The Philadelphia Phillies can withstand a slump thanks to a healthy cushion the team built in the first half of the year. Philly is 7-15 since the All-Star break and just wrapped up a 4-6 road trip that felt even worse than the record indicates.
The Diamondbacks outscored the Phillies 23-6 over the final two games of their weekend series, with starters Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sanchez combining to give up 11 runs (10 earned) over 9.2 innings. Their bullpen was even worse, allowing 12 runs (11 earned) in 6.1 innings thanks to Yunior Marte's seven-run, two-out performance on Saturday.
Yet the Phillies still have a seven-game cushion in the National League East and a 12.1 percent chance to win the World Series, per FanGraphs' playoff odds. That puts them third behind only the Dodgers (17.3 percent) and Yankees (14.5 percent).
With a little over six weeks left in the regular season, there's plenty of time for the Phillies to plug the holes that have sprung up since the break.
The Phillies need to solidify a starting rotation
With the exception of a couple of real stinkers, Zack Wheeler has been one of the best starters in baseball this year with a 2.78 ERA and a WHIP just north of 1. He can't do it all, however, and the rest of the Phillies' rotation has question marks.
Yes, the end of that last road trip was dreadful, but it would be unfair to judge Nola (who wasn't even that bad) and Sanchez based on a couple of rough games. Then again, neither has been good for a while. Nola has a 4.71 ERA over his last 11 starts, with opponents hitting for an .849 OPS. Sanchez has a 6.63 ERA over his past seven starts, allowing 15 more hits than innings pitched.
The good news for the Phillies is that the injured Ranger Suarez appears to be on his way back. He's expected to throw live batting practice on Tuesday and could rejoin the team after their current homestand, which runs through Sunday. In 20 starts, he is 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA.
And a possible wild card will take the mound for the Phillies on Tuesday when Taijuan Walker returns from a right index finger injury. He was in the middle of a down year (5.60 ERA) but was strong in his rehab outing in Double-A on August 7, giving up one run on two hits in five innings.
Philadelphia has to find another right-handed bat in the outfield
For a while, it seemed like Austin Hays could be the answer to the Phillies' weak-hitting outfield. The former Oriole hit .267 over 10 games with Philadelphia with a homer, five runs scored, and two stolen bases. Then, Hays suffered a left hamstring strain that put him on the Injured List. He's expected back by the end of the month, per MLB.com, and said on Friday that he “could almost just walk normally.”
Hays' injury has given Johan Rojas an opportunity to redeem himself after a rough first half. In 86 games, the right-handed centerfielder is hitting .237 with an OPS+ of only 63.
Scott Kingery hasn't played in the Majors since 2022, but he could be an option for some added firepower, particularly when rosters expand on September 1. He's hitting .271 with an .837 OPS and 22 home runs at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Lefty Kody Clemens could also return to the big-league club. He did alright in 24 games with the Phillies this year with eight of his 15 total hits going for extra bases.
Bryson Stott needs to break out of his slump
It's been a rough August for Bryson Stott. In eight games, he's hitting .097 and .077 on balls in play. It puts a damper on his red-hot end to July in which he hit .500 in his last six games.
Stott has similar numbers against righties and lefties this year but has seen the vast majority of his starts against right-handed pitchers.
“I don’t write the lineups out,” Stott told The Athletic about his lack of at-bats against lefties. “[Manager Rob Thomson] knows — they know — that I’m a competitor and I want to play. Obviously, we’ve run into some stretches where we faced five or six righties in a row, and then have a lefty. I know he wants to get [Edmundo] Sosa and those guys in there.
“But also on the other side of it, as a player, you want to play. Be out there every day. Obviously, I get it. But you still want to play as a competitor. It doesn’t matter who’s out there.”
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