Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Clinch Best Road Start in Over a Decade

The Philadelphia Phillies haven't had a start like this in over a decade.

Tyler Maher

Apr 10, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos
Apr 10, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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It wasn't always pretty, but the Philadelphia Phillies won more often than not on their first road trip of the year. That might not sound like a big deal, but the Phillies hadn't posted a winning record on their season-opening road trip since 2011, when many people considered them the best team in baseball.

Granted, it helped that Philadelphia's first road trip was comprised of two relatively easy series against the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom finished well below .500 last year. Still, winning on the road in MLB isn't easy, but the Phillies took two out of three in both series to go 4-2 on the trip, returning home at 6-6.

They didn't hit much on the road, managing just 20 runs across the six games (3.3 per game), but Philadelphia didn't need to score much, though, considering how phenomenal their pitching and defense were, allowing just 14 runs on the trip (2.3 per game).

While the bats were frustratingly quiet (especially with runners in scoring position), the rotation did its job. They kept games competitive with five quality starts in six tries, including two by Aaron Nola. Zack Wheeler's bad luck continued, but he should start getting some run support eventually.

The Phillies will try to build on this momentum in their upcoming 10-game homestand, which begins Thursday. Four games against the red-hot Pittsburgh Pirates won't be easy, but Philadelphia shouldn't have much trouble against the hapless Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.

If everything goes according to plan, the Phillies should be able to get over .500 for the first time this season.

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Tyler Maher

TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.