Key Lessons Learned After Philadelphia Phillies and Blue Jays Series
Two-game home stands can be finicky beasts. Just ask the Philadelphia Phillies. 48 hours often means you don't have the same luxury of handling injuries as you normally would. Again, just ask the Phillies.
But as the men in pinstripes played host to the Toronto Blue Jays, there were key moments to learn from as they head to face the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.
Philadelphia brought out the brooms as it swept the Blue Jays. They improved their 2023 season record to 18-19, almost breaking .500.
The Flight of the Pitchers
Pitching remained one of the strongest areas for the Phillies bullpen in this series with some caveats. There was a strong outing Tuesday night from right-hander Aaron Nola but also the loss of one of their best closers.
The 29-year-old pitched six solid innings and allowed just two runs on five hits and a pair of walks while sending six men back to the bullpen. He finished that outing with an ERA of 4.48. He is proving that in the final year of his multi-year deal, there's more pressure on him to perform at a higher level and he's up to the task.
Looking at Wednesday afternoon's performance, Zack Wheeler battled up against Toronto's Kevin Gausman. Two of the nastiest righties in the game and it was an even pairing for most of the day. Wheeler went seven innings, allowed one run on three hits, and struck out seven.
He and Nola are arguably the two aces in the Phillies rotation and seeing these two aces back to form is a good sign as they head on the road.
But where one door opens, another one closes. This closing door came in the form of losing left-handed reliever and closer Jose Alvarado to the 15-day injured list. He had been dealing with left elbow inflammation.
A bit of an important thing when your dominant pitching arm is your left.
Thankfully, there was no other significant damage to his arm and all it means is that he's shut down for a few days. But when your reliever, arguably the best in MLB right now, is down for the count it doesn't inspire hope.
Bring on the Bats
It was a good sign to see the Phillies bats come back to life in their Toronto series. Taking a look at the clean-up spot and one name looks like a bright spot: Mr. Nick Castellanos.
The 2022 version of Castellanos wasn't exactly who the Phillies signed up for in his deal. The 31-year-old outfielder finished the 2022 World Series journey .263/.305/.389 with 13 homers and 62 RBIs.
Yet the guy who shows up now to the plate is in much better form. There's consistency in his 143 at-bats at the 35-game mark in the season. Tuesday night he went 3-4 with a homer and two RBIs. He reached first base on Wednesday with an in-park single. Almost had a homer but it fouled left.
J.T. Realmuto also showing he's got the power on Wednesday night's game. Bottom of the ninth inning, he ripped a double to center field, advancing Bryce Harper and moving Castellanos to scoring position.
Seeing more consistency from the batting order that manager Rob Thompson has put together is a good sign as the Phillies advance forward in the season. And in the tough NL East, that is going to be something they can't slack on in a push to the postseason.
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