Red Sox and 3 more MLB teams primed to rebound after slow starts
By Tim Boyle
Don’t sleep on the Philadelphia Phillies rebounding after their slow start
The Philadelphia Phillies are 18-20 through 38 games and built much differently than the Red Sox or Braves. This is a team that would have belonged at Coors Field in the 1990s. The additions of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos haven’t helped nearly as much as they needed it to. In the absence of Bryce Harper being able to throw the ball for several more weeks, it’s proving to make them a much weaker team defensively.
Nevertheless, with Harper still able to swing and off to an incredible start to defend his National League MVP, the Phillies might be some warm weather away from turning it all around. They have a starting lineup that is actually doing close to what many would expect with nobody exceeding expectations; a warning sign that a lot of losses are about to come.
The starting pitching remains a question. Fortunately, all five of their regular starts now have ERAs in the 3.00s. Zack Wheeler’s slow start seems to have been put in the past.
Overcoming their usual suspect bullpen will prove to be one of their biggest challenges. Is it all in their head or is there some sort of curse going on? It doesn’t matter which players, coaches, or front office pieces the team has. The bullpen has killed them plenty in recent years. Even if it pursuits, expect the Phillies to benefit with one of the most dangerous starting lineups in the game during the summer months.