What will be in store when the season resumes tonight?
The Phillies entered the All-Star break in first place in the NL East by a half game over the New York Mets. That’s not something that would have been hard to foresee back in April, but the path to get here has been anything but normal.
The road has certainly been frustrating at times, as the Phillies rotation is arguably the best in baseball, but their offense is inconsistent, and their bullpen is a mess. They are 19-19 since June 1st despite their rotation leading the Majors in ERA (2.63), WHIP (1.08), and FIP (3.06) over that span. The offense has struggled to provide power outside of Kyle Schwarber, as they rank 14th in slugging percentage for the season. The bullpen has struggled to find its way in the aftermath of José Alvarado’s suspension despite a resurgence of Orion Kerkering. Nevertheless, the Phillies find themselves in a pretty good spot as they look towards the final two and a half months of the regular season.
The trade deadline is the next major milestone on the MLB calendar. That is when the Phillies will no doubt look to improve their shaky bullpen and perhaps add some power into their lineup. The failures of Jordan Romano and Max Kepler as offseason signings has led the team to possibly be forced to part with better prospect capital than it has in years past in order to plug holes on the roster.
The Phillies still have 66 games left to play in the regular season. So much could happen in that time. Will Bryce Harper’s return from injury be the jolt the offense needs to back up their stellar pitching? What impact will prospects such as Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford have on this season? What additions will be made to the bullpen, and will they prove fruitful? How will the neck and neck race for the NL East crown turn out? Could it go down to the last day of the regular season?
You’ve seen some of our predictions for the rest of the season. John Stolnis posted ten of them yesterday while the staff’s bold predictions will be released later today. But now it’s your turn to look into the crystal ball and predict what the rest of the season holds for the Philadelphia Phillies.
What are your predictions for the Phillies in the second half?