GDT 4/20/26 Philadelphia Phillies (Nola, A) @ Chicago Cubs (Rea)

[owaistabish]

Another brutal loss with no end in sight to this losing streak.

[HopeSpringsEternal]

but now the pitching is struggling too

One positive from tonight is that the lower leverage guys in the bullpen held up pretty well - no runs over 3-2/3 innings. But the team is overall pretty bad right now. Hope we’ve reached the nadir at this point.

[allentown]

Failure of both SP and hitting, but yes, the relief was good. Just a brutal start to the season. Not quite as bad as the Mets, but both teams could be effectively eliminated before the end of May if they keep playing like this.

[andyb]

Bohm has been so bad I might have Otto Kemp mostly playing 3B back in AAA. Reyes has played there a little also but is better suited for the OF. Time to shake up the playing rotations a bit. Get Reyes some playing time (the next 2 starters are lefties at least) but put everyone else on notice to some degree.

And hope Wheeler is Wheeler. That might settle down some anxiety even if we have not seen it in his rehab starts yet.

[Philsmania]

Failure of both SP and hitting, but yes, the relief was good. Just a brutal start to the season. Not quite as bad as the Mets, but both teams could be effectively eliminated before the end of May if they keep playing like this.

Could be eliminated from the division race with the Braves playing so well. With regard to the division and the Braves, it's early but it may get late fast.

[allentown]

It's going to take another few weeks to see how much the Braves cool down or the Phillies heat up, but we are sprinting toward the (relatively early this year) point in the season when we are realistically competing for a wildcard berth rather than the NL East division title. That time isn't here yet. Any team can get hot for 25 games or cold for 25 games and that can turn on its head later in season. Today, the Braves look unstoppable and the Phillies look pathetic. That really could change.

[Philsmania]

It's going to take another few weeks to see how much the Braves cool down or the Phillies heat up, but we are sprinting toward the (relatively early this year) point in the season when we are realistically competing for a wildcard berth rather than the NL East division title. That time isn't here yet. Any team can get hot for 25 games or cold for 25 games and that can turn on its head later in season. Today, the Braves look unstoppable and the Phillies look pathetic. That really could change.

I guess what I meant to say--and I subsequently corrected my post--is that the Phillies and Mets could be effectively eliminated from the divisional race by May (ie. if they are ten games back by then).

[zambonir]

There is certainly all kind of historical data saying that a team that has lost as many games in a row as the Mets or a team with a run differential like the Phillies never recovers to even make the playoffs. But a lot of that data is still pre-expanded playoffs.

The Guardians were 15 1/2 games back in 2025 and won their division. Only six teams have come back from more than 12 1/2 since 1969. But that's still just division titles.

[andyb]

On the other side the even slower start by the Mets means we trail only one supposedly good team to pass for the division rather than two (assuming the Nats and Marlins are both playing a bit over their heads). The Braves have a .314 team BABIP compared to the Phillies at .263, so much of the offensive difference at the moment may be luck.

There are clearly concerns with this team but it is not the time to press any sort of panic button.

[Philsmania]

There is certainly all kind of historical data saying that a team that has lost as many games in a row as the Mets or a team with a run differential like the Phillies never recovers to even make the playoffs. But a lot of that data is still pre-expanded playoffs.

The Guardians were 15 1/2 games back in 2025 and won their division. Only six teams have come back from more than 12 1/2 since 1969. But that's still just division titles.

I suspect much depends upon when that team was in that hole. It's probably much easier to dig out of an April hole than it is to dig out of a July, August or September hole..

[zambonir]

July 4 in Cleveland's case. Hard to dig a 15-game hole in April (obviously, if you do, you suck too much to come back later. Or the team you are chasing is historically good).

[VoteForKalas]

It also requires the division leading team to melt down and lose a lot of games so the chasing team can catch up.

Braves may not be as good as they've shown so far, but they do not look like a team that will go on a long losing streak or internally combust unless major injuries occur to key players.