Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Biggest Questions for the Rest of the Season

As the best team in baseball right now, the Phillies are definitely the favorite to at least make it to the World Series, if not to win it all.

However, no team is above being questioned.

Actually, the Phillies are full of questions.

Even though I do feel that they are the favorites to win the World Series again, here are the five biggest questions that will face the Phillies for the rest of the season.

5. Can Vance Worley Keep Up His Dominance?

I know that this question always plagues young players, but every rookie seems to have that moment where he hits a wall and fails to stay quite so hot.

Will that happen to Vance Worley?

He is 8-1 with a 2.85 ERA. He has been as hot as any pitcher in baseball, as he hasn't lost a game since May 29.

The wall might come now because he could begin seeing teams for a second time. The Phillies have several series left with National League East opponents. Worley has been seen by all of these opponents, so it is definitely possible that they may have picked up something last time he beat them.

Hopefully, if you're a Phillies fan, Worley will be able to keep doing what he was doing, but he needs to be careful as opponents become more familiar with his repertoire.

4. Can the Middle of the Lineup Start Producing at a High Level?

With Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the middle of the lineup, most people would not worry.

However, Utley has not been able to find his power yet (only eight home runs in 254 at-bats) and Howard has been plagued by a low batting average of .252.

Despite the low average, Howard has been able to drive in runs. Utley has been hitting for a decent average. Therefore, it is not like they are not hitting entirely.

The question lies in whether or not they will be able to produce enough from the middle of the lineup to support the Phillies pitching staff.

Most of the time, that only involves scoring a few runs per night. However, for those nights when they need more, hopefully the middle of the lineup will be able to produce at the high level Phillies fans have come to expect.

3. How Will the Young Bullpen Hold Up in Its First Postseason Run?

This question largely relates to Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes.

Both of these young men have had pretty solid seasons so far, but the pressure of a playoff run can do funny things to baseball players.

So far, Bastardo is 5-0 with a 1.41 ERA and has 51 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. He was the closer of the injury-depleted bullpen for a while, so he has shown that he is capable of working under some pressure.

The end of the season is different, of course, but he has done nothing but impress so far.

Stutes has been working mostly in middle relief and has also had quite a bit of success. He is 5-1 with a 3.43 ERA. Like Bastardo, he was also vitally important while many pieces of the bullpen were injured earlier this season.

Both of these young men have shown that they are more than capable at the major league level so far, but there is always the question of inexperience.

2. What Will Happen at Third Base?

Because Placido Polanco may end up needing surgery for a sports hernia, this very well could weaken the Phillies at the hot corner.

Nothing against Michael Martinez or Wilson Valdez, who will both fill in for Polanco, but this could hurt the Phillies severely.

Polanco is being examined today by team doctors, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, to see whether he can play through the pain or require surgery.

If he can't come back, the question will be whether or not the platoon at third will be able to produce enough offense to support the lineup.

While both of these men are adequate in the field, they have not been overwhelming, to say the least, at the plate. With a Phillies offense that has occasionally struggled to score runs, taking one more bat out of the lineup certainly invokes question.

1. Can the Phillies Live Up to Expectations?

The Phillies have a lot of talent, so the expectations are also incredibly high. Phillies fans will not be happy with anything less than a world championship, and people have been calling a victory since the beginning of the year.

This is, of course, the biggest question of all because it involves the ultimate prize.

Right now, the Phillies are firing on all cylinders, but they need to sustain it, because once the playoffs start, the only thing that matters is who wins each series.