It had been six years since the Phillies used their top pick on a pitcher when they made Mick Abel the first high school arm off the board, 15th overall, in the 2020 draft. There was Aaron Nola in 2014,

By the end of it, there was chaos everywhere. But Abel, making his second big-league start, represented something stable for the Phillies.

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Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer, Myles Straw and Tyler Heineman each had two hits and three RBIs, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Philadelphia 9-1 on Thursday, handing the slumping Phillies their sixth loss in seven games.