The Phillies swept the Rockies and took the first two games of the Athletics series, giving them a nine-game winning streak heading into the final game of the series. Despite losing Sunday in the attempt for 10 in a row, the Phillies remain in first place with a huge series against the Atlanta Braves looming this week.
The Phillies enter this week as baseball’s best team, record-wise, through 53 games played, with a record of 34-19. The Detroit Tigers are right behind them with a 35-20 record, which is currently leading the American League.
The Phillies return from a road trip that saw them sweep the Rockies and then take 2/3 from the Athletics. Their nine-game win streak propelled them into first place in the NL East, and the team hasn’t slowed down since. The offense and starting pitching have led the way for the Phillies during this month. Trea Turner and Bryce Harper have both come alive, while Kyle Schwarber is putting together another great season at the plate. Alec Bohm has begun to heat up as he is now hitting .272 after a slow start to the season. He hit two home runs on the last road trip, so hopefully that’s a sign of things to come.
Starting Pitching Dominance
Coming into the year, I had talked about this pitching rotation being the best we’ve had since the four aces, and so far through 53 games, that’s not a terrible take. This starting staff has been elite, and we still have Mick Abel and Andrew Painter waiting in Triple-A. Zach Wheeler has continued to do Zach Wheeler things. He’s 2nd in innings pitched and five strikeouts behind the league lead with 88 total strikeouts. Jesus Luzardo has exceeded expectations as he looks like one of our best arms in the rotation. Luzardo has a 2.15 ERA and 77 strikeouts, putting him 7th in all of baseball.
Aaron Nola is still dealing with his ankle, which is fine. Figure out what was going on in the first month of the season and get him back on track for the rest of the season. The current rotation is good enough right now, rushing Nola isn’t worth it. The bullpen is the issue, but we could gain some reinforcements if we get too overloaded with starters. I’m curious to see if Abel or Painter moves to the bullpen late in the season and into the postseason.
Keeping The Momentum Going
The Phillies are riding a successful road trip right into a three-game series with the Braves that starts tonight. The Milwaukee Brewers will come to town for a three-game weekend series to wrap up the home stand. The Braves series marks the first time the Braves come to Philadelphia this year after the Braves took 2/3 from the Phillies last month in Atlanta. If the Phillies are serious about taking control of the division, they need to win at least 2/3 in this series. The Braves are currently 25-27 but are not to be taken lightly. We’ve all seen what this team is capable of, and with Ronald Acuna Jr. returning from injury last week, the Braves are only going to get better the healthier they get.
The Phillies have an opportunity to build their lead in the division while also keeping the Braves below .500 and pushing them down the standings. This baseball team smells blood in the water, they just need to execute.
Predictions for this week: Phillies take 2/3 from both the Braves and Brewers. Bohm keeps his power surge going and hits two more homers this week.
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