Philadelphia Phillies: 3 musts to become serious playoff contenders again
By Tim Boyle
The Phillies pitching staff has no room for error.
Zack Wheeler needs to be in the Cy Young race, and Aaron Nola can’t be too far behind. Kyle Gibson needs to be one of the best number three starters in the league. Ranger Suarez has to be his 2021 self again. Finally, Zach Eflin needs to be the most underpaid man in baseball.
The Phillies pitching staff has no room for error. Understanding full well that the Phillies bats can go completely silent for days at a time, it’s essential every win they can get from their pitchers is secured.
This extends beyond the starting five. The bullpen also has to become impenetrable. They’ve been far better as a group this year than they were in recent seasons. Good. Keep it up. Get even better, and maybe there’s a Red October in 2022.
So far this season, Phillies pitchers have been good enough to win games backed by an elite offseason. The bats haven’t been nearly as good as they’ve needed them to be. This is why in the first half of June, the team is fighting to get back into the playoff picture.
The occasional blown save won’t crack the Phillies, nor will the bad performance from any of their starters. They will lose ugly games from here on out. They just can’t lose them because a start is completely unreliable, or the bullpen can’t be trusted whatsoever.