quality arm. His price would likely be much higher, too, after posting a 1.84 ERA over his last seven outings. The southpaw, in his 13th big-league season, is in the final year of the five-year, $115 million deal he signed after winning the Cy Young in 2021. He has a 3.38 ERA in 19 starts this season. And the Yankees’ Ryan Yarbrough remains an outside-the-box target, although he is not exactly stretched out. A starter by trade, Yarbrough has made 24 relief appearances for New York, totaling 37 innings with a 4.14 ERA. What makes the finesse lefty interesting are his metrics. His hard-hit rate ranks in the top one percent of pitchers, and his opponent barrel rate ranks in the top five percent. All three are rentals and names to watch. Targeting pitchers with team control expands the pool, but the price tag increases. Supply and demand in a year like this is no joke, even if the standings change drastically over the next two weeks. Last year, the Phillies were fortunate to have Walker Buehler fall into their lap after he was released by the Red Sox. He became a fairly viable backend starter for them, but that was a niche situation. Regardless, this is one of the holes in the Phillies’ boat. And it will make reaching the finish line even more challenging as the club tries to build some level of cushion in the Wild Card race, while still chasing Atlanta. ...read more read less