The Phillies have been ransacked by injury this season which is one of the reasons that they are in third place in the N.L. East. The Phillies are 47-40 on the season which has them 4.5 games behind the Braves. Here is a close look at the surprises and disappointments for the Phillies so far this year:

Surprises: 47-year old lefty starting pitcher Jamie Moyer has really been solid for the Phillies so far this year. Moyer has started 17 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 9-8 with a 4.51 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. The Phillies need him to keep up the good work in the second half. 26-year old lefty Cole Hamels is looking like his old self again this year. He has started 18 games for the Phillies this year and he is 7-7 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. 38-year old righty reliever Jose Contreras has been really effective as a full time reliever for the first time in his career. Contreras has pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Phillies this year and he is 4-3 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. 32-year old righty swinging infielder Wilson Valdez has done a solid job filling in for Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins this year. He has played in 55 games for the Phillies this year and he is 42 of 168 (.250 avg, .665 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 4 homers, 21 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.

Disappointments: 38-year old LF Raul Ibanez is really starting to look his age this season. He has played in 85 games for the Phillies this year and he is 71 of 292 (.243 avg, .724 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 7 homers, 39 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. 29-year old righty starting pitcher Joe Blanton has really been awful this season for the Phillies. Blanton has started 13 games for the Phillies this year and he is 3-5 with a 6.41 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. He has given up 103 hits (15 homers) in only 80 innings pitched this year. 29-year old righty reliever Ryan Madson has really been awful for the Phillies this year. He has pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Phillies this year and he is 2-0 with 4 saves, a 6.55 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. Madson has missed most of the season because he hurt himself throwing a temper tantrum after a loss early on.

The Phillies are 5-1 on the season as they are outscoring their opponents 43-18! They are in first place in the N.L. East, 1 game ahead of the Marlins. The Phillies play three games at home against the Nationals this week starting today and then the Marlins come in for a visit this weekend for 3 games. The Phillies would love to get some distance between them and both the Marlins and the Braves this week.

The Phillies are now 3-1 on the season as they have outscored their opponents 32-11 so far. The Phillies knew the offense was going to be good and they are averaging 8.0 runs per game. But the reason for the ease of victory has been the pitching staff which has been outstanding as the Phillies are sporting a 2.57 ERA so far this season. The bullpen really has the Phillies smiling so far as it’s a rag tag bunch. The pen is 0-1 with a 1.29 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP so far this season and the Phillies have to be pleased with that. The Phillies are clicking on all cylinders right now so there is no reason to think they won’t keep beating teams up.

The Philadelphia Phillies have caught the Mets from behind as they are both 87-72 with 3 games left in the season.  The Phillies are also 1 game behind the Padres for the Wild Card.  So it all comes down to three games with the Washington Nationals in Philly.  The Phillies have three super hot hitters right now in Jimmy Rollins who is 9 for his last 27 (.333 avg) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  Chase Utley has also been outstanding lately as he is 8 for his last 24 (.333 avg) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  The defending MVP on the N.L. has saved his best for last as he is 8 for his last 20 (.400 avg) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs.  Look for the surging Phillies to topple the fading Mets who are playing at home this weekend where they have lost their last 7 games.

When the Phillies acquired Kyle Lohse from the Reds most experts didn’t think he would help the Phillies.  But he has pitched well enough to keep the Phillies in his starts.  He has started 9 games for the Phillies and he is 2-0 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  In 48.2 innings for the Phillies, Lohse has allowed 50 hits, walked 21 batters and whiffed 33.  The Phillies have gotten really hot as they have won 8 of their last 10 games including six in a row.  The Phillies are now only 1.5 games behind the Mets in the National League East and 1.5 games behind the Padres for the National League Wild Card.