For the Phillies, maintaining the status quo had some advantages during the hot start to the season – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies spent a lot of money this offseason, but most of it was spent on the services of right-handed starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, leading some observers to give the front office a fish eye.

Shouldn’t a team that’s really trying to win splurge on at least one fancy new free agent?

Apparently not. By beating the Rangers, 5-2, Thursday at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils continue to have the best record in baseball. And there was a general feeling in the clubhouse as the players prepared for the upcoming road trip to Colorado and San Francisco that maintaining the status quo had some advantages that might not have been obvious at first .

Manager Rob Thomson has talked a lot about this group’s unusual chemistry, and he’s also frequently mentioned that after losing the World Series in 2023 and being eliminated by the Diamondbacks last year, getting over the hump is even more urgent. finishing line.

In this sense, hindsight meant that the balance remained largely intact.

“We all know each other well,” noted right-hander Zack Wheeler. “Most of us know what we’re going to do in certain situations on the pitch. And it’s still important.

Added right fielder Nick Castellanos: “This is the best team I’ve ever been a part of. This is very fun. Winning is hard, isn’t it, even when you have the same pieces together for a long time. So the fact that we’re able to feel adversity together, feel triumphs together, only strengthens our bond as a group.

“So that’s a hat tip to ownership and the front office for believing in the pieces that are already there. I can’t speak for the whole team. I can say for myself that I had a really hard time enjoying any part of the offseason, even when I was on vacation, simply because of the way the season ended.

When shortstop Trea Turner went on injured reserve with a strained left hamstring, it was a huge loss. But Edmundo Sosa intervened. In 14 subsequent starts, he hit .341. On Wednesday night, he hit a three-run homer to give starter Taijuan Walker some breathing room. On Thursday, he had his first three-hit game in two years and also made a great catch on a pop-up in shallow left.

“We all know why we are here. We all know where we want to go,” he said through interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “We all know what our goal is. We want to go out and finish something that we’ve been putting on hold right now. moment.

FOLLOWING: LHP Cristopher Sanchez (2-3, 3.31) will start against LHP Ty Blach (1-2, 5.14) Friday at 8:40 p.m. when the Phillies open a weekend series against the last-place Rockies at Coors Field . It will be RHP Aaron Nola (6-2, 3.05) against RHP Dakota Hudson (1-7, 5.89) Saturday at 9:10 p.m. and LHP Ranger Suarez (9-0, 1.36) against RHP Cal Quantrill (3-3, 3.59) Sunday.

Despite having one of the worst records in baseball, Colorado has seen a slight recovery recently. They went on a seven-game winning streak from May 9-15, including sweeps against the Rangers and Padres, and have a relatively respectable 9-12 (.429) record at home. . They were swept at Citizens Bank Park on April 15, 16 and 17, but two of the games were decided by a single point.

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