Series Preview: Rockies at Phillies, April 25 – 28

The be dreaded Rockies are back. This time, we will face off against them in a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies are coming off of a series where they went 1-2 against the Brewers. In game three of the Brewers series, the Phillies only recorded five hits, and they were shutout 1-0 despite a gem from Aaron Nola.

Last time they met

Just four days ago, the Phillies were in Colorado to end their road trip. The Phillies ended up losing two of three against the Rockies even though they had the top of their rotation on the bump. The Phillies offense did wake up in games two and three. Nick Castellanos, Johan Camargo, and Alec Bohm each hit a home run in the series, and Kyle Schwarber left the yard in Colorado twice!

Since then, the Phillies were at home with the Brewers in town. The Phillies won the first game, but the Brewers won games two and three thanks to stellar pitching from the back end of their bullpen. On the other hand, the Rockies went north to Detroit for an interleague matchup. A three-game series turned into a two-game series after game one was postponed. Ultimately, the Rockies were able to split the series with a win in game two after being shut out on Saturday.

Will we see Bryson Stott?

Bryson Stott did not get any playing time in the Brewers series. He did not even step onto the field. This upset many fans, for they felt that it could negatively impact his development. He is not in the starting lineup for game one, and Joe Girardi has not commented on whether he will start in this series. There does not appear to be an injury.

Update: Bryson Stott has been optioned to Lehigh Valley. To correspond with that move, Roman Quinn has been recalled from AAA. [6:25pm ET]

Wasting starting pitching

Kyle Gibson, arguably the team’s best starter thus far, will be on the hump for game one. The Phillies wasted a dominate start by Aaron Nola on Sunday, and they were unable to help Zack Wheeler who threw four scoreless innings before a rough fifth inning. Even though the Rockies do not have the same depth in the bullpen as the Brewers, the Phillies cannot waste a good outing from any of their pitchers.

How do they accomplish this? Scoring with runners in scoring position.

The Phillies, who are known to lack this skill in years past, exemplified how challenging clutch hitting can be on Sunday. As a team, the Phillies left 16 runners on base, and seven at the end of innings. Of the 16, Rhys Hoskins accounted for five of them. With runners in scoring position, they were just 1-5.

Pitching matchups

Game 1: Kyle Gibson (RHP, 1-1, 3.57 ERA) vs. Kyle Freeland (LHP, 1-1, 7.71 ERA)

Game 2: Zach Eflin (RHP, 0-1, 5.27 ERA) vs. German Marquez (RHP, 0-0, 4.67 ERA)

Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 1-0, 4.38 ERA) vs. Ryan Feltner (RHP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA)

Game 4: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 0-3, 8.53 ERA) vs. Antonio Senzatela (RHP, 1-1, 4.73 ERA)

The numbers

• Run Differential:
• Phillies: -11
• Rockies: 1

• Runs Scored Per Game:
• Phillies: 4
• Rockies: 4.73

• Runs Allowed Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.69
• Rockies: 4.67

Game times and broadcasts

• Monday, April 25, at 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Tuesday, April 26, at 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Wednesday, April 27, at 6:45pm ET, 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Thursday, April 28, at 1:05pm ET on 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP

Live game coverage will be provided on Philly Sports Reports’ Twitter page.