Phillies Offense Leads the Way in Series Win Over the Yankees
During the second game of their three-game series against the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Phillies took the series win by a score of 9-4, therefore winning the series. The team won the first game 12-5 last night behind a monster performance from both Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. The Phillies will finish their current series on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. EST, looking for the sweep over the Yankees. Sticking with the current series, however, it was a massive series win to push the Phillies to a 60-44 record and put them in a tie atop the NL East. The Phillies and, more specifically, their offense, will need to keep up their hot streak to claim the top spot in the NL East and compete for a championship. Taking a deeper look, there are multiple key elements that helped the team pick up the series win on the road.
Kyle Schwarber Has a Serious MVP Candidate Case
Coming out of the All-Star break, no player has been more crucial to their team’s success than Schwarber. This proved true once again in the first game of the series, where Schwarber single-handedly took over the game to beat the Yankees. Schwarber went three for five, including two home runs and four RBIs. Outside of his power at the plate, Schwarber generates walks, which led him to score yet again in the seventh inning. Schwarber accounted for five runs by himself, which equals the amount that the Yankees scored in the entire game. Following that up, Schwarber went two for five and collected two more RBIs. The season of Schwarber is nothing to be forgotten as he is batting .256 with 36 home runs and 82 RBIs. The performance of Schwarber has saved the Phillies multiple times this season, which has caused him to be in the MVP debates. It is puzzling where the Phillies would be without Schwarber, and that statement rang true yet again during this series.
Certain Phillies Stars Are Getting Hot at the Right Time
As talked about in the previous paragraph, Schwarber has been nothing short of spectacular, but his supporting cast has been much better around him. Starting with JT Realmuto, who has started the second half of the year on fire. In his last 11 games, Realmuto has batted .404 with two home runs and four RBIs. Not only has Realmuto been on fire, but he has also been clutch, hitting a three-run home run late in the first game to give the Phillies the lead. Realmuto has not been the only player who has been on fire, as Bryce Harper has finally returned to form this season. Across his last 10 games, Harper has a .308 batting average to go along with five home runs and eight RBIs.The Phillies need help around Schwarber, and with the recent performance of Realmuto and Harper, it has turned them into a much more dangerous team coming out of the NL, come playoff time.
The Bullpen Still Needs Upgrades if the Phillies Want to Compete
With the trade deadline less than a week away, the Phillies' bullpen is still an issue, and it has plagued the team throughout the entire year. As earlier this season, the discussion was brought up to see what upgrades the Phillies could do. The statement was nearly true again when, in the first game, the lead was nearly blown by Jordan Romano. The Phillies held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh before Romano gave up two runs to cut the lead to one. Thankfully for the Phillies, it didn’t end up costing them, but the same lead was nearly blown by Daniel Robert and Alan Rangel. The Phillies' bullpen is simply not good enough to compete with the best teams in the league, with only one reliable piece in Matt Strahm. The Phillies will need to make a move sooner or later to try and strengthen a bullpen that has struggled this entire season.
