Phillies Greatest Strength Is a Double-Edged Sword

Jun 12, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) watches batting practice before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Phillies Greatest Strength Is a Double-Edged Sword

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Jun 23, 2026 12:00 PM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies have been arguably the best team in baseball since Don Mattingly took over as the interim manager for Rob Thomson.

They were 9-19 at the time of Thomson’s firing, and entering play on June 23, they have a record of 42-36. To keep up that momentum, Dave Dombrowski will have to be aggressive ahead of the MLB trade deadline to address some roster needs.

The backend of their rotation looks shaky with Aaron Nola struggling and Andrew Painter being demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Their bullpen could use some help, with closer Jhoan Duran and setup man Orion Kerkering being the only consistently reliable arms.

However, there is one strength this team has over the competition, and that is star power. On the mound, Cristopher Sanchez has transformed himself into one of the most dominant starting pitchers in baseball.

Phillies have star duo doing heavy lifting

His counterpart in the Phillies’ lineup is designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. He is arguably the most feared power hitter in the sport, leading the MLB with 29 home runs.

Their dominance was on full display against the New York Mets over the weekend. Sanchez fired six innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. That brought his record to 9-3 on the season with a 1.80 ERA. He leads the MLB with 5.5 bWAR, 16 games started, one complete game, one shutout and 105 innings pitched.

Schwarber terrorized the Mets' pitching staff in support of the star lefty. He launched three home runs, playing a major role in the team picking up a 15-3 win.

Teams are lucky to have one player who is a star at that level on their roster. Philadelphia has two, but it is a double-edged sword. That duo is doing so much of the damage to help the team win, while they need production from other veterans on the roster.

Kyle Schwarber carrying offense with historic power

Having Sanchez and Zack Wheeler as starters in a playoff series is great, but immense pressure is on them to produce with an inconsistent lineup supporting them. Shortstop Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto are among the highly paid veterans who need to play better to elevate this team to another level, truly.

Top-heavy rosters aren’t new to the Phillies. But their stars not carrying the weight evenly certainly is. Sanchez and Schwarber are special players, but it will take more than just the two of them for this team to achieve the success they are hoping for.

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

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