It may have taken them until early August, but the Philadelphia Phillies have finally created a decent amount of separation from the New York Mets atop the NL East. The Phillies are red-hot, having gone 12-6 in their last six series, five of them being series wins. The Mets have been the polar opposite meanwhile, with them hilariously losing seven straight and 11 out of 12.
The current state of the two division rivals is why Philadelphia has a 5 1/2 game lead in first, their largest of the year. The team is truly firing on all cylinders and their 68-49 record is the highest they've been over .500 this season, which is why they've received some love in MLB's latest power rankings.
Phillies' hot stretch gets them some well-earned praise in MLB's Power Rankings
The Phillies are fresh off a series sweep against the Texas Rangers amidst their season-long 10-game roadtrip. It was the team's first sweep since mid-June and has them ranked No. 3 in Will Leitch's newest power rankings for MLB.com. Everything seemed to be going right for the Phillies in Arlington, with timely hitting, shutdown pitching performances and highlight-reel defensive plays like this one from Harrison Bader:
WE'D LIKE TO REPORT A ROBBERY pic.twitter.com/Ivy3tveVTq
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 10, 2025
That's just the kind of elite defense the Phillies were looking for from the Gold Glover Bader when they traded for him at the trade deadline. Jhoan Duran, their other deadline acquisition, has been a perfect 4-for-4 in save opportunities with the Phillies and just allowed his first baserunner in Sunday's win. He's been a revelation for the team and its fans, and is a large reason why the Phillies can compete in the playoffs with the two teams ranked ahead of them.
The Phillies are 2-4 against the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season and still have to play each of the NL powerhouses on the road. They now have a lockdown closer to pair with their workhorse rotation and deep lineup that can hang with the NL's best.
Philadelphia will be getting a load of reinforcements very shortly, with Aaron Nola, Alec Bohm, and José Alvarado all currently on rehab assignments with Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They also just recalled old friend David Robertson from Triple-A to further shore up their bullpen for the stretch run. The Phillies will look to continue their hot streak in Cincinnati on Monday as they open up a three-game set with the Reds.