As the reigning National League champions, the Philadelphia Phillies began the 2023 season with high expectations. However, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan in the City of Brotherly Love. At the midway point of the season, the Phillies are barely above .500 and still on the outside of the playoff picture. So what are the chances that the Phillies will make it back to the postseason and become a factor in October?
The good news for the Phillies is that some of the legal PA sportsbooks are giving them favorable odds. Granted, FanDuel gives Philadelphia +2500 odds to win the NL East, making the Phils a long shot to overtake the Braves. But it’s worth pointing out that those are the second-shortest odds to win the NL East crown this year. Meanwhile, DraftKings currently lists the Phillies at -145 to make the playoffs whereas a bet for Philly to miss the playoffs is listed at +125, so the chances are good that the Phillies will be back in the playoffs, even if nothing is a sure thing.
Philadelphia’s problem is that they’ve been fighting an uphill battle all season. The Phillies had just one win in their first six games of 2023 and were 5-10 midway through April. They also ended April and started May on a six-game losing streak, dropping them to 15-19 on the season. In fairness, the Phils were without Bryce Harper at the start of the season. But that doesn’t excuse such a poor start.
Even when they looked to get on track, the Phillies would also take a step backward. They had a second five-game losing streak in mid-May and another five-game losing streak in late May and early June. Alas, following falling as many as seven games under .500 in early June, the Phillies won 13 of 15 games to climb above .500 and announce themselves as playoff contenders in 2023.
Of course, there is still a lot of work ahead for the Phillies if they hope to secure a playoff berth. Catching the Braves is unlikely, so they’ll have to rely on grabbing one of the three Wild Card spots. The Marlins, Giants, and Dodgers are all currently ahead of Philly in the Wild Card standings. There are also two or three teams behind the Phillies who might potentially overtake them. In other words, the Wild Card race figures to be tight during the second half of the season, making every game important.
At the moment, the Phillies are middle of the pack in most offensive categories. Players like Harper, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, and J.T. Realmuto haven’t performed up to their potential. Likewise, the Philadelphia rotation and bullpen are middle of the pack in ERA. Aaron Nola, who usually leads the pitching staff, is having a down year. The Phillies have also had trouble solidifying the back end of their rotation and their contingent of late-game relievers.
Looking ahead, the Phillies will likely need to make one or two meaningful additions at the trade deadline if they hope to rise above all of the other Wild Card contenders. The good news is that Philly will get 19 games during the second half of the season once morest the Marlins, Brewers, and Giants, giving them a chance to beat their Wild Card contenders head-to-head. But on top of those games, they have 15 games left once morest the Braves, Rays, Orioles, and Blue Jays. For a team that’s still 18-25 once morest teams with a winning record, that’s a challenging schedule. Given Philadelphia’s erratic season up to this point, the Phillies may not be a good bet to make the playoffs in 2023.
