There's no way to say it without sounding cliche, the Phillies are on a Rocky Mountain high.
One of the worst teams in recent memory put up very little fight against Philadelphia this week, which piled up the hits while securing the best record in the National League through 49 games.
The Phillies flexed offensively in the thin air of Coors Field, corralling a ridiculous 46 hits over the first three games of the four-game series before falling back to Earth with just four in the finale Thursday.
It won't be easy to single out winners and losers from the Phils' dominating four-game sweep — but that won't keep us from trying:
Winners
Bryce Harper
The 2022 NLCS MVP is sizzling hot right now. A look at his offensive contributions against the Rockies:
• 2-for-4 in Game 1, with a Sac Fly and two RBI.
• 3-for-5 in Game 2, with two doubles and two RBI.
• 2-for-4 in Game 3, with a homer and stolen base.
• 1-for-4 in Game 4, knocking in the Phillies' first run in the 2-0 win.
His defense also flashed, as he made a key play against the dugout with a runner on third in the finale:
Excuse me, can I just reach over here real quick, gotta grab something pic.twitter.com/OAC3FZ5leR
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 22, 2025
Alec Bohm
It's easy to complain about Bohm this season — or at least it was until this week began. The third baseman has never really found his power stroke consistently, is frustrating often defensively, and had struggled to start 2025 following an offseason rampant with trade rumors.
In Colorado he hit safely in all four games and blasted this clutch go-ahead home run in the series opener with the Phillies trailing:
Alec Bohm comes up huge in the eighth and the Phillies have their first lead of the night! @Cherry_Pins pic.twitter.com/3xjZPdWtXZ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 20, 2025
Bohm had six hits in the series, including a double in the finale.
The starters
The Phillies are grooving on the mound to open games and got four quality starts in this series. Oh, and their best pitcher, Zack Wheeler, will pitch Friday as he looks to make it eight wins in a row.
• Cris Sánchez: 3 ER, 7K in 6 IP on Monday
• Jesús Luzardo: 1 ER, 2 hits, 10 K in 6 IP on Tuesday
• Taijuan Walker: 3 ER in 5 IP on Wednesday
• Ranger Suárez: 0 ER in 6.2 innings on Thursday
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Yes, it helps to get run support. But the starters doing their jobs this supremely well took a ton off pressure over a short-handed bullpen this week, minimizing the importance of innings tossed by unreliable arms like Joe Ross and Tanner Banks.
Losers
J.T. Realmuto
Keep in mind that when you score 27 runs in a four-game sweep, we're going to have to nit pick. In the third game of the series, Realmuto flashed, collecting three hits including a three-run homer. However, he went 0-for-10 to start the series and was the only regular hitter to be .200 or worse in the series.
Realmuto had the day off Thursday, and his backup struggled too. Rafael Marchan went 0-for-3 in his stead, lowering his batting average to .129. Offensively, the Phillies are lacking a bit at catcher. Here's hoping the Wednesday home run can get things going for the one-time BCIB.
The front of the bullpen
With José Alvarado suspended, the Phillies bullpen is going to look a little differently for the next couple months. Whether they convert a starter, make a trade, or get innings from middle relievers moved back up in the pecking order, there is a trickle down effect from their de facto closer getting sidelined for 80 games.
Ross and Banks pitched meaningful late game innings but performed well. The same can't be said for the bottom three arms in the pen right now in José Ruiz, Carlos Hernández and recently promoted Max Lazar.
That trio combined to allow five runs on nine hits in five innings — a nice round 9.00 ERA. Against any other opponent, it would likely have doomed the Phillies. Luckily for them, the Rockies are the worst team in baseball and the offense was able to lift them up.
The rest of the NL East
Back on Sunday, the Phillies were a half-game behind the Mets after Mick Abel's dazzling debut and a 1-0 win over the Pirates in South Philly.
Thursday evening, after four more wins, the Phillies have surpassed the Mets in the NL East, holding a full 2-game lead in the division as well as the best record in the entire National League.
It's a scheduling fluke, as the Phillies were gifted four games against the worst team in baseball at just the right time. They will have another soft series next, facing an Athletics team that had lost eight in a row heading into action Thursday afternoon.
The going will get tough again next week and quickly, with the Braves and then the Brewers arriving at Citizens Bank Park.
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