It’s hard to pinpoint the biggest problem with the Phillies right now. They haven’t done anything right in any facet of the game for any consistent stretch of time so far this season and they’ve lost nine games in a row. In fact, they’re tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst record in baseball.
Sometimes it’s the starting pitching that implodes. Sometimes it’s the defense that lets them down. Others it’s the bullpen that turns a winnable game into a blowout. Most of the time it’s a historically poor offense that struggles to scratch across any runs.
You can count on one hand the players that have performed, and even they still have their problems. Cristopher Sánchez has pitched well overall but got rocked yesterday, surrendering 6 runs on 12 hits, both tying his career worsts. Kyle Schwarber has 8 home runs and Bryce Harper has an .856 OPS, but Schwarber has so far regressed against left-handed pitching, hitting .163 with 18 strikeouts, and Harper has struggled with runners in scoring position, hitting .227 with a .625 OPS.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Alec Bohm has looked lost, Jesús Luzardo hasn’t been able to pitch deep into games and has a 6.91 ERA, José Alvarado has looked ineffective, Adolis Garcia hasn’t made much of a difference, and Bryson Stott not only hasn’t carried over his strong second half but has gotten worse. Those are just some of the biggest underperformers on a roster full of them. Some will turn it around, but it’s fair at this point to really consider just what “turn it around” means in this case. Does it mean just going from bad to below average or a full rebound to good?
This team’s strength has always been its pitching, but they haven’t performed. Their expensive offense has continually failed to produce. The revamped bullpen has already suffered a rash of injuries, including to star closer Jhoan Duran, and is being overworked thanks to the starters’ ineffectiveness. Any one of these things would be cause for concern. But here we are with all three and trying to rank the concern level.
So, what is your biggest concern with the Phillies right now? Is it the rotation’s underperformance? Is it the general ineptitude of the offense? Or is it the bullpen already hanging by a thread before the end of April?
