Phillies May storylines: CF dilemma, cold offense, and more
The Phillies offense remains ice-cold.
With the rest of the offense, there are some issues. The Phillies rank just 24th in runs scored (97). In their first 26 games, they averaged just 3.73 runs a game, and there are easy things to blame.
Jean Segura — who has been on the 10-day injured list — was one of the best hitters when he was healthy at a 125 OPS+. Didi Gregorius has underwhelming so far, but Alec Bohm and Andrew McCutchen have been even worse. Luckily, there are guys like Nick Maton and Brad Miller who have given the offense some life with respective 124 and 135 OPS+s.
What solutions are there? Outside of waiting for guys like Bohm and Didi to get back on track, there aren’t many options. Maton keeping a spot in the lineup as much as possible — even when Segura comes back — is possible. Could we see a McCutchen-Miller platoon? In St. Louis, Brad Miller has led several games for the Phillies, so manager Joe Girardi is trying something.
With all of this said, Bohm has been getting unlucky lately — including a great catch by Nolan Arenado. The Phillies third baseman has three hits in his last three games, so he could be getting back on track.
A slow National League East start, coupled with .500 baseball
As April comes to a close, there is no National League East team above .500 with the Phillies being the only team at the .500 mark. The Braves follow at 12-14. Then, there is the Washington Nationals (10-12), New York Mets (9-11), and Miami Marlins (11-14).
With that said, the Phillies should be thankful they are even 13-13 with the 24th run-producing best offense, and the 20th ranked team ERA (4.28). They are getting no production in certain areas and have had easier opponents like the Colorado Rockies.
If the Phillies want to keep a lead in this division, they need to start playing better and the wins will come. The division around the Phillies will get better and that is not a question. Rather, the question is whether the Phillies will get better.
The Phillies will see tough competition as part of their May schedule.
The Phillies start their May slate in continuation of the Mets series at home, followed by a four-game home set against the Milwaukee Brewers. The NL Central team currently sits atop its division with a 16-10 record.
Next up is a nine-game road trip — with three against the Braves, the first time this season they play against the Nationals, and a three-game series against the Blue Jays. The Nationals are third in the division. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, sit second in the AL East with a 12-12 record.
After that will be a six-game homestand — with three against the Marlins and Boston Red Sox each This is also the first time they face the Marlins this year, who last season was the most shocking team and even won a postseason series against the Chicago Cubs.
The Red Sox are shocking the MLB world right now, too, with a 17-10 record and being first in the AL East. While it is too early to tell, this could be the first time Nick Pivetta gets a chance to face his former team.
To wrap up May, the Phillies will go on the road against the Marlins for four games and the Tampa Bay Rays for two, before starting a series against the Cincinnati Reds. The Rays are the defending AL Champions and sit at 13-14 so far this year — third in the AL East. The Reds are currently 12-13, fourth in the NL Central.
The Phillies will see some tough competition in May, including facing all of the NL East at some point. It will be key to have a strong month if they want to stay close or at the top of the division.
More. Once considered a strength, Phillies offense coming up small. light