Kody Clemens delivered an RBI single to score Nick Castellanos in the second inning on Thursday, giving the Phillies the only run they needed to beat the Mariners in their series finale at Citizens Bank Park.
Matt Strahm pieced together another solid outing, surrendering just two hits while whiffing five. His ERA now sits at 2.31 on the year.
Seattle hurler Luke Kirby also was fantastic, tossing eight frames with the lone blemish coming in the second.
The Phillies have won eight of their last 11 contests and head to Houston with a .500 record (13-13) for the first time since Opening Day.
“Once you get to .500, then you get to five over [.500], then you get to 10 over, then you get to 15 over," manager Rob Thomson said. "It’s early. We didn’t play well early, but I think we’re playing well now."
The series with the Astros that begins on Friday night will be a rematch of the 2022 World Series. The stakes are certainly not as high, but the series will give the surging Phillies an opportunity to face stiffer competition.
Though the club has been on a roll as of late, the Reds, White Sox, Rockies, and Mariners all have losing records.
Following the series with the Astros, the Phils will head to Los Angeles for a set with the Dodgers.
"We've got a tough schedule coming up. We've got Astros, Dodgers, Boston, Toronto -- they're all good teams," Thomson said. "We've got to take it one game at a time, one series at a time. Just keep playing the way we're playing."
Aaron Nola will start Friday's series opener for the Phillies. The Astros will counter with Framber Valdez.
