Now that the Philadelphia Phillies have made it back into the postseason, counting them out would be a bad idea.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
Photos by Webster Riddick
Now that the defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies have punched their ticket to the postseason for the second straight year, it is safe to say, given their combination of hitting and pitching that they have at least a puncher’s chance of getting to the World Series.
Hmm, just like last year. -In 2022, according to some of the Las Vegas sportsbooks, the Phillies were a +2000 underdog to win the National League Pennant that they eventually won. According to the sports gambling website, Vegasinsider.com the Phillies are a +500 to win the 2023 National League Championship Series, a lot better than last year.
The Atlanta Braves, who have NL MVP candidates in Matt Olson, who leads the majors in home runs and Ronald Acuna Jr. are the odds on favorites to not only win the National League Pennant, but also the World Series while the Phillies are a +1300 long shot.
But as good as the Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers have been this season, having the best record in Major League Baseball in recent years is no guarantee that a team is going to get to the World Series and win it, especially since the Wild Card era began in 1995. For the last 28 years, only seven teams with the best record in baseball have won the World Series.
The last National League team with the best record in MLB to win the World Series was the Dodgers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the COVID-shortened season of 2020.
In a nutshell, all of this means that the Phillies have just as good of a shot as anybody else in the National League of getting to the World Series and possibly win it. Last season, the Phillies were the third wild card team and came within two games of winning the 2022 World Series.
During the course of the 2023 season, the Phillies have proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that they can tear the cover off the ball with their bats. The Phillies have six players in their starting lineup that have hit at least 20 home runs with Kyle Schwarber leading the way 45 homers and is tied for second in MLB.
The Phillies have seven players have players who have hit at least 15 home runs and eight players who have home runs in double figures. Players like designated hitter/first baseman Bryce Harper, who has batted .273 in his 10 games dating back to September 16. He has nine hits, three home-runs, nine runs batted in, and eight runs scored.
As a team, the Phillies are ranked ninth in the majors in home runs and eighth in runs batted in. They rank sixth in MLB in batting average with runners in scoring position at .257.
Even with the struggles of Aaron Nola, the Phillies have a consistent starting rotation, led by Zack Wheeler. With five games left in the regular season, Wheeler is 13-6 and has a 3.64 earned run average. He ranks eighth in major league baseball in walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) at 1.07. In the wild card round of the playoffs, Wheeler will more than likely pitch in Game 1.
In Nola’s last start, the game that put the Phillies in the playoffs, he allowed just one on four hits while striking out eight in six and two-thirds innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates. If he can pitch with any kind of consistency, the sky’s the limit.
A strong possibility for a Game 3 starter if the first-round series goes that far would be Phillies right-hander Tajuan Walker (15-5, 4.35), who led the Phillies starting rotation in wins this season. Walker has been very consistent this season. During one stretch this season, Walker won seven straight games for the Phillies.
Ranger Suarez (4-6, 4.18 earned run average) could also be a possibility, but in a short series you might see more of him in relief along with fifth starter Cristopher Sanchez, who has pitched so well that Rob Thomson is considering giving him a playoff start if the Phillies advance to the next round. Mike Lorenzen, who pitched a no-hitter back in August, will likely come out of the bullpen if he makes the postseason roster
In the back end of the bullpen, Jose Alvarado (1.79 ERA and 10 saves) and Craig Kimbrell (3.36 ERA and 23 saves) will alternate as set up men and closers. Kimbrell has struggled late in the regular season closing out games.
The Phillies will have Seranthony Dominquez, Matt Strahm, along with left handers Jeff Hoffman and Greg Soto.
If there’s one player that could be a secret weapon it’s relief pitcher Orion Kerkering, who made his major-league debut last Sunday. He has not allowed a run and got his first career win in the Phillies playoff clinching win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s because Kerkering has a devastating 97-98 mile per hour fast ball to go with a wicked slider.
Thomson is contemplating putting Kerkering in the bullpen for the postseason because of his “electric stuff.”
But that said, there’s still more of the regular season to be played. The Phillies take on the New York Mets at Citi Field for the last three games of the regular season, starting on Friday. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. and you can see the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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