Four Home Runs.
Still Lost.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies hit four home runs Sunday at Citizens Bank Park. They still lost by four. If you want the season's central worry in one box score, there it is.

Pittsburgh beat Philadelphia 11-7 on June 29, spoiling an afternoon that should have been a celebration of the lineup's power. Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Brandon Marsh — who went deep twice — all cleared the fence, the kind of barrage that wins most ballgames. But the pitching couldn't hold it, and the Pirates kept answering until a fun slugfest turned into a frustrating afternoon for the home crowd.

The loss drops the Phils to 47-37, a record that still has them squarely in the playoff race as the calendar turns to July. That's the good news, and it's worth saying plainly: this is a winning team with one of the most dangerous lineups in the National League. But the bad news has a familiar ring to anyone who's followed this club closely — when the bats go quiet or the other team's bats wake up, the run prevention has not been reliable enough to bail them out.

The bright spot is impossible to miss, and his name is Brandon Marsh. The outfielder is having the best stretch of his career, hitting around .321 and ranking among the top three hitters in the entire National League through late June. His two-homer day was a reminder that what once looked like a platoon piece has become a genuine middle-of-the-order threat. Marsh collected the second-most votes among NL outfielders in the first phase of All-Star balloting and is on track to be voted in as a starter — a remarkable turn for a player South Jersey fans have watched grow into his swing.

There's an added layer of stakes this year, too. The 2026 All-Star Game is coming to Citizens Bank Park, with the Midsummer Classic set for Tuesday, July 14 as the centerpiece of All-Star Week in Philadelphia from July 10-14. That means the eyes of the baseball world will be on South Philly in two weeks — and the Phillies would very much like to be playing crisp, complete baseball when they get here, not papering over pitching cracks with home runs.

Harper, for his part, finished third among first basemen in the opening round of fan voting; if he makes his ninth All-Star team, it'll likely come through the player ballot as a reserve. Either way, the Phillies could send a healthy contingent to their own ballpark's biggest night.

The path forward is clear enough. The lineup will hit — that part isn't in question. Whether the arms can take the ball and protect a five-run lead in the fourth inning is the difference between a contender that scares people in October and one that gives its fans heartburn all summer. Sunday was a loud, four-homer reminder that the work isn't finished.

The All-Star break is coming, and so is the trade deadline behind it. If the Phillies are serious about hosting in July and playing into the fall, the answer to Sunday's problem may have to come from outside the clubhouse.

Based on reporting from ESPN, MLB.com, CBS Sports, NBC Sports Philadelphia, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Neighborhood Gazette covers South Jersey at neighborhoodgazette.town.