Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 Baseball : Can Phillies Get Back on Top
For sports teams it is all about striving to be the best at what you do. You go out and play your game as well as your abilities and your team's combined abilities allow, and if all goes according to plan you win. If it really goes according to plan you win a lot.
For the Philadelphia Phillies the last few seasons have been going according to plan for the most part. After taking second in the division for three years running (2004-2006) and finishing out of the post season, the Phillies have taken the division title for the last three seasons. They were knocked out of the play-offs pretty early in 2007, but they came back strong in 2008. Not only did they take the division with 92 wins, but they won the World Series defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.
Last season they improved ever so slightly winning 93 games en route to their third straight division title. Once again they were able to breeze through the post season and into the World Series. This time the competition was a little bit tougher in the Bronx Bombers—the New York Yankees. In the end, the most successful team in the history of baseball was not going to be denied their 27th World Series title, defeating the Phillies in six games.
The NL East in 2010
After dominating competition the last three seasons, the Phillies had no doubt that they would do just that in 2010 as well. However, with 76 games played, things have not gone entirely as planned for the defending division champions.
For one, the competition has been a lot tougher this season than in seasons past. The Atlanta Braves have been rebuilding for some time and it appears as if the process may be close to finished. Pair that with the fact that the team has extra incentive to win one more title for their long-time manager and you have a deadly force to be reckoned with (manager Bobby Cox is retiring after 25 years).
Along with the Braves there is the amazing New York Mets. New York has taken second place team in two of the last three seasons with a win total in the high 80s. So far they appear just as competitive this season as any other. Through 78 games they have the 12th best batting average in the league (.261) along with the 6th best ERA (3.83).
The Philadelphia Phillies in 2010
So far in 2010 the Phillies have been playing well. After 77 games the team has a record of 41-36, better than nine of the 16 teams in the National League. The problem is that two of the six teams that have a better record are in their division. As a direct result, the team can do nothing but just play better than they have been.
Statistically, the team is not bad, but to play into the post-season they will have to do better than they are. The pitching staff has compiled a decent ERA of 4.01, good enough for the 14th best ERA in the league. Their division opponents are on the other hand two of the best in the league; the Braves staff currently ranks 5th with an ERA of 3.76 and the Mets are 6th with an ERA of 3.83.
If you score enough runs, the quality of the pitching staff does not matter as much; the small difference between the Phillies and the Braves and Mets would be inconsequential. However, that is not the case for the Phillies. Offensively, the Phillies have a team batting average of .259, the same as the Atlanta Braves (good enough for 16th and 17th respectively). New York is only slightly better with a .261 team batting average (12th).
The difference in runs scored is slight as well. Atlanta has the lead with 374 (8th in the league); Philadelphia is nine runs behind at 365 (12th). Just four runs behind them are the Mets with 361 (14th).
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