The Philadelphia Phillies will look to sweep the Chicago Cubs tonight at Wrigley Field to improve to six games over .500 at 43-37 on the season.

The Philadelphia Phillies have the second best record in baseball since June 3rd and in the month of June overall, they currently hold a 17-7 record.

The only problem, is that every team ahead of them in the NL Standings keeps winning as well. 

National League Records in June 

• Atlanta Braves: 20-4 
• Miami Marlins: 18-7 
• San Francisco Giants: 17-7 

The Phillies have won 17 out of their last 22 games yet somehow, they have dropped 2.5 games in the National League East standings. They have 10 games left before the MLB All-Star break and will look to sweep the Chicago Cubs tonight with Taijuan Walker on the mound before returning home to face the Washington Nationals.

From there, they will go on a brutal six game road trip with stops in Tampa Bay and Miami to end the first half of the 2023 season but we’ll dive into each of those series at a later date.

Basically, we’re officially on Wild Card watch for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Wild Card or Bust…?

Let’s be honest. Right now, the easiest way for the Phillies to make the postseason will yet again, be the Wild Card route. They are 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and sit 2.5 back of the final Wild Card spot behind the Marlins, Dodgers, and Giants. 

Stage is Set for a Wild Second Half of Baseball

Luckily for The Fightins, things have certainly improved since the start of June and you can thank the starting rotation and Nick Castellanos leading the way at the plate. 

Castellanos is batting .314 with 24 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 49 RBIs and an .857 OPS this season. In the month of June, Castellanos is batting .371 with 33 hits, 5 home runs, 21 RBIs, and 12 runs scored over 22 games. 

Trea Turner has come alive in June as well, batting .271 with 26 hits, 3 home runs, 14 RBI, and 18 runs scored over 24 games in the month. 

Bryson Stott is batting .308 with 24 hits, 2 home runs, 9 RBI, and 13 runs scored in June. 

As for the starting rotation, Ranger Suarez and Taijuan Walker have been incredible. 

Ranger Suarez has started five games in June. He’s posted a 2-0 record, tossing 33.1 innings while allowing just four earned runs and 24 hits while striking out 33. 

Taijuan Walker is 4-1 in the month with a 1.50 ERA. He’s struck out 28 over five appearances in June. 

Important to Note: all of this is happening with Bryce Harper currently in the midst of a bizarre homer-less drought that dates back to May 26th and other guys like Aaron Nola, JT Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber not really reaching their full potential yet this season. 

The Miami Marlins will face the Braves in Atlanta after they attempt to complete sweep the Boston Red Sox tonight. From there, they will host the St. Louis Cardinals and Phillies before heading into the All-Star break. 

Real Quick: I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THE MARLINS ARE GOOD.

Currently, the Phillies are 4 games behind the Marlins in second place in the NL East standings, so finishing the first half of the season with at least a series win in Miami is of the upmost importance.

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