The Phillies stayed hot by sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays and taking 2/3 from the Cleveland Guardians this past week. They are now 1.5 games out of first place in the NL East.
I never thought I would say this, but is it possible that being swept by the Mets was the best thing to happen to the Phillies all year? Since being swept, the Phillies are 11-4 with the offense starting to find its groove. Trea Turner is batting .310, a team best following a 9-game hitting streak that was snapped in the last game of the Guardians series. Kyle Schwarber is tied with Aaron Judge for the MLB lead in homers with 14, and the pitching staff, especially the bullpen, has been better recently.
Offense Hitting Stride
Rob Thompson made the switch a few weeks ago to put Bryson Stott in the leadoff spot instead of Kyle Schwarber against righties, and boy, has that decision paid off. Stott fits perfectly as a leadoff hitter due to his speed and ability to work good at-bats. Having Trea Turner hitting second has worked out well for both the Phillies and Turner himself. Turner looks to be hitting more consistently like his days in Washington and even Los Angeles. The Phillies believe they had signed a SS who was nearly a guarantee to hit over .300. While Turner’s first two seasons ended with him below that .300 mark, the Phillies are hopeful Turner is settled in and will continue his best season as a Phillie so far.
Kyle Schwarber has also been a key factor in the offense with his current on-base streak of 46 games dating back to last year. It’s the fourth-longest streak in Phillies history, with the great Mike Schmidt holding the franchise record of 56 games reaching base safely. Schwarber is entering free agency at the end of the season, and all I have to say is the Phillies better give him a blank check. Not only is Schwarber off to his best start to a season in his career, but his growth and attitude as a player, especially around that clubhouse, have no price tag. He is one of the best players on and off the field that the Phillies have had in recent memory, so they must keep Schwarber in Philadelphia for the rest of his career.
Bullpen Improving
The Phillies’ bullpen has gone from 29th in the league in bullpen ERA to 23rd with a 4.66 ERA. While that isn’t a huge jump, it’s a sign that hopefully this bullpen will continue to trend in the right direction. Strahm and Alvarado continue to be the top arms of the bullpen and have pitched nicely over the last week. Jordan Romano closed out the last game of the Guardians series in 13 pitches, giving up no hits and no runs. If Romano can find a way to stay on track following a tough April, that would be a major boost to this bullpen. Romano has outings where he looks like the former All-Star he was in 2022 and 2023. He is still capable, and I think that his settling in and gaining some confidence can go a long way toward his success.
Starting Rotation
With Ranger Suarez coming back from injury, the Phillies’ rotation is now set up to be one of the best in baseball. Suarez bounced back nicely from his first start off the injured list when he pitched against Cleveland this past week. Suarez threw seven innings of shutout baseball, only giving up three hits and striking out five. It was a great start and helped ease the minds of fans who were skeptical after his return from injury.
While Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez, and Jesus Luzardo are all pitching well, nobody is better than Zach Wheeler on this team right now. Wheeler pitched the last game of the Cleveland series, putting on a show on Sunday Night Baseball. Wheeler pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight batters in the process. Wheeler worked out of trouble once and kept the Guardians at bay the entire game. Wheeler could have a legit shot at the Cy Young award this year if he keeps pitching like this. He currently sits in second place in all of baseball with 74 strikeouts and is first in innings pitched with 58. This Phillies rotation is going to be a nightmare for opponents if everyone can stay healthy.
Upcoming Week
The Phillies will head back home this week for a six-game homestand against the Cardinals and Pirates. Each series will be three games with an off day for the Phillies on Thursday before the Pirates come to town for MLB’s rivalry weekend series. The Phillies have an opportunity to put together another strong week against teams they are more than capable of beating.
My prediction for this week: Phillies take 5/6 games again on the week, sweeping either the Cardinals or Pirates.
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