Before Wednesday, the Phillies seemed to have turned a corner, riding a four-game winning streak. But a 10-0 drubbing by the Astros may have shattered any momentum the club had built. The offense faltered, and Taijuan Walker was once again roughed up, casting doubt on his future in Philadelphia despite having two years left on his contract.
The Phillies have lost Walker’s last nine starts. Since returning from the injured list on August 13, Walker has posted a 9.17 ERA. When asked postgame about the future of the fifth spot in the Phillies’ rotation, manager Rob Thomson said the team has to “talk about it,” declining to confirm whether Walker will make another start this season.
The Phillies now turn their attention to the division-rival Braves, who sit just five games behind them in the NL East. To say this series is important would be an understatement. This could be the most crucial series of the year at Citizens Bank Park.
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Thursday through Sunday.
Pitching Match-ups and Start Times: LHP Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.51) vs. RHP Charlie Morton (7-7, 4.24) on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. LHP Ranger Suarez (11-5, .82) vs. RHP Reynaldo Lopez (7-4, 2.02) on Friday at 6:40 p.m. RHP Zack Wheeler (12-6, 2.74) vs. LHP Max Fried (8-7, 3.50) at 7:15 p.m. RHP Aaron Nola (12-6, 3.30) vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (5-6, 3.72) on Sunday at 7:10 p.m.
Series: The Braves lead the season series in 2024, 6-3. The Braves also lead the all-time series, 1324-1201.
Phillies Update (78-55) - The Phillies have the opportunity to run away with the division this weekend with this four-game set. However, the offense sputtered again on Wednesday after looking solid over a four-game winning streak.
Entering Tuesday, Nick Castellanos has quietly emerged as one of baseball’s most consistent hitters. Over 85 games since May 19, he’s batted .280 with 14 home runs, 54 RBIs, and an .813 OPS, ranking 41st out of 133 qualified hitters in that span. This marks a significant turnaround for Castellanos, who struggled early in the year, batting just .194 with four home runs and 17 RBIs through May 18. At that point, he ranked 140th out of 144 players with a .556 OPS.
“I don’t really have an approach," Castellanos said Tuesday. "I look for the baseball and hit it as hard as I can. Having protection behind me usually forces the pitcher to throw to me more."
Braves Update (73-60) - The Braves wrapped up a successful three-day stint in Minnesota, extending their road winning streak to five games and pushing their record to 13-5 since August 10—the most wins of any NL team in that stretch. The Phillies will catch a break by missing Chris Sale, who delivered another gem, but they’ll still face a Braves team that’s gone 9-2 over its last 11 games, averaging 4.82 runs per contest.
In that span, Atlanta’s starting pitchers have been dominant, going 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA, setting the tone for their recent surge.
Notable Injuries: Phillies -- RHP Spencer Turnbull (shoulder) is on the injured list.
Braves -- 3B Austin Riley (hand), 2B Ozzie Albies (wrist), OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee), SP Spencer Strider (elbow), RP Tyler Matzek (elbow), RP A.J. Minter (hip), SP Huascar Ynoa (elbow), and RP Ray Kerr (elbow) are on the injured list.
What's Next: The Phillies will have an off day on Monday before heading to Toronto.
