Prior to a six-game road trip out West, things were going
pretty well for the Phillies. They had lost just one series since the All-Star break,
took two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers and played right with the
best team in baseball in its backyard in a two-game series split with the
Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. A series of trades, including one in the middle
of the west-coast swing to acquire Justin Bour, brought in some much-needed offensive
help. The acquisition of left-handed reliever Aaron Loup from Toronto filled
another hole.
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| Bill Streicher/USA Today Sports For the first time since joining the Phillies following 2015, Klentak was a buyer in July and August. |
The moves were low-cost upgrades that provided veteran
stability to what was baseball’s youngest roster. It was also a sign that
president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and general manager Matt Klentak
were serious about winning the NL East this year. For a team whose window of contention
appears to just be opening, the Phillies could have made the unpopular decision
to stand pat. But Klentak and MacPhail did a commendable job of fusing the
present with the future and improving the major league roster while retaining
the majority of the organization’s top prospects.
But the past week’s road trip saw the Phillies cede sole possession
of first-place in the division and they trail Atlanta by one game in the loss
column. Often reliable reliever Seranthony Dominguez blew a save in the ninth
inning to start the road trip. The anemic offense was shut out in the series
finale against Arizona and the series opener in San Diego. The road trip
concluded with the Phillies on the wrong end of a 9-3 thumping against the
lowly Padres. The trip was eerily similar to a previous road trip that included
two other NL West teams. At the end of May, they let a game get away in the
late innings at Dodger Stadium, got pounded 8-2 later on in that four-game
series with the Dodgers, scored one run in San Francisco while getting swept by
the Giants and lost two of three at Wrigley Field. It ended up being a 3-7 trip
and the Phillies sat in third place in the NL East upon the conclusion of the
trip with a record of 32-29 on June 8.
The Washington Nationals were in first place in the NL East
after the road trip and led the Phillies by 3.5 games. The month following
included seven games against the Nationals, five of which were won by the
Phillies. Philadelphia won seven of its next nine series and went 17-10 in that
27-game stretch. By the end of play on July 8, the Phillies were tied with the
Braves atop the division and both teams were five games clear of Washington.
The standings have remained largely the same since with the
Braves and Phillies jockeying for the pole position while the Nationals have stayed
within striking distance. The biggest reason the Phillies have overachieved in
2018 with 45 games remaining has been their damage control ability. The team’s longest
losing streak this year is four games. Granted, they’ve lost four straight on
three different occasions, but the closest thing to an extended period of
losing for at least a week was that 3-7 road trip at the end of May and into
June. Many pundits thought the Phillies would take a step forward this year,
but not many had them in the playoffs. Yet, the division is there for the
taking and it’s plausible at least one NL East team ends up in the wild card
game.
After a woeful trip in Arizona and San Diego, the Phillies
have a day off before two more games with Boston, this time at Citizens Bank
Park. They still have nine games remaining against Washington. The Cubs are in
Philadelphia over Labor Day weekend. The surging Rockies welcome the Phillies to Coors Field late in September. The NL East may well be decided with the
Phillies and Braves playing seven games during the final two weekends of the
regular season. The Phillies have answered the bell just about every time so
far this season and it’s one reason why Gabe Kapler is a candidate for NL
Manager of the Year. They’ll have to keep doing it if they’re going to play
into October.
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