USATSI_18197543 — Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Phillies Face-Off Against Rangers for Two-Game Set

The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Texas to take on the Rangers in a short series.

Author:
Declan Harris
Jun 21, 2022 1:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have been on a roll during the month of June, winning all five series in the month. During this streak, which has spanned 18 games, they've dropped just three, making for a 15-3 record.

Their success in the last week of play can be attributed to the usual suspects, Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, and Aaron Nola amongst others. Harper and Hoskins recorded big hit after big hit, and Hoskins was responsible for eight RBI.

Nola has been on top of things on the mound. He's fanned 20 batters across his previous three starts, while holding an ERA of 0.78 and a FIP of 1.52.

On the other side of the ticket are the Texas Rangers, who come into this series from a disappointing four-game split against the Detriot Tigers. This is the second time the Phillies and Rangers are facing off, and each team showed to be a reasonable challenge for one another in the past.

When the two met in April, the Rangers pulled away from the two-game miniseries with both games in hand. Rangers' offseason pickup Marcus Semien proved to be a troublesome hitter during that series, swatting his way to a .500/.556/.625 slash.

Semien is finding his footing on the season, and is having quite the productive month of June. He's hitting .284/.346/.500 with five home runs and eight RBI.

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for this series:

Game One:

Phillies Starter: Kyle Gibson (4-2, 4.04 ERA)

Rangers Starter: Martín Pérez (4-2, 2.10 ERA)

Kyle Gibson will take the mound against his former team on Tuesday night. Gibson spent two seasons with Texas, pitching in 31 games with an ERA of 3.79 and a FIP of 4.37. In his most recent start for the Phillies, the right-hander went a season-high eight innings, striking out six batters and allowing just one run.

During the last meeting between the Rangers and Phillies, Martín Pérez took to the mound in what turned out to be a solid start for the veteran. He went seven innings of shutout baseball while allowing four hits and walking four batters.

First Pitch: Tuesday, 8:05 P.M. EST

Where to Watch: NBCSP, 94 WIP

Game Two:

Phillies Starter: Zack Wheeler (6-3, 2.69 ERA)

Rangers Starter: Jon Gray (2-3, 4.27 ERA)

When Zack Wheeler last pitched against the Rangers in April, he was only just finding his footing. The Phillies ace went 7.2 innings deep while allowing six hits and striking out seven batters.

Jon Gray will hope to fare better this time around against Philadelphia. During his last outing, Gray was tugged after three innings in which he allowed five hits and three runs across 60 pitches.

First Pitch: Wednesday, 4:05 P.M. EST

Where to Watch: NBC10, 94 WIP

Players to Watch:

Phillies: Zack Wheeler

Zack Wheeler sets to deliver a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

To say that Zack Wheeler has been on fire would be an understatement. He is currently carrying a three-game win streak, in which he's pitched some phenomenal baseball. His ERA sits at a minuscule 1.42 during that span, alongside a FIP of 2.16. Wheeler has shown exceptional command, as 66% of his pitches in those three starts have resulted in strikes.

Rangers: Marcus Semien

Marcus Semien finishes his swing which resulted in a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Semien's first season in Texas isn't off to the strongest start, but he's begun to warm to the Lonestar State. Currently, he's batting .223/.288./.338, obviously not the production the Rangers were looking for when they signed him to a seven-year, $175 Million deal.

However, Semien has found his bat as of late, slugging .333/.414/.529 over his previous four series. He'll look to keep this streak going as the Phillies come to town on Tuesday.