The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the NL East division title, but there may be some cause for concern for the team heading into the MLB playoffs.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic has identified the Phillies’ rather inconsistent offense as a potential problem for the club in October.
“This is a team built on its four-deep rotation and hard-throwing bullpen,” Gelb wrote . “If there is a fear, it’s that this boom-or-bust lineup filled with talent has a cold week in October. One thing to monitor: The Phillies have chased pitches out of the strike zone at a higher rate (34 percent) in September than any other month this season.”
Make no mistake: Philadelphia’s offense is teeming with talent.
The Phillies rank fourth in batting average, runs scored and OPS and ninth in home runs this season. Three of their regular have an OPS above .800, with Bryce Harper leading the way at .897.
However, the Phils do rely very heavily on the power of Harper and Kyle Schwarber, who have combined for 66 homers in 2024.
Otherwise, the lineup has some holes, whether it be Nick Castellanos’ relatively disappointing campaign (.725 OPS) or very thin production from the bench.
Luckily, the Phillies have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball to compensate for their offensive shortcomings, if you can even call it that.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Philadelphia is how average it has been during the second half of the season, as Philly has gone just 31-30 since the All-Star break. More recently, the Phillies are just 8-8 over their last 16 games heading into Friday’s action.
We’ll see if the Philadelphia Phillies can right the ship in the playoffs.
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