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That's right. Your eyes do not deceive you. The Brewers, for the first time this season, are facing a team with a worse record. And oh my god are the Phillies bad. Like, in every conceivable way bad. They're going to be tough competition for the number one overall selection in the 2016 MLB Draft.
The Phillies are dead last in baseball with a team 78 wRC+. It pains me to write this, but the Brewers aren't separated by much (80 wRC+). The Brewers at least have some competent offensive players who are struggling but will likely rebound. The Phillies have nothing outside of rookie Maikel Franco. Cesar Hernandez (106) and part-time player Andres Blando (140) are the only other position players with a wRC+ above 100. That's hilariously awful.
I would say I have no idea how they've won any games at all but they do still have Cole Hamels and a couple of solid relievers. Aaron Harang has kept his ERA down even if his FIP believes it's luck based. Outside of those two, the Phillies rotation looks like a bad joke. In total the rotation ranks 29th, just barely above the Rockies who pitch half they games in Coors. The Rockies get some forgiveness for their ball park. Therefore the Phillies have the worst rotation in baseball, even with Cole Hamels' typically strong performance.
The bullpen over just pretty average but extremely uneven. Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon are the best of the bunch. Jenmar Gomez is doing quite well but that's in part because he hasn't allowed a single home run which won't last. The rest are pretty bad.
Offensive Highlight
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..
Pitching Match-Ups
Monday June 29, 6:10 pm CST: Jimmy Nelson vs Sean O'Sullivan
Sean O'Sullivan may very well be the worst MLB starter this year: 10.6 K%, 6.2 BB%, .296 BAA, 1.50 WHIP, 2.08 HR/9, 5.34 ERA, 6.28 FIP. I don't say stuff this often but if the Brewers don't rock this guy I'm going to be cheesed.
He throws a fastball (88-90), slider, change-up, and occasional curveball.
Tuesday June 30, 6:05 pm CST: Taylor Jungmann vs Cole Hamels
Jungmann gets all the tough match-ups it seems. The Phillies suck hard but Cole Hamels remains effective: 25.5 K%, 8.2 BB%, .218 BAA, 1.17 WHIP, 1.00 HR/9, 3.26 ERA, 3.58 FIP.
He throws a fastball (91-93), change-up, cutter, and curveball.
Wednesday July 1, 6:05 pm CST: Kyle Lohse vs Aaron Harang
Harang is performing like a perfectly acceptable back-end starter which is not what a team wants to say about their second best starter: 17.3 K%, 6.3 BB%, .234 BAA, 1.15 WHIP, 0.98 HR/9, 3.56 ERA, 4.01 FIP.
He throws a fastball (88-90), slider, change-up along with the occasional cutter and curveball.
Thursday July 2, 5:35 pm CST: Matt Garza vs Chad Billingsley
Billingsley has been sidelined with a shoulder injury after making just 3 starts this year. He was pretty terrible but the performance could have been, in part, related to the injury. He hasn't pitched much in the last two years but at one time he looked like he could be a solid mid-rotation pitcher.
He throws a fastball (90-92), cutter, change-up, and curveball.