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What to Expect from Phillies, Athletics on Opening Day

The Philadelphia Phillies open their season against the Oakland Athletics in the most recent chapter of the century-old City Series.

Author:
Declan Harris
Apr 8, 2022 8:00 AM EDT

Following an offseason like no other, baseball will be returning to the City of Brotherly Love as the Philadelphia Phillies open their season hosting the Oakland Athletics.

During the offseason, both teams underwent several changes. For the Phillies, their lineup got a significant facelift, highlighted by the additions of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos.

The two sluggers will pair nicely alongside Rhys Hoskins, who is coming back from season-ending surgery, reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper, 2021 All-Star J.T. Realmuto, and the ever-so-consistent Jean Segura.

The debuts of Castellanos and Schwarber in front of the home crowd will be a top storyline on Friday, now being the crux of anticipation for Philadelphia baseball since the acquisitions of Harper and Realmuto back in 2019.

The Citizens Bank Park crowd might also see the Phillies debuts of relievers Corey Knebel, Jeurys Familia, and Brad Hand, who were brought in during the offseason to help bolster the bullpen which struggled in 2021. They ended the season tied with the Washington Nationals for the most blown saves in MLB, and had the sixth-highest ERA (4.60).

For the Athletics, their offseason started with the promotion of Mark Kotsay to manager and would be highlighted by a trade that saw third baseman Matt Chapman leave for Toronto in exchange for a group of prospects, and slugger Matt Olson go to the reigning World Champion Atlanta Braves for Cristian Pache and three prospects.

Taking to the mound for the Phillies on Opening Day for the fifth straight time will be Aaron Nola, who will look to get off to a hot start after a lackluster 2021 season.

In spring training, Nola went 0-1 across four starts with an ERA of 5.65, so a win on Opening Day in front of the home crowd could be a huge confidence booster going forward.

Opening the season for the Athletics will be Frankie Montas, who is coming off of his most productive year on the mound, posting a record of 13-9 through starting an American League-leading 32 games.

For Montas, this will be his second Opening Day start, after opening the season for the Athletics in 2017 against the Los Angeles Angels. He pitched four innings, allowed one run, three walks, and struck out five.

The season opener is the first of three games against the Athletics, with the first pitch being scheduled for 3:05 pm on Friday, April 8.