Taking A Winning Streak West: Phillies vs. Mariners Series Preview, August 24-26

The Phillies are heading to the Pacific Northwest for the start of their nine-game road trip.

Just over 10 days ago, the Phillies were down in the dumps, looking like a baseball team that just traded young prospects for rentals that wouldn’t even help the team make the postseason. Philadelphia was 64-58, at that time not in a playoff spot if the season ended, and 9.5 games back of the Braves for the top spot in the National League East.

Well, the Phillies have completely flipped that narrative as they’ve rattled off nine straight wins, blazing to a 73-58 record, and now just three games back of Atlanta for the East lead.

Everything has gone the Phillies’ way since August 13, when they went out to Dyersville, Iowa, using that Field of Dreams magic to put them right back into the thick of the National League playoff race. However, they face a tall task in a long road trip, and right now they need to stack as many wins as possible, and not sleeping in their own beds could be cause for excess losses.

Things could get very interesting the next time the Phillies play at home, but for now we’ll have to wait and see how the road trip goes.

Final West Coast Trip Of The Regular Season

For potentially the final time this year, the Phillies will head to the Pacific Time Zone for baseball. They kick off the trip with six interleague games, three against the Seattle Mariners before heading south to Orange County for a date with the Los Angeles Angels. They then wrap things up with a series against their more recent rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Now, believe it or not, there’s only about a month left of regular season baseball, with the Phillies only set to play 31 more contests. When they return for their next home game on September 4, when they begin a series against the Braves, the Phillies will only have 22 games left to play.

A West Coast trip isn’t the ideal thing for this Phillies team right now, as you want to be as comfortable as you can be amid a winning streak. If the Phillies want to stay in the hunt, not letting the travel affect them will be key.

Offense Is Buzzing

The Phillies offense has been the topic of conversation over this nine-game winning streak and rightfully so. Over the nine victories, the Phillies have scored six runs or more in every game but one, and they are averaging 7.11 runs a game.

They have a +34 run differential during this stretch, their team on-base percentage this month is the best it’s been all season at .372, and they’re on pace to score the most runs out of any month this season. Despite that, they’re also on pace to hit the least amount of home runs out of any month this season, currently sitting at just 17 bombs so far through August.

So what changed?

Well, the sudden addition of contact hitter Luis Arraez has seemingly rubbed off on the team, causing everyone to focus on working counts, getting on base, driving runners in when necessary, and not focusing on smacking seven homers in a game.

This past weekend’s series against the Cardinals was a prime example of this, as each game showcased the Phillies’ ability to stack runs and not fully focus on hitting bombs. Friday night, the Phillies didn’t hit any homers, constantly climbing back until the bottom of the 10th to pull out a walk-off winner from Alec Bohm.

Saturday they had two homers, but they came way later in the game when they weren’t really needed. While Sunday’s walk-off winner from Kyle Schwarber was needed, the four runs before that walk-off bomb were all coming from hits with less than two outs, constantly keeping the line moving and allowing Schwarber to hit a walk-off winner.

Strikeouts are down, and on-base percentages are up. That sounds like a more complete team that has bought into the run scoring and creating opportunities rather than hoping and praying for someone to come through with a big shot. That’s the kind of offense that the Phillies have put on display in years past, and it seems as though their new philosophy may be working.

Three Potential Pitchers Duels In The Emerald City

The big thing that could be on display this week in Seattle is the potential pitchers’ duels that may be on display at T-Mobile Park.

Two of the game matchups are already set, as Zack Wheeler vs. Logan Gilbert will take place in the opener Monday night and Aaron Nola vs. George Kirby will headline Game 2. However, Jesús Luzardo‘s opponent is still up in the air, but Bryan Woo will likely fill that spot after a successful bullpen session this weekend.

That would mean that every single matchup would feature a former All-Star as the starting pitcher for both teams. Wheeler is a clear star out of all six of these potential arms, but Luzardo and Nola have been throwing some of their best stuff as of late, another big reason as to why the Phillies have won nine in a row.

As for Seattle, their staff has been alright this year, with Gilbert leading the way with a 3.35 ERA over 150.1 innings, but Woo and Kirby have been a shell of their former All-Star selves in 2025. Woo has posted a 4.10 ERA in 24 starts, and Kirby is not much better with a 4.18 ERA. Both pitchers led the Mariners staff in hits allowed, and their starts since the All-Star break haven’t been great.

Nonetheless, these are former All-Stars we’re talking about and if given the opportunity could take over games. The Mariners offense has been the real struggle this year in Seattle, so getting great starts from Wheeler, Nola, and Luzardo would be huge for Philadelphia.

Game Times and Broadcasts

Monday, August 24, 9:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Tuesday, August 25, 9:40 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Wednesday, August 26, 4:10 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Philadelphia, 94.1 WIP

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zack Wheeler (RHP, 10-4, 2.92 ERA) vs. Logan Gilbert (RHP, 10-7, 3.35 ERA)

Game 2: Aaron Nola (RHP, 5-9, 5.12 ERA) vs. George Kirby (RHP, 8-10, 4.18 ERA)

Game 3: Jesús Luzardo (LHP, 11-5, 3.35 ERA) vs. TBD

By the Numbers

• Record
  • Phillies: 73-58
  • Mariners: 62-69
• Run Differential
  • Phillies: 25
  • Mariners: -44
• Runs Scored Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.57
  • Mariners: 3.92
• Runs Allowed Per Game
  • Phillies: 4.37
  • Mariners: 4.38

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