June 08, 2026
Eric Hartline/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Even with Bryce Harper in a mini-slump, the Phillies have won five of their past six games and keep climbing in national power rankings.
The Phillies aren't just moving up in the National League standings, they're also starting to earn the attention of those around the country who cover the sport. They're moving up in some power rankings, to the point where some even consider them a top-five team.
It makes sense. They have Major League Baseball's best record (26-11) since their late April managerial change from Rob Thomson to Don Mattingly. They're also coming off a sweep of the Padres and taking two of three of the surprisingly decent White Sox in the past week, making them winners in five of their last six.
The offense even started to show signs of coming around, as Brandon Marsh homered in each game against the ChiSox and the Phils scored 20 runs in the series – amazingly, without Kyle Schwarber having a single RBI.
Also, outside of the Braves, Dodgers and Brewers, there's parity throughout the league. There just aren't many dominant teams. The Phillies somehow enter Monday's MLB action with the league's eighth-most wins despite having just nine wins in their first 28 games.
Although their hot streak hasn't really put much of a dent in Atlanta's first-place lead in the NL East – the Braves still lead by 9.5 games – it has vaulted the Phillies into the second NL Wild Card spot entering their three-game road series against the Blue Jays, last year's AL champs, followed by three more on the road against the NL Central-leading Brewers.
Here in Philly, there's still some skepticism about the ceiling of this Phillies team.
Let's see why the national folks think a little more highly of them...
The [All-Star] game seems downright bizarre without Bryce Harper in it, but he didn’t make it last year in what turned out to be the worst year of his career. He’ll be back this year, and very much deservingly so."
Not to mention, the game's actually in Philly this year. And Leitch is correct – Harper should be front and center for it. Despite a recent mini-slump – he had one RBI total vs. the Padres and White Sox last week – he's been the team's steadiest hitter all year, slashing .264/.368/.507 with 14 homers and 37 RBI and five stolen bags. His slugging percentage is up 20 points from last season.
"An early managerial firing does not always jump start a team as hoped, but it's done just that for the Phillies, as they are now 26-11 under interim manager Don Mattingly."
It's still somewhat of a mystery why the Phils started 9-19 under Thomson and what Mattingly did – or has done, specifically – to make them do such a dramatic about face, especially since starting pitching has been the main ingredient to the turnaround. But Reuter is correct that the move stirred something inside the Phils, and Mattingly so far has the Midas touch.
Are they really the fourth-best team in the entire sport? Apparently, Bleacher Report isn't the only outlet that thinks so...
"Cristopher Sánchez's scoreless innings streak is over, but he became the fifth pitcher ever to get to 50. Two of those happened in the 1910s and another came in "The Year of the Pitcher," 1968. And he still only allowed one run. Since the start of May, he has a 0.20 ERA in 46 innings"
Yes, Sanchy's historical feats have been well-documented here and around the area. But you can't forget the return of Zack Wheeler, who's been dominant coming back from the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery that interrupted his brilliant 2025 season. Outside of a shaky last start against the White Sox, Jesús Luzardo has likewise been terrific.
CBS Sports already had the Phils ranked higher than most outlets before moving them up three more spots into the top five. The Phils are still only averaging just 4.04 runs per game even after the 20-run outburst against the White Sox, but they've apparently convinced two outlets that they're a top-five team.
"The word 'literally' gets thrown around too often, but in this case, it's an apt description for what Cristopher Sanchez did in going the entire month without allowing a run. It was literally perfect. Meanwhile, the Phillies did a tremendous job of holding leads; in games in May in which they held an advantage at some point, they lost a league-low two of them."
This is essentially a Jhoan Duran appreciation post by Doolittle, and a well-deserved one. The Phils are an MLB-leading 14-5 in games decided by one run, and they can thank last year's big trade acquisition for that. There have been few layup saves for Duran, who should be locking down his first All-Star berth. Duran has a 1.31 ERA in 21 outings, with a career-best 14.4 K/9 rate and 15 saves. He's mowing down hitters and has basically been the lone dependable arm in a shaky bullpen.
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