The Advantages Of The Philadelphia Phillies’ 2nd Half Schedule
The Philadelphia Phillies 2nd half schedule isn’t easy. It also isn’t difficult. The combined winning percentage of their remaining opponents is .500 even. And yet, the Phillies still have a very advantageous 2nd half when you break it down. We all know that the team didn’t start the season off on the best foot, and they have work to do to lock down a 2nd straight playoff berth. They’re currently a half game out of the final wild card spot in the National League, so they’ll take all the help that they can get.
The good news is that the powers that be seem to have been kind to the Phillies with the distribution of their games, and the team itself has put themselves in a good position relative to where they could be. Here’s why.
First of all, the Phillies have the most home games of any team in the 2nd half of the season. That’s a huge advantage for a team that is 22-16 at Citizens Bank Park this year. Even with the huge road winning streak at the end of the 1st half, the Phillies are 26-25 on the road. This should play well into the team’s quest to make up ground in the NL playoff push. Also advantageous to them is the strength of schedule.
While .500 teams aren’t technically “easy” opponents, that mark gives them the 12th easiest strength of schedule in baseball. No team that they are chasing besides the Atlanta Braves (who, frankly, are uncatchable at this point) have an easier schedule the rest of the way. It’s very clear, from those factors, to say that the Phils have an easier road than most in the 2nd half schedule.
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That’s not all, though. The team itself has created some advantages. The hot finish to the 1st half put them in a position where they are in easy striking distance of a playoff spot, as opposed to teams like the Padres and Mets, who are 6 and 7 games out respectively. In addition to that, the team is getting healthier.
The starting rotation finally seems to be settled into their health, Darick Hall is back and available, and Cristian Pache adds depth to the bench by coming back from the IL. There’s also the matter of aggressive Dave Dombrowski, who is the perfect President Of Baseball Operations to have for a team that’s looking to make aggressive moves at the trade deadline. The Phillies don’t have the most assets in baseball, but the farm system has grown to a point where they can certainly add at the deadline. While it wasn’t the best start to the year, the Phillies’ 2nd half-schedule certainly sets the stage for a good run to round out the year.