Phillies' season spiraling as run differential hits rock bottom originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After being crowned NL East champions over the last two years, the Philadelphia Phillies came into the 2026 season looking to make it a three-peat. But if they want to see that happen, they sure have some work to do.
The trio of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber has been shaky at times, which doesn't help. And they have also been hit with a few injuries, none bigger than Zack Wheeler recovering from venous thoracic outlet syndrome and a blood clot in his shoulder, and has yet to make his debut.
They have also seen an injury to their closer, Jhoan Duran. He was recently placed on the 15-day IL with a left oblique strain, making Brad Keller and Jonathan Bowlan appear in higher-leverage situations than they were planning on appearing in, leading to struggles.
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Not getting the consistent offense they hoped for and a shaky list of pitchers is not a recipe for success. Often, it leads to an insane run differential, which is the case for the Phillies.
According to Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter, Philadelphia has the worst run differential across MLB. And with that, he ranks the team as the fourth-worst team in his latest power rankings.
"The Phillies were outscored 44-22 last week, and they now have baseball's worst run differential at minus-38 through 21 games. Ace Zack Wheeler could return during the club's weekend series in Atlanta, after making his fifth and final rehab start on Sunday, but there are issues beyond his absence at the top of the rotation."
Not all hope is lost as Wheeler could return as early as this weekend. He'd be a huge boost, but his return won't solve all the club's problems.
They need some bullpen arms to step up while Duran is away, and it wouldn't hurt for someone like Alec Bohm, who is currently hitting .139, to get it going at the plate.
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