Phillies: Five reasons to be excited about the stretch run
By Sean Resch
The Phillies currently sit in second place, by a tiny fraction, in the NL East with a record of 64-51. This is the best baseball that has been played in Philadelphia since 2011. It’s time to get excited and tune in.
Listen, we understand that your time is about to be stretched thin with the return of the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles and what not. It is fantasy draft season, preseason, and ultimate bad take season on your favorite major network.
As football begins its yearly takeover, there is something brewing across the parking lot from Lincoln Financial Field. A little Philly Special of a different brand, if you can stomach one more reference.
The Phillies are second in the National League East eleven days days into August despite having one more win than the first-place Braves. They still lead the Nationals by 5.5 games. There are 46 remaining games on the schedule, so there’s plenty of baseball left to play.
Every team has its flaws, and this team is no different. Prior to the trade deadline, the Phillies fielded the youngest roster in the National League. They can be really tough to watch on offense at times and their defense continues to be a detriment, but we can save that for another day.
Today, let’s focus on the reasons to be optimistic about the stretch run for this Phillies team. Who would have thought that they would be buyers at the trade deadline and in the thick of the pennant race this deep into the season? Here are five reasons to look forward to the next seven weeks of Phils baseball.