Don't Look Now But The Phils Are Turning Into a Contender in the NL
The Philadelphia Phillies refuse to be stopped. They have currently won 7 of their past 8 games and have been an absolute pleasure to watch. Their one loss was still one of the most entertaining games of the year when they turned a 10 run deficit into a one-run game in the ninth. The boys are mashing baseballs and currently, look like a team that you don't want to play come October.
The obvious strength of this team is the offense. It turns out your lineup is much better when your 1 and 2 hitters don't fucking suck, and boy do they not suck. Hoskins and Cutch have been ON FIRE and it has been all the difference. Cutch is hitting .338 with 5 bombs in his last 15 games and Hoskins is hitting .393 in his last 7 with 4 bombs and a ridiculous .964 Slugging Percentage.
This Phillies offense can now rake 1-9 and that is always a scary team come playoff time, especially with the horses at the top of the rotation. Nola was a fucking beast last night. It had to have been one of the best performances of his career. He went 8 innings with 9 k's and only allowed 2 hits. It was a thing of beauty.
Nola has been fantastic this year and looks like he's right back to his old self as being a true bonafide ace. He's 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA and the best thing about it is that we have two of them. Wheeler is on the bump tonight against Sherzer and it should be must-watch for fans of a true pitchers duel. Wheeler has been everything we hoped he would be this year and looks to be worth every dollar. He's had the best year of his career by posting a 2.58 ERA with a 3-0 record and truly looks like a second ace.
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Come October, we're going to need either Efflin or Spencer Howard to step up and be that third guy we can count on, but right now we can surely compete with anyone in games 1 and 2.
The big problem with this team has always been the bullpen. It's by far the worst in baseball but it definitely has been better as of late. Yes, we traded for some new pieces, but so far that hasn't even been the reason for recent success as Workman, Hembree, and Hale have all been dog shit. It's been the guys from inside the system who have really shown up. JoJo Romero has looked like a certified dog every time he steps on the mound. It's only been 3 innings but with 6 k's no hits and one walk, he has really opened up some eyes.
Blake Parker most definitely looks like a fucking idiot out there but he has also been fantastic since getting called up, throwing 8.2 innings on the year without giving up a run.
Not to mention our new toy David Phelps, who has yet to pitch for the Phils but looks to be the best reliever we acquired before the deadline.
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Yes, it's a hot streak, and every time a team gets hot I think they are the best there ever was. Sue me, I'm a stupid fucking Philly fan who exaggerates every single high and low that happens in this city. I do think that there is a formula for this team to succeed in the playoffs though. You know what other team started slow, had a shit bullpen, but also had high-end top of the rotation starters and a great lineup? The 2019 Washington Nationals. Fuck it, put it in the books, the Philadelphia Phillies are your 2020 World Champions of baseball.
P.S This is one of the funniest graphics I've seen in a while and has provided a fantastic display of trolling for Philly twitter. This was posted last week and since this tweet, the Phillies are 4-0 against the Nats. Beautiful work.