To say the Philadelphia Phillies have been off to a rough start in 2023 would be a bit of an understatement. The defending National League Champions have fallen to a 25-31 record on the season and are only one game ahead of last place in the NL East after getting swept by the New York Mets to close out May and begin June.
However, the Phillies are only eight games behind first place in the NL East with over 100 games remaining in the regular season. We saw in the division just a year ago that no lead is safe Mets held a lead of over ten games at the beginning of June in 2022, yet would eventually finish second in the NL East to the Atlanta Braves. However, neither the Mets nor Braves were able to even capture a playoff series victory, and the third-place Phillies would go on to win the National League pennant.
There are plenty of reasons to believe the Phillies can find success during the month of June
The return of Bryce Harper from elbow surgery, the signing of star shortstop Trea Turner, and the first season of Rob Thomson are all reasons the Phillies came into the season with high hopes. While they all remain, we'll look at why the Phillies may be able to start improving upon their .446 winning percentage following their June first loss.
A combination of the history of the Phillies and their players' performances in the early summer, the emergence of a left-handed reliever in the bullpen, and familiar faces working their way back from injury are giving us some positives to focus on, and some hope that better days are on their way to baseball in the City of Brotherly Love.