The Philadelphia Phillies are a really bad baseball team right now. It’s just a undeniable fact. Will they continue to be? Hopefully not.
They have to turn this thing around and it must be done soon. The Phillies cannot keep sleepwalking away the days on the calendar.
Time is becoming the Phillies. We are one-third of the way thru the season. They need to start stringing some wins together soon.
The Phillies are an imperfect team. They’ve been that way for pretty much their entire existence, except for the mid seventies into the earlier eighties and the 2007-2011 era.
This version of the Phillies is a frustrating one. They are shaky on defense, offensively they do not make enough contact, starting pitching has not been up to par, and bullpen is inconsistent at best.
This is all jarring to watch, especially with the way that they played in the postseason last year. Playoff baseball is not to be trusted.
The Phillies shiny new toy, Trea Turner, was supposed to provide something different at the top of the lineup. But, he’s turned into a strikeout machine.
Turner’s also hitting far more baseballs in the air, which can be a good thing, but not when you’re popping up a lot of fastballs to the infield.
Slugger Kyle Schwarber has been brutal. He either strikes out or hits a home run. In the month of May, he hit for a measly .115 batting average with 34 strikeouts in 26 games.
For the season, Schwarber is batting .160 with 13 home runs and 70 strikeouts. He needs to better than this.
J.T. Realmuto has been decidedly average as well. He’s another who’s seen his walks drop and his contact has not been solid.
The injury to Rhys Hoskins has hurt this team and now their RBI leader Alec Bohm is out with a hamstring injury.
On the positive note, Bryce Harper came back early and has been productive. Bryson Stott has been playing really well too, but other players need to step up.
The starting rotation has been up and down. Zack Wheeler is starting to turn things around, after a shaky start to the season.
Taijuan Walker has been brutal(5.57 ERA). Aaron Nola does not seem like the same pitcher. His strikeouts have dipped and so has his velocity on the fastball.
Ranger Suarez has only made four starts, but he has looked off too. Bailey Falter was just brutal (0-7 record). He was sent down to Triple-A.
The bullpen has been mediocre. Jose Alvarado was great until he we down with a injury. Hopefully, he will be back soon.
Craig Kimbrel has been okay and the same for Matt Strahm, but the rest of the bullpen is just brutal.
The Phillies were a third-place team last year, and except for getting hot a couple weeks in October, they still kind of look like a third-place team right now.
Photo courtsey of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
