The Phillies’ September has turned into a problem area, and the offense is the biggest reason why.
Philadelphia came into Wednesday with a losing record this month after cruising through August, and the timing could hardly be worse. The playoff race is tightening, October is close, and the team has gone just 1-4 over its last five games, with that lone win coming against the Atlanta Braves. Stretch it out a little further, and the Phillies are 4-6 over their last 10.
The rotation has done its part. In fact, it’s been carrying the club lately, which is exactly what the Phillies expected from that group all along. But the bullpen and the lineup have both had issues, and the bats have been the most disappointing piece of the puzzle.
The numbers tell the story. Philadelphia’s offense in September has produced a .235 batting average, which ranks 21st in MLB.
The on-base percentage sits at .290, good for 28th. The slugging percentage is .380, the OPS is .670, and the team is scoring 4.15 runs per game.
Those marks rank 23rd, 26th, and 21st, respectively, in the categories listed.
For a lineup with this much talent, that’s a rough place to be. And the struggles from some of the key names have made the overall slump easier to understand.
Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott, and J.T. Realmuto all have an OPS below .600 in September, and those three players make up about a third of the starting lineup on most nights. That kind of production simply isn’t enough.
The Phillies did try to address the lineup’s depth and length at the trade deadline by bringing in Luis Arraez, but the drop-off from Marsh and Stott has still hit the offense hard.
There are 11 games left in the month, and Philadelphia needs the bats to wake up quickly. With so little time left before October, another prolonged stretch like this would leave the Phillies in a hurry.
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Marchn complicates things because the glove has carried more value than the bat, and that matters when a club starts thinking about short series and late-inning margins. The Phillies may end up leaning on his defensive profile when they settle on the backup role for the playoffs, turning what looked like a routine depth question into one of those sneaky roster calls that can shape October more than it seems in August. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies May Already Have A Luis Arraez Problem This Winter
Luis Arraez has spent the season reminding everyone why his name stays in the middle of winter conversations. The free agent has posted a 3.2 bWAR, led MLB with a .316 batting average and even helped bolster his defensive profile along the way, all of which has only strengthened his standing as one of the more intriguing bats on the market. For the Phillies, theres also been a quieter benefit: Arraez has had a positive influence on Bryce Harper, giving Philadelphia another reason to keep him in the picture beyond the raw numbers.
The problem is that his market may be getting bigger than the clubs comfort zone. Philadelphia is interested in bringing him back, but Arraezs improved stock could draw multiple teams into the mix and make a return less straightforward than it once seemed. What looked like a manageable offseason decision may already be turning into the kind of bidding battle that forces a front office to choose between what it wants and what it can realistically hold onto. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A New Rotation Puzzle After Luzardo Injury
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Manager Don Mattingly said Urquidy is expected to arrive before the next game and could be available out of the bullpen, while Andrew Painter is lined up to start on Saturday. For the Phillies, the immediate question is how to patch together innings without overextending the rest of the staff, especially with Luzardo out and the rotation already shifting around him. [Read more 🡒]