When is it time to throw in the rally towel and give up on the Phillies?
The correct answer is never; diehard fans will support the team (even if it’s REALLY HARD) through rebuilds, championships, and regular-season play.
While we’re not jumping ship anytime soon, we need to address the elephant in the room: this Phillies team.
This team has gone 7-15 since the All-Star Break. The increasing loss number is a little worrisome for a team that started off hot.
There is hope for this team; they are coming back to Philadelphia against the Marlins (44-75) and the Nationals (54-65). These two teams happen to be Philly killers (aka teams that tend to beat up on Philly even if they have no reason to). Still, with a starting rotation back to normal health, there is hope for a series win or two.
Bryce Harper knows it, too. “We’re not playing our best baseball right now,” said Harper. “We just have to keep going, understand we have a long season to go, and we just have to keep playing our game.”
Playing the game at home might help. The home-field advantage is real when it comes to the Phillies. The Phillies are 38-21 at home, compared to 31-28 on the road. The Marlins choked in the Wild Card round at CBP, so there’s hope the Phillies can win a series against them.
The Phillies have a two-game set against Miami. Taijuan Walker will make his first appearance off his most recent injured list stint, and the second game of the series will see the youngster Tyler Phillips on the mound.
After having an excellent start, including a complete game, Phillips lost control in his last game. The rookie is 4-1 with a 4+ ERA.
When the Nationals come to town, the rotation lines up to be: Wheeler (11-5 & 2.78 ERA), Nola (11-6 & 3.60 ERA), Sanchez (8-8 & 3.61 ERA), and then Walker finishes out the series.
After two series against the lower tier of the NL East, the Phillies will travel to Atlanta and Kansas City before facing the Astros and Braves at home. Hopefully, by then, we can be waving rally towels.
As always, Go Phils!
Photos provided by @phillies on Instagram
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