Home Opener at The Bank — Series Preview: Rockies at Phillies, March 31-April 3

Citizens Bank Park welcomes back the Phillies for the first time in 2025 with a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. Although the Phillies didn’t complete the sweep of the Nationals, they were able to win their first series of the season down in D.C. and continue their dominance over the Nationals.

The Rockies dropped their first series of the year to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game set at the new “home” stadium for the Rays, George M. Steinbrenner Field. After losing the first game in walk-off fashion thanks to Rays’ outfielder Kameron Misner, the Rockies took game two in a unique defensive way with a score of 2-1. In the offensive battle of game three, they lost 6-4.

It was a rather quiet offseason for the Rockies after they publicly stated their need to shed payroll so they brought back a similar team to 2024’s. Two of their signings were for depth: Jacob Stallings as a back-up catcher for a one-year deal and Kyle Farmer also on a one-year deal. Their biggest move was Thairo Estrada for one-year to start in their infield. Unfortunately, Estrada suffered a broken wrist in Spring Training by taking a 97 mph sinker to the forearm.

Here are some keys to the Phillies winning their second series of the season:

Preventing the Long Ball

In the Phillies’ three-game set down in Washington, the team gave up 13 runs, 11 of which came from the long ball. Keibert Ruiz was responsible for two of them, both coming in the first two games and both to give the Nationals an early lead. In all of these games, the Nationals got the first lead on the Phillies thanks to a home run. Game three’s lead came from Josh Bell, known Phillies-killer, who launched a three-run blast against Aaron Nola in the Toyota Rav-4th Inning.

Although the Phils fought for wins in two of the three games, giving up early home runs is not a recipe for success. The Rockies offer a chance to set this straight as Cristopher Sanchez will start the series on Monday afternoon. Sanchez finished 2024 with .5 home runs per nine innings pitched. The southpaw gives his team one of their best chances to limit the long ball and find weak contact. Fortunately for him, the Rockies finished 15th in the league last year in home-run total, an average rank that should allow the Phillies to set the record straight.

Timely Hitting

Sunday afternoon’s loss may be fresh on the minds of fans, and their lack of timely hitting deserves the blame. The Phillies had a slow start to the season on Opening Day when they struck out 19 times but squeaked a win due to timely hitting down the stretch. Even though they played a brutal nine innings of baseball, timely hitting in the end brought them the win. Alec Bohm doubled with two runners on to take the lead, and J.T. Realmuto drove home Bohm and Kyle Schwarber with a triple to extend the lead to 7-3. Game two showcased phenomenal, timely hitting as the Phillies were five for nine with two home runs with runners in scoring position.

However, game three provided the Phillies with plenty of opportunities to score, yet only one run to show for it. In innings one and two, they had two runners on, but both innings ended abruptly with a Bryson Stott strikeout and a Rafael Marchán double play. This trend continued through the game into the seventh inning when Bohm stepped up with bases loaded and grounded into a double play. Bases loaded up again in the ninth, but they pushed only one run across with bases loaded and no outs.

It’s too early in the season to get hot on the tails of a team for underperformance, especially after a 2-1 series win. The lack of hitting has only led to a single loss, but let’s hope the Phillies do not continue a trend of timeless hitting.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Monday, March 31, 3:05 p.m. ET, NBC 10, NBC Sports Philadelphia+, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Wednesday, April 2, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Thursday, April 3, 1:05 p.m. ET, NBC 10, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680

Probable Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 2024 Stats: 11-9, 3.32 ERA) vs. German Marquez (RHP, 2024 Stats: 0-0, 6.75 ERA)

Game 2: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 2024 Stats: 16-7, 2.57 ERA) vs. Kyle Freeland (LHP, 2024 Stats: 5-8, 5.24 ERA)

Game 3: Taijuan Walker (RHP, 2024 Stats: 3-7, 7.10 ERA) vs Antonio Senzatela (RHP, 2024 Stats: 0-1, 6.57 ERA)

By the Numbers

• Records
• Phillies: 2-1
• Rockies: 1-2

• Run Differential 
• Phillies: 5
• Rockies: -2

• Runs Scored Per Game 
• Phillies: 7
• Rockies: 2.67

• Runs Allowed Per Game 
• Phillies: 4.67
• Rockies: 3.33

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