The Philadelphia Phillies exited the All-Star break in first place in the National League East and have a glaring need in centerfield.

The Philadelphia Phillies are locked in a tight race with the New York Mets for the top spot in the National League East as they prepare for the second half of

Looking at the biggest storylines of the second half for the National League East-leading Phillies as they attempt to make another World Series run.

When facing top-tier contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and their divisional rival, the New York Mets, the Phillies must be able to protect their leads. Duran would address the Phillies' major trade deadline needs and would allow Strahm to return to the setup role.

Fresh off an MVP performance in the All-Star Game, Kyle Schwarber leads the Philadelphia Phillies into Friday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels.

They’ve been torching all comers for the bulk of the last two months, playing 19 games over .500 (31-12) since May 24. Impressively, they managed to shift into an even higher gear heading into the All-Star break, winning their last seven games — three of them against the mighty Dodgers — by a combined score of 40-14.

The Phillies criticized MLB after two of their pitchers weren't named replacements but Jacob Misiorowski, after five starts, made the team.

The Major League Baseball trade deadline could feature the Guardians moving Emmanuel Clase, and the Phillies and Mets are interested.

From 10,000 feet, the Phillies have a strong offense, a strong starting pitching contingent and are in first place in the NL East as they prepare for the stretch run this summer. Philly is also just two games back in the loss column from having the best record in the National League. They're in a pretty good spot.