If the Philadelphia Phillies are to win the World Series, they must improve on this side of the ball. For parts of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies have looked like the best club in baseball, while for others, they have appeared to be quite average. They recently took three of four from the Washington Nationals and have now won four of their last five games. They’ll face the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series starting Tuesday night.
The Phillies hold a seven-game lead over the Braves in the National League East and a good chance to win the division. If they can win all three games in Atlanta, they should be in a strong position to win the division. Not that.
They aren’t there yet, but things have moved a lot closer than they seemed at first. It’s difficult to understand why Philadelphia has struggled over the last two months, given their talent. The pitching staff hasn’t been fantastic, the lineup, which is typically one of the greatest in baseball, could be better, and the bullpen hasn’t been as strong as it should be.
However, the starting pitching troubles are unusual for several reasons. More importantly, they have one of the best rotations in baseball.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer believes their troubles as a unit are their “biggest red flag” and could come back to haunt them.
“The Phillies are still one of MLB’s leading World Series candidates, but there’s solid reason to assume their recent dip in odds is serious.
“A pitching staff that was so reliable in the first half has turned out to be a burden in the second, with a 4.83 ERA that ranks among the league’s worst. They desperately need Cristopher Sánchez to get it together and Ranger Suárez to make a great comeback.
They’ve dealt with ailments, but in the end, it’ll all come down to how Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola perform on the bump. If both of them pitch as ace-caliber arms, the Phillies can essentially ensure themselves two wins in a postseason. series. While nothing is guaranteed, they will have the advantage in such games. They will also bring back Ranger Suarez at some point, which is a significant addition. Before his injury, the left-hander was pitching like one of Major League Baseball’s finest, with a 2.87 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings.
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