Phillies Offense is Red Hot, Pitching Remains Lackluster
AP Photo/Matt Slocum (Getty Images)
The 2023 Phillies have had a rollercoaster of a season thus far. For one they were a season-worst 25-32 after losing to the Nationals on June 2nd. Since then, they have been much improved as they currently hold the number one wild card spot and a record of 79-65. Even with a much-improved record and in a prime position to make the postseason there may still be reason for concern going forward.
The Phillies have yet to put it all together as they did in their magical postseason run last year. At the beginning of the season, it was the Phillies’ pitching that kept them in games and allowed them to win as many games as they did. This was especially the case in June and July as the pitching staff recorded an ERA of 3.05 in June and 3.58 in July. The pitching staff stepping up was a massive lift to the team as they continued to struggle to hit. Now in the past month, it’s been the complete opposite. Since August 12th the Phillies have a batting average of .272, an on-base percentage of .359, and an OPS of .889. This has allowed the Phillies to average over six runs per game during this time. To put this into perspective the Phillies were averaging roughly four and a half runs per game before the All-Star break.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum (Getty Images)
The turning point for the offense really began on August 4th when Phillies fans gave Trea Turner a standing ovation after struggling for much of his first season in Philly up until that point. Since the standing ovation, Turner has been red hot slashing .385 with 15 home runs, 38 runs batted in (RBIs), and 33 runs scored in 32 games. Turner wasn’t the only one to turn it around as Bryce Harper is batting over .300 and has 11 home runs and 28 RBIs in 33 games. Along with Kyle Schwarber who has a batting average of .280 and 16 home runs since the standing O. The turnaround from Turner and improved play from Harper and Schwarber have been pivotal to the recent success of the offense.
Unfortunately, even with a high-scoring offense the Phillies haven’t had many games of late that were stress-free, mainly due to the rapid decline in the pitching staff. In the past thirty days, the Phillies’ pitching staff has an earned run average (ERA) of 4.3. In the past fifteen days, they have an ERA of 5.21. One reason for the drastic increase in ERA is the lack of quality starting pitching. Zack Wheeler has been the only Phillies starting pitcher to look good this past month. Aaron Nola has looked terrible much of the year giving up a ton of home runs and has an ERA of 5.18 post All-Star break. Ranger Suárez hasn’t looked good either lacking command, but after a short injured list (IL) stint his location seems to be better. Taijuan Walker hasn’t been reliable since the All-Star break either with an ERA of 4.79. One much-needed surprise from the Phillies’ starting rotation has been Christopher Sanchez who has a 3.26 ERA on the year.
On top of recent inconsistent starting pitching, the Phillies bullpen has been shaky as well. Their closer Craig Kimbrel has an ERA of 4.50 over the last month. Their set-up man Jose Alvarado has an ERA of 3.24. Then, arguably their best reliever from last year Seranthony Dominguez has an ERA of 5.18. One bright spot however has been Jeff Hoffman who has an ERA of 0.71 over the past month. With this lack of quality pitching, it put immense pressure on the offense, luckily the Phillies’ bats stepped up to the plate.
The Phillies have continued to grind out wins, a good portion of which were come from behind, and have put themselves in a prime position to make the playoffs. The concern comes when they get to the postseason. With only one reliable starting pitcher and a currently shaky bullpen. The Phillies pitchers have a lot of work to do if they want to finish this season on Broad Street.
