The Phillies Are Hot — Series Preview: Phillies at Guardians, May 9-11
TAMPA, FL - MAY 08: Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates with Brandon Marsh #16, Alec Bohm #28, Trea Turner #7 after hitting a three-run home run in the eighth inning during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Carlee Calfee/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Phillies are on a roll.
After falling to 13-13 just two weeks ago, the Phillies have won nine of their last 11 games, improving to 22-15 on the year. They are coming off an impressive three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, including a comeback win in the third game to finish off the sweep.
They will wrap up their six-game road trip with a three-game set against one of the better teams in the American League in the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians, who share the same record as the Phillies, have been playing great baseball in the past couple of weeks, winning seven of their last nine games.
Keeping The Bats Going
It’s no secret that the key to the Phillies’ recent hot streak of wins has been the outstanding play from the offense. Since starting this hot streak against the Cubs, the Phillies have scored seven or more runs in eight of their last 11 games and have scored 7+ in all of their last five contests.
The meat of the order has truly been of fire recent, as the 4-5-6 of Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Max Kepler has produced a large part of their offense. Schwarber has continued to get on base, extending his on-base streak to 43 straight games. He remains tied for the lead in home runs with 12 and leads the Phillies in RBI’s and walks as well. Casteallnos has also filled in well behind Schwarber, totaling 13 hits these past two weeks.
Kepler, though, has arguably been the Phillies’ best player since the Cubs series. Kepler has racked up four runs, eight RBI’s, and 10 hits. He has slowly turned into the player whom the Phillies hope they’d get when they signed him in free agency. His outstanding at-bats in the middle of the order have helped turn the lineup over and extend innings, and produce more offense.
The true player who has adjusted the best over these past two weeks is Trea Turner, who has skyrocketed into the team’s lead in hits with 44 and has improved his average to .310. He adjusted his way of hitting since Rob Thomson spoke with him about not trying to force power swinging and focusing on more contact swings.
Brandon Marsh is also hitting his stride as he’s 5-for-11 since coming off the IL, which is incredible when you add in the fact that he didn’t record a single hit in April.
Is The Bullpen Back?
While the bats have been hot, a real key to the success of the team has been the resurgence of a majority of the Phillies’ bullpen. Most notably, Jordan Romano, Joe Ross, and Carlos Hernandez have improved over the last two weeks, helping the Phillies’ bullpen ERA drop significantly.
After allowing six runs and almost blowing a huge lead against the Miami Marlins, the majority of the city of Philadelphia was ready to fully give up on Jordan Romano. However, since then, Romano has battled back, regaining the trust of the team and the fanbase. Romano has given up just one earned run and has picked up five strikeouts.
Ross has been on a nice run, not allowing a single run since April 19, and has recorded nine strikeouts. For Hernandez, his struggles haven’t fully ended, but his consistency in pitches and ability to not continue to make mistakes have improved.
Jose Alvadrado has continued to be the team’s most consistent arm out of the bullpen, allowing just three earned runs since April 19, with all three coming in a second inning of work during the sole loss versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also leads all full-time relievers with 23 strikeouts.
On top of that, former starting pitcher Taijuan Walker has seemingly moved to a bullpen role moving forward, with Ranger Suarez entering the starting rotation. In his first appearance out of the pen, Walker pitched three shutout innings, recording strikeouts for seven of the nine outs recorded.
Game Times and Broadcasts
Friday, May 9, 7:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Saturday, May 10, 6:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Sunday, May 11, 7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN, 94.1 WIP, WTTM 1680
Probable Pitching Matchups
Game 1: Aaron Nola (RHP, 1-5, 4.61 ERA) vs. Gavin Williams (RHP, 2-2, 5.06 ERA)
Game 2: Ranger Suarez (LHP, 3-1, 17.18 ERA) vs. Tanner Bibee (RHP, 3-2, 4.26 ERA)
Game 3: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 3-1, 3.35 ERA) vs. Luis L. Ortiz (RHP, 2-3, 5.30 ERA)
By the Numbers
- Records
- Phillies: 22-15
- Guardians: 22-15
- Run Differential
- Phillies: 20
- Guardians: -14
- Runs Scored Per Game
- Phillies: 4.89
- Guardians: 4.24
- Runs Allowed Per Game
- Phillies: 4.35
- Guardians: 4.62
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Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
