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Key Unit Has Been Elite for Phillies During Recent Stretch
May 10, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Brandon Marsh (16) is greeted by first base coach Paco Figueroa (38) after hitting a single against the Colorado Rockies during the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. John Jones-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have gotten back on track of late and will be seeking to get back to the .500 mark this week. 

Following a good two-week stretch following the firing of Rob Thomson, the Phillies are now heading on the road for a series against the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Philadelphia has been able to create quite a bit of momentum over the last couple of weeks, and after starting the year with a (9-19) record, they have improved to (19-22) on the campaign. 

The strong stretch of late has come against some easier competition, but this was a run that the team needed to go on. As expected with the strong record of late, it has been a team effort. The starting rotation has improved with the return of Zack Wheeler, who hasn’t missed a beat. 

However, the real reason for the improvement has been the production from the lineup. This was a unit that was really struggling to start the season, with the right-handed batters in particular not performing well. Even though it hasn’t all been perfect, the group has been much better of late. 

Offense Heating Up 

Seeing the offense finally starting to heat up has been one of the driving forces in their turnaround to begin May. Leading the league in batting average and slugging percentage is a recipe for success. Furthermore, they are driving in runs at a high clip, averaging over five per game in the 13-game span. 

While the Phillies’ offense isn’t the best in the league, it is certainly better than what they showed to start the year. Thankfully, there have been some improvements with hitters breaking out of some of their extended slumps

With the team overall doing better, there have been multiple hitters who have found success. One of the key ones has been the runner-up for the National League MVP last year, Kyle Schwarber. The talented slugger is red-hot right now with five home runs in his last four games, including a home run in each of those games. 

The impressive stretch by Schwarber has also been complemented by Bryce Harper playing well and Brandon Marsh continuing what has been an excellent start to the season. 

Due to the loaded starting rotation that the Phillies have, they don’t need their offense to be the best in the league. However, as long as they can be in the top half of most of the major offensive categories, they should be fine going forward. 


This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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