It’s still April, but the Phillies’ frustrations are already starting to boil over. Just as the Mets snapped their 12-game losing streak against the Twins, the Phillies now have the longest active losing streak at eight games. The Phillies’ offense once again failed to fire up as the Cubs swept them on Wednesday. But the worst part was their pitching.

Taijuan Walker had another day of getting dominated by the batters, and as per their $300 million shortstop, Trea Turner, it’s getting “tough.”

“Not having much fun in here,” said Turner. “Which is tough. This is a great game. We’re lucky to play it. And when you are expected to win, and you want to win, and it’s not happening, it’s tough and not fun.”

Surely it’s tough to see how both the offense and defense of the Phillies are getting battered, especially in the series against the Cubs.

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On Wednesday, the Phillies had a 2-1 lead by the top of the second inning. However, a misplayed ball in center field by Justin Crawford and second baseman Edmundo Sosa allowed Chicago to tie it up. To make things worse, the Phillies didn’t score a single run for the rest of the game. Apart from Alec Bohm and Felix Reyes, no one could score a run.

Turner himself could manage only one hit from his 4 at-bats. Manager Rob Thomson tried to shake things up by moving Kyle Schwarber to the leadoff spot and putting Turner in second. But that also failed miserably as Schwarber returned with nothing from his 4 at-bats.

“Not much is going right for us right now, and at times we’re not playing well, so we just got to stay after it and keep fighting,” a clueless Thomson said after the game.

While the batters failed to contribute, the Cubs had a riot against Walker. Walker has been terrible in the first inning this season. He has allowed 12 hits, three HRs, and five walks while only recording six SOs. To protect him, Thomson used Kyle Backhus as an opener. However, it was of no use. Backhus gave up one run in the first, and then Walker came in, surrendering four earned runs in just four innings.

“I think at the end of the day, I just didn’t do my job again,” Walker claimed responsibility. “Try to attack more and execute. Get ahead and just do my job.”

While Walker admitted his shortcomings, nothing is changing for the Phillies. In his last start against the Braves, Walker entered with a 27.00 ERA in the first inning. He allowed seven runs in four innings. So, despite Turner sharing his frustration and Walker admitting his struggles, the Phillies seem far from getting back their rhythm.

Injuries are getting hard on the Phillies

“Baseball’s a long season, and we’ve got a long way to go,” Rob Thomson said.

Surely, the Phillies have just played 24 games till now and have ample time to get back to form in a 162-game league. However, it’s only possible when the full-strength roster is available.

JT Realmuto was one of the few from the Phillies roster hitting above .250. But he will be sidelined for a while. He is now officially added to the injured list with back spasms. He joined the likes of Jhoan Duran, Jonathan Bowlan, and Zach Pop.

“He’s sore, and it’s gonna be a few days before he’s pain-free. So that’s why we decided to put him on the IL,” Thomson explained.

So, a few days means the Phillies would miss him for at least a week, and that’s huge. He played 17 games this season till now, and he was critical for the pitching staff from behind the plate. Now that the pitching staff is struggling, they are missing his leadership.

On the other hand, the bullpen is also starving for a breather amid Duran’s 15-day IL. Frustrations are boiling over among the fans and in the clubhouse, but they have yet to find a solution. The Mets got Luke Weaver to snap their losing streak. Let’s see if anyone steps up for the Phillies.