For Phillies, maintaining the status quo had some advantages in the hot start to the season originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies spent a lot of money this offseason, but most of it went to acquiring the services of right-handed starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, which has some observers looking at the front office.
Doesn’t a team that’s really trying to win need to spend on at least one new high-end free agent?
Apparently no. Per defeating the Rangers, 5-2, Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils continue to have the best record in baseball. And there was a general feeling in the clubhouse, as players packed their bags for the upcoming trip to Colorado and San Francisco, that maintaining the status quo had some advantages that might not have been apparent at first.
Coach Rob Thomson has talked a lot about the unusual chemistry this group has and has also often mentioned that after losing the World Series in 2023 and being eliminated by the Diamondbacks last year, there has been an increased urgency to get over the finish line.
In this sense, retreating meant that the balance remained largely unchanged.
“We all know each other well,” noted right-hander Zack Wheeler. “We know, for the most part, what we are going to do in certain situations on the field. And that’s always big.”
Added right fielder Nick Castellanos: “This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of. It is very fun. Winning is difficult, right, even when you keep the same pieces together for a long time. So the fact that we are able to feel adversity together, to feel triumphs together, only increases our bond as a group.
“So, hats off to the ownership and management for believing in the pieces that are already here. I can’t speak for the entire team. I can speak for myself that I had a really hard time enjoying any part of the offseason, even when I was on vacation, just because of the way the season ended.”
When shortstop Trea Turner went on the injured list with a strained left hamstring, it was a big loss. But Edmundo Sosa got ahead of himself. In 14 subsequent games, he hit .341. On Wednesday night, he hit a three-run homer to give starter Taijuan Walker some breathing room. Thursday, he had his first three-hit game in two years and also made a great catch on a pop-up in shallow left.
“We all know why we are here. We all know where we want to go”, he said through interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “We all know what our goal is. We want to go out and finish something that we have on hold right now.”
NEXT: LHP Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.31) will start against LHP Ty Blach (1-2, 5.14) Friday at 8:40 p.m. when the Phillies open a weekend series against the last-place Rockies at Coors Field . Will it be RHP Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05) vs. RHP Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89) Saturday at 9:10 p.m. and LHP Ranger Suarez (9-0, 1.36) vs. 3, 3.59) Sunday.
Despite having one of the worst records in baseball, Colorado has been on a roll recently. They had a seven-game winning streak from May 9-15 that included sweeps of the Rangers and Padres and are a relatively respectable 9-12 (.429) at home. . .They were swept at Citizens Bank Park on April 15-16-17, but two of the games were decided by one run.
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