After wrapping up an 8-6 win over the Washington Nationals on Monday night, the Philadelphia Phillies improved to 15-15 on the season.
Under normal circumstances, they team would have played under 1/5 of its season at this point, and there would be much more time to gauge how well the team is prepared for the end-season stretch into the playoffs.
But, given the unusual circumstances in a shortened 60-game season, the Phillies are already halfway to the finish line. Here are 30 numbers to remember from the team’s first 30 games:
.500 – Winning Percentage
The Phillies are 15-15 on the season, and are one of seven NL teams who are not currently under .500.
Five – Maximum Number Of Games Under .500
Thinks looked grim for the Phillies just over a week ago, when they fell to 9-14 after a loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Five – Longest Losing Streak
The Phillies worst stretch of the season culminated in that game against the Braves on Aug. 22, which was their fifth consecutive loss. This was a brutal stretch for the Phillies, who held a lead in every single game in which they lost.
Five – Longest Winning Streak
After that loss, the Phillies won five straight and have now won six of seven, all in games against the Braves and Nationals.
.809 – Team OPS
Heading into the season, the Phillies strength looked to be the lineup, and that has held true. The .809 OPS on the season ranks third among all MLB teams and would be the highest for a Phillies team since 2007.
47 – Home Runs
The Phillies have relied on home runs to score this season, and have the the fourth-highest slugging percentage (.465) in the majors.
48 – Walks By Bryce Harper And Rhys Hoskins
Each player has walked 24 times this season, and the pair has combined to strikeout just 46 times. Harper and Hoskins have on-base percentages of .431 and .426 respectively, both of which rank top-10 in the majors.
Seven – Players With A Slugging Percentage Over .500
This was expected from Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper, Didi Gregorius and Rhys Hoskins. J.T. Realmuto has never done it, but it’s no surprise considering the torrid start that he had to the season. This is a surprise from Phil Gosselin and Andrew Knapp, and although they have done it in a small sample size, both have been pleasant surprises for the Phillies this season.
1.6 – Total Catcher fWAR
J.T. Realmuto and Andrew Knapp are both having the best offensive seasons of their careers, and the two have combined for the best fWAR for any catching tandem in the majors.
.367 – Scott Kingery’s OPS
Perhaps the only disappointment so far in the Phillies lineup has been Kingery, who has struggled greatly in 22 games played. It looked like he was fighting out of the slump after hitting a walk-off home run against the Braves last Friday, but he was recently added to the injured list with a back injury.
Eight – Home runs Hit By Jay Bruce And Phil Gosselin
The addition of the DH to the National League has worked out well for the Phillies, who have gotten plenty of production out of Bruce and Gosselin so far this season. The two have combined to slug .560 so far this season.
86.4% – Stolen Base Success Rate
The Phillies have appeared been more willing to steal bases, especially when the opposing catcher is known to struggle throwing runners out. They have stolen 19 bases in 22 opportunities, and are led by Roman Quinn, who has swiped six bags.
7.09 – Bullpen ERA
The bullpen has clearly been the Phillies biggest weakness this season, which has resulted in some tough losses late in games. The ERA ranks worst in the majors and would be the worst for any team since 1950.
Three – Number Of Relievers Still On Roster From Opening Day
The early bullpen struggles led to trades to bring in David Hale from the New York Yankees, Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Boston Red Sox and David Phelps from the Milwaukee Brewers. With that, the Phillies have eliminated some of the poor-performing relievers off of the major league roster (and out of the organization altogether in some cases):
3.13 – ERA Between Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola And Zach Eflin
The Phillies gave Wheeler a significant amount of money in the offseason, and he has lived up to the contract so far this season. The Phillies are 11-6 in games started by this trio.
6.22 – ERA Between Jake Arrieta, Vince Velasquez And Spencer Howard
As good as the top of the Phillies rotation has been, the back end has struggled to remain consistent. They are 4-9 in games started by this trio.
6 1/3 – Innings Per Start For Zack Wheeler
Wheeler’s strikeout numbers are down this season, but he is giving the Phillies important length behind his efficient outings. He has gone seven innings in three of his starts and pitched into the sixth inning in every start.
12.0 – Aaron Nola’s K/9
Nola had a dominant three-start stretch in which he struck out 30 batters in 21 innings of work and pitched to a 0.86 ERA. That was followed by one of the worst starts of his career, but Nola is still having a great season and is striking out hitters at a higher rate than ever before.
33.3% – Zach Eflin’s Strikeout Percentage
It has been an up-and-down season for Eflin, who has been excellent in striking hitters out but has still been hit around at points in his starts. This strikeout percentage is ninth in the majors among starting pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched, and is much better than Eflin’s career high of 22.4%, which came in 2018.
17 – Double Plays By Zack Wheeler And Jake Arrieta
Wheeler and Arrieta both rely on soft contact, and have been two of the three best pitchers in baseball in getting double plays. The only pitcher in baseball with as many double plays as either of these pitchers Kyle Freeland of the Colorado Rockies.
5 – Number Of Players To Make Their MLB Debut
Ramon Rosso, Connor Brogdon, Spencer Howard, Alec Bohm and JoJo Romero have all made their major league debuts this season. Rosso and Brogdon struggled and were sent back down, while Howard and Bohm, the team’s top two prospects, have shown some flashes. Romero has pitched very well in three outings as a reliever.
18 – Games With At Least Five Runs Scored
The Phillies have scored at least five runs in 60% of their games. This is a major improvement upon last season, when they did so in under 48% of their games.
Eight – Games With At Least Eight Runs Allowed
Only three teams have allowed eight runs more times than the Phillies this season. This is a result of tough outings both out of the starting rotation and in the bullpen.
Three – Losses In Games They Scored Eight Or More Runs
The Phillies are the only team in baseball with three such losses.
Three – Blown Leads Of At Least Four Runs
Two of these losses came in the Phillies five-game losing streak, when they blew a seven-run lead to the Blue Jays just days before blowing a four-run lead to the Braves.
Two – Wins In Games They Scored Less Than Five Runs
Due mainly to the struggles in the pitching staff, the Phillies are just 2-10 when they score less than five runs. They are 13-5 when they score five or more runs.
.632 – Winning Percentage Against NL East Teams
The Phillies have yet to lose to the Nationals and Mets. They went 5-5 against the Braves, and won’t see them again for the rest of the season.
.273 – Winning Percentage Against AL East Teams
Against AL East teams, however, the Phillies have struggled greatly. They were swept at home by the Baltimore Orioles and swept in a doubleheader in Buffalo by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Games Back Of First Place – 3
The Phillies have played well of late, and are currently tied with the Miami Marlins for the second playoff spot in the NL East. They sit just three games out of first place in the NL East, behind the two-time defending champion Braves.
Nine – Seasons Since Last Playoff Berth
The Phillies have their best team on paper since the end of the last playoff run in 2011. Now, with expanded playoffs, they look set to make their first postseason appearance since then.
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