The Sixers are done. Welcome to baseball season. Checking in on the Phillies at the quarter mark.

SAN FRANCISCO — At roughly the same time Sunday that the 76ers were getting stamped out amid a 28-3 third-quarter run by the Celtics in Boston, Bryce Harper tried to fight a Rockies reliever — named Bird, coincidentally — for taunting the Phillies’ dugout in Colorado.

How about that for a channel-changer? Or a symbolic shifting of the city’s sporting focus?

Welcome to baseball season.

» READ MORE: How to bet Phillies vs. Giants with Phils starting Connor Brogdon

No need to apologize for feeling distracted. It’s been a hectic spring. The Eagles made four of the first 66 picks in the NFL draft. Then the Sixers teased everyone all the way to a Game 7 before bowing out, as usual, in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Even the Flyers swiped a few headlines last week with a high-profile front-office move.

To be fair, fans have shown up in droves to Citizens Bank Park, with sellout crowds for 10 of 18 games, even the ones when the hot dogs cost more than a dollar. But baseball has been mostly ambient noise around here lately, and that’s understandable. The Phillies were even kind enough to wait around for your attention.

» READ MORE: Checking in on the Bryce Harper first base experiment: Are his days as a right fielder nearing an end?

The quarter pole of the season arrived Sunday, and they are 20-20. Not great, but hardly awful. Still waiting to make their move, but hanging around in striking distance of the division lead. Heck, they haven’t even played the Braves or Mets yet.

It’s like you haven’t missed a thing.

Just in case, allow us to bring you up to speed.

If you didn’t know that Harper had an elbow ligament reconstruction in late November, well, you wouldn’t know.

Not only did the Phillies’ biggest star come back as the designated hitter two weeks ago, but he’s already in midseason form. Since his 0-for-4, three-strikeout return May 2 at Dodger Stadium, Harper is 13-for-35 (.371) with three doubles, two homers, five walks, and a 1.079 on-base plus slugging.

”I just need to understand that it’s going to take me a minute to kind of get back and understand my swing every single day,” he said last week. “When I get through it and get going, I feel like I’ll feel every day, right? Right now, it’s up and down, and once I get there, I get there.”

» READ MORE: Why Trea Turner is striking out at the second-highest rate of his career — and how he’s working through it

Imagine what that might look like.

And imagine what an uneven Phillies offense — fourth in the National League in hits (362) and fifth in slugging (.425) but only eighth in homers (42) and ninth in runs (173) going into Monday — will do once slow starters Trea Turner (.262/.311/.405) and Kyle Schwarber (.178/.294/.390) get unlocked.

Pitchers across the majors have grappled with the faster pace of the pitch clock, with the average ERA up by nearly half a run to 4.30 from 3.85 on the same date last year.

But Phillies starters have combined for a 4.77 ERA.

There are encouraging signs. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have mostly settled; Taijuan Walker is finally throwing strikes, especially with his signature splitter; Ranger Suárez returned over the weekend from a spring-training elbow strain.

» READ MORE: ‘The boys are hungry’: The backstory behind José Alvarado’s ‘home run chickens.’

”We were .500 in the middle of May without Ranger in our starting rotation,” backup catcher Garrett Stubbs told reporters over the weekend. “I think we’re in a pretty good spot now. To watch him pitch just shows you what we can do in the future.”

The fifth-starter spot remains an issue, with Bailey Falter dragging a 5.75 ERA to the mound Monday night. But it can always be addressed at the trade deadline. Or maybe top prospect Andrew Painter will be a second-half X factor.

After years of searching for a center fielder, the Phillies suddenly have depth at the position.

It starts with Brandon Marsh. Even amid a 3-for-23, 11-strikeout funk, he has a .955 OPS. Cristian Pache, acquired on the eve of opening day, was beginning to hit before injuring his knee. In triple A, lefty-hitting Símon Muzziotti is finally healthy and batting .388/.424/.522 with nine stolen bases. Johan Rojas has a .290/.358/.403 batting line and eight steals in double A. And 2022 first-round pick Justin Crawford is at .315/.376/.380 and 15-for-17 in steal attempts at low-A Clearwater.

» READ MORE: Trade for Brandon Marsh is looking like a win-win for Phillies and Angels

Dave Dombrowski often deals from organizational surplus at specific positions. He could cash a center-field trade chip at the deadline. Or when Harper is ready to field a position, likely first base, the Phillies could consider Muzziotti or even Rojas to help improve the outfield defense and add speed to the bottom of the lineup.

The Phillies’ best player so far: Nick Castellanos, naturally.

Castellanos is better adjusted and more relaxed after his disappointing first season with the Phillies. Sure enough, he leads the team in hits (49) and doubles (14) and presents enough of a threat in the cleanup spot that teams are pitching to Harper.

» READ MORE: How Nick Castellanos’ time in Cincinnati provided a road map for success with the Phillies

“I’m in a good spot right now,” said Castellanos, who also has robbed homers with leaping catches in right field against the Astros on April 28 and the Blue Jays last week. “I’m not thinking too much. I’m having fun playing the game. Usually when that happens, the game becomes easier for me.”

Phillies officials will note that the roster hasn’t been whole yet. It’s a fair point. Even now, with Harper and Suárez back, relief ace José Alvarado is out with left elbow inflammation.

Relatively speaking, though, the Phillies have been healthy.

The division-leading Braves, off to a 25-15 start, have 40% of their rotation (Max Fried and Kyle Wright) on the injured list. The Yankees’ training room has been busier than Grand Central Station. The $370 million Mets are 20-21 and have gotten a total of eight starts from Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.

Injuries are a factor everywhere, especially in 2023. But the Phillies were fortunate last season that theirs didn’t pile up. So far, they’ve been able to stagger them this year, too.

In a scheduling quirk, the Phillies have played three games against NL East teams. Every other team in baseball has played at least six divisional games.

That’s about to change.

Beginning on May 25 in Atlanta, the Phillies will have 10 consecutive NL East showdowns. Twenty-two of their last 41 games before the All-Star break will be within the division.

FanGraphs gives the Phillies a 53.6% chance to make the playoffs, which feels low given the lack of contenders in the NL. Whatever the case, the season is about to get more interesting — and just in time to get your full attention.