Phillies creep closer to being a top 10 team in MLB

Phillies creep closer to being a top 10 team in MLB originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Since firing former manager Rob Thomson (9-19), the Philadelphia Phillies have played better under interim manager Don Mattingly (12-4). Under Mattingly, the Phillies have had two winning streaks of three or more games, while doing it once under Thomson. Mattingly also showed a willingness to sit third baseman Alec Bohm to get him back on track, which Thomson wouldn't do.

These changes have helped the Phillies creep closer to the top 10 of ESPN's power rankings.

The Philadelphia Phillies are getting closer to being a top 10 team in Major League Baseball

After previously ranking as the 15th-best team in baseball, the Phillies have had a good stretch of baseball as of late, which now places them at 11. According to ESPN's David Schoenfield, this and the Phillies receiving production from Bohm, second baseman Bryson Stott and left fielder Brandon Marsh called to push them up.

"The Phillies went 11-3 in their first 14 games under interim manager Don Mattingly, posting a 3.16 ERA while hitting .267 and averaging 5.0 runs," wrote Schoenfield. "Of course, the schedule has factored. In a 13-game stretch in which the Phillies played only the Cubs and Braves, they went 2-11, ending with Rob Thomson getting fired. They've played the Giants, Marlins, A's, Rockies and Red Sox under Mattingly. Still, some slow starters are finally hitting: In that 14-game stretch, Alec Bohm had an .833 OPS with nine RBIs in the 11 games he played; Bryson Stott slugged .531 with 12 RBIs; and Brandon Marsh hit .457 to raise his average to an MLB-leading .350."

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Marsh has been one of the Phillies best hitters this season, batting .340 with a .854 OPS in 40 games. Stott (.221 batting average and .632 OPS) and Bohm (.194/.541) have not performed well overall, but both have started to come online as of late.

After his benching, Bohm is hitting .391 with 1.136 OPS in his last seven games, while Stott has done okay, batting .250 with a .655 OPS in his last seven games. Bohm starting to do better is a good sign for the Phillies, as it gives them another run producer in their lineup next to first baseman Bryce Harper and designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.

Stott still needs to figure out how to consistently string together a good at-bat, but it seems like Mattingly will maintain the platoon situation with him and infielder Edmundo Sosa. Stott was not in the lineup Thursday against Suarez, with Sosa getting the start.

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