.jpg)
54 minutes ago
2
The Philadelphia Phillies did not get off to a good start this year. They struggled mightily, which prompted the front office to fire manager Rob Thomson.
However, that may have been exactly what the team needed as they have started to turn this thing around. They went from a 9-19 start to going 18-10 during the month of May.
Sluggers like Bryce Harper and, more importantly, Kyle Schwarber have gotten hot at the plate, and the pitching staff behind Cristopher Sanchez has been elite.
MORE: Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez predicted to achieve something Zack Wheeler could not
Phillies ride dominant pitching and red-hot bats to a massive May turnaround
Sanchez has been operating as one of the best pitchers across MLB right now. He holds a 6-2 record with an MLB-leading 1.47 ERA and 95 strikeouts on 79.1 innings of work.
He's been big for this team, getting their record to 30-29, which is good for second place in the NL East. While they still have some work to do to catch the Atlanta Braves, the fans should feel much better about where their team sits now.
Last week, the Phillies were ranked No. 14, but Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter has bumped them up a few spots to No. 9 in his latest power rankings.
"Even with a 9-1 loss on Sunday, the Phillies still finished 18-10 with a plus-19 run differential in May. No one on the planet is pitching better than Cristopher Sanchez right now, as he is working on a 44.2-innings scoreless streak that goes back to his final start in April."
Philadelphia will look to continue to ride Sanchez's hot hand as he's scheduled to get the start on Wednesday against the San Diego Padres. And after that, Philadelphia takes on the Toronto Blue Jays, who have also turned their season around.
These two series could certainly test this team to start off the new month.
English (US)