August 20, 2024
Are the Phillies back?
You'd hope with a 4-2 homestand that included a complete game gem from Cristopher Sánchez, a cycle from journeyman Weston Wilson, and tons of heroics from Trea Turner.
But that's with the caveat that they pounced on underwhelming Marlins and Nationals clubs.
As of Tuesday morning, the Phils are holding the best record in baseball again at 73-51, but have a pivotal run in the schedule coming up starting with the rival Braves in Atlanta and then the AL-contending Royals in Kansas City.
Here's where the Phils stand in the latest wave of MLB power rankings ahead of it...
MLB.com's panel moved the Phillies back into the top spot after winning four of six with this past homestand.
Their season, up until the post-All-Star break rut, had been fantastic, but as Will Leitch writes, when clubs have amazing runs like the Phillies have been making overall, there are always those unsung moments to look back on that either kept momentum going, or in the Phils' case, maybe might have gotten things back on track.
Weston Wilson's cycle might've just done the trick:
Any season as great as the one the Phillies are having needs to have some folk-hero moments, and they sure got one on Thursday night when 29-year-old rookie Weston Wilson hit for the 10th cycle in Phillies history. Wilson, who has 2,865 at-bats in the Minors, called it “a testament to perseverance.” We call it one of those great baseball stories. [MLB.com]
ESPN's panel wasn't as kind to the Phils, placing them fourth behind the Orioles (3), Yankees (2), and Dodgers (1), though keep in mind that they publish their rankings on Thursdays, so this was all before the Nationals series.
Still, David Schoenfield noted that during their slump, the Phillies faced a lot of good teams and didn't exactly come out well from it, and they're about to again after a quick break in the schedule.
Starting with a series against the Pirates on July 19 coming out of the All-Star break, the Phillies played a tough slate: Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Cleveland, the Yankees, Seattle, the Dodgers and Arizona. It did not go well as the Phillies went 7-15, winning only the series against the Dodgers. The final two losses to Arizona were 11-1 and 12-5 blowouts as reliever Yunior Marte collapsed in the first game and then Cristopher Sanchez allowed 12 hits and seven runs in the second contest (he now has a 6.63 ERA over his past seven starts). At one point, the Phillies were on pace for a franchise record in wins, but they've fallen well off that pace. [ESPN]
The Phillies had an overall good week, but against the bottom-feeding Marlins and Nationals. As mentioned above, another tough run in the schedule is on deck, and could tell us a lot about who the Phillies really are approaching October, as Kerry Miller writes:
Should we be impressed in the slightest by a 4-2 week against the Marlins and Nationals, though?
Maybe not.
But these next two weeks before Labor Day will give us quite the clue as to whether the Phils are the team to beat—and whether the NL East race will get even a little bit interesting again down the stretch. After a travel day on Monday, they'll play on 13 consecutive days at Atlanta (three), at Kansas City (three), vs. Houston (three), and vs. Atlanta (four). [B/R]
This past homestand brought the Phillies back to holding the best record in baseball, but the top of the hill is a lot more crowded now than it was earlier in the summer, as Matt Snyder observed:
I figured they'd get their mojo back with a week at home against the Marlins and Nationals and 4-2 qualifies as a good homestand, even if 5-1 or 6-0 would've been far more emphatic. The Phillies do have baseball's best record, though three teams are only half a game behind and two more are just one game back. Think about how ridiculous it is to have six teams within one game of baseball's best record on Aug. 19. [CBS Sports]
MORE: The best moments from a pivotal, memorable Phillies homestand
The Athletic's panel has the Phillies trailing the Yankees (2) and Dodgers (1) in third, but for this week's wave, they highlighted a player for each club who is having a "sneaky-good season."
Kaitlyn McGrath zeroed in on reliever Orion Kerkering:
Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm have been the standouts from the Phillies bullpen — and both received well-earned All-Star nods because of it. But behind them, having a season just as good, though perhaps more under the radar has been rookie Orion Kerkering, who has a 2.51 ERA in 47 appearances with 53 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. He’s succeeded especially by limiting hard contact, holding the opposition to a 31.4 percent hard-hit rate that ranks in the 92nd percentile in the majors. Kerkering shot through the Phillies system last year, and made his MLB debut last September. Expectations were high for Kerkering this season, and he has lived up to them. [The Athletic]
Cristopher Sánchez rebounds with complete-game effort. [USA Today]
Yes, he did.
MORE: Ranger Suárez nearing return and other Phils notes
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