The Phillies have fallen a long way since their glory days in the late 2000’s, finishing the 2015 season with a league worst 63-99 record. Philadelphia missed postseason for the fourth consecutive season. While the Phillies have one notable holdover from those glory years (2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard), there isn’t much else to be excited about, barring a couple of bright prospects. The first of those is centerfielder Odubel Herrera. The 24-year old made his debut with the Phillies last season and was one of the few bright spots of the 2015 season.
Herrera had a solid batting average (.297) and was also fifth on the team in RBIs (41). Beyond Herrera, the Phillies feature a couple of other intriguing players, headlined by spectacular defensive shortstop Freddy Galvis.
The native of Venezuela, Galvis was third on the team last year in RBIs (50) and bumped up his usually mediocre batting average to .263. He was second on the team in triples with five. With a couple of budding prospects, the Phillies might be in contention in about two or three years.
Their inconsistent pitching rotation is one of the team’s major weaknesses. None of the three pitchers with the most innings pitched last year (Aaron Harang, Cole Hamels and Jerome Williams) are returning this season, which is a blessing in disguise given their combined record of 16-34.
Now the Phillies have been forced to restructure their order, which is now filled with talented, but unproven young arms. Leading that new rotation is Adam Morgan, who went 5-7 in 2015. Morgan will be joined by new additions Vincent Velasquez, Aaron Nola and Charlie Morton.
Best Philadelphia Phillies Betting Lines
As you make your way through the different matchups during the year, refer to the tool below. It will give you the rundown the Phillies next game.
Philadelphia Phillies Regular Season Schedule
You’ll find the calendar tool below which breaks down all Phillies forthcoming games for the duration of the season, offering insight as to how the team is faring in each game.
Philadelphia Phillies Regular Season Standings
To get an even better idea of how the Phillies have been playing at any point in the season, make sure to check in with the standings tool below to see where each team ranks.
Online Tips For Philadelphia Phillies Bettors
Don't dismiss Philadelphia's hot start in 2016 so easily. The Phillies are definitely off to a much better beginning to the year, but they haven't shown yet that they can consistently hang with the big guns. Keep in mind, the Phillies struggled heavily against NL East opponents, finishing the 2015 campaign with a woeful as 30-46 record against divisional foes.
With the Nationals upgrading in the offseason at various positions and the Mets continuing to develop their talented pitching rotation, there might not be enough room to bet on the Phillies in the division.
While Philadelphia was only able to notch a winning record against four teams in 2015 -- the Padres, Diamondbacks, Marlins and oddly enough, the Chicago Cubs -- the 5-2 record against the Cubs shows there is some promise in Philadelphia.
The Phillies are capable of upsets, but not often enough. Nonetheless, the hot start to begin 2016 has been getting noticed by the rest of the league. It remains to be seen if the very green Phillies lineup can hang onto the momentum.
Velasquez has notched a 4-1 record through mid-May and closer Jeanmar Gomez has established himself as one of the more solid closers in the MLB. Indeed the Phillies might not contend for a divison crown, but they are still capable of capitalizing on some upsets.
With all of the information above, peruse the table below to find the best fit for your from our different online sports books in order to make the wager that is right for you.
