The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of baseball's best teams all season. They have clinched the National League East, a bye into the Division Series, and won over 95 games. Despite their excellent season, the Phillies have massive flaws that will harm them in the playoffs.
Bryce Harper is the lynchpin of the Phillies' offense. The former MVP is fresh off the longest home run drought of his career despite putting up good numbers in that time. From August 10 to September 13, the team went 19-11 over 30 games. Harper hit .324 with a .860 OPS but hit zero home runs and only knocked in eight runs. They cannot have a repeat of that month in October.
The lineup has been dynamic down the stretch with Harper finding his stride. Since that drought ended, they've scored 55 runs in 13 games. It took them a little while to put the finishing touches on the East because of how hot the Mets have been, but they eventually got the job done. As long as Harper keeps his form up, the lineup is not of any concern.
The mound presents the biggest concern for the Phillies. Beyond Zach Wheeler and Aaron Nola, the starting rotation is not deep. Taijuan Walker has been among the worst starting pitchers in baseball. He holds a 7.10 ERA and a 57 ERA+, meaning he is 43% worse than the average starting pitcher.
Walker is just one of the pitchers who must step up for the Phillies to win their first World Series since 2008. While they will get the bye to the Divisional Series to set their rotation, it is still a big concern heading into October.
Phillies need fantastic pitching to win 2024 World Series
Walker is not the only Phillies starting pitcher who needs to find his form in October. Ranger Suarez went from an early-season Cy Young candidate to a liability on the mound this season. The career Phillie went 10-2 in his first 16 starts with a 1.83 ERA. Suarez had 99 punchouts to just 19 walks in his amazing start, which ran through June 25.
Since then, Suarez has been brutal. In 11 starts, he is 2-6 and the team is 4-7. His ERA in those starts is 6.54 with only 46 strikeouts to 22 walks. The Phillies have been able to hold onto the division lead this year despite the poor pitching performances from Suarez and Walker. That will not be enough to get them to the World Series in a tough National League.
Another trend that changed for the Phillies from the beginning to the end of the season is the bullpen. They had the best bullpen in baseball before the trade deadline. They dealt Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez to the Orioles in two separate deadline trades. The Dominguez deal landed them Austin Hays, who is now on the injured list.
The Phillies replaced those pitchers with Carlos Estevez from the Angels and he has been terrific. With a WHIP under 1.00 this season, they can trust him to close out games in the postseason. There are still questions about their bullpen, especially without Dominguez and Soto who have been excellent for the Orioles.
The Phillies are no different than every other team during the postseason. Pitching will make or break their World Series hopes as they traverse through the National League. The Dodgers and Brewers also have pitching questions so great postseasons from Suarez, Walker, and Estevez could bring them another National League pennant.
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