A successful west coast trip had a damper put on it with the Dodgers walk-off win on Sunday, but the Phillies have plenty of momentum carrying them into this 3-game series with the Padres.
Headlines:
The Phillies are 5-2 in their last 7 games, making them one of the hottest teams in the league. In that stretch they have scored 50 runs.
The Padres are coming off a series win vs the Braves, where they won 2/3 games, including an 11 inning win Sunday afternoon.
Bryce Harper's injury concern is definitely something to keep an eye on for this series. He could be out until Wednesday as Phillies' staff monitor the injury. His partial tear in his elbow will cause him to DH every game he plays for at least 3 more weeks. Bryce received a PRP injection Sunday, which made him to miss game 4 vs LA.
With the Padres being without Fernando Tatis Jr., the Phillies will see a watered down lineup from the Padres. But, that hasn't slowed San Diego down yet. The Padres currently have a 22-13 record record and are 0.5 games back of first place in the NL West.
Series Schedule:
- Game 1: Tuesday - 6:45 p.m. first pitch - NBCSP
- Game 2: Wednesday - 6:45 p.m. first pitch - NBCSP
- Game 3: Thursday - 1:05 p.m. first pitch - NBC10
Pitching matchups:
- Game 1: TBA vs Mike Clevinger (0-0, 5.00)
- Game 2: Zach Wheeler (1-3, 4.26) vs Blake Snell (0-0, ---)
- Game 2: Kyle Gibson (3-1, 4.10) vs Yu Darvish (3-1, 4.62)
For game one of this series, it is possible Zach Eflin could be taken off of the Covid IL and make his first start since May 1st, but nothing has been confirmed. It is also likely Girardi decides to pitch a bullpen game.
Mike Clevinger will be making his third start of the season tonight. The feisty right hander hasn't gotten off to the best of starts this season and will be looking to right his wrongs against the Phillies.
Blake Snell is set to make his season debut Wednesday, he suffered a strained adductor strain suffered on April 10th. He is looking to have a bounce back season after an underwhelming 2021, finishing with a 7-6 record and a 4.20 ERA.
THE ONE KEY FOR THE PHILS...
Keep hitting the damn ball.
Phillies lead the MLB in OPS and are top 3 in basically every hitting statistic. This team will slump when the bats get cold... But when the bats are hot, the Phillies could become real contenders in the National League.