After a hot start to the season, the Phillies have cooled off in recent weeks, making for some big time competition in the NL East going forward.
After cruising to a 7-3 start in their first 10 games, the Phillies have struggled to find their footing, posting just a 9-10 record in their last 19 games. During this stretch, they have lost series to the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets while having success against the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins.
There have been several reasons for the Phillies' recent inconsistent play, including struggles from the back end of the bullpen (subscription required), as noted by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Scott Lauber, and an inability to knock in runners in scoring position. So far this year, the bullpen ranks second to last in Major League Baseball with a 5.25 ERA, just ahead of the division rival Washington Nationals.
As far as the offense and hitting with runners in scoring position, they aren’t much better in this category. They hold a .257 batting average in these situations and are 26th in the league with 4.07 left on base per game.
At the same time, there have been some positives from the team's play so far. The starting rotation has pitched very well with Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez leading the pack. The lineup has had its fair share of changes, with Bryson Scott and Trea Turner getting the bulk of the leadoff opportunities, which has allowed Kyle Schwarber to hit from the cleanup spot.
NL East bunches up behind Phillies, who need to keep an eye over their shoulder thanks to recent skid
As it stands right now, the Phillies are in second place in the NL East standings, 4.5 games behind the New York Mets, who have played well so far in the first year of the Juan Soto era.
They don't have much breathing room, however. The Nationals, Braves and Marlins are all within four games of the Phillies in the division entering Wednesday's action, meaning that one bad week could have major implications on the division standings. Given the expectations set for this Phillies team — a group that many pegged to be a serious World Series contender — the pressure is mounting.
Team | W-L | GB |
|---|---|---|
Mets | 20-9 | -- |
Phillies | 16-13 | 4.5 |
Braves | 14-15 | 6.5 |
Nationals | 13-17 | 8 |
Marlins | 12-17 | 8.5 |
The remainder of the current series against the Nationals is big for the Phillies as they don't play a division rival again until late May when they face off against the Braves from May 27-29 at Citizens Bank Park. It would give them the opportunity to separate themselves from the pack, which will be very important in a division race that is expected to go down to the wire.
With high expectations once again for the Phillies, it is important for them to get into a rhythm and remind fans and critics alike why they belong in the conversation for the World Series. They have a target on their back in a highly competitive division, and it will take a heck of an effort for the club to capture their second consecutive division title.