It’s been a middling month of May for the Philadelphia Phillies. They’re now 3-7 in their last 10 games going into Sunday’s series finale against the Mets. A return to Citizen’s Bank Park may yield better results, but the trends don’t exactly favor Girardi’s men.
The fielding has been sloppy, silly errors have haunted them, and the coaching decisions from Joe Girardi have been questionable at best. If it wasn’t for one of the MLB’s most potent offenses, the Phillies would be in a terrifying place right now.
The good news is that the bats are as explosive as ever. The Phils still rank 8th in the MLB in hits, 9th in home runs, 10th in batting average, and 4th in slugging. The bad news is that the Giants rank 10th in hits, 8th in home runs, 7th in batting average, and 5th in slugging. They’re going pound for pound with the Phils in the majority of offensive categories, and if it comes down to bullpen performances and fielding discipline, look out.
The Phillies rank 20th in fielding percentage, have committed the 9th most errors of any team, and those issues don’t look like they’re going away anytime soon. The Phils need a dramatic shift in form and they need it fast.
Betting trends
The Phillies are 11-13 at home this year and 2-4 as a home underdog. The Giants are 11-9 on the road and 10-4 as a road favorite. The contrast is night and day and it may take more than a little luck for the Phillies to buck those trends, especially considering how poor their performances have been over the past few weeks.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
