The Phillies Offensive Explosion By The Numbers
By Connor Thomas
Over the past 4 days, the Phillies absolutely laid waste to Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs. They only took 3 of the 4 games due to a rough start in game 3 by Zack Wheeler, but the series was an offensive exhibition that we haven’t seen from the Phillies in a long time. When you look at the numbers the Phils put up in Chicago, it becomes an even more impressive feat. Hopefully, this is the breakthrough that translates into an extended hot streak for the team heading into the 2nd half of the season. Before the Phillies head to Boston to wrap up their first half with a series with the Red Sox, the previous series deserves a look back to simply admire the offensive explosion.
Runs – 39
The Phillies scored 39 runs in a series, easily the most in a single series in at least the last decade of Phillies baseball. They averaged 9.75 runs per game, and their 13 and 15 run performances in games 1 and 2 was the first time this year they’ve scored double digit runs in back to back games. The 39 runs led to a huge run differential of +18, which is also the biggest in a series so far this year.
Home Runs – 13
13 home runs is a preposterous number for a 4 game series. It means the Phillies on average hit over 3 homers per game against the Cubs, plenty of souvenirs for the folks in the bleachers at Wrigley. Some may have indeed been aided by the heavy wind in Chicago, but the 13 bombs in this series are more home runs than the previous 11 Phillies games combined. The weather is warming up, and the long ball looks like it may be becoming a more usual occurrence for the Phils.
Hits – 44
It wasn’t all long balls during the series in Chicago. The Phillies managed to rack up 44 hits, and put up a pair of 11 hit games against the Cubs. In easy enough math, 11 was also the run average per game in the series, part of that being buoyed by a 16 hit game against former Phillie Jake Arrieta. It’s fun to see the Phils hit, but there was some added sweetness in doing it against Arrieta, whose time in Philadelphia wasn’t exactly stellar.
Walks – 16
An underrated aspect of the numbers in the Cubs series was that the Phillies only walked 16 times. A lot of times when you see double digit runs being hung up, there are a lot of walks in the box score. The fact that the Phils only averaged 4 walks per game in the 4 game series shows that they weren’t just being handed opportunities to run up the score. This wasn’t the Cubs giving the Phillies runs, they were going out there and taking them. The Phils were selective enough to work a few free passes, but when you’re hot you swing the bat, and they absolutely swung it over the past 4 days. Here’s hoping their final series of the first half – a 3 game set in Boston against the Red Sox – is just as productive.