They’re Winning Close Games
The Phillies currently own a -27 run differential, the seventh-worst mark of its kind of all of Major League Baseball. That doesn’t exactly seem like a recipe for success. The squad has done very well in close games, however, which has helped keep its record above .500.
Of the Phils’ 16 wins, a staggering 15 of them were decided by three runs or fewer. And out of those, nine were won by only one run. This team isn’t going to outslug anyone; they’re ranked 27th in runs scored (90) and 29th in OPS (.638). But they’ve been eking out enough nail-biters to keep themselves afloat.
The other side of the coin, though, is that this trend probably won’t last. It’s going to be difficult for the Phillies (or any team, for that matter) to keep coming out on the right side of so many close contests for the duration of the season.
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If they continue getting good pitching, they have a shot, but it’s hard not to look at that run differential and think they’re due for a regression soon. It may have already started with their series loss to the Cardinals this week.
How do you view the Phillies’ eyebrow-raising first several weeks? Sound off in the comments below.