Through the Phillies first 21 games they’ve put together a record of 11-10 heading into this afternoon’s game in Washington. That’s good enough for a solid third place in the NL East behind the division’s co-favorites, the Washington Nationals and New York Mets.
After a wretched 0-4 start that saw the club outscored by a 26-12 margin they’ve rebounded to go 11-6 over the next 17 games. In this stretch the Phillies have defeated both the Mets and Nationals six times against four defeats.
This was always billed as a rebuilding year for the Fightins, a year in which the front office has downplayed expectations for the team on the field.