When the Phillies get a runner to second or third base, it’s almost automatic. Or at least it feels that way right now.
The Phillies, still boasting the best record in baseball, have been money with runners in scoring position and it’s the biggest reason their offense is firing on all cylinders.
As a team, hitters in red pinstripes have hit .290 with runners in scoring position (RISP), the best mark in the National League. They’ve driven in 204 runs, the most in baseball. With two outs and runners in scoring position, their 86 runs batted in are 12 more than the next-best team – the defending world champion Rangers, who they just swept.
Philly is 10-4 in one-run games, the best in the majors. And when push comes to shove, they find ways to get runs across.
Take Thursday’s sweep-clincher against the Rangers. After giving up an early lead, the team went 4-for-12 with runners on second or better. A two-run triple from Cristian Pache and a Kyle Schwarber single, both in clutch spots with a runner on third, were the difference in the South Philly matinee.
The Phillies have four hitters in the top 30 (and three in the top 20) of all Major League hitters with runners in scoring position:
| Hitter | Stats (RISP Rank) |
| Alec Bohm | .407 (6th), 39 RBI (1st) |
| Bryce Harper | .379 (13th), 30 RBI (5th), 6 HR (2nd) |
| Bryson Stott | .364 (18th) |
| Brandon Marsh | .343 (26th) |
No one has more two-out RBI than Bohm does at 29 – his bases-loaded double play groundout Thursday notwithstanding.
Just how impressive is that? Atlanta’s Marcel Ozuna has 28, and the third-place hitter in that stat has 19, Kansas City’s Salvador Perez. Bohm has an RBI in 55% of his games this season, also the best mark in baseball.
A few other notes from the Phillies’ series win against the Rangers:
• With his third-inning home run, Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto has extended his career-best hitting streak to 13 games. He’s had multiple hits in seven of them.
• Edmundo Sosa went 3-for-4 Thursday, making him almost unbenchable right now with Trea Turner still sidelined. He hit a big three-run homer in Game 2 on Wednesday against Texas.
• Speaking of Turner, the superstar shortstop took batting practice and is expected to start running the bases this week. He’s going to travel with the Phillies on their upcoming road trip and continue to practice and work out before starting a rehab assignment. He could be on track to return to the lineup in early June.
• Harper continues to hit like an MVP after a sluggish start. He has six homers and 19 RBI this month — and this one Wednesday was impressive:
Bryce 💣 BOMB 💣 pic.twitter.com/UP6mNeTneI
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 23, 2024
• It’s absolutely bonkers, but Ranger Suárez has a chance to get to 10-0 against the worst team in the National League this weekend.
• Zack Wheeler being left in to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning — and tactfully inducing a pop-up — is a testament to how good and trusted he is on the mound. He earned win No. 6 Thursday.
