Heading into action on Thursday the Phillies are tied for the National League East lead with a 51-40 record; the 2017 Phillies didn't win their 51st game until September 1st last year.  Under first year Manager Gabe Kapler, the 2018 Phillies rank 11th in Major League Baseball in On-Base Percentage (.320) and Third in Base On Balls (356) along with 10th in Team ERA (3.83) and Fifth in Strikeouts Per Nine Innings (9.18).

NBC Sports Philadelphia Phillies Insider Jim Salisbury joined Rich Quinones on Wednesday and discussed the Phillies being in the hunt for a postseason birth 91 games into the 2018 season:

"(Kapler) said that since day one of spring training that he expects to be in the postseason and we all looked at him like he was kind of wacky and being Mr. Upbeat, Mr. Positive....There is a “why not us?” element in that clubhouse; With every passing day that they stay in this thing and they’ve been in it all year and they’ve had some peaks and valleys, they’ve dug themselves out of a few holes late May/early June and I think a lot of confidence has grown from that. They believe they have a chance. They’re putting some pressure on the front office in showing this window is open a year earlier than they thought it would and now it’s coming down on management to decide to go out and improve the product, to improve the team. These opportunities don’t come along every day and I think with the right pieces, they can get to October in a less than powerful National League. In October I don’t know how long they can stick around, but I think they can get to October - Getting there can be really important for the team’s maturation, the team’s growth, and the city’s embrace of the team."

Checkout what Salisbury had to say about Jake Arrieta's up and down season, chances Phillies acquire Manny Machado, Maikel Franco's hot streak at the plate, and more Phillies talk

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