Yes, the Phillies won lots of games at the end of the last two seasons and made deep runs in the playoffs.
However, the team struggled in the cold months of April and May. It was puzzling how a team that did so well in 2022 and 2023 always started the season poorly.
Now we have the answer.
It turns out the reason might be the schedule. The Phillies have started the season strong because they played against some of the worst teams in baseball.
Behind a strong performance from Aaron Nola, the Phillies finished their homestand 8-2 with a win over the White Sox. They won the games they were expected to win at Citizens Bank Park, including three-game sweeps against the Rockies and the White Sox.
The Rockies and White Sox have a combined record of 7-34 this season.
Manager Rob Thomson said he was concerned about how the team would respond against struggling teams, but the players did well. He emphasized the need to keep up the good performance.
The Phillies have won six games in a row and have a 13-6 record in April, which is their best start since 2018.
Sometimes things go well in Philadelphia.
The starting rotation had an impressive performance during the homestand. Spencer Turnbull had a no-hit bid into the seventh inning, Zack Wheeler took one into the eighth in consecutive starts against the White Sox, Ranger Suárez struck out in a shutout against Colorado, and Cristopher Sánchez allowed one run in six innings against the Rockies.
Nola made two starts on the homestand and gave up three runs and eight hits in 15 1/3 innings.
Nola expressed his excitement about winning the series and mentioned that sweeping the series is even better.
The Phillies utilized some fancy baserunning to allow Trea Turner to steal home on Sunday.
Bryce Harper hit a single that led to Turner scoring, and then Turner stole home thanks to a failed attempted steal by Harper.
The double steal wasn't the original plan, but it worked well for the Phillies.
With the Phillies performing well, the plan was successful.
Thomson stated that the play wasn't originally planned but the players executed it perfectly.
The Phillies had a strong offense, backing up the starting pitchers in the last 10 games. Schwarber hit a home run and got walked three times on Sunday. Turner has hit in 10 consecutive games and has a streak of 40 consecutive stolen bases without being caught since 2022. Alec Bohm hit two home runs against the White Sox on Friday. The Phillies scored 36 runs in the last five games.
Kyle Schwarber said it's great when the team scores runs and allows the starting pitchers to pitch well. He's happy to see the team's record above .500 and knows it's important to continue fighting throughout the season.
The Phillies hope that their success at home will continue during a 10-game road trip.
The Phillies will play a four-game series in Cincinnati, followed by three games in San Diego and three in Los Angeles. Eugenio Suárez (3-0, 1.73 ERA) will start on Monday against Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (0-1, 3.45 ERA).
Both the Angels and the Padres do not have winning records.
With that schedule ahead, the Phillies may return home leading the NL East.
The Phillies have had success in the last two seasons, finishing with strong playoff runs after winning many games at the end of the year.
