Phillies’ National League Pennant Odds Sink to Season-Worst +3100
- The Philadelphia Phillies are just 37-42 in their last 79 games.
- 16 of the Phillies final 19 games are against teams eight games above .500 or better.
- Don’t expect the Phillies to make the playoffs or contend for an NL Pennant
The Philadelphia Phillies have now fallen three games back in the Wild Card standings. While they had such high hopes at the beginning of the season, their playoff chances are starting to fade.
Their NL Pennant odds have dropped to a season-worst +3100. Are they worth a shot or should you forget about the Phillies?
2020 National League Pennant Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Dodgers | +100 |
| Atlanta Braves | +450 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | +600 |
| Washington Nationals | +700 |
| Chicago Cubs | +1000 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | +2000 |
| New York Mets | +2500 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +2500 |
*Odds taken 09/10/2019.
Phillies in Extended Funk
The Phillies enter Tuesday having dropped four of their last six, which has put them three games back in the Wild Card standings. What’s worse is there are now a couple of teams ahead of them in the standings, who they’d need to leapfrog to get in.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a half-game better, while the Milwaukee Brewers are one full game up.
The challenge for the Phillies is that they’ve been a middling team for a long time now. They started the year with a record of 37-27 but have mostly been a .500 team every since. They are 37-42 in their last 79 games, which is simply not good enough.
They’re Subpar in Many Aspects
It’s hard to get excited about the Phillies making a run simply because they don’t do anything particularly well right now. Taking a look at their numbers since the All-Star break, they’re at the middle of the pack or lower in most hitting and pitching categories.
In terms of pitching, their team ERA is 4.50 (16th), while their WHIP is 1.36 (16th) and they’re allowing opposing batters to hit .260 (20th). Offensively, they have an on-base percentage of .322 since the break (17th), with a .253 batting average (18th) and 69 home runs (21st).
Relief pitching has been an issue all year as they’re 20th and 21st in bullpen ERA and WHIP, respectively. It’s simply not good enough.
Tough Upcoming Schedule
I’m not bullish on the Phillies winning the pennant or even making a run to the playoffs simply because their schedule is really challenging down the stretch.
They’re in the midst of a series with the Atlanta Braves right now, who lead the National League East. After that, they’ll host the Boston Red Sox for two and then play another series with the Braves.
After that, they’ll visit the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals for eight games. Of their 19 remaining games, 16 are against teams that are all at least eight games above .500. The Phillies are just 31-32 on the year against winning teams. Even if they just maintained that .500 mark, that would’t be good enough to make the playoffs.
What’s The Best Bet?
The Phillies are a bad bet for the National League Pennant futures. This is a team that that’s been treading water for months now, doesn’t do anything particularly well and has a really tough schedule down the stretch. I don’t expect to see them in the playoffs – never mind contending for a World Series.
For over 15 years, Dave has been working in mainstream media and sports betting. He hosted a station on Sirius Satellite Radio for four years, and is currently a senior writer for AskMen. He's interviewed hundreds of hundreds of high-profile sports stars like Shaquille O'Neal and Floyd Mayweather.
