For the second time in three years, the Phightin' Phillies are 22-15 after 37 games.
That stunning start to 2016 stands out as evidence of how ludicrous baseball can be over the course of 162 games. Those Jeremy Hellickson-led Phils won a remarkable 14 one-run games those first six weeks (look it up). And they didn't even have a good bullpen.
The Phillies did not win another one-run game until June 7. By then, they were already under .500. Even at 22-15, nobody thought the Phils had turned any corners.
They were simply a bad team getting a lot of lucky breaks. Those things even out over 162 and the squad finished up that campaign with the predictable 71-91 record.
This 22-15 feels a lot different. For starters, this team is +39 in run differential, whereas the 2016 Phils were -25.
The current team is 8th in MLB in runs scored and 6th in earned run average. More encouraging, they have developed some welcome depth in key areas.
Seven different hitters have at least four home runs. Starting pitcher Jerad Eickhoff is coming back soon, and might not have a spot.
But it's the bullpen where the depth is most impressive. Young arms like Victor Arano (12 innings, 0.75 era), and Edubray Ramos (15 in, 1.20) are pushing the veterans Adam Morgan (11 in, 2.45), Luis Garcia (15 in., 3.00), and Tommy Hunter (3.86) for the right to set up closer Hecter Neris (14.2 in, 3.68).
The best arm might have arrived Monday when touted fireballer Seranthony Dominguez made his debut. In three clean innings this week, Seranthony showed the 98-99 mph heat and wipeout slider we've heard so much about.
It's almost welcome news that veteran All-Star reliever Pat Neshak will be out another month. General Manager Matt Klentak might be looking to deal from an absurd strength once he does.
Obviously, it's the starting pitching that will tell the story on what these Phillies accomplish. Specifically, the starters that follow Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta. A potential second-half boost resides in Lehigh Valley in 22-year-old Enyel De Los Santos (4-0, 0.84).
There are some signs these Phillies have more to give. The offense is certainly productive, but with a collective .241 batting average that ranks 18th. One would think that will improve.
Jimmy Rollins was in town Monday and the cameras found him for a brief interview. In between the usual cliches, J-Roll dropped some wisdom about how a young team finds a winning formula.
"The winning streaks will come. It's not about that," Rollins said. "But when things aren't going well, can you stop two losses from becoming five losses? In other words, can you play .500 baseball during the rough spots?"
Cap'n Kap's crew roared to a 14-7 start before the rough patch hit. Back-end starters Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez were knocked around, and the pen blew a bad one and lost a couple extra-inning games. A few pesky injuries sent Morgan and shortstop JP Crawford to the DL.
Yet here we are 22-15. They played .500 the past two-and-a-half weeks. Compare that to the Mets, who followed up an 11-1 start with 6-17. And they are -14 in run differential.
The Phils have 125 to go. I am virtually certain they win more than 49.
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