Keep the Good Times Rolling — Series Preview: Diamondbacks at Phillies, May 2-4
Apr 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) reacts after hitting a home run during the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
April was an emotional rollercoaster of a month for Phillies fans. One day, you’re taking 2 of 3 against the Dodgers on national TV, and the next, you lose 2 of 3 to the Marlins and get swept by the Mets.
Luckily for us, the Phillies are heading into May on the uptick of said rollercoaster, having won their last 2 series and 4 of their last 5. This series will be another test to see how good this team truly is with the Diamondbacks coming to the bank.
These 2 teams have gone back and forth with Rob Thomson as manager and are an even 10-10 head-to-head as well.
The outfield bats look to stay hot
The Phillies’ outfield has been great on this run of the last 6 games. They closed out the series against the Nationals with all 3 members, Max Kepler, Johan Rojas, and Nick Castellanos each getting at least 1 hit in the final 2 games.
The biggest surprise lately has been the offense produced by Rojas. The level at which he’s been hitting as of late has surprised everybody, including me, even as a big Rojas fan. He’s riding a 3-game hitting streak and since April 16th, is batting .326 with a home run and 7 RBIs.
He’s not the only one. After a slow start to the season, Kepler has seemingly found his swing in the last 3-4 weeks. Since April 9th, he’s hitting .286 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs.
Castellanos is also off to a hot start in right field, in parallel to his slow start a year ago. Castellanos started this year by hitting .278 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
It was no secret that the outfield was a big area of need going into this season, and despite just one addition being made, the strong starts from Rojas, Casty, and, of course, said edition Kepler have turned the unit as a whole around. This is all coming at the perfect time for the Phillies with Brandon Marsh still rehabbing in Lehigh Valley as well.
The outfielders aren’t the only guys hitting well, however. Trea Turner has caught fire after a slow start to the season with arguably his best week of the season. In the last 7 days, the former batting champion is hitting .480 along with 4 RBIs. In the Nationals series alone, he recorded 7 hits.
J.T. Realmuto has shown signs of possibly breaking out of his slow start at the plate in the last week as well. In the past week, he’s hitting .300 with a home run to go along with it.
2 unpredictable rotations
The rotations for each of these teams, the Diamondbacks specifically, have been erratic to start the season. For the Diamondbacks, their best pitcher is Phillie killer Brandon Pfaadt, boasting a sub-3 ERA heading into May. Surprisingly for them, the usual aces in Zac Gallen and Corbin Burnes have each struggled to begin the season. More so, Gallen than Burnes, as his ERA sits at 4.93.
For the Phillies, the unpredictable side of the rotation will be on the mound for this series. Jesus Luzardo would be the only exception to that rule; he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball with an ERA of 1.73, and he’ll take the mound in game 1.
Aaron Nola will suit up for game 2 in what has been one of the worst starts to a season in his career. Nola’s velocity has taken a significant hit in the early stages of the campaign and is giving up long ball after long ball. He’s allowed 6 home runs in 6 starts to earn a 5.40 ERA. However, he has looked better as of late.
Then, to close it out, Ranger Suarez is set to make his long-awaited return to action. He was the Phillies’ breakout star a year ago, being in Cy Young conversations for much of the season, before about halfway through the season, when back injuries got the best of him. It will be interesting to monitor how deep Thomson lets Ranger pitch into the game coming off an injury.
Historically, for Ranger, these Arizona hitters have had his number throughout his career, with the team’s lineup hitting .291 combined against the lefty.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Friday, May 2, 6:45 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Saturday, May 3, 6:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Sunday, May 4, 2:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 3-0, 1.73 ERA) vs. Merrill Kelly (RHP, 3-1, 4.41 ERA)
Game 2: Aaron Nola (RHP, 0-5, 5.40 ERA) vs. Brandon Pfaadt (RHP, 5-1, 2.78 ERA)
Game 3: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 0-0, -.– ERA) vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (LHP, 1-3, 6.06 ERA)
By the Numbers
- Records
- Phillies: 17-14
- Diamondbacks: 17-14
- Run Differential
- Phillies: 4
- Diamondbacks: 10
- Runs Scored Per Game
- Phillies: 4.52
- Diamondbacks: 5.19
- Runs Allowed Per Game
- Phillies: 4.39
- Diamondbacks 4.87
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Ethan Whitney
Ethan is a writer for Philly Sports Reports and a Color Commentator for Rally Sports Network. He has been a massive fan of all Philly Sports for as long as he can remember and wants to share that passion with the world. He is looking for a long career in the sports media sphere.
