Phillies

This Phillies Team Feels a Little… 2022-ish?

By Nick Piccone

Published: Aug 11th, 2026 · 11:25 AM EDT

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Every game, even the wins, feeling incredibly painful to sit through?

Firing the manager and then going on a ridiculous run to get back in the playoff hunt?

A terrible bullpen?

It’s like we’re back in 2022. The only difference is the 2026 Phillies have a legit closer and their offense is putrid compared to then. Other than that, though…

That’s not to say the Phillies are going to go on a run and find themselves in the 2026 World Series. But, it’s also not not to say it…

It feels like this era of Phillies baseball excels when they’re underdogs. After a miracle run in the 2022 playoffs, the Phillies started the 2023 season 25-32 in the first 57 games. Bryce Harper made his season debut at first base on May 2nd. By the second half, the Phillies were showing 2022 wasn’t just lightning in a bottle.

They choked against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nobody’s denying that. They started 2024 on a tear, but played .500 baseball in the second half of the season – one that ended at the hands of the New York Mets. In 2025, they had their best start-to-finish season in this era I’d say, and could have conceivably beaten the Dodgers in the NLDS if they had a couple more dawgs.

Heading into this season, the core is older, but there have been some bright spots that we could see help them if they are able to get to the postseason. As it sits currently, the Phillies hold a one-game lead for the last wild card spot over the San Diego Padres. The general consensus is the Phillies are a better team than the ones below them in the standings, but sometimes people forget that baseball is a funny game. It’s August 11th and we’ve got a lot of people assuming the Phillies will make the playoffs. Of course we want that to happen, but as easy as the Phillies could hit a hot streak and distance themselves from the pack, other teams beneath them could do the same. The Phillies are going to have to rely on Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo to give them a chance to win in every appearance. Justin Crawford, Derek Hill, and Bryson Stott are putting together respective seasons that could be the difference come a one-run game in October. Hell, even Edmundo Sosa could start going on a heater if he gets to play more. Bryan De La Cruz has shown he can help out down the stretch during the time he’s been on the field. If the bullpen can get it to the 9th inning with a lead (a monumental task), there’s not many better in the game than Jhoan Durán.

So, yeah, there are some bright spots to look at if this team gets to the playoffs. If they wind up facing the Dodgers, it could very well be in the Wild Card round, where you only need to win two of three. The issue in the playoffs hasn’t been about getting a week off before the NLDS starts – it’s been about not having guys who can perform in clutch situations. While Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper carry the load of this offense, there needs to be other players to step up. We saw that in 2022. We definitely saw that last year when those three did absolute squat against the Dodgers. I think out of the last three seasons, I’m more confident in the guys on their bench to come through in a situation where they absolutely have to.

That, of course, is up to the manager to put them in a position to be able to do just that. And I don’t think Don Mattingly has done anything praiseworthy over his body of work since April. The run the team went on after Rob Thomson was fired was a little eye-opening, but as we sit here today, it’s safe to say Mattingly had little to do with it. It almost feels like they’re winning games in spite of him, and losing games because of him. I know it’s not that simple, but I don’t think any of us believe Mattingly will be able to out-manage anyone in the postseason.

So, that leaves it up to the players. The stars have to play like stars. The role players have to come up clutch when the time calls. And I think there might be a better chance of that this season than I thought in 2024 and 2025. I’m going to try and enjoy the rest of the season and hope this team can reach the playoffs. We’ve waited over a decade for a playoff baseball run like this. I’m not ready to turn the corner just yet.