Time for a Turnaround: Phillies vs. Orioles Series Preview, July 31 – August 2

The countdown to the trade deadline nears its end, July closes out soon and August enters. One final month of summer, and the time to push toward the final stretch of the season begins.

The Phillies are having a not-so-fun ending to the month of July. The Phils are losers of four straight series to start the second half of the season. This losing streak was capped off by a gut wrenching sweep at the hands of the Miami Marlins earlier this week, a Marlins team that entered the series as losers of 12 straight games.

Beaten and demoralized, the Phillies head to Camden Yards to take on a middling Baltimore Orioles team. The only way to describe this series, given the Phillies’ current circumstances, is totally unimportant.

The goal is to just get to the trade deadline. None of the Phillies’ issues will be solved while in Baltimore. Of course, the goal is to notch some victories while visiting the Free State, but many fans will have their focus elsewhere as Monday’s trade deadline looms.

Middling Playoff Team

The Baltimore Orioles are benefactors of a very poor American League this season. They’ll enter the series at a record of 53-56, just 2.5 games back of the final AL Wild Card Spot.

The talent distribution of this Orioles team is certainly an unusual one. They have several solid players, including pitchers Dean Kremer and Kyle Bradish, former Met Pete Alonso and catchers Adley Rutschman and Samuel Bassalo. The team is not necessarily a bad one.

However, they are in a similar position to that of the Phillies, with good top players surrounded by guys that aren’t good enough to raise the team up. The difference between the two is simply that the Phillies have better top players.

Because of these factors, it is somewhat up in the air about what the Orioles are going to do at this years trade deadline. They have players that very well could be traded, one of which the Phillies have been connected to many times in outfielder Taylor Ward. But they are also only 2.5 games back of a Wild Card Spot and have some nice pieces to make a run in what will be a weak AL playoff bracket.

Under The Magnifying Glass

There’s importance to this Baltimore series in the sense that this will be the last time some players will be dawning a Phillies uniform. And this series could potentially determine which players that will be.

The players that go won’t be those with major roles despite being polarized by the fan base right now, such as Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto or Orion Kerkering.

However, there are some players in the lineup, bullpen, and bench who could be moved in a trade or removed from their role because of a trade made.

For example, Jose Alvarado has struggled this season, and Dave Dombrowski has traded underperforming bullpen arms in the past. Alvarado is certainly a talented arm and has performed well in years prior. If he does well early in this series, it’s not out the picture that Dombrowski holds onto Alvarado in expectation that he continues turning a corner. If he performs poorly, Alvarado could be on the move.

Now, that’s just one example, but the auditions going around baseball, in both the majors and minors, conclude with these final series. For the Phillies and Orioles, this weekend set could be the final performance for many players in their current jersey.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Friday, July 31, 7:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Saturday, August 1, 7:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Sunday, August 2, 1:35 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: TBD vs. Brandon Young (RHP, 8-2, 3.13 ERA)

Game 2: Cristopher Sanchez (LHP, 13-4, 2.73 ERA) vs. Shane Baz (RHP, 4-9, 3.98 ERA)

Game 3: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 10-2, 2.53 ERA) vs. Kyle Bradish (RHP, 7-9, 3.74 ERA)

The Numbers

• Record
  • Phillies: 57-52
  • Orioles: 53-56

• Run Differential
  • Phillies: -15
  • Orioles: -24

• Runs Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.34
  • Orioles: 4.60

• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.48
  • Orioles: 4.82

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