Inside The Phillies

MLB Writer Questions Validity Of Philadelphia Phillies Season

The Philadelphia Phillies had a fantastic month of May, but can they sustain it as they chase a World Series?
Dylan Sanders|
May 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) and first base Bryce Harper (3) shake hands after a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park.
May 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) and first base Bryce Harper (3) shake hands after a victory against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies currently hold the best record in baseball at 41-18, but can they keep that level of performance up?

MLB.com's Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru gave Philadelphia their due, but also questioned if they will be able to sustain their performance past May as he asked, "Are the Phillies for real?"

Here's what the writer had to say after posing the question:

"Not to explicitly admit to being low on the Phillies -- it’s just smarter not to form strong opinions about what we’re going to see from them. There is undeniably a ridiculous amount of talent there (there usually is), but the fundamentals have fallen through the cracks with such remarkable consistency that it’s difficult to know what we’re going to be watching."

Philadelphia had a May that would be hard for anyone to replicate. They had a team ERA of 2.62 along with an OPS of .750 while scoring 156 runs. Both sides of the ball were firing on all cylinders.

One of the biggest improvements made from month-to-month was the performance of the bullpen. The Phillies relievers started the year out ranking towards the bottom of the league in ERA, WHIP, batting average and strikeouts.

For the month of May, the same staff was first in ERA and in the top-five for WAR and xFIP.

If there was something on the team that would need a bigger sample size to feel comfortable about, it would be them.

The offense and starting rotation has been performing at a high level all season, which should give confidence that it wasn't a fluke.

Starting pitchers Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler sit atop the Cy Young race after fantastic starts to their year. Aaron Nola and Christopher Sanchez have been very good as well.

Bryce Harper is an MVP candidate, J.T. Realmuto is on the rise and Alec Bohm broke out in April.

Philadelphia also has a batter that was slashing .343/.392/.460, Trea Turner, who got injured just three days into the month and should be returning soon.

The Phillies have earned their current reputation and should be considered favorites as the season rolls along.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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