The Latest Breaking News from Nick Castellanos

PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Gibson stepped on the mound Friday night at Citizens Bank Park, nine days since his last outing, one day after coming off the bereavement list, and delivered one of the best starts of his 10-year career in the Phillies’ 7-2 wiin over the Washington Nationals.

ATLANTA — Nick Castellanos raised his right arm as he rounded first base. After touching second, he clapped his hands together. By the time he got to third, his teammates were waving towels and hanging over the dugout railing.

PHILADELPHIA — When the Phillies swept the Marlins in Miami just before the All-Star break, they were playing pristine baseball. They committed no errors during that series. In their first game, they gutted out a 2-1 win despite an uncharacteristically shaky performance from closer Seranthony Domínguez. That didn’t feel like…

Reminders of the approaching trade deadline didn’t seem to weigh on the Cubs on Friday at Citizens Bank Park.

MIAMI — Marlins starter Sandy Alcántara has been nearly unhittable this season, and in the first few innings of Friday’s game, it seemed as if he might throw a no-hitter or even a perfect game. The Phillies didn’t reach base until the top of the fifth inning, when J.T. Realmuto…

The Phillies faced their biggest game in recent memory Sunday night. The visiting Cardinals sat just ahead of them in the playoff race, and they’d split the first two games of the weekend series.

It was July 3, too soon by any reasonable measure for scoreboard watching. But it was also Sunday Night Baseball, the last game of the day, so the opportunity facing the Phillies was hard to miss.

PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies offense looked lifeless on Wednesday night. They drove in only one run and four hits. On Thursday, they woke up, put on their powder blues, and decided to score a season-high 14 runs in a 14-4 win over the Atlanta Braves.

PHILADELPHIA — Nights like Wednesday — when the Phillies’ offense looked punchless in a 4-1 loss to Atlanta — could make the next six to eight weeks feel like six to eight months.