The All-Star break offers a moment of reflection, so Joe Giglio and Hugh Douglas opened Monday's show by assessing the state of the Phillies, who are 0.5 games back of a playoff spot after Sunday's loss to the Marlins.
For Joe, he looks at the first half of the season as one of disappointment, especially when considering the reigning National League champions added an MVP-caliber talent like Trea Turner in the offseason.
"They don't hit enough. They are below average in runs scored," Joe said. "I look at the Phillies and say, 'They're pretty good.' They certainly have a real chance to make the playoffs, but I expected more. I expected more from the first half for the Phillies season.
"The reality is, they're still not in a playoff spot heading into the All-Star break…they're fine, they're not in a bad spot, but they're on pace to finish 20 games out of first place and fight tooth and nail to make the playoffs."
Hugh took a more optimistic approach, as it hasn't even been a year since the Phils proved that it's all about when you get hot, and there have been times this season where the team has proven they are capable of going on a heater. So, as long as they get into the dance, why not an encore?
"To still be in the hunt and not playing your best yet, that gives me reason to believe that this team is going to hit its stride at some point," Hugh said. "I know this isn't what you expected to be, but to be where you are right now, and still haven't hit your stride, that's pretty impressive to me. That means there's still plenty of baseball left where you can reach your full potential."
