How real is the Phillies unprecedented start?

The Philadelphia Phillies lost their series opener against the Colorado Rockies to fall to 37-15 on the season. That's right, their disheartening loss on Friday dropped them to 22 games under .500. They're still six games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, and have the best record in all of baseball.

Several factors have led to the Phillies getting off to a fast start. Their starting rotation leads the majors in both ERA (2.63) and innings pitched (312). It feels as if every single night we see whoever takes the ball for Philadelphia go six or seven strong frames if not longer. Bryce Harper has looked like an MVP candidate after a slow start. Relievers like Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, and Jeff Hoffman have been (mostly) dominant.

The biggest factor of all, however, has to do with their schedule. The Phillies have played a total of three games against a team currently over .500. While that might not mean much in April, we're in late May right now. That kind of soft schedule is unprecedented, and boy, have the Phillies taken advantage.

While it's encouraging to see them beat up on the bad teams, the question has to be asked. Are they for real?

Phillies have given doubters no reason to believe unprecedented start is fraudulent

Nothing about Philadelphia's hot start suggests that they're fraudulent in any way. Yes, they've played mostly bad teams, but they're not just beating them. They're destroying them. I mean, even with Friday's loss they've won 29 of their last 36 games. Is any other team obliterating inferior competition like this?

Sure, the starting rotation might come down to earth a bit when the competition gets tougher, but this rotation was already expected to be one of the league's best. Zack Wheeler is arguably the best pitcher on the planet right now. Aaron Nola has always been a strong No. 2. Ranger Suarez really looks like he has taken the next step.

Their offense has been among the league's best as well, and again, is that really a surprise? They've been elite despite slow starts from key contributors like Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. Bryson Stott only recently got hot. Trea Turner isn't even healthy. When right, they have one of the deepest lineups in the majors and it feels as if they haven't even fully clicked on that side of the ball yet.

The Phillies haven't been squeaking by with one-run victories against bad teams, they've dominated them. They have a +92 run differential which has them tied for the MLB lead with the red-hot New York Yankees. As ESPN's Jeff Passan says, it really doesn't matter what the opposition's record is if you destroy them every day.

The Phillies do have to prove they can beat good teams, but they can only play who is on their schedule. So far, they've given even the biggest of doubters no reason to believe they'll slow down. No, they won't win at a .712 clip against the best teams in the majors, but nobody does that. The Phillies are as legit as can be, and look like a clear World Series contender.