2011 MLB Playoffs: In Injury-Plagued NL, Who Can Stop the Philadelphia Phillies?
May 30, 2011 by John Valentovic
Filed under Fan News
The laundry list of injuries in the National League continues to grow seemingly by the day. The disabled list has already claimed the likes of Josh Johnson, David Wright, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey (out for the season), and the list will almost certainly continue to expand.
With a number of teams dealing with some serious injury problems, who has become the favorite to win the National League?
Well, the Philadelphia Phillies, of course.
The Phillies, who have been to the World Series two out of the past three years, currently sit at 34-20 and in first place in the National League East. They are relatively healthy, have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball and also boast a dangerous lineup that will only get better once Shane Victorino and Chase Utley are fully healthy.
When in doubt, side with pitching—and Philadelphia has plenty of it. Their 3.08 team ERA ranks third in baseball and all four of their top starters have an ERA of 3.50 or less.
Quite frankly, the fact that the Phillies have yet to play their best baseball—and have the best record in baseball—is a little scary.
So, with that being said, the question becomes: can anyone stop Philadelphia from returning to the World Series for the third time in four years?
As of now, it doesn’t seem likely. But here are five teams that have a chance of taking down the Phillies.