(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing catch-up all season long.
After a slow start to the season, they find themselves eight games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
But the Phillies have seemingly turned their season around of late.
They have won nine of their last 11 games and find themselves back at .500 for the season.
According to Matt Gelb, this is the first time the Phillies have been at .500 since May 14.
Phillies are back at .500 for the first time since May 14.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) June 15, 2023
The Phillies are starting to play like the team that many people thought they would be.
Coming off a trip to the World Series and adding Trea Turner, the expectations were sky high.
Most teams go through slumps throughout the season and it just so happened that the Phillies’ slump was to start the year.
There have been a few players that have helped turn the season around.
One is outfielder Nick Castellanos.
He had a rough start to his Phillies career last year as he could not live up to expectations.
But, he is back playing at an All-Star level this season.
Through 68 games, Castellanos is batting .315 with eight home runs, 42 RBI, and 23 doubles.
To put that into perspective, he had 27 doubles and 13 home runs in 136 games last year.
Adding this version of Castellanos to a lineup with Turner, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and J.T. Realmuto is lethal.
Winning the division should be the main goal for the Phillies.
But, if they are unable to catch the Braves then making another run to the World Series from a Wild Card spot is plausible.
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