Much has been made of the Phillies' bye week, and its pros and cons, but one thing is for certain: The players won't use it as an excuse. If anything, they see it as a positive. They won't have to win as many games to achieve their goal.

The Phillies are taking a different approach to the first-round bye. Here's what they're doing to buck a disturbing trend.

Whenever a team does have an inspiring run at a championship, typically Philadelphia embraces the underdog role (see the 2017 Eagles, and each of the last two Phillies squads). And just as typically,