Series Preview: Phillies at Dodgers, May 12-15

The Phillies came out swinging their bats in the Mariners series. They won two out of three and came up big in the series finale. They are looking to take these well-played games right into the Dodgers series. This is the first time the Phillies are seeing the Dodgers this season. The Dodgers are a very good team as of last year. Now, with the new pieces they just added, they could be even better.

The club re-signed many of their players such as Trea Turner, Julio Urias, Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, and Clayton Kershaw. One of the team’s major moves was signing first baseman Freddie Freeman. They signed him to a six-year, 162M dollar contract. Another big move the team made was dealing AJ Pollock to the White Sox. In return, they got closer Craig Kimbrel. These additions provided them with much more depth in the bullpen, and off their bench.

Freddie Freeman has a .315 average with three home runs and 13 RBIs. Trea Turner, on the other hand, is hitting .259 this year, but he still has 21 RBIs. Turner is a career .301 hitter and has 104 home runs in his 8 years in the league, so he will eventually return to his usual form.

The Dodgers are 20-9 coming into tonight’s contest.

Will the offense keep up the work?

The Phillies offense has been on somewhat of a hot streak, as the team scored seventeen runs in the Mariners series. Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, and Jean Segura are all hitting around .300. The big bats of Harper, Castellanos, Schwarber, Realmuto, and Hoskins have been decent so far. Castellanos has been the face of this Phillies offense. However, Alec Bohm is right there behind him. Castellanos is coming off of an MVP caliber year. He is currently hitting .300 with five home runs and 18 RBIs.

As mentioned before, Bryce Harper’s elbow is still an issue. He now can’t throw for the next four weeks. This is a major setback for the Phils because they are losing a top-tier defender. While hitting cannot help his elbow, he says that it does not affect his swing. Harper is currently hitting .269. He has 19 RBIs and six home runs.

Can the starting pitcher hold their own?

The starting pitching has been pretty good so far this year. They are keeping this Phillies team in games and leaving it up to the bullpen to finish the job. The Phillies will take three of their top pitchers into this series. This will give the Phillies a good chance at this series. Kyle Gibson is leading the team with a 2.94 ERA, and he has been able to use all of his pitches to get guys out.

This will give hopefully give the team a good shot as long as the offense can produce. If the pitchers shut down the Dodgers and get run support, the Phillies could take this series away from the Dodgers.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 1-3, 4.10 ERA) vs. Tyler Anderson (LHP, 3-0, 2.78 ERA)

Game 2: Kyler Gibson (RHP, 3-1, 2.94 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (LHP, 4-0, 1.8 ERA)

Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 3-1, 3.68 ERA) vs. Walker Buehler (RHP, 4-1, 1.96 ERA)

Game 4: Aaron Nola (RHP, 1-4, 3.83 ERA) vs. Julio Urias (LHP, 2-2, 2.1 ERA)

The Numbers

• Run Differential:
• Phillies: 10
• Dodgers: 78

• Runs Scored Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.48
• Dodgers: 5.14

• Runs Allowed Per Game:
• Phillies: 4.16
• Dodgers: 2.45

Game Times and Broadcasts

• Thursday, May 12, at 10:10 ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Friday, May 13, at 10:10 ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Saturday, May 14, at 10:10 ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, MLB Network, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP
• Sunday, May 15, at 4:10pm ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia, WTTM 1680, 94.1 WIP

All Coverage will be on Philly Sports Reports’ Twitter page.