Something important happened for the Phillies over the last week. Citizens Bank Park once again became a difficult place for opponents to play. The Phillies wrapped up their first homestand of June with a 9-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon. When the homestand opened, the Ph ils were two games under .500 in their Pattison Avenue playground. Five wins and one loss later, they are two games over .500 at home, 35-30 overall, and in control of a wild-card spot as they hit the road for six games, three against the defending American League champion Toronto Blue Jays and three against the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. As the weather has warmed, so has the Phils’ offense. They hit .278 on homestand, belted 10 home runs and scored 32 runs, 5.3 per game. At the start of the homestand, they ranked second-to-last in the majors in batting average (.224) and runs per game (3.9). “A 5-1 homestand after a 4-2 roadie is awesome,” said Brandon Marsh, the hottest of all Phillies hitters. “We’ve just got to keep this train going. It’s been driven by our pitchers. They’ve set the tone for us. As hitters, we’re picking it up, as well.” The Phillies received outstanding starting pitching on the homestand from co-aces Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler. Meanwhile, Jesus Luzardo and Andrew Painter struggled. Aaron Nola was somewhere in the middle. He pitched 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball, walking none and striking out eight, in beating San Diego on the first night of the homestand. On Sunday, the right-hander closed out the homestand with 4 1/3 innings of five-run ball. He scattered six hits. After not walking a batter in his previous three starts, Nola walked four and the White Sox turned three of them into runs. The Phillies’ offense was able to play over Nola’s underwhelming outing with an 11-hit attack that included home runs by Rafael Marchan and Marsh. The Phils trailed, 5-4, heading into the bottom of the fifth. Bryce Harper led off that frame with a single, Marsh walked and Alec Bohm (double) and Bryson Stott (single) followed with RBI hits to give the Phils the lead. Trea Turner, Harper, Marsh and Bohm – the team’s Nos. 2 through five 5 hitters – all had two hits each. As a team, the Phils were 5 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Bohm is 8 for 19 with two doubles, a homer and six RBIs in his last five games. “That whole middle of our order today was really good,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Actually, I felt like it was up and down the order. “This whole series, we stayed with it and continued to press on. We gave up some runs. The whole series felt like a back and forth, just kind of a battle. (The White Sox) put a lot of good at-bats on us and put a lot of balls in play. They make it tough on you, but our guys did a great job staying with it and putting runs on the board.” The bullpen was solid in Sunday’s win. Tim Mayza allowed a couple of Nola’s runs to score, but Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering and Jonathan Bowlan combined on four scoreless innings to close it out. Before the game, Mattingly confirmed that he’s been asked to be on manager Dave Roberts’ National League coaching staff for the All-Star Game, which will be playing at Citizens Bank Park next month. Mattingly could have company beyond even Sanchez and Kyle Schwarber, the majors’ ERA and home run leaders, respectively. Marsh’s .338 batting average leads the majors. Since May 3, 2025, he’s hitting .316 (174 for 550.) His solo homer in the third inning Sunday was his third in as many games. “Now, we’re starting to talk about him every day like we talk about Sanchie,” Mattingly said. “Every day, he’s just swinging the bat and continuing to swing it, not only for average, but for power and extra-base hits. He’s driving in runs.” Marsh admitted he’s thought about the possibility of making the All-Star team. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on my mind,” he said. “But I’m really just focused on trying to be here for these guys.” These guys have won 9 of their last 12. Many games, it’s been the pitching, but lately the offense is doing its part. Now, it’s back on the road. “This series, we broke out and helped the pitching with our offense,” Mattingly said. “Whatever it is, win 10-8, win 2-1. Whatever you have to do to win a game, that’s kind of what you want to be.” ...read more read less