Phillies now need to show they can beat higher caliber of team
By John Town
After beating up on the teams in the league’s basement, the Phillies now have to show they can beat teams at a higher caliber.
The last week and a half of Phillies baseball have been pretty good. They took two of three games from the Marlins in their first series at home this year. The club then went on a six-game win streak, sweeping the Reds at home and the Rays in Tampa Bay. This 8-1 stretch brings their overall record to 9-5, placing them second in the National League East and fourth overall in the National League.
While all these wins certainly boost confidence in the club, they need to be taken with a grain of salt. The Marlins, Rays, and Reds have a combined record of 9-36 this season. The Marlins and Rays spent the offseason shedding every dollar they could while the Reds are mired in perpetual rebuild mode.
After a 1-4 start to the season, Philadelphia needed to beat up on these bad teams to get back into the conversation. However, they now need to show they can beat teams of a better caliber. They will get the chance to do that in their next three series.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- How Phillies’ Ranger Suárez is set to build on 2022 postseason dominance
- What can Philadelphia Phillies expect from Bryson Stott in 2023?
- 3 Reasons to get excited for Phillies’ Craig Kimbrel signing
- 11 Free-agent deals the Philadelphia Phillies wish fell through
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
Philadelphia begins another three-game series in Atlanta Monday night. They won just one game their last time there after a disappointing Opening Day loss and a blowout loss two days later. They set a record for the most pitchers used in the first three games of the season and had utility man Pedro Florimon pitching by the end of the last game of the series. The Braves are just one game behind Philadelphia in the division and hold the second wild-card spot in the NL.
Thursday the team returns to Philadelphia to face the Pittsburgh Pirates in a four-game series. They have been one of the more surprising teams of the season so far, starting off with an 11-4 record.
They were not expected to contend after trading Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole during the offseason. Despite that, they have taken a 2.5 game lead in the National League Central.
More from Phillies News
- How Phillies’ Ranger Suárez is set to build on 2022 postseason dominance
- What can Philadelphia Phillies expect from Bryson Stott in 2023?
- 3 Reasons to get excited for Phillies’ Craig Kimbrel signing
- Phillies-Mets owners’ rivalry grows after shocking Carlos Correa deal
- Could Rich Hill become ‘Jamie Moyer 2.0’ in Phillies rotation?
The schedule doesn’t get much easier from there as the 11-4 Diamondbacks will come to town April 24. They have a three-game lead in the NL West over the Rockies. Arizona was expected to be one of the top wild-card contenders this year, but with the Dodgers starting off the year at 5-9, Arizona has taken over the division.
It won’t be until almost May when the Phils finally face a losing team again when they match up with the Marlins again in Miami April 30.
Next: How valuable is pitching to Phillies success?
Racking up eight wins in nine games has certainly changed the perspective on this team, but it can only be taken so far based on the teams those wins came against. If Philadelphia can maintain a strong record over the next nine games, then this team deserves to be in the conversation as one of the better clubs in the National League.