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2021 midseason
Are the Phillies having fun?
"Yeah," grinned outfielder Bryce Harper, the leading vote-getter for the upcoming All-Star Game. "This is why I came here."
Harper appears to be on his way to his best season yet with the Phillies, hitting .288 and leading the league with 28 home runs and 73 runs batted in. The Phillies have the best record in the National League, at 60-34, heading into the All-Star break.
Harper won't actually play in the game; he's dealing with a sore back and will take aa little time off during the break. He's not the only injured Phillie, as the club recently learned the devastating news that ace Chris Sale will miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. Thankfully, he'll likely be back at full strength by the start of next season. Top closer Seranthony Dominguez is on the shelf also with an oblique strain, but he should return soon.
"Well, you know you're rolling the dice when you're talking about pitching," general manager Matt Klentak said. "That's why it was so important to use to get Gerrit Cole in the offseason." Cole has performed well, going 9-4 with a 3.86 ERA, and Aaron Nola was selected to the All-Star team for the third time, going 8-5 with a 2.90 ERA.
And what about that trade for Gerrit Cole? It certainly isn't lost on the club that Dylan Cozens, the key piece in the trade, has struggled mightily in Atlanta, hitting just .205 with three home runs. He's only started six games this season. "I do think he'll get back on track," said Klentak. "You saw the potential he has when he was here with us last year. But we saw an opportunity to sell high, even if it wasn't popular with the fans at the time."
Klentak isn't tipping his hand as far as whether there are any moves coming as the trade deadline approaches. "We'll see what the market has for us. It think we'll be in good shape even if we stand pat."
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