With expectations set pretty low for an organization that some would say has more talent in the pipeline than their big league lineup, the Philadelphia Phillies embarked on another 162-game schedule back in April with nothing to lose.
To some surprise, the Phillies shot out of the gate, stringing together an impressive run over the first month and a half that saw them seven games over .500 at 24-17 and in a tie for first place with the Washington Nationals. A sloppy nine-game losing streak derailed that start, but a 10-3 finish to the second half brought them back to life.
Now the Phillies sit at 42-48 at the break. That’s a win total they didn’t reach until Aug. 4 last season. By that account, the organization is heading in the right direction going into the second half.
“It’s all about making adjustments and battling through adversity,” Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp said. “We hit a huge slump as a team … it’s going to everyone at some point you just hope it doesn’t happen to everyone at the same time. We battled it out.”
When the team was hot to start the season, it was behind a pitching staff that proved unbeatable especially in close games as the club posted a 13-3 mark in one-run games through the first month and a half.
The team proved they could win with their bats down the stretch with a .286 average in July, which was third best among the NL in that span. They also scored five or more runs seven times over their last 13 games.
“I just knew we had it in us,” said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. “I always felt even for the first two months that we were a better hitting team than it showed and it was kind of an enigma as to why weren’t hitting better. It just took a little time.”
If the Phillies could bring their pitching and hitting together in the second half, they’ll end up spoiling some teams’ playoff hopes down the stretch.
