The Philadelphia Phillies are primed and ready for the postseason, with some flags waving red over their pitching performance in the second half. Nevertheless, they cannot be denied, as they truly have an elite pitching staff. They have not seen much setback on the fields, and a rare setback threatens their playoff run. Let’s get deep into the factors, the star players, and what this means for their probability during the playoffs.
Phillies’ Strong Start
The Phillies managed to start the season on a high note, with the pitching staff being one of the positive points. Zack Wheeler is impressive with his 2.56 ERA throughout this season. The ace has positioned him to garner a slot in the Cy Young Award podium. Having gone through the year without ever having a mediocre outing, the team has good confidence in Wheeler.
The Phillies did well in the first half of the season, but issues started to arise for them during the second half of it. Their team ERA jumped to 4.32, which does not make for any good playoff team. Likely to come as the second man in the rotation, Aaron Nola was in a terrible state recently. His September ERA was at 5.32. He is going to have to back on track for the postseason. Fortunately, however, Nola’s final start was perhaps one where he seemed to break out of his slump as he yielded just one run over seven frames to the Brewers.
Bright Light In Cristopher Sanchez
On the bright side, Christopher Sanchez is part and parcel of the rotation. He has been phenomenal in his past seven appearances and boasts a 2.17 ERA. Six of those starts resulted in Phillies victories. Sanchez does not have much postseason experience but has been pretty good of late. So perhaps he becomes that ideal form of individual who indeed becomes the image of showing up at the right moment. The fans are waiting to see if that can be continued into the postseason.
Other than this, the bullpen has fared pretty well for the Phillies. Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, and Carlos Estevez have been doing well lately. They will prove crucial in shutting down opposing teams and securing leads in crucial games when the playoffs begin. There is something to smile about as the bullpen looks ready to provide relief to the starters.
Evaluating Preparedness for the Playoffs
That is when one could notice that as the Phillies gear up for the postseason, they have talent but some uncertainty associated with it too. The greatness on the pitching end may have been solid, but it does need to sharpen things at the right time. As of now, Wheeler has been very solid. Sanchez can be a game-changer, but there comes little experience associated with all this youth in high-pressure situations.
In conclusion, the Phillies will go far in the postseason. The Phillies have all the talented pitchers, but lately, they have started losing. Hopefully, key pitchers wake up at the right time for playoffs. The Phillies have a combination of experience and young talents with all the tools to make this team work. This postseason will be a thrilling one for the team and its fans.
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