Embarrassing Stat Highlights Phillies' Struggles in 2020

Even with the expanded MLB postseason in 2020, the Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of missing out on the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. They sit third in the NL East at 27-29, and that record is only good for No. 10 in the National League.

The Phillies have shown flashes of promise, but one key struggle has haunted them all season.

This team simply can't hold onto a lead. A ridiculous 14 of their 29 losses (48.3 percent) have come in games they led by at least 2 runs. For the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins, that mark is just 14.3 percent.

The culprit has been the Philadelphia bullpen, which has been almost unfathomably bad. Their relievers have a staggering group ERA of 7.21 — easily the worst in the majors. This isn't just bad luck, either. Their fielding independent pitching (FIP) mark of 5.68 is also the second-worst in the majors.

On the other side of the ball, the Phillies' bats have been great. Their .338 weighted on-base average (wOBA) checks in at No. 7 in the majors. They simply haven't been able to overcome the bullpen's terrible play.

Sitting outside the playoffs with just a few games left in the season, the Phillies' +3600 odds to win the World Series rank just No. 14 in the MLB on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $1,000!

Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.