The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to put themselves on the fast track toward another postseason run. The team has stumbled out of the gate despite winning an early series against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. A lot of the season still has to be played, but the team and the front office are confident the mess can be worked through and know their best baseball is ahead of them.
Heading into Thursday's series finale with the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies are 10-8 with a -4 run differential, and sit second in the NL East behind the New York Mets by one game. The Phillies have had some obvious issues with both the offense and the pitching, that has led to a 4-6 record in their last 10 games.
Phillies fans look fondly at the start of last season and how good they were and wonder what happened. But how different was that start compared to this one now?
Phillies' start to 2025 has been eerily similar to 2024
The Phillies seemingly shot out of a cannon in 2024, something they had failed to do in the two previous seasons. They closed out May with a substantial 40-18 record and had built a 6.5 game lead in the NL East, a lead they refused to relinquish all year.
People may forget that in 2024, 18 games in, the club also sat at 10-8 with a -7 run differential. There were questions if the team could pull it together.
Through April 16 last year, the bullpen was pitching to a 5.01 ERA in 59 1/3 innings and had experienced multiple meltdowns. This season has featured similar bullpen meltdowns, with a current 4.84 ERA in 57 2/3 innings pitched. It's another reason that it has felt impossible for the Phillies to climb back into games.
A sub-par offense was also a similar trend in the first weeks of 2024. As a club in 2024, they batted to a .353 slugging percentage through 18 games. In those same number of games this year, they have actually produced at a higher clip of .382. The plate approach has improved, too, as the Phillies currently lead all MLB in walk percentage at 11.6 percent. At this point last season, they were 13th at 9.4 percent.
Starting rotation has had the most noticeable drop-off from 2024
The biggest difference from the first few weeks of 2024 is the Phillies' starting pitching this year.
The elite staff of last season pitched to the third-best mark in the majors, with a 2.69 ERA through 103 2/3 innings pitched. They have pitched noticeably worse in 2025, to a tune of 3.78 ERA (11th in MLB) in 102 1/3 innings pitched.
Right-hander Aaron Nola may be the biggest culprit, as he fell to 0-4 with a 6.65 ERA after Wednesday night's loss. The starting rotation is too good and will bounce back and show they're still one of the best in the sport.
Overall, the 2025 club has talent, just like it did in 2024, but with a few tweaks. The acquisition of Jesús Luzardo is paying off early. Their long-standing star first baseman Bryce Harper looks locked in already to start the year.
It may feel like a slog right now, but the bullpen will surely settle down, and the bats and starting pitching will get hotter as the weather warms up. The 2024 season turned into a wire-to-wire division win. This year's Phillies team is capable of that and much more. It's only a matter of time before they start clicking and show why they're among the favorites to compete for a title.