Bronx Bombers Invade Philadelphia: Yankees vs. Phillies Series Preview, July 24-26

The vibes around the Phillies aren’t great right now.

As the summer has rolled along and the 2026 MLB season is more than halfway over, the Phillies, despite holding a 56-47 record and currently the No. 2 Wild Card team in the National League, are still not where people expected them to be heading into the season.

The team has been mediocre at best in July, going 8-9 so far this month, while dropping the last two series at home to the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Philadelphia is 4-11 against the National League division leaders so far this year, and has played maybe their worst-looking baseball in each of those series’

So what’s standing in their way of getting back on track? The New York Yankees, of course, and their mobs of fans that will likely be invading Citizens Bank Park. Just two years ago, the last time the Yankees came to Philadelphia, Yankee fans were all over the stadium, packing it to the gills to support the Pinstripes.

While this season has been up-and-down for the Yankees, they’re still very much near the top of the pecking order to come out of the American League, and a serious threat that most teams hate to see coming on their schedule. The Phillies are now in that spot, and with the current two-series losing streak sitting over their head.

Tumbling to the Trade Deadline

Right now the Phillies are in an interesting position. They are having a poor month, and it feels like they don’t care as much about the regular season as they do about getting to October with the group they have now.

However, a move is coming, whether it’s a big splash that many say the Phillies are attempting to make or small ones that may or may not make a difference, as they have in years past. Now, will that move make the impact that can put the Phillies over the top and win them the World Series? Time will tell.

To think that a single move or moves will take this team from where they’re at now back to the top of baseball like they’ve been in years past is foolish. This team’s issues remain in-house: an offense that gets too hot and cold and regularly takes days off and plays a terrible form of baseball, and a pitching staff, while good up front, has issues in later innings.

It feels like this team needs a spark to get going, when in reality, they shouldn’t have to need a spark or a move to make them get the wheels going. You’re in the middle of July; there’s still much more of the season to play, and with the National League jammed pack with nearly 11 teams fighting for just six spots in the postseason, nothing is guaranteed.

READ MORE:

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The Judge Is Not In Session

Injuries have been a pain in the Yankees’ side for several seasons now, and 2026 seems to be no different, as they’ve been without one of their best players all season long in back-to-back reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge.

Judge has been out with a stress fracture on the right side of his first rib for over a month now, and his return to the team is still up in the air. The Phillies thankfully catch a break by not having to face arguably the best player in baseball, one who has had his way against Philadelphia, smacking four bombs and 15 hits in his 14 appearances against the Phillies.

New York hasn’t been the same team without Judge, going 19-21 over that time, allowing the Rays to jump them in the American League East standings. Other injuries to their team have been Max Fried, who finally returned this past week after two months on the injured list, Giancarlo Stanton, who’s been out with a calf strain since April, and fellow starting pitchers Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodon.

The Phillies aren’t getting the Yankees at their strongest, and with the Phillies essentially having the best possible lineup they can put out there, they need to take advantage of the situation they’re in this series and end their two-series losing streak.

Another Hole In The Rotation

While the Phillies have had many problems of their own this year, the one constant good thing on their side has been their rotation. Unfortunately, they now have a problem in that section as well. Since Andrew Painter was sent down to Triple-A, the fifth starter spot has remained an issue for the Phillies, with Alan Rangel taking the majority of the load since then.

Now, Rangel is back down in the minors, and Alex McFarlane has taken his place, but for now there’s still no answer as to who will start Game 2 of this series for the Phillies, and who will fill that spot moving forward. McFarlane is the name that has been thrown around, but asking him to throw even more than two innings is a huge ask, leading to likely yet another bullpen game.

While a starter still doesn’t seem like a need come the postseason, finding another reliable arm that can eat innings for the final few months of the season is huge for this group. Keeping Jesus Luzardo, Cristopher Sanchez, and Zack Wheeler in top shape come October is the goal, but getting arms to make sure they can stay on their normal rest days and not have to overwork is a key for this team.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Friday, July 24th, 6:45 p.m. ET, Apple TV, 94.1 WIP

Saturday, July 25th, 6:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Sunday, July 26th, 7:20 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock, 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Jesus Luzardo (LHP, 9-4, 3.43 ERA) vs. Will Warren (RHP, 7-4, 4.03 ERA)

Game 2: TBD vs. Cam Schlittler (RHP, 9-6, 2.20 ERA)

Game 3: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 12-4, 2.71 ERA) vs. Ryan Weathers (LHP, 3-7, 4.40 ERA)

By the Numbers

• Record
  • Phillies: 56-47
  • Yankees: 57-45
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: -15
  • Yankees: 88
• Runs Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.35
  • Yankees: 4.71
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.50
  • Yankees: 3.84

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