5 amazing numbers from the Phillies' 8-2 homestand
The season looks brighter than it did when the homestand began, and here are five incredible stats that show why things are looking up in Philadelphia.
By all accounts, the Philadelphia Phillies' season-long homestand, which they just finished up on Sunday afternoon, was a rousing success. Yes, they played some weaker opponents in the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, but the Phillies did what they're supposed to do against those teams.
When the final out was recorded on Sunday against the White Sox, the Phillies completed their second straight series sweep and ran their record to 8-2 over the 10-game homestand and 14-8 overall. They gained ground on the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves and sit 1.0 game back of the division lead.
Here are some of the most-impressive numbers from the the last 10 games.
65 2/3
That's 65 2/3 innings pitched by the Phillies starting rotation. It's the most frames pitched by a rotation in the majors since April 11. The Phillies starters also rank first in fWAR (2.0) and strikeouts (75) and have the second-best ERA (1.51) during this stretch.
32
The rotation strung together 32 consecutive innings without giving up an earned run in the past week. That's the longest streak by a Phillies staff in 55 years, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark. After Aaron Nola gave up a solo home run in the fifth inning of last Monday's opener against the Rockies, the Phillies' starting pitchers were nearly untouchable.
Ranger Suárez threw his complete-game shutout on Tuesday. Cristopher Sánchez gave up an unearned run early on Wednesday but settled in for a six-inning, 10-strikeout effort. Spencer Turnbull took his no-hit bid into the seventh on Friday, which Zack Wheeler one-upped on Saturday, taking his no-no bid into the eighth.
Nola was tagged for a two-run home run with one out in the first inning of Sunday's game to end the streak at 32 innings but then cruised through seven more scoreless frames.
15
The Phillies lineup hit 15 home runs over the 10-game homestand, the most in the NL and second in the majors to only the Baltimore Orioles' 23 over that span. The Braves hit the next-most homers in the NL, with 12.
Led by Kyle Schwarber's four long balls and Alec Bohm's three taters, the bats certainly enjoyed home cooking. As a group, they slugged .448, again tops in the NL and second in the majors to Baltimore. They scored 51 runs, with 12 doubles and a pair of triples.
.409
That's Johan Rojas' batting average in the seven games he played on the homestand and the second-highest mark among the regular players. His early-season struggles may be behind him at this point.
He only struck out twice in his 24 plate appearances, collecting nine hits with a double and two walks. He has been doing exactly what the Phillies front office and coaching staff imagined: getting on base at a team-best .458 clip and making the most of his time there.
The speedy center fielder swiped five bags without getting caught and scored six runs as a table-setter for the top of the lineup.
18
That's how many hits Trea Turner racked up in the 10 games at home. After hitting .277 in the first 12 games of the season, he feasted on the visiting pitching at Citizens Bank Park, hitting .429 with a 1.169 OPS.
He hit safely in all 10 games, driving the Phillies offense with a pair of home runs, six doubles, six RBI and 12 runs scored. The shortstop is now hitting .348 on the season with a .908 OPS.
The Phillies made the most of their 10-game homestand and now head out on the road for 10 games. Let's hope they take the good vibes from The Bank with them.