Phillies have one area they need to improve on moving forward

At 19-22, the Philadelphia Phillies' season has not gone to plan. The Phillies sit nine games behind the Atlanta Braves for the lead in the National League East, but are playing well, as they're 7-3 in their last 10 games. 

The Phillies have flipped the script at the plate and on the mound, as they ranked at or near the bottom of every major category. The Phillies as a team are now 19th in baseball for OPS (.699) and 18th in batting average (.237), while the pitching staff is tied with the Cincinnati Reds for fourth in innings pitched (366.1) and first in strikeouts (394). 

However, the one area where the Phillies have struggled is hitting left-handed pitching. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have a hard time hitting left-handed pitching

The Phillies have had a hard time consistently hitting left-handed pitching this season, as they're batting .217 with a .657 OPS and striking out 104 times. According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, hitting left-handed pitching is something the Phillies need to improve in moving forward. 

"The Phillies have suffered terribly this season against left-handed pitching. Phillies right-handed hitters entered Sunday’s game against Colorado with a combined .599 OPS [as of Saturday] against left-handed pitching, the second-lowest mark in baseball. Simply put, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Adolis García and others have not hit enough. They need to be better." 

More News: Athletics' early success has them as an early postseason contender

Third baseman Alec Bohm has been one of the Phillies' worst hitters this season (.180 batting average/.526 OPS) and has hit .220 with a .682 OPS against left-handers this season. This is a stark contrast from the .295 batting average and .818 OPS versus lefties last season. 

Shortstop Trea Turner, this season in 23 games, is hitting .184 with a .538 OPS, while outfielder Adolis Garcia has been the best of the three, hitting .282 with a .877 OPS. All three have underperformed, which has contributed to the Phillies slow start. 

However, Garcia and Bohm have come online as of late, with Garcia batting .259 with a .707 OPS and Bohm hitting .261 with a .911 OPS. If Turner can start to swing consistently -- Turner had four hits against the Colorado Rockies on May 9 after going 0-for-6 on May 8 -- the Phillies will be in good shape. 

More News: 

• Phillies' Andrew Painter showed guts in blowout loss to Athletics
• Cardinals' early signs of life have them as a postseason contender
• Pirates' surprise success has them favored to make the postseason
• Rays' recent success adds to their chances of making the playoffs
• Reds' struggles aren't hindering their odds of making the playoffs