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August 18, 2026 The month of July wasn't great for the Phillies. The month of August, outside of recent patch against the Blue Jays and Cardinals, has been far more productive for them, and because they've already won games this month than last month with 10 more games still to play, the Phillies are again resembling the team that had been the National League's leading Wild Card contender and been pushing the Braves for first place in the NL East. They can still be terrifying on defense, and every time a reliever enters the game you feel the need to buckle your seatbelt. But the reality is, the Phillies have displayed far better plate discipline recently, are still getting top-notch starting pitching and even the bullpen is coming around. The Phillies are on fire, having just won their second straight series and sixth straight game, taking all three from a good and pesky Marlins team following a sweep of the Twins. After a 6-5 win Monday, they matched their longest win streak of the season Tuesday by rallying to a 6-4 win for their fifth consecutive win and then put the finishing touches on a season-high win streak with Wednesday night's 4-1 win. They secured their first set of back-to-back sweeps since early in the 2025 season, when they took three from the Pirates in South Philly from May 16-18, followed by four straight in Colorado from May 19-22. The Phillies are off Thursday before starting a three-game home stand against the Cardinals, one of just two teams the Phillies have lost a series to this month. Like they did against the Twins, the Phillies again combined clutch hitting and plate discipline with effective relief and, despite some errors, there were also some highlight-reel gems in the field. In a little change of pace, we're going with the 10 standouts who propelled the Phils to another sweep: Bryson Stott: A change can do you good. Seems to have for Stott, who moved to third base after the team traded for Luis Arraez at the deadline. Stott's glove has been fantastic at his new spot, and his bat has stayed scorching hot. He smacked the go-ahead two-run single in the sixth Tuesday to put the Phils back on top after they had fallen behind, then led off the eighth with a walk and scored an important insurance run on Kyle Schwarber's RBI single, then made sure that insurance run wasn't necessary with two diving stops at third base in the top of the ninth to help Brooks Raley get the save. Bryson Stott ends the game with a nice play at third base! pic.twitter.com/F6EswIkP0Q — MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2026 Before Wednesday's 0-for-4 night, Stott had hit in 10 straight games and reached base in 19 consecutive games, a career best. In August, he has eight RBIs and five multi-hit games. It's been a nice bounce-back season for him. Could he be the starting third baseman next season? Alec Bohm: After a scorching series against the Twins, Bohm fried the Fish. His two-out RBI single in the eighth Monday on a 2-2 pitch plated Bryce Harper to put the Phils up 6-4, a vital insurance run that mattered even more when the Marlins got a run in the ninth off Jhoan Duran. Bohm chipped in two more hits Tuesday, including an RBI double in a four-run sixth that erased a two-run deficit and then helped Jose Alvarado toss a scoreless seventh with an unassisted double play on a hard liner down the first-base line that he simultaneously caught while stepping on first to double off the runner. HE'S DOING IT ALL! pic.twitter.com/IWu1Msq2Mp — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 19, 2026 Cris Sanchez: The ace lefty wasn't his sharpest Monday but was still good enough to hold Miami to one run on eight hits and strike out six in 6.0 innings to get his MLB-leading 16th win. He also leads all MLB pitchers with a 7.0 WAR. Derek Hill: We're getting major Matt Stairs vibes from Hill, who's been a clutch bat off the bench. His pinch-hit RBI single up the middle in the sixth Monday put the Phils up 3-1, but his most productive plate appearance came when he didn't even put the ball in play. In the seventh on Tuesday, with the Phils clinging to a 4-3 lead and with the bases loaded and one out, Hill fell behind 0-1 and then took four straight pitches out of the zone to draw an RBI walk that included the most flamboyant strut to first base you'll ever see from someone who didn't even hit the ball. Little evening walk up the Hill pic.twitter.com/k9upasE2Fo — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 18, 2026 Shane Livensparger: Who? Livensparger was the first-base umpire whose egregiously bad ruling on a Javier Sanoja line drive down the right-field line in the seventh Monday was a gift for the Phillies, who nearly blew a three-run lead in the frame. Jonathan Bowlan got two quick outs before finding himself in a bases-loaded jam when his 0-2 pitch to Sanoja was lined the opposite way, clearing the bases to put the Marlins up 4-3, except ... Livensparger had ruled the ball was foul even though it clearly wasn't. After a brief umpire review and consultation with New York, the call was reversed to a ground-rule double, which by rule can only advance each runner two bases. The runner who had scored from first was required to return to third, and Bowlan struck out Leo Jiménez to end the frame with the Phils still ahead. Here's another look at where all the runners were when the call was made. — Kevin Barral (@kevin_barral) August 18, 2026 It should have been a bases-clearing RBI double for Sanoja to tie this game, 4-4. It is now 4-3#Marlins https://t.co/Y5CyNGkmOW pic.twitter.com/Ssy4nUVjNr Aaron Nola: Don't look now, but Nola's ERA is almost under 5.00 after being well above 6.00 for much of the season after the right-hander baffled the Marlins for seven innings on Wednesday, using that knuckle-curve to keep the Fish off balance. He allowed one run on five hits across 7.0 innings and struck out eight, just the second time this season he's pitched seven. He lowered his ERA for the fifth consecutive start. Brooks Raley: The left-hander added via trade deadline from the Mets pitched a scoreless ninth Tuesday to secure his first save as a Phillie and first since July 30, 2023. Even more impressive was that he had already pitched Monday night, getting two key outs in the eighth. The bullpen needed him twice, and he came through. J.T. Realmuto: He's not had a great year offensively again, but his plate discipline was big this series. His walk in the sixth Monday was big when he advanced on Derek Hill's pinch-hit single and then scored on Kyle Schwarber's sac fly for a 4-1 lead. In the seventh, he drew a 3-2 walk off reliever Victor Vodnik on a close pitch that was challenged by Vodnik but upheld by review, loading the bases for Hill, whose walk forced home an important insurance run. Jonathan Bowlan: He wasn't perfect, but he got the job done twice. Despite allowing that controversial Sanoja double that made things tense Monday, he did get the final out with the lead intact. On Wednesday, the Phillies needed a bridge between Nola and Jhoan Duran, and Bowlan supplied it, pitching a scoreless eighth despite letting two runners reach to keep the lead at 4-1. Luis Arraez: He doesn't go deep often, but Arraez's two-run shot off Sandy Alcantara on Wednesday in the third staked the Phillies to a 3-0 lead while Nola was cruising. Arraez might not be a conventional cleanup hitter, but he's helped a Phillies lineup. known for chasing at junk with his plate discipline and contact. He was 6-for-13 in the series with three RBI and three runs scored. On Wednesday, the Phillies reportedly agreed to a major league deal with veteran left-hander Nestor Cortes, per MLB Insider Robert Murray. Sources: Free-agent pitcher Nestor Cortes and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a major-league contract. https://t.co/SuY5AYRV1T — Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) August 19, 2026 Cortes, 31, is a former All-Star with a career 3.94 ERA in eight seasons with the Orioles, Yankees, Mariners, Brewers and Padres. He hasn't pitched since Sept. 3 last season, when he posted a 6.29 ERA. He underwent surgery on his left arm last October. SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters. Follow Geoff on Twitter/X: @geoffpmosher Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports