Game 26 - Losing Streak Reaches Double Digits

Philadelphia Phillies	3
Atlanta Braves	5

1999 Blueline Scranton/
Wilkes-Barre Red Barons #25

Friday Night, April 24th

Truist Park - Atlanta, GA
8-18, 5th Place, 10 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Home runs from Trea Turner and Bryce Harper weren't enough as the Phillies fell to the Braves, 5-3, dropping their 10th game in a row.

What It Means:  This is definitely alarming.

What Happened:  During this losing streak, any lead held by the Phillies has been frustratingly brief.  Turner hit his two-run home run in the top of the third, giving the Phillies a momentary 2-0 lead.  Ronald Acuna, Jr. countered with a two-run home run of his own in the bottom of the inning, tying the score.  Harper hit a solo home run, his sixth of the season, in the fifth.  But the Braves stormed back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, chasing starter Andrew Painter in the process.  Painter fell to 1-2, allowing five runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Featured Card:  The losing streak is the longest from the Phillies this century.  They last lost at least 10 games in a row back in 1999, when they had an 11-game losing streak that September with manager Terry Francona at the helm.  The pitchers on the mound on September 13, 1999, when the Phillies lost 13-2 to the Astros, their 10th loss in a row, were Joe Grahe, Cliff Politte, Chad Ogea, Steve Schrenk and Steve Montgomery.  Ron Gant had a pair of doubles for the Phillies in the loss.

Transaction:  Alex McFarlane (rhp) was recalled from Double-A Reading to briefly take Taijuan Walker's spot on the roster.  McFarlane wouldn't see any game action and would be on his way back to Reading following this game.

2026 Virtual Phillies Wall (Coming Soon) / 2026 Season Summary Index / 2026 Chachi Set Checklist

1999 Phillies - The Missing Links

2000 MLB Showdown 1st Edition #337, 1999 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons Team Issue #21 and #6,
1999 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #6

I'm enjoying researching these Missing Links posts almost as much as I'm enjoying researching and composing my Topps Phillies series of posts.  I plan on continuing these posts through the 2000s, but with the caveat that I may need help as I move through that decade.  My baseball card collection from the '90s is much more comprehensive than what I currently own from the '00s.

But before we get to Y2K, here's a look at those members of the 1999 Phillies team with sparse to non-existent Phillies cardboard representation.  There were 41 different players to suit up with the Phils in 1999.

1999 Phillies Team
Issue #12

3 Cards or More
31 Players

2 Cards
Steve Montgomery (53 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #57 and 2000 MLB Showdown 1st Edition #337
Tom Prince (4 games in 1999 and 46 games in 2000) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #12 and 2000 Phillies Team Issue #22

This will sound very strange to all but a few of my readers, but I was beyond thrilled when I tracked down Montgomery's Phillies card from the MLB Showdown set.  It drove me batty that this guy appeared in so many games for the Phillies in 1999, yet he didn't have a proper (regular sized) baseball card.


1 Card

Steve Schrenk (32 games in 1999 and 20 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #52

Scott Aldred (29 games in 1999 and 23 games in 2000) - 2000 Phillies Team Issue #30

Jim Poole (51 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #41
Paul Spoljaric (5 games in 1999) - 1999 Phillies Team Issue #50

If not for the Phillies team issued postcard set, this quartet of relievers would have no Phillies baseball cards to their names.

1999 Phillies Team Issue #50 and #41

2000 Phillies Team Issue #52 and #30

0 Cards
Domingo Cedeno (32 games in 1999)
Torey Lovullo (17 games in 1999)
Joe Grahe (13 games in 1999)
Joel Bennett (5 games in 1999)

Cedeno never had a chance for a Phillies card as he falls into that black hole category of players acquired and released by the team within the same year.  He was acquired by the Phillies in early July from the Mariners as an emergency back-up for shortstop Alex Arias, who was forced into starting duties when Desi Relaford tore ligaments in his wrist.  Upon Relaford's return in September, Cedeno was unceremoniously released after posting a .152 average in 32 games.

1994 Topps #776

Lovullo was a September call-up for the Phillies.  He played the last of his 17 games in the Majors with the Phils, after enjoying seven seasons with the Tigers, Yankees, Angels, Mariners, A's and Indians.

Like Lovullo, Grahe was a veteran who had previously played in parts of six seasons with the Angels and Rockies.  He spent the 1999 season, his last in the Majors, between the Phillies and their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton.

Bennett was briefly forced into the starting rotation in May when Spoljaric was traded away to the Blue Jays in exchange for Robert Person.

Past Missing Link Posts

1990 Phillies - Louie Meadows

1991 Phillies - Dave LaPoint

1992 Phillies - Darrin Chapin and Mickey Weston

1993 Phillies - None

1994 Phillies - Tom Edens and Bob Wells

1995 Phillies - Jim Deshaies, Kevin Elster, Omar Olivares, Chuck Ricci and Dennis Springer

1996 Phillies - Glenn Dishman, Bronson Heflin, Manny Martinez and Rafael Quirico
1997 Phillies - Rob Butler and Mike Robertson
1998 Phillies - Robert Dodd and Matt Whiteside