It has been a long year for the Philadelphia Phillies. They started 9-19 before firing manager Rob Thomson and Don Mattingly, who then took over the Phillies. Since Mattingly took over, they turned their season around but still struggle to find consistency. The Phillies currently sit at second place in the National League East Division and are making a push for the playoffs here in the middle of August. The Phillies have reasons for optimism and doubt, and let’s take a look at both sides.Â
Optimism and Concern For the Phillies
Reasons For Optimism Â
The first reason for Phillies fans to remain optimistic is the starting pitching. Zach Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez lead the way on the mound. Wheeler is 10-4 with an ERA of 2.89, which has come up a bit, but on average he is still allowing less than three runs a game. Sanchez is 16-4 with an ERA of 2.51.
Aaron Nola has also been much better on the mound but outside of that, pitching is actually a concern even with Nola for the most part. The next reason for optimism is players getting hot out of nowhere.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has had the worst year at the plate of his career, but he lifted his batting average from below .230 to now .242. They also have optimism because the Phillies, as a team, in their last ten games have scored one or fewer runs just twice, and they have put together a solid four-game winning streak.Â
Reasons For Concern
Then comes the bad news: there are far more reasons to be worried about the Phillies than optimistic. The first reason is the bullpen; the Phillies’ bullpen is constantly digging themselves into a hole and blowing leads for the Phillies, which will make a postseason run incredibly difficult.
The next concern is the inconsistency at the plate: Phillies stars Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper, who are supposed to be the Phillies’ anchors, have been very inconsistent at the plate, making it difficult for the Phillies to compete.
Then you have the upcoming schedule, The Phillies will take on several teams with a record above .500 to conclude the 2026 regular season. These teams include the Marlins (64-62), Saint Louis Cardinals (64-62), Arizona Diamondbacks (66-60), Atlanta Braves home and away series (74-51), Houston Astros, who sit right above .500 (63-62), Milwaukee Brewers (77-48), and the Tampa Bay Rays (75-49). The Phillies have a legit shot to lose many of those series and miss the playoffs.
The last concern is the same as their biggest strength, the starting pitching. While the starting pitching is absolutely a strength, it is important to keep an eye on recent struggles from Wheeler, and their fifth starter has been awful for the Phillies. It is a concern that Andrew Painter, their fifth starter, is 2-8 with an ERA of 6.43 and that goes to show that outside their two pitchers; Wheeler, who has been struggling, and Sanchez, the pitching is a concern. Ultimately, the Phillies are fighting for a wildcard spot in the playoffs and will have to be more consistent to get there and potentially make noise in the playoffs.
Do you think the Phillies have what it takes to become more consistent at the plate and on the mound?
Main Image: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
