Series Preview: Rangers at Phillies, May 3 – 4

The country kids are coming to South Philadelphia! The Texas Rangers will faceoff against the Phillies in a two-game interleague series beginning Tuesday. The Phillies will look to go back to .500 and continue to crawl their way back atop the NL East standings.

The Rangers made some big moves in the offseason, but they are not off to a great start. They are coming into this series with an 8-14 record, but they just took two of three from the Atlanta Braves. Their busy offseason is highlighted in their middle-infield, as they picked up Corey Seager and Marcus Semien.

Semien was a Blue Jay in 2021, and he put up a .334 OBP during the regular season. He is off to a slow start in 2022, but he will most definitely raise his average as the season progresses. Corey Seager, the 2016 National League Rookie of the Year, is off to a solid start, as he has posted a .271 average with four home runs in 2022 thus far. Seager will be the biggest threat in game one of this series when Ranger Suarez is on the bump, for Seager is hitting .346 against lefties this season.

We will also get to see a handful of former Phillies including Brad Miller and Matt Moore. Moore is off to a surprisingly good start in the Rangers’ bullpen, considering that he was horrendous for the Phillies as a starter and as a reliever in 2021. So far, he has struck out 13 batters, and he has allowed just one run in 10.1 innings. Brad Miller, a Phillies legend for many reasons, is not known to be a guy to hit for a high average, but he is hitting just .192 in his first 52 at-bats.

Can the Phillies become consistent?

If I had to describe the Phillies’ season so far in one word, there is only one word that can describe all aspects of their team: inconsistent. The bullpen, the offense, and the rotation have all had their ups and downs. Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler will need to command their fastball and keep the ball on the ground if they want to pitch well and get further into the game. With the Phillies having an off day on Monday, their bullpen will be fully available.

No Nick Castellanos, Phils switch up lineup

For the next few days, Nick Castellanos will be absent from the Phillies’ clubhouse. He was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup, as his wife went into labor. Castellanos has put up very good numbers thus far. His absence should not be for very long, and the best part is that it is for an awesome reason. Roman Quinn will now start on Tuesday and bat ninth.

Additionally, Kyle Schwarber will move back to the leadoff spot after being moved down to the middle of the order. He has started to swing the bat better, and he has had much better plate discipline.

Pitching matchups

Game 1: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 2-0, 4.42 ERA) vs. Jon Gray (RHP, 0-1, 7 ERA)

Game 2: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 1-3, 5.79 ERA) vs. Martin Perez (LHP, 0-2, 3 ERA)

The numbers

• Run Differential:
• Phillies: 8
• Rangers: -6

• Runs Scored Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.61
• Rangers: 4.36

• Runs Allowed Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.64
• Rangers: 4.26

Game times and broadcasts

• Tuesday, May 3, at 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Wednesday, May 4, at 6:45pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP

Game coverage will be available on Philly Sports Reports’ Twitter.