The Latest Breaking News from Nick Castellanos

PHILADELPHIA — When the Phillies swept the Marlins in Miami just before the All-Star break, they were playing pristine baseball. They committed no errors during that series. In their first game, they gutted out a 2-1 win despite an uncharacteristically shaky performance from closer Seranthony Domínguez. That didn’t feel like…

Reminders of the approaching trade deadline didn’t seem to weigh on the Cubs on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

MIAMI — Marlins starter Sandy Alcántara has been nearly unhittable this season, and in the first few innings of Friday’s game, it seemed as if he might throw a no-hitter or even a perfect game. The Phillies didn’t reach base until the top of the fifth inning, when J.T. Realmuto…

The Phillies faced their biggest game in recent memory Sunday night. The visiting Cardinals sat just ahead of them in the playoff race, and they’d split the first two games of the weekend series.

It was July 3, too soon by any reasonable measure for scoreboard watching. But it was also Sunday Night Baseball, the last game of the day, so the opportunity facing the Phillies was hard to miss.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies offense looked lifeless on Wednesday night. They drove in only one run and four hits. On Thursday, they woke up, put on their powder blues, and decided to score a season-high 14 runs in a 14-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.

PHILADELPHIA — Nights like Wednesday — when the Phillies’ offense looked punchless in a 4-1 loss to Atlanta — could make the next six to eight weeks feel like six to eight months.

PHILADELPHIA — It stands to reason, with Bryce Harper scheduled for thumb surgery Wednesday, that a popular talking point is whether the Phillies will be able to make a trade to boost the offense in the MVP’s absence.

SAN DIEGO — Winning the day after your best player was placed on the 10-day injured list was never going to be easy, but the Phillies pulled it off of Sunday, with a 8-5 victory over the San Diego Padres. Everything seemed to click, with the exception of a poor…

The Phillies had nine opportunities to score with runners in scoring position on Tuesday night, and failed to capitalize on any of them. On Wednesday afternoon, in their 4-2 loss to the Texas Rangers, they avoided a shutout, but only managed five hits and two walks. They only had three…

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Rangers’ first at-bat with runners in scoring position didn’t come until the bottom of the sixth inning. Marcus Semien hit a double off of Kyle Gibson to get on base, and Corey Seager stepped up to the plate and roped the first pitch he saw, a…