Are the Philadelphia Phillies contenders or pretenders in the battle for the 2022 World Series title × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Baseball MLB News Are the Philadelphia Phillies contenders or pretenders in the battle for the 2022 World Series title By Souvanik Seal Modified 26 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share 2022 Philadelphia Phillies - contenders or pretenders? A little under six weeks remain until the postseason drama unfolds, and the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves in a sound position. They are 2.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the National League’s second Wild Card spot. Heading into 2022, the Phillies didn’t have the weight of the world on their shoulders. Expectations were relatively low. The Atlanta Braves entered the season as defending champions, while the New York Mets strengthened over the offseason. The Phillies weren’t quiet in the market, either. Their headline act was the acquisition of Kyle Schwarber as a free agent from the Boston Red Sox. Schwarber has been a key contributor to Philadelphia’s push for a playoff spot. MLB@MLBNo. 35 for Kyle Schwarber goes 451 feet. 1573146No. 35 for Kyle Schwarber goes 451 feet. https://t.co/KBkt8erdh8 Now with the last mile of the regular season in sight, the Phillies have their destiny under control. They have done well to be where they are, but can they realistically challenge for the World Series? It’s not impossible, but it’s certainly very difficult and highly unlikely. How far can the Philadelphia Phillies go this season The Philadelphia Phillies have played about half of their games this term without seven-time All-Star Bryce Harper. When you take that into account, their position seems even more impressive. Harper is due to return tomorrow, and he is only going to make the Phillies' efficient offense even stronger. theScore Bet@theScoreBetPhillies fans seeing Bryce Harper finally get activated off the IL.154Phillies fans seeing Bryce Harper finally get activated off the IL. https://t.co/VCv246cBje Harper, Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Jean Segura, and J.T. Realmuto - that’s a formidable lineup. However, contending for the World Series requires more. We have seen time and time again in postseason baseball how pitching outweighs hitting, and the Phillies are underpowered on that front. Zach Wheeler (11-7) and Aaron Nola (8-10) are dependable aces on their days. Wheeler has a 3.07 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, while Nola has compiled a 3.25 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Wheeler landed on the 15-day IL earlier today. Beyond them, it’s all up in the air. Kyle Gibson is likely to be the third starter. Ranger Suarez and Zach Elfin will compete for the final rotation spot. Their bullpen was recently hit by Seranthony Dominguez’s tricep tendonitis diagnosis. The reliever is now on a 15-day IL stint as well. Dodgers, Mets, Braves - all of them have great squad depth and very strong bullpens. That’s the recipe for World Series success. Just offense alone won’t take you all the way. The Philadelphia Phillies may go on to cause a couple of upsets, but going all the way? If they do, it would be more shocking than Leon Edwards knocking out Kamaru Usman. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Gaelin Leif × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeCricket NewsScheduleIND vs SAAUS vs WIENG vs PAKLegends LeagueECC T10County ChampionshipBukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022Japan Cricket LeagueWI-W vs NZ-WECT10T20 World Cup FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Extreme Rules 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarChina OpenTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी