BREAKING NEW: The Phillies traveled to from the Phillies to Improve That the Head Coach see more…

BREAKING NEW: Takeaways from the Phillies to Improve That the Head Coach,

BREAKING NEW: The Phillies traveled to from the Phillies to Improve That the Head Coach see more,The Phillies traveled to Detroit this week and won two of three games against a weak Tigers team. Nola pitched seven good innings, and the offense had 15 hits in an 8-1 victory on Monday. The bats went silent on Tuesday against Tigers lefthander Tarik Skubal, who is having an excellent season (9-3, 2.32 ERA). However, the Phillies rebounded on Wednesday with a 6-2 triumph. Five key takeaways from the series: 1. Bryce Harper is planning another MVP campaign.

As of April 28, Harper was hitting.234 with an OPS below.800. By May 28, he had increased his average to.267 with a.901 OPS. As June comes to a close, Harper has a healthy.305 average and a.987 OPS. He also has 20 home runs this season. Harper finished six for 13 in the Tigers series, including three doubles and two home runs. It’s enough to rekindle MVP shouts at Citizens Bank Park. But will Harper track down Shohei Ohtani, who is hitting?320/.398/.634 (1.032 OPS) in 24 HR? Ohtani presently has significantly better odds (-120) than Harper (+170) to win the award. Freddie Freeman (+1700); Marcell Ozuna (+2100). & Ketel Marte (+3000) round.

There is still a lot of baseball to go, but Harper should receive the nod if his numbers remain within shouting distance of Ohtani’s. Historically, no DH-only player has won the accolade. Harper provides Gold Glove-level defense at first base for the Phillies, while Ohtani sits out the majority of games. Ohtani has a better WAR, which measures both offensive and defensive value. However, WAR does not take into account the value of Harper freeing up his team’s DH spot for Schwarber, maintaining a stronger glove in left field.

Even after his two poor outings, Nola has a 3.39 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP this season. Both of these figures are lower than his career averages (3.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), and would be enough to make him the ace of many MLB rotations. The Phillies happen to have three starters with an ERA under 3.00: Rangers Suarez, Zack Wheeler, and Cristopher Sanchez, making Nola appear a touch off in contrast. As long as Nola’s WHIP remains low, home run balls will not kill him. Expect him to continue producing strong starts in the second half of the season.