As we enter the final week of the regular season, Phillies fans are buzzing with excitement. We’ve made it to postseason baseball, and the possibilities are endless. However, there’s one glaring issue that could derail their World Series aspirations.
The Phillies’ Week in Review
It’s been a rollercoaster week for the Phillies. On September 24th, with just days left in the regular season, the Phillies just clinched the division and are in line to securing a first-round bye into the divisional series. If you were told this back in March, you’d be ecstatic — and rightfully so! Winning the division for the first time in 13 years is a massive accomplishment. But as every fan knows, division titles aren’t the ultimate goal. The Phillies want a ring.
This past week, however, raised some red flags. In their last 10 games, the Phillies’ batters struck out 105 times, placing them 5th in the league in strikeouts over that span. Worse yet, they won just 4 of those 10 games. Before September 15th, they were chasing pitches out of the strike zone at 29.9%, but from Monday through Saturday of this week, that number ballooned to 36.2%. The Phillies’ aggressive approach is costing them key at-bats and may prove costly in the postseason.
The Million-Dollar Question: Will the Stars Show Up?
This is the deciding factor for how far the Phillies will go in the postseason: will their top hitters, the All-Stars and high-paid sluggers who are making $20-30 million this season, step up or go silent again?
We’ve seen this movie before. In last year’s NLCS, with a chance to reach the World Series for a second consecutive season, the Phillies’ offense went ice cold. In three games, their team batting average was below .189, including in the decisive Games 6 and 7.
But that was last season. None of it matters now. The Phillies are a different team, and I have faith in this squad. Vegas does too, with the Phillies having the third-best odds to win it all, trailing only the Yankees and Dodgers. Still, this team’s destiny will be determined by their offense’s ability to provide run support.
Pitching Can Take You Far, but the Bats Need to Wake Up
The Phillies’ pitching staff has been outstanding. Of the top 24 pitchers with the lowest ERA this season, three are Phillies: Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suárez, and Aaron Nola. This gives the team a legitimate chance to go far in the postseason. The pitching has been reliable all season, but the offense needs to come through if the Phillies are going to make a deep run.
Clinch and Celebrate
So, as the Phillies just clinched the division, it’s time to celebrate. Postseason baseball is unpredictable — anything can happen. I believe in this team, and their chances are solid. But if the Phillies are going to hoist the World Series trophy, it all comes down to run support. Let’s hope the bats wake up when it matters most.
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