PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Yes, the Phillies spent the last two seasons piling up wins late in the year and ended each of the last two seasons with deep runs in the postseason.

But those cold April and Mays gnawed at the team. How could a team that ended 2022 and 2023 among the best in baseball — there were two straight trips to the NL Championship Series in those years — always open the season in such a malaise?

Wonder no more.

Turned out the answer may have been all about the schedule. The Phillies are off to one of their best starts in years in large part because they beat-up on some of the worst teams in baseball.

Behind eight strong innings from Aaron Nola, the Phillies capped an 8-2 homestand with an 8-2 win Sunday over the Chicago White Sox. More than that, they won the games at Citizens Bank Park they were supposed to win — they split two games with the Pirates, then had consecutive three-game sweeps against the Colorado Rockies and the White Sox.