Maybe it was John Mallee's fault: Phillies 8, Padres 4

It's possible that the Phillies' was unfortunate enough to be a coincidental that it was found to be hitting coach John Mallee was fired. But where's the fun in saying that? It's a lot more exciting to come back to the switch from Mallee to Charlie Manuel. Either way, the Phillies continued, and topped the Padres by a score of 8-4 on Friday night.

Bryce Harper has hit the headlines recently, and sure enough, he had another big blast on Friday.

But he has not had the best player on the team lately. That title goes to catcher J.T. Realmuto, who has shown exactly why the Phillies were so eager to trade for him.

The Phillies jumped all over Padres starter Chris Paddack, they led 5-0. Vince Velasquez Vince Velasquez was one of those who had a high pitch count (That's the same kind of thing).

Despite that pitch count, Gabe Kapler allowed to go to start the sixth, but he was unable to finish it. After allowing two runs on a wild pitch and a triple, Velasquez 's night was over, and Blake Parker was called upon to escape the jam. He allowed an RBI ground out, but that was it.

The final three innings were capably handled by a Phillies bullpen that has been much less cringe-inducing since the arrival of some mid-season pickups.

The win can not come without a cost. After a shaky start to the season, oft-injured outfielder Roman Quinn has excelled lately. He has an 1,002 OPS over the last month, and contributed to a home run and outfield assist on Friday.

But there is reason why Quinn is described as oft-injured. He injured his groin, and was removed from the game. According to Kapler, it was removed as a precaution, but it would not be the case if it was another trip to the Injured List.

The Phillies have a match in their row. Zach Eflin will get the start for the Phillies on Saturday, and he's been pitching out of the bullpen lately, it's tough to expect much out of him. But if the post-Mallee lineup can keep it, it might not even matter.