Phillies face a major test in Diamondbacks this week

After an off day Monday, the Phillies will welcome the Arizona Diamondbacks to Philadelphia. They will be a major test for the Phillies.

In case you haven’t noticed, the Phillies have been off to a great start this year. They are 14-7 after a four-game sweep of the Pirates, holding the third-best record of any National League team.

The Arizona Diamondbacks hold the best record in the National League at 15-6 and come to town for a three-game series starting Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. They have been off to a great start of their own this season.

In addition to beating the teams they are supposed to, Arizona also has done well against winning teams so far this year. They took two of three games from the 12-11 Rockies and 13-8 Cardinals. The Diamondbacks also have won five of their six games against the reigning NL Champion Dodgers, who have started this year off 10-10.

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Arizona’s success has come primarily thanks to their pitching staff. Their combined ERA+ of 157 is fourth-best in the league. They also rank third in WHIP (1.055) and fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50) and fielding-independent pitching (3.23). They allow just 3.05 runs per game on average.

Lefty Patrick Corbin has been a major surprise this year. After posting a 4.03 ERA and 1.418 WHIP last year, he leads the staff with 1.3 wins above replacement so far this year.

In five starts, he has a 1.89 ERA, 1.99 FIP, 0.660 WHIP, 48 strikeouts, and just six walks. He leads the league in strikeouts and has the fourth-best WHIP/ He has helped his case at the plate as well, drawing three walks and collecting three hits in 12 plate appearances.

Philadelphia will not have to face Corbin this series. Instead, they will have to match up against Robbie Ray, Zack Greinke, and Matt Koch. Ray has had two bad and two good starts so far this year. He allowed seven runs to the Rockies March 30 but is coming off a two-run, six-inning start against the Giants last Wednesday. Greinke also has two strong and two poor starts, but his last was a seven-inning, one-run outing against the Giants. Koch has entered the rotation in place of the injured Taijuan Walker. He allowed one run on two hits and two walks in six innings to the Padres Friday in his only start of the year.

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The true strength of the pitching staff has lied in the bullpen. Closer Brad Boxberger has the highest ERA of any reliever at 3.00. Archie Bradley is the only other reliever with an ERA above two. The entire bullpen has been dominant and will make it very hard for the Phillies to make a late-game comeback.

Arizona’s pitching staff has led them to such a great start despite their offense struggling at times. (Sound familiar?) As a whole, Arizona’s OPS+ of 88 ranks 21st in the league. They average 4.52 runs per game, sitting at 15th.

Unsurprisingly, Paul Goldschmidt leads the team with a .998 OPS and 1.3 wins above replacement.

His five home runs are tied for second on the team with David Peralta, who is sporting a .852 OPS. A.J. Pollock leads the team with eight home runs and 16 runs batted in. Catcher John Ryan Murphy, who spent most of 2017 in the minors, and Corbin, a pitcher, are the only other players with an OPS+ above 100.

Between Arizona and Philadelphia’s strong pitching staffs, expect several pitcher’s duels. Whichever offense is able to break through in each game and get three or four runs off the starter will likely be the one to win the game.

Next: How are the Phillies winning so many games?

The Diamondbacks are currently the best team in the National League, and for good reason. They are similar to the Phillies in several ways and provide a great test to see if Philadephia belongs among the best in the league this year.

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