2019's midseason was, IMHO, more about how good the Braves and Nationals were looking inside the division than how much the Phillies weren't. Kapler and crew were still riding several games above .500 throughout that July and most of August; the larger slumps happened more toward September.
I get what you're saying purely from the perspective of current standings, Pythagorean, etc., but I don't know that I agree that the Phillies are no worse than anyone in the division. Games aren't played on paper, but both the Braves and Mets entered the season with better teams from that perspective. The Mets currently sit 1.5 games up in the division lead, and the Braves continue to feel like a team that continues to hit the snooze button. That said, the Mets need to convince me they can hold the line for an entire season, and I'm wondering if the Braves pitching staff is going to be season-long hurdle for the offense to have to pick up (which understandably they could try and alleviate via trade as well if still an issue in July).
As for the Phillies, they carry the stigma of some September swooning the past few years, which could be part of the frustration behind some of the tougher losses they've endured thus far (last night's game not included, IMHO, a W was not the favored outcome once the amended lineup was posted). NCAA Basketball's tournament actually popped in my head as an analogy here - sometimes the 16 seeds run with the 1 for the first half, but typically the 1, via better talent, depth, and adjustments, takes over in the the second. It's true the Phillies continue to hang with the Mets, and remain ahead of the Braves, but given the analytics and late-season behavior this club has shown, I don't think it unreasonable to be disappointed at some of the early-season losses they've endured.
As for improving the club in July, I don't see how a move for significant impact is feasible, as the organization is relatively bereft of prospective talent right now. Middleton could choose to spend as far over the CBT as he likes, but I don't know that that would be a significant impact in late July either.
