It hasn’t been pretty, but the Phillies have won two series in a row. To make it three in a row, they’ll have to take down a team that is off to a surprisingly good start.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Record: 9-3, First place in National League East
The manager
Derek Shelton is in his fifth season as Pirates manager and has led the team to an impressively bad .407 winning percentage in that time. While expectations for the Pirates have been low, he hasn’t shown much ability to have the team rise above them.