Phillies receive unexpectedly bleak 26.7% NL East projection from ESPN

The Philadelphia Phillies' story during the 2026 season is well known at this point. They began 9-19, fired Rob Thomson, and have since been one of the best teams in baseball.But, since they got put in such a large hole, a few months later, the Phillies are still behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East race. They're 2.0 games back coming out of the All-Star break, which isn't great, but considering their start to the year, it's not bad.However, despite the Phillies trending upwards, ESPN's Bradford Doolittle handed them an unexpectedly bleak 26.7% projection to win the NL East. This is a bit lower than what it feels like it should be, considering how close this race has become.Phillies have 26.7% chance to win NL East per ESPN"Record 54-43 | Projected final record: 89-73. Division title o