The Philadelphia Phillies are in a favorable position at the All-Star break. They sit at 48-41, 3rd in the NL East, and 12.0 games back of the Atlanta Braves who lead the division. Additionally, the Phillies sit 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants for the third NL Wild Card spot. While being out of a playoff spot is not ideal, the Phillies are still very much contenders. Likewise, it is unlikely that the Phillies will win the NL East. Their best chance to make the playoffs is by being one of the three wild card teams in the NL.
What the Phillies do at the August 1st trade deadline could change with their current intention of Bryce Harper playing first base following the All-Star break. If Harper can play first, Kyle Schwarber will become the primary designated hitter. Cristian Pache is expected to play left field in that scenario, at least temporarily. In that scenario, the Phillies would try to acquire an outfielder to stabilize the outfield defense. Furthermore, if Harper cannot play first base, expect the Phillies to trade for a corner infielder.
Philadelphia Phillies Are in a Favorable Position at the Break
Phillies All-Star Game Honors
The Phillies will be well-represented at the All-Star Game. Nick Castellanos and Craig Kimbrel will be representing the team. Castellanos has a .301 batting average with 13 HR and 55 RBI. Kimbrel was added to the team as a replacement player. A 5-1 record with a 3.41 ERA and 14 saves is enough for Kimbrel to get the call. Phillies Manager Rob Thomson will be leading the NL team.
First Half Positives
There are some positive takeaways from the Phillies’ first half. The team is above .500 and is firmly in playoff contention. This comes after Rhys Hoskins suffered a season-ending injury in Spring Training. Harper also missed the first portion of the season recovering from offseason surgery. The team has eight series sweeps so far. Both Castellanos and Bryson Stott have batting averages above .300 on the season. Schwarber has 22 home runs, which ranks 5th in the NL. Five Phillies position players have played in at least 80 games.
On the mound, Kimbrel is a perfect 14 for 14 in save attempts. This is important because the Phillies’ bullpen has been a weakness for a while. Even with Seranthony Dominguez missing time due to injury, the bullpen has been able to close out games. Andrew Vasquez has a 2-0 record with a 1.37 ERA in 26 games. Taijuan Walker has 10 wins which ranks 3rd in the NL. The Phillies are 5th in the NL for team ERA with a 4.06 team ERA. As a team, the Phillies are 25 for 33 in save attempts with the 13th-best save total overall.
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First Half Negatives
There are also some negative takeaways from the first-half performance of the Phillies. Aaron Nola has allowed a league-leading 21 home runs. Walker has also allowed more than 10 home runs. The Phillies have not had a complete game yet this season. Of the players that have made at least 10 starts, none have a 3.00 ERA or better. The Phillies have also blown eight saves this season. Zack Wheeler has hit seven batters this season along with allowing 22 walks. Four pitchers have allowed at least 20 walks.
At the plate, Harper has not been his usual self since returning from injury. In 56 games, Harper has a .290 batting average with 3 home runs and 23 RBI. Harper is currently in the midst of the longest home run drought of his career. With 5 stolen bases, Harper has more stolen bases than home runs. Schwarber has struck out more times than any other batter in the NL with 117. Trea Turner is on track to set a new career high in errors with 10 already this season. Turner committed a career-high 16 errors in 2022 and has a .968 fielding percentage currently.
Remaining Schedule
The good news for the Phillies is that most of their remaining games are at home. In addition, they have multiple remaining series against every divisional opponent except for the Washington Nationals who they face only once. Regarding travel, the road series against the San Diego Padres between September 4th and September 6th is the last time they travel outside of the Eastern and Central time zones. 28 of the Phillies’ remaining games are against NL East teams. Seven of their last ten games are against the New York Mets, with four being at home. The majority of games in which they will have home-field advantage is a huge reason why the Phillies are in a favorable position at the break.
There isn’t much else to say about the home field advantage our fans bring, except for that the feeling is mutual ❤️.#RingTheBell x @JimBeam pic.twitter.com/L227bDSiQI
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 8, 2023
Main photo credits:
Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Cristian Pache, Nick Castellanos, Craig Kimbrell, Rhys Hoskins, Bryson Stott, Seranthony Dominguez, Andrew Vasquez, Taijuan Walker, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Trea Turner
