The Philadelphia Phillies have lived up to expectations in the month of June and just wrapped up a series against the NL West first place team in the Arizona Diamondbacks, winning 3-of-4 games in the desert. 

The Phillies have taken June by storm, posting a 10-4 record while winning 8 out of their last 10 games. They won 5-4 yesterday against the D-Backs and honestly, could have walked away with a sweep in Arizona if Game 1’s bullpen game didn’t go haywire. 

The series before, they took 2-of-3 from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

I try to avoid using the “B Word” lightly, but at this point, I’m perfectly comfortable declaring that the Phillies are BACK. 

Over a four game span the Phillies have scored 33 runs thanks to the four players below.

Phillies Top Performers at the Plate: Last 7 Games

• Nick Castellanos: .323/.333/.516 | 1 HR | 7 RBIs | 10 H | 5 R
• Trea Turner: .379/.455/.448 | 11 H | 7 R | 2 2B | 4 SB
• Bryson Stott: .444/.464/.852 | 2 HR | 6 RBIs | 12 H | 6 R | 23 TB
• JT Realmuto: .389/.476/1.056 | 2 HR | 6 RBIs | 7 H | 7 R | 2 SB

Rotation Resurgence

The starters have been fantastic over the last two weeks, which is a big reason why the Phillies are back over .500 for the first time since May 13th.

Taijuan Walker

The biggest surprise over the month of June has been Taijuan Walker, who has looked absolutely fantastic in three starts, the last two being wins for the Phillies.

Walker has logged just a 1.69 ERA in June and has not allowed an earned run over his last two starts.

• 6/6 vs. Detroit: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 Ks
• 6/11 vs. Dodgers: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 Ks

Ranger Suarez

Suarez struggled his first few starts back from injury but currently holds a 0.90 ERA in three June starts.

• 6/4 @ Washington: 7 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 Ks
• 6/9 vs. Dodgers: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 8 Ks
• 6/14 @ Diamondbacks: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 Ks

Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler is finally returning to “ace” form over the past few weeks. Take away his blow-up in Washington, and his month of June has looked fantastic.

• 6/8 vs. Detroit: 7.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 8 Ks
• 6/13 @ Diamondbacks: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 7 Ks

Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola has been an absolute whirlwind on the mound this season. Some days he looks like the best pitcher in the league, and other days, he looks like a 4th starter at best. The biggest issue with Nola right now is pitching from the stretch.

• Bases Empty: .191 BAA, .586 OPS, 7 runs scored
• Runners On: .304/.357/.548, 40 RBIs, 35 H, 42 runs scored

The Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are coming off a series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays but won seven in a row before dropping their last two.

Oakland currently sits at 19-52 on the year, the second-worst record in the MLB, trailing only the Kansas City Royals, who are 18-50 (yuck). The A’s hold a 9-23 record at home, have allowed 453 runs this season, and are on pace for the worst run differential in Major League Baseball history, already holding a -196 through 71 games.

The only player on this team that is hitting well this year is Brent Rooker.

Rooker, 28, holds a .261 average with 13 HRs, 38 RBIs, and a .869 OPS. Rooker has crushed lefties this season, holding a .596 OPS against them.

The big story with the A’s right now is the awesome reverse boycott they held the other night at the Coliseum.

Shoutout to As fans for making that place a frenzy.

Bryce Harper also came out in support of Oakland fans, while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred completely trashed them.

DraftKings Sportsbook: Bet $5, Win $200 INSTANTLY

• Sign up for a new DraftKings account
• Make Your First Deposit
• Bet $5+ On Any Sport
• Get $200 In Free Bets Instantly

Claim your free $200 here >>

Projected Series Starters

• Taijuan Walker (6-3, 4.67 ERA) vs. JP Sears (1-3, 4.15 ERA)
• TBD vs. James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.89 ERA)
• Zack Wheeler (5-4, 3.73 ERA) vs. Hogan Harris (2-0, 4.84 ERA)

Phillies @ Oakland Athletics – 9:40 EST

Tonight’s Prediction

The A’s stink, and they’ve already come back down to earth after a pretty sweet winning streak. JP Sears has pitched well at home, but I think the Phillies’ offense stays hot tonight and handles this one pretty easily.

Pick: Phillies -1.5 (+118)

Join The Chase