It’s Friday, the 13th, and it may be quite fitting for the Phillies.

Over the recent years, the noted day has lost some of its penchant for bad luck. It once was a day when anyone, or even teams, would look over their shoulder.

After they won a series over the Cubs, the Phillies may be feeling better about themselves, especially hosting the Blue Jays for a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park beginning tonight.

But should they?

They begin Friday with a 39-29 record, 5.5 games behind the first-place surging Mets. More importantly, though, the club is in an early summer swoon, losing 11 of its last 16 games.

To further raise some red flags, Bryce Harper is dealing with the same wrist injury as last season, and there isn’t a timetable for his return. Aaron Nola’s ankle injury has been compounded with a rib issue that will now keep him likely shut down until after the All-Star break.

Panicked yet? Can the Phillies with their current roster rebound as the Mets threaten to run away with the division?

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column, I’ll take a look at the Phillies’ current plight and some possible solutions.

Slip Sliding Away ... Before they won the series over the Cubs, the Phils had one of their worst slides in club history.

They had lost nine of 10 games and had a combined .187 batting average, a .239 OBS, and a .320 slugging percentage. During the span, they had 19 walks and 68 strikeouts. Over a five-game losing streak, the club scored eight runs, recording one run in four of them. They also dipped to 12th in batting average, 14th in home runs, and 10th in runs scored — once being among the league leaders in all three (and other) categories.

The Phillies also took a hit on the mound as well, dropping to 19th in ERA, 19th in WHIP, and 22nd in opposing batting average.

Even the Losers ... The Phillies didn’t have a 10-game losing streak, but they have had some long ones in the past.

The Phillies have the majors second-longest all-time losing streak with 23 games in 1961 when they had the likes of Pancho Herrara, Tony Gonzalez and Johnny Callison. An aging Robin Roberts was still on the mound with a young Art Mahaffey.

Those Phillies went 47-107-1 under Gene Mauch. Frank Sullivan was their designated closer and had a 3-16 record with a 4.29 ERA.

The longest losing streak belongs to the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who dropped 24 straight.

Other Phillies’ streaks were 14 in 1927 and 1936, 13 in 1919 (twice), 1942 and 1955, and 12 - most recently from 1984 into 1985.

The Expos were the first expansion team with double-digit season losses with 10.

Difference a Year Makes ... A year ago on June 13, the Phillies were 46-21 and had a healthy 10-game lead over the Braves. During the same 16-game span from May 25, they went 9-7. And the Phils of 2024 finished May with a 20-7 overall record, and were on their way to a blistering first half.

Harper was in the lineup and hitting .281 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs, and Nola was 8-2 with a 2.77 ERA.

Harper’s Folly ... In a recent interview, Harper stated that he was “hopeful” to return to the lineup soon. That’s not a good sign.

Harper got off a slow start to begin the season. He hit .234 in March and April with five homers, 16 RBIs, 25 strikeouts and 24 walks.

However, he found his groove in May, hitting .308 with three homers and 17 RBIs along with 13 strikeouts and nine walks.

Last season, Harper caught fire in May when he hit .313 with seven homers and 24 RBIs, and he followed that with a .374 session in July when he belted seven homers and 16 RBIs.

Harper finished the season hitting .291 in August and .385 in September.

When he does return, the Phils hope Harper can find the summer stroke he had last year.

Heading South? ... With Nola out, there’s plenty of speculation whether the Phillies should be in the arms race for another starter or reliever, as the bullpen continues to look unsettled.

Mick Abel made the trip down the PA Turnpike to Citizens Bank, and has been impressive in his three starts, despite a bump in the road to the Cubs. Abel has a 2.35 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.

Jesus Luzardo rebounded from two disastrous starts with a six-inning, one-run, 10-strikeout showing against the Cubs. Luzardo is still 6-2 with a 4.23 ERA.

Ranger Suarez is back pitching well (4-1, 2.70) and Cristopher Sanchez (5-2, 3.10) can round out the rotation behind Zack Wheeler.

With Luzardo’s success in Miami, there’s whispers the Phils may take a look at the Marlins’ 27-year-old right-hander Eduardo Cabrera, who has bounced back from a slow start to a 2-2, 3.99 slate with 53 strikeouts in 49 innings.

Top pitching prospect Andrew Painter (2-2, 5.19) has endured some rough outings — allowing six runs in his last start with the IronPigs — and will make his first start on four days rest Sunday. Painter is still expected to join the Phils’ staff in July.

There’s also the possibility the Phils could dangle Abel in a deal, and there are still links to the Orioles for center fielder Cedric Mullins and reliever Felix Bautista.

Bohm’s Better ... Remember when Alec Bohm was the subject of numerous offseason trade rumors for a pitcher, and Alex Bregman appeared as though he could be the Phils’ 2025 third baseman?

Well, Bohm is back.

He had one of the worst starts for third baseman in Phils’ history this season when he hit .221 in March and April with a .252 OBP, a .274 slugging percentage, and a .521 OPS.

Bohm awoke in May with a .324 average, a .354 OBP, .510 slugging percentage, and a .873 OPS.

In June, Bohm has kept it going with a .359 clip, a .390 OBP, .402 slugging percentage, and a .852 OPS.

Bohm’s rise certainly was needed, and his revival has been a major reason for the Phils to stay above the .500 mark.

Hunting for Bear ... Speaking of the Cubs, they produced 321 runs after 55 games, which was the 12th best in MLB history. The 1931 Yankees top the list with 367.

Since 1960, the Indians plated 330 in 1999, and the Mariners crossed 367 in 1996. The Indians finished with a league-high 1,009, and the Mariners led the majors with 993.

The Cubs are third in team batting average (.257), and fourth in homers (98). They are 22nd overall with a 3.69 ERA.

Chicago has one of the league’s best tandems in Pete Crow-Armstrong (.271, 17 homers, 55 RBI, 21 steals), and Seyia Suzuki (.266, 16 homers, 56 RBIs).

They should be fun to watch this summer.

Scrapbook ... Each column, I’ll attempt to look back at a former standout from the area.

Marian outfielder Dan Keer had an outstanding career with the Colts before he continued to excel at Shepherd University.

Keer, a 2018 Marian grad, hit .437 with a .490 OBP, and collected 115 hits, 99 RBIs, and scored 77 runs with the Colts. He was a two-time Schuylkill League selection, and a 2015 USA Today Second Team All-American.

At Shepherd, Keer hit .328 with 20 homers, 113 RBIs, 145 hits, and a .424 OBP. He was a 2019 All-MEC First Team selection.

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