The Philadelphia Phillies are stuck in a seven-game slide, and their problems keep piling up.
J.T. Realmuto just joined Jhaon Duran on the injured list, creating another headache for the 8-15 Phillies. That’s two key pieces gone from a team that’s already struggling to find answers.
But here’s the thing – they’re not dead yet.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden thinks Philadelphia can still salvage this season and make the postseason. The catch? Everything needs to go right from here on out.
“A lot must go right for this Phillies team to get back to the playoffs, but there is still a pathway.”
Let’s be honest – that pathway looks pretty narrow right now.
The offense has been a mess outside of Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Alec Bohm has been brutal this season, while Adolis Garcia hasn’t come close to living up to his offseason hype. Bryson Stott hasn’t been much better, and basically every right-handed bat in the lineup has underwhelmed.
That’s a lot of guys who need to turn things around simultaneously.
The offensive struggles are just part of the problem. Philadelphia needs to clean up their defense, and both the rotation and bullpen have to pitch better. On top of that, Rob Thomson needs to keep making the right calls in the dugout for the next four-plus months.
The margin for error is razor-thin at this point.
Sure, players get hot and seasons can turn around quickly in baseball. But banking on that many guys flipping a switch at the same time? That’s asking a lot, even with plenty of games left on the schedule.
Bowden’s right that there’s still a pathway to October, but the Phillies need to start walking it soon. Every game matters more when you’re already eight games under .500 in late April, and the injuries aren’t making things any easier.
The odds aren’t in Philadelphia’s favor right now, but stranger things have happened over 162 games.
