A Reminder The Phillies NL Rivals Are Flawed Too

As Philly fans, we tend to hyper-focus on our teams. It is hard not to. When you watch 162 Phillies games, you do not have much time to watch the Mets, Dodgers, Cubs, Padres, and Giants. We are well aware of the Phillies' flaws, and there is no denying they are flawed, it is easy to miss that those other teams have flaws too.

While it is very fair to say the Phillies' bullpen is weak or their lineup lacks depth, it is perhaps not fair to say those things preclude them from winning a World Series. There is a reason that despite all of those flaws, the Phillies still have a top 5 record, and are within striking distance of the lead in the NL.

So instead of droning on about the things the Phillies need to fix, let's take a quick look at the teams they are battling with to win the NL. Because those teams have issues just like the Phillies do.

I would have thought the Mets' rotation would be their issue. To their credit, the starters have done a great job so far. I still think some of them are overperforming, but to this point, they have been fantastic. But believe it or not, their lineup might have bigger issues than the Phillies do.

Francisco Lindor is great. Even in a down year, Juan Soto is a very good player. Pete Alonso has rewarded the Mets for re-signing him. And Jeff McNeil is playing great too. The issue is once you get further down the lineup.

We talk about the Phillies' lineup lacking depth, but so does the Mets. In fact, the Mets have scored fewer runs this season than the Phillies, despite those top 4 guys playing so well. Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Tyrone Taylor, and Luisangel Acuna have all played in over 50 games and have all been mediocre at best. All of their catching options have struggled at the plate. Starling Marte has been mediocre.

They have fewer runs and hits than the Phillies, along with a lower batting average and lower OBP. For all the issues we saw the Phillies lineup has, the Mets have issues too. They have more thump, but struggle to string together hits.

The Dodgers' rotation has an ERA of 4.27. The 9th worst number in the league. They have also pitched the 2nd fewest innings in the league, showing they are not only giving up a lot of runs, but they are getting knocked out of games earlier than almost any other team's starters.

Some of this is injury. Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, and Tyler Glasnow have all been on the IL for most of the year. But they didn't look good before they got injured. Dustin May is healthy, but he is struggling too. Only 2 pitchers with at least 5 starts have an ERA under 4, Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw. We have seen what Kershaw looks like in the playoffs.

They recently added Shohei Ohtani back into the rotation, out of sheer need. Perhaps he will help. But he pitched only 1 inning in his first outing. Given the fact that it has been nearly 2 years since he pitched, and can't exactly go on an extended rehab assignment to stretch his arm out, it is hard to see him making too much of an impact on the mound until he gets a full offseason to work out his arm. Pushing him this season risks injury and losing his bat.

Before they finally broke through last year, their rotation was their achilles heel in the playoffs. They did not have 3, let alone 4, starters to get through a 7-game series. They may not have that again. While Yamamoto can stack up vs anyone, they might be throwing out the likes of Landon Knack in a playoff game, or Tony Gonsolin. As great as their lineup is, that might be hard to overcome.

For as much talk as there is about the Mets and Dodgers, the Cubs might be the most complete team in the NL. They do not have the sheer star power the Dodgers do, but they are deeper overall. Their lineup is pretty much good top to bottom. Their bullpen is one of the best in baseball. But their rotation is mostly just solid.

I don't know if I can call this a weakness per se. Right now, the rotation, outside of Ben Brown, does not hurt them. They are missing Shota Imanaga, but guys like Colin Rea, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, and Cade Horton have been solid.

The one thing I can say is they lack an ace, and they lack anyone who is proven in the playoffs. While these guys are getting it dowe in the regular season, they might not hold up come October.

Are they going to feel good with Colin Rea on the mound vs the Dodgers in October? What about a rookie like Cade Horton? They certainly would not feel good if they had to throw Ben Brown out there. None of these guys match up well in a game if Zack Wheeler or Yoshinobu Yamamoto are on the mound.

I will admit it is not as big of a weakness as these other teams. But it easily could become a weakness come October.

Adding a bat like Rafael Devers could change this. We will see how much of an impact he has, and if it is enough to lift an otherwise mediocre lineup. But to this point, they have very much been carried by pitching.

The Giants are 18th in runs, 24th in AVG, and 22nd in OPS. We talk about the Phillies' lineup lacking thump, but the Giants have been even worse in that regard. This is not a lineup that is going to put fear in any pitching staff come October.

Again, maybe Devers changes that. He is a very good hitter, and his presence could even help other hitters, too. But until we see that happen, the Giants have not scored runs the way a World Series team needs to.

Side note, while their starters are good, they do not exactly go super deep into games. Their bullpen is great, so it is not too big of a problem. But when you compare them to the Phillies, who regularly go 7 innings, it might be a disadvantage come playoff time.

Everything I said about the Giants applies to the Padres too. They are 20th in runs, 18th in hits, 27th in HRs, 15th in steals, and 20th in OPS. They have 4 hitters playing very well. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Jackson Merril, and Gavin Sheets. It all goes downhill from there.

Unlike the Giants, their rotation does not exactly make up for it. They are not terrible, but Dylan Cease continues to be a disappointment with an ERA of 4.69. Michael King looked good before he got injured. Nick Pivetta is pitching well, but he has had a long enough career where we know who he really is. No one besides maybe a healthy King is the type of guy you throw on the mound in the playoffs and feel great about.

But they also do not go deep into games. Their starters are 19th in innings pitched. Their bullpen has been fantastic. But a mediocre lineup paired with a mediocre rotation is not going to get it done in October.