Phillies: Five things we learned from the month of May

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LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 31: Yasmani Grandal of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands at the plate while Scott Kingery #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies scores a run in the seventh inning as Jesmuel Valentin #9 signals to stand at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

The Phillies kept up the pace in May, finishing the month with a 15-11 record. Here are five things we learned from the last month.

The Phillies finished April with a 16-12 record after losing five of their last seven games that month. Perhaps the jig was finally up and the team was coming down from the month’s high points.

Instead, they kept pace in the National League East, going 15-11 in May to end the month 31-23. Last year, their 31st win didn’t come until after the All-Star break. They are just a game back of the Braves in the National League East as the two teams and the Nationals jockey for the top position in the division.

With June now upon us, let’s take a look back at five things we learned from the month of May.

BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 16: Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits an RBI double during the seventh inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Rhys Hoskins is human

Rhys Hoskins was simply unreal in April. While he didn’t have the gaudy home run totals from his debut last August, he still had a ridiculous .303/.457/.528 line with a 20.7 percent walk rate through the end of April. He already racked up 1.2 wins above replacement in just one month.

However, as soon as the calendar turned to May, Hoskins showed he is human at the plate. He hit just .161 the whole month, collecting just 14 hits. Hoskins racked up 32 strikeouts in 100 plate appearances. He often laid off good pitches early in the count to whiff on bad ones late in the count.

Despite his struggles at the plate, manager Gabe Kapler continued to bat Hoskins second in the lineup every day. It took Hoskins fouling a ball off into his face and breaking his jaw to take him out of the lineup.

Thankfully, the injury isn’t severe enough to require surgery, meaning Hoskins should only be out for a few weeks. Hopefully, the time off will help him re-adjust at the plate so he comes back firing on all cylinders like he did in April.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 29: Jake Arrieta #49 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 29, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Jake Arrieta’s still got it

Coming into this season, there were serious concerns that Jake Arrieta was on the decline. His numbers and fastball velocity both dipped considerably last year, leading to worries his age was starting to impact the former Cy Young winner.

Two months into the season, Jake Arrieta is proving those concerned about him wrong. He was simply dominant in May, posting the lowest ERA (0.90) of all National League pitchers. Justin Verlander was the only other pitcher with a lower ERA in May. Arrieta didn’t allow a run in three of his five starts last month. He ranked 10th among all NL pitchers in wins above replacement in May.

Arrieta hasn’t struck out many batters, but that isn’t his goal anymore. Instead, he is more worried about avoiding hard contact and keeping the ball in the park. His ground-ball and home-run rates are both career-bests. Arrieta leads all pitchers in fewest home runs per nine innings (0.309), allowing just two all season.

Arrieta has found a way to keep up his success with the Phillies, even if he has had to adjust his approach on the mound. He had plenty of success in May and should continue it the rest of the season.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MAY 31: Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at Dodger Stadium on May 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Aaron Nola is an ace

We have known that Aaron Nola is a good pitcher for a few years now, but he has ascended to another level this season. He now ranks first among all National League pitchers in wins above replacement with 3.5 this season. He is well on his way not only to an All-Star Game but potentially a Cy Young award.

In six May starts, Nola was simply ridiculous. He struck out 46 batters and walked just eight in 40 innings. He finished the month with a 1.80 ERA, 2.07 fielding-independent pitching, and 0.93 WHIP. Per Fangraphs, only Max Scherzer had more wins above replacement in May.

Nola went six innings in each May start, going at least seven in three of them. His last start of the month was huge as he went seven one-run innings against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers, picking up the win in a 2-1 victory. He finished his start striking out six of the last eight batters he faced.

As it stands now, Nola, Scherzer, and Jacob deGrom are the three NL pitchers vying to start for the All-Star Game. Nola may lose out simply because he is new to the scene, but he should still be heavily in consideration.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 13: Carlos Santana #41 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a home run against the New York Mets in the eighth inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on May 13, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Mets 4-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Carlos Santana’s April behind him

April was just an awful month for Carlos Santana. He hit just .153 as he had just 15 hits in 28 games. It was obviously concerning to see Santana doing so poorly considering the contract he signed during the offseason. However, he and the team were not concerned about his performance.

Seranthony Dominguez is truly something

Most people expected the Phillies’ bullpen to be a key strength this season. But could anyone guess that their best pitcher at the end of May would be Seranthony Dominguez?

More from That Balls Outta Here

A lot of fans probably didn’t even know who Dominguez was coming into the season. He spent 2017 pitching in High-A Clearwater as a starter, posting a 3.61 ERA in 15 appearances. Dominguez made his way onto prospect rankings thanks to his electric stuff, but his command was questionable. He was moved to the bullpen this year and quickly rose to the majors.

Since making his major-league debut, Dominguez has ranked among the best relievers in the game. He has allowed the fewest hits (two) of any relievers with more than 10 innings pitched in this timeframe. Dominguez also has the lowest weighted on-base average allowed (.058) and is one of just five who hasn’t allowed a run.

He ranks seventh in both fielding-independent pitching and expected fielding-independent pitching. Dominguez ranked behind only Sean Doolittle and Josh Hader in wins above replacement in May.

Dominguez has become manager Gabe Kapler’s go-to reliever out of the bullpen. He already has two six-out saves, not allowing a baserunner in either one. Any time the Phillies get put in a tough situation, Kapler calls on Dominguez to quell the situation. He has done just that, picking up six holds along with those two saves.

Next: What should we think of Zach Eflin so far in 2018?

With the Phillies right in the heart of the conversation of playoff contenders, Dominguez will play a huge part in securing close wins as the season goes on.

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