Location: Philadelphia, Pa. | Ballpark: Citizens Bank Park (43,500) | Spring Training: Clearwater, Fla.
Owner: Bill Giles, David Montgomery | GM: Pat Gillick | Manager: Charlie Manuel | World Championships: 1
Granted, Josh Hamilton's 106-year-old batting-practice pitcher would be an upgrade in the rotation over Adam Eaton, but Blanton's hardly a lock to excel in the Sillies' pinball machine of a ballpark ... Consider the recent hitting problems (four runs or less in 20 of their past 30 games) a hiccup. This lineup remains stacked ... Nine of their next 12 are on the road, including sure-to-be-hyped tilts against the Cards and the Mets. The winner of the latter series gets dibs on the "WE'RE the team to beat now, dog!" crazy talk.
07/09/2008
12
12
We agonized over possibly dropping them below the Mets, who have owned them in the season series (3-7), but the Phillies deserve the benefit of the doubt. Despite dropping the series to the Mets this weekend, the Phils showed some real moxie rallying in the games they were trailing. Any team that can nearly overcome nine- and eight-run deficits is a serious threat. Their schedule softens up in August, so if they can merely hang on through July ...
07/01/2008
12
8
Since being 13 games over at 39-26, they have lost six consecutive series and gone 5-13. It was right about where we said the schedule toughens up on them and they haven't proven up to the task. They can get hot at the right time, though, and put some games in the floundering Braves and Mets in the upcoming seven. We said weeks ago that 'now' was time to catch them. Consider them 'caught.' This week they could be passed.
06/24/2008
8
4
The rough stretch has caught up to them. Good pitching stops good hitting most of the time and the Phillies are finding out these top contenders just have too much pitching. The bats will come around, so thankfully they still have a cushion in the division amid this downswing.
06/18/2008
4
4
Until Tuesday night's Golden Sombrero, Ryan Howard was putting the team on his back -- just in time for a rare Chase Utley slump. Manager Charlie Manuel was right: 'Louisville Slugger will decide things.'
06/10/2008
4
5
Three games into their brutal stretch through the All-Star break, they are 3-0. They have been the best team in baseball the past three weeks, so they have a good case for No. 1 if they sustain it one more week.
06/03/2008
5
8
Chase Utley is scorching and the Phils have done a great job collecting their nuts before a monster stretch before the All-Star break -- Atlanta, Florida, St. Louis, Boston, L.A. Angels, Oakland, Atlanta again, N.Y. Mets, St. Louis again and finally Arizona. All those are current top 10 teams in our rankings. It is tough coming out of the break, too. If they go even .500 in those games, they should still be in first at the trade deadline.
05/27/2008
8
6
After 35 runs in their past two games, they have no business being downgraded -- especially having won five of seven. But, in order to upgrade the first-place Rays and Marlins, we had to have some victims. A weekend set vs. those Marlins can change things in a hurry, though.
05/20/2008
6
5
Baseball's best bullpen (2.90 ERA) let them down Sunday amid a three-game losing streak, but the mere fact they are stalking the division lead despite the slow start of Ryan Howard and the injury to Jimmy Rollins portends bad things for their rivals.
05/13/2008
5
5
They have played a division-low nine games against the NL East, so their future will be determined when they get into the thick of their division schedule. That will happen more in the coming weeks, starting with the Braves this week.
Preseason Power Rankings
Date
Ranking
Previous
02/28/2008
4
-
It is not too often a lineup can boast a trio of MVP candidates. The question is whether the pitching staff is deep enough after Cole Hamels and Brett Myers to limit the opposition in Citizens Bank Park. We're not sold on Brad Lidge's ability to keep the ball in the ballpark or to stay level-headed.
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