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Why the Philadelphia Phillies Must Capitalize on Mid-June Strip

After a difficult schedule in May, June appears to have a strip of games in which the Philadelphia Phillies should win, especially with hopes of playing October baseball.

Author:
Declan Harris
Jun 1, 2022 2:47 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

To say that the dreams of October baseball, which blossomed following the end of the 99-day lockout, seem to be hopeless for Philadelphia Phillies fans is an understatement.

May proved to be an extremely difficult month for the Fightins after getting off to a decent start in April landing in third place in the NL East. They leave the month of May in the same position. However, this time their record is seven games below .500, following a five-game losing streak at the end of the month.

It's safe to say that this streak has crushed the morale of both the clubhouse and the fanbase in the City of Brotherly Love, with fans wanting serious change in the managerial department and the bullpen.

Amidst all of this turmoil, even with the dream of playoff baseball seeming so far fetched, it isn't.

Although Philadelphia's schedule in June provides them with a difficult start taking on the Los Angeles Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as a challenging homestretch to close the month against the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves, the middle of June provides them with a 13-game set which appears to be a much-needed oasis.

This strip of games includes the Washington Nationals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, and the Texas Rangers. All of these are teams that on paper should not prove to be an issue for the Phillies, but when has that ever meant anything?

Over the previous half-decade, some of these teams have proven to be a thorn in the side for Philadelphia, with the last winning season against the Diamondbacks coming in 2015. For reference, excluding inter-league and NL East teams, no side has given the Phillies such a difficult time, going 11-22 against Arizona since that season.

It'll be important for Philadelphia to take notes and really get off to a hot start against the Diamondbacks as their next series against them is in late August when playoff baseball will be the only thing on everyone's minds.

The Marlins are always a rough team for the Phillies, a trend that continues this season dropping three games already, despite batting .271/.340/.414 against them so far this season.

Similar to the Marlins, the Rangers are the most contentious team in that set, yet Philadelphia has shown that they have what it takes to go the distance against them, losing both games to Texas within two runs.

Granted the Phillies' five-game stretch against the Nationals may prove to be the most important in the set.

This Nationals roster is struggling following the departure of "Mr.National" Ryan Zimmerman, with runner-up to the2021 NL MVP award in Juan Soto struggling to get off to a hot start, batting .236/.382/.449. Their veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, who the club signed in March, has also not found his stride, hitting .237/.316/.343. The struggles also extend into their starting rotation, where four out of their five starters have an ERA above 5.00.

For Philadelphia, there is no reason why they shouldn't take all of the games against Washington, a team that gave them no trouble last season with the Fightins taking 13 out of 19 games against the side while slugging .273/.354/.479 with 32 home runs.

Some key figures to watch in this set are Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, and Kyle Schwarber, all of whom, are offensive monsters against these teams. Against all teams, Philadelphia's lineup has players who are great against them.

Taking several games out of the opening and closing series in June would be great for the team and fanbase in terms of morale going into the All-Star Break, and hopefully carrying over into the second half.

Just as a reminder, last year when the Phillies were inches from securing a spot in the playoffs, they too faced great challenges in the first half of the season, entering the All-Star break at 44-44. 2021 carries plenty of parallels for the current season as they too also struggled in the month of May going 12-16.