Inside The Phillies

More Philadelphia Phillies Comparisons to Eagles Emerge After Frustrating Sweep

The Philadelphia Phillies have started to draw unfortunate comparisons to the city's NFL team with their slow start to the second half.

Dylan Sanders

Jul 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) reacts after allowing a home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 29, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) reacts after allowing a home run against the New York Yankees during the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies were on the top of the baseball world for the first half of the 2024 season, but an alarming trend has fans worried.

The Phillies went 62-34 before the All-Star break. That was four more wins than anyone else and nine more than their NL East rival Atlanta Braves.

Now, 12 games into the second half of the year, they are just 3-9 and look poor in all phases of the game.

That, combined with a disappointing performance at the MLB trade deadline, has the fanbase concerned about what is taking place.

Fan across social media have shared their disappointment and some have started to notice a similarity to another recent local sports team, the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles started the 2023 season off with a 10-1 record and looked almost unbeatable heading into the final stretch. They finished the year with a 1-5 record and got blown out in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Philadelphia's baseball team having the same result as their football team would be an incredibly heart-breaking finish for those invested in both sports.

The good news for the Phillies is that there is plenty of season left to go as they still sit six games ahead of the Braves in the race for the NL East crown.

Philadelphia has lost five straight series, dating back to the middle of July where they dropped two of three at home against the Oakland Athletics of all teams.

One big reason for the struggles has been the pitching staff seemingly falling apart.

Finishing with the second-best ERA in the first half, they are now all the way bottom at 22nd for the past 12 games. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez each have an ERA above five with at least two starts in that stretch. Ranger Suarez only made one start before landing on the IL.

The Phillies bullpen alone also has an ERA of 6.03 with 37.1 innings pitched in that same period.

It's hard to win games when there are few arms to trust.

Philadelphia's normally elite offense has also fallen off a cliff, which is a deadly combo. They are slashing just .229/.298/.383 to start the second half.

Normally reliable Bryce Harper and Trea Turner have gone ice cold at the plate with Turner's .522 OPS being the higher of the two.

The Phillies are an incredibly talented baseball team and should be fine, but need to turn things around quickly if they want to avoid the same fate as the football team.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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