A good night's sleep in your own bed.
"It's good to be home" were the very first words out of Rob Thomson's mouth, following the Phillies 9-2 shellacking of the Padres in game one of their six game home stand where the bats mustered a jaw dropping 18 hits.
Every team goes through slumps in a 162 game schedule, but concerns were justifiably growing when your starting rotation hits its first bump and the bats come up small with runners in scoring position, resulting in a split with the Mets, then dropping two of three to the Red Sox and Orioles. Given how the last two seasons ended, Phillies fans experienced sports PTSD foreseeing the same end game.
From several days in London, straight to Boston, then Baltimore, there's a factor, a big one, most fans don't consider when watching their team go through a stretch like the Phillies just ended, the comforts of home.
"Get some home cooking. Sleep in your own bed. I think that helps, and I think our fan base helps us out too with their energy level" said Thomson Monday night.
Following his two home run performance Kyle Schwarber said, "Felt like we were on the road for like a month. Went over to London, cool trip, and faced a couple of pretty good teams. It's nice just to get back home."
The facts back the team's desire to play in South Philly. The Phils have won 13 of their last 14 games and 24 of their last 27 at CBP. They have the best home record in MLB at 28-10.