Philadelphia Philles: 5 Reasons They're Destined to Win NL East

The Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in the MLB this season, and they seemed to be destined to win the NL East.

We knew that the Phillies would be good with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels pitching for them. We knew they'd be great when they threw Cliff Lee into the mix. However, we did not know just how good they would be with four aces but many vital injuries.

The Phillies have not disappointed expectations whatsoever, which is ridiculous because expectations were sky-high. The team is on pace for winning about 105 games this season despite having injuries to almost every important position player, several relievers and two starting pitchers.

Winning 110 games is not out of the question because the Phillies' pitching is so deep, and their offense is starting to heat up.

The Phillies are going to win the NL East, and here's why.

1. Their Starting Rotation Is Amazing

The Philadelphia Phillies' rotation has been rumored to be historically good since the addition of Cliff Lee, and they are the best starting rotation in the MLB.

Roy Halladay is a Cy Young candidate once again, and no one would be surprised to see him win it once again. Halladay is the first pitcher to 15 wins in the NL, going 15-4 with an ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of 1.05.

Cole Hamels could be another Cy Young candidate. He is 13-6, but these numbers could be better because he has had a lack of run support. His ERA is 2.53, slightly higher than Halladay's, and his WHIP is below 1.00 at 0.96.

Cliff Lee had a slow start to the season, but he has rebounded nicely, including a historic month of June, in which he went 5-0 with an ERA of 0.21 in 42 innings pitched. His season numbers look like this: 11-7, 2.96 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 167 Ks.

Roy Oswalt has had some issues both in his personal life and with injuries. He has not had one of his better seasons, but Vance Worley has picked up the slack, going 8-1 with an ERA of 2.35 and a WHIP of 1.10 in 13 starts.

The starting rotation for the Phillies has been ridiculously good, and Kyle Kendrick gives them six good pitchers who always give the team a good chance to win.

The Phillies lead the MLB in ERA (3.09), complete games (14), shutouts (15), quality starts (75), the fewest earned runs (356) and the fewest walks (280). The Phillies' starters have led the team to these stats, and while you can make a case for the San Francisco Giants, the Phillies have the best pitching staff in the MLB.

Their rotation makes them tough to beat no matter who they play, and it is what has fueled their season, leading them to the best record in the MLB by 3.5 games.

2. Their Improved Bullpen

While the glory is given to the Philadelphia Phillies' starting rotation, the bullpen has been very strong as well.

Despite injuries to Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras (their top three options for closer at the beginning of the season), the bullpen has looked its best since 2008, when they led the Phillies to a World Series victory.

New faces like Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes have kept the bullpen going.

Bastardo is 5-0 with an ERA of 1.47 and a WHIP of 0.79. He has gone eight-for-eight in save opportunities, and has been the best pitcher in the bullpen for the Phils.

Very few fans know of Michael Stutes unless they follow the Phillies closely, but he has been very valuable to the team. He has gone 5-1 with an ERA of 3.43 and a WHIP of 1.19 this season, which are great numbers for the 24-year-old.

While the Phillies were looking for some bullpen help but did not get any at the trade deadline, they are actually solid in the 'pen. The returns of Lidge, Madson and Contreras will help Bastardo and Stutes bring the bullpen back to it former glory.

The Phillies' bullpen has actually helped the team tie for fourth in saves (34), fourth in batting average against (.241), fourth in strikeouts (884), and they have helped finish several shutouts to help the team take the lead in the MLB with 15.

The Phillies used to have a glaring weakness in the bullpen, but they are now a complete team, and that makes it incredibly hard to beat them in any game.

3. The Offense Has Woken Up with the Arrival of Hunter Pence

The Philadelphia Phillies had offensive struggles in the beginning of the season due to injuries and a lack of power and timely hitting. However, the Phillies were still winning because of their formidable pitching staff.

The Phillies needed a right-handed outfielder who could hit, and they traded for Hunter Pence at the trade deadline. The Phillies have gone 9-1 in the 10 games that Pence has been a part of the team for, averaging 5.0 runs per game during that stretch.

Pence has hit .357 with seven RBI, five runs scored and a pair of home runs in those 10 games.

The team has been doing well since the All-Star Break, scoring the seventh most runs at 120 runs.

Their deadly combination of a productive offense and the best pitching staff in the MLB makes them the best team in baseball.

4. The Team Is Finally Healthy...for the Most Part

The Philadelphia Phillies have been riddled with injury-problems for the past two years due to the core of their team aging.

Of the 27 players on the Phillies' roster and the DL, 17 of them are 30-years-old or older, with Raul Ibanez and Jose Contreras, 39, being the oldest member of the team.

Those 17 include, All-Stars, MVPs and Cy Young-award winners like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez. These players have a lot of hardware between them, but they are getting old and are becoming injury prone.

The team has had injury problems, but they are the healthiest they have been all season. The Phillies' DL consists of only two players: Joe Blanton and Jose Contreras. Neither of these two play vital roles for the team, and the Phillies can go without them for a while.

Placido Polanco, who is an All-Star, has a sports hernia. Polanco is a tough player, however, and he is going to attempt to play through it. Surgery may be needed this season, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says that surgery would not end Polanco's season.

The Phillies are dealing with very few injuries compared to how many they have had earlier in the season (including Utley, Domonic Brown, Lidge, Madson, Victorino, etc.), and their health will play a big role in their success in the final stages of the regular season and the postseason.

5. They Already Have a Big Lead

The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in the MLB. They are 75-40 this season, putting them 3.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox, who have the second best record in the MLB.

The Phillies do have some legitimate competition in their division in the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are 67-49, which is the second best record in the NL and the fourth best record in the MLB.

The difference between the top two teams in any league is usually very slim. For example, the Red Sox lead the AL's second best team, the New York Yankees, by only 1.5 games. However, the Phillies lead the Braves by a ridiculous 8.5 games.

If the season ended today, their 8.5 game-lead over a second-place team would be the biggest lead in the NL since 2006, when the New York Mets went 97-65 and the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers went 88-74. If you were to look for a lead that big in the AL, you would have to go back to 2001, when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games.

The Phillies have an incredible lead already and they are arguably the hottest team in the MLB as well. The Phillies are making it near impossible for the Braves to catch them this season and the Phillies would need to collapse like the 2007 Mets to lose this division lead.