Phillies’ Offense Continues to Develop — Series Preview: Marlins at Phillies, April 18-20
Apr 15, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryson Stott (5) rounds and advances to third after hitting a triple against the San Francisco Giants in the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. All players wore #42 for Jackie Robinson Day. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
In spite of all the doom and gloom from certain Phillies fans on social media, the team squeaked a series split in a four-game homestand against the red-hot San Francisco Giants. The Giants came into the Phillies series 11-4 after visiting the Yankees and taking two of three from them. Their offense has been thriving, led by Jung Hoo Lee with a 1.042 OPS, which ranks 7th in the MLB. Luckily, the Phils collected wins in games two and four of the series by a score of 6-4 — let’s ignore the other two games. Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez — in their respective games— went 5+ innings, allowing the top-heavy bullpen to come in and close it out.
For the second half of this homestand, the Phillies will take on their division opponents, the Miami Marlins. The Marlins have posted an 8-10 record in 2025 despite a lackluster offseason. They parted ways with their entire coaching staff and made moves for prospects. Their biggest move was trading Luzardo and Paul McIntosh, a minor league catcher, to the Phillies for prospects shortstop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd. Their other notable moves were trading Jake Burger for three prospects from the Rangers and signing Cal Quantrill to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million.
Coming into this season, the Marlins carry the youngest roster in baseball and hold the smallest payroll of $47,130,000.
In their last 20 games played against the Phillies, the Phils hold the edge with an 11-9 record. Here are some key factors to maintain that winning record:
Harper, Castellanos stay hot
On April 11th, Rob Thomson tinkered with the lineup and moved Kyle Schwarber to the spot behind Bryce Harper. It was finally the lineup change the Phillies needed — Schwarber would provide Harper with protection. By placing one of the hottest hitters in baseball behind Harper, teams were forced to pitch to him, which has led to an uptick in quality at-bats. Since that change, Harper has posted a .400 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage, including six walks and two of his three home runs this season.
His past seven games may not be eye-candy for fans, but his ability to work at-bats and get on base is nothing short of impressive. Harper is the heart of this team, and his increased production will provide comfort for the rest of the lineup. If the Phillies want to get the brooms out on this Marlins team, Harper will need to continue these numbers. More hits will come in time, but his quality at-bats are a positive sign. Credit to Thomson for the timely lineup adjustment.
So, who’s been protecting Schwarber in the lineup? As you may have guessed from the subheader, it’s Nick Castellanos. He has hit right after Schwarber in all seven games since Thomson’s brilliant move. Castellanos has a .407 on-base percentage and a .518 slugging percentage, similar yet better numbers than Harper’s. The right-handed slugger has been flourishing in the five-hole, and credit to Kevin Long because Castellanos’ approach at the plate has excelled. It seemed like the last few years, a pitcher could throw low and away sliders to get an easy strikeout, but not this year. Castellanos has dropped his swing percentage outside of the zone (O-Swing%) by an impressive 8% — amazing work, Long.
Since signing here in 2022, we’ve seen Castellanos go on hot streaks, but it feels like he’s got his approach figured out. Even when pitching staffs change their attack plan on him, his approach should hold up. Castellanos looks poised to keep the ball rolling against a weak Marlins pitching staff.
Former daycare residents pick up the slack
Early in the season, the Phillies’ offensive production came mainly from the bottom half of their lineup. At least for the first three games, it seemed like Brandon Marsh had it going well, Bryson Stott had bounced back from a lingering injury, and Alec Bohm fixed some mental issues. But, going into the seventh series of the season, it’s apparent that just one of those things holds true.
Stott has excelled very well in the spots he’s been put in. Previously mentioned were Thomson’s lineup changes, and with that came moving Stott to leadoff against right-handed pitchers. He has been mashing against righties with a .350 batting average, but the struggles against lefties have continued. The second baseman is hitting .063 against lefties in 16 at-bats, only gathering a double. An argument could be made that he’s not getting enough at-bats versus southpaws to adjust, but over the years, his numbers have tilted in favor of opposite-hand match-ups. However, with an upcoming series against three right-handed pitchers, Stott should be in the lead-off spot all weekend and will have plenty of opportunities to help his team out with his dominance against righties.
Before the Giants series, Bohm was struggling, big-time. Fans wanted him benched or sent down, but Thomson decided to move him down in the lineup and allow him to fix himself. Though it took a few games, that change of scenery may have worked just enough to keep Bohm off the hot seat. The 28-year-old third baseman hit safely in all four games versus the Giants. These hits include a big-time line-drive single to left on Tuesday, which gave the Phillies a lead that they would hold onto the rest of the game, and a triple on Thursday that extended the Phillies’ lead to four runs in the first.
Perhaps Bohm has found some confidence and is playing more loosely, just like Harper recommends.
If Bohm keeps the bottom of the order flowing, the top will be flourishing with scoring opportunities. Maintaining offensive momentum will be key to winning the weekend series versus the Marlins.
The Phillies’ offense made progress in the Giants series by scattering hits with runners in scoring position. These opportunities have been prevalent all season, but only recently does it seem that the hits come at the right time. If the lineup 1 through 9 continues this trend of timely hits and they keep getting deep in at-bats, it will be a breakout weekend for the Broad Street Bombers.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Friday, April 18, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Saturday, April 19, 1:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Sunday, April 20, 1:35 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 1-1, 4.07 ERA) vs. Sandy Alcantara (RHP, 2-0, 4.70 ERA)
Game 2: Taijuan Walker (RHP, 1-1, 2.30 ERA) vs. Cal Quantrill (RHP, 1-1, 5.79 ERA)
Game 3: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 2-0, 2.31 ERA) vs Connor Gillispie (RHP, 0-2, 6.63 ERA)
By the Numbers
- Records
- Phillies: 11-8
- Marlins: 8-10
- Run Differential
- Phillies: -2
- Marlins: -18
- Runs Scored Per Game
- Phillies: 4.21
- Marlins: 4.17
- Runs Allowed Per Game
- Phillies: 4.32
- Marlins 5.17
Use code PHILLYSPORTSREPORT for $20 off your first SeatGeek order
Click here to save 10% on any order at FOCO
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
