Well, that didn’t take long, did it?
Nine games into the 2025 season, and the Phillies already look like a team with October plans. They’re off to a brisk 7-2 start — tops in the NL East — and just wrapped up a heart-thumping series win over Shohei Ohtani and the defending world champion Dodgers in South Philly.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Georgia, the Braves have been waking up every morning wondering if the season has started yet… or if this is all just an elaborate prank. They opened 0-7 — something no playoff team in history has ever done — and only just avoided complete panic mode by salvaging a split over the weekend against the Marlins. That brings them to a not-so-glorious 1-8.
And now? Now they get the Phillies.
The two teams meet for three games starting Tuesday night down in Cumberland, Ga., in what promises to feel a lot more like a playoff series than a mid-April meetup. Game 1? Oh, just a little something called Chris Sale vs. Zack Wheeler — otherwise known as last year’s National League Cy Young winner… and the guy who probably should’ve been.
Yes, there’s juice. Yes, there’s tension. Yes, there’s early-season electricity.
And yes — it's Braves-Phillies. Buckle up.
Location: Truist Park, Cumberland, Ga.
Phillies Record: 7-2
Dodgers Record: 1-8
1. The Big Picture
Phillies Record: 7-2
Dodgers Record: 1-8
1. The Big Picture
It's early, but the Phillies can put some significant distance between themselves and the Braves this week. Will it make a difference? Who knows. I do know the Philadelphia clubhouse feels pretty relaxed right now, and the same can't be said for Atlanta's.
2. The A-B-C Storylines
A. Chris Sale is coming off a career resurgence in 2024, his first full season with the Braves. He went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, collected 26 of 30 first-place votes, and finally added a Cy Young Award to his résumé after more than a decade of being in the conversation.
Right behind him? Zack Wheeler — who put together another stellar campaign (16-7, 2.57 ERA), falling just short in what some around the game still consider a too-close-to-call finish.
Now in 2025, Wheeler (1-0, 1.38 ERA) appears determined to rewrite the ending. The 34-year-old has allowed just two runs and five hits over 13 innings across his first two starts, piling up 18 strikeouts while issuing only two walks.
His most recent outing? Vintage Wheeler. Seven innings of precision against the Rockies — one run, three hits, 10 strikeouts — and not a single batter reaching base via walk.
Sale (0-1, 5.40 ERA), meanwhile, is still trying to find his footing. The lefty has given up three runs in five innings in each of his first two starts — not ideal — but his stuff remains sharp, with 12 strikeouts and just one walk.
B. Jordan Romano has pitched five times for the Phillies. Three of those appearances have ended in something resembling a tire fire. Seven runs allowed. Two saves blown. And yet — somehow — the Phillies have won all three of those games.
Sunday was the latest chapter in the Romano rollercoaster. He was handed a two-run lead in the seventh inning and asked to navigate the bottom of the Dodgers’ order before facing the top. That didn’t go well. Andy Pages, hitting ninth, slapped a single on a 1-2 pitch. Shohei Ohtani followed with a walk. Then Mookie Betts ripped a double. Just like that — a two-run lead became a one-run deficit, and Romano exited to a chorus of boos without recording an out.
It’s been a concerning trend. Romano has consistently pitched from behind in counts, his fastball is a tick down, and he’s been noticeably slow to the plate. Not exactly the shutdown presence the Phillies hoped they were getting.
C. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep Edmundo Sosa out of the lineup. And Rob Thomson knows it.
On Sunday, against a Dodgers team that arrived in town looking like the Death Star, Sosa once again turned a utility role into a starring one. He started at third base, roped two more hits, and then turned a tailor-made double play into a footrace — one he won — allowing the go-ahead run to score in an eventual 8-7 Phillies win.
The day before? He pinch-hit for Brandon Marsh in the eighth, then took over in center field — yes, center field — for the ninth. Two fly balls came his way. Two fly balls died in his glove. It didn’t change the outcome in a 3-1 loss, but it said something. Actually, it said a lot.
Here’s something else it said: Sosa is now 5-for-5 — five starts, five multi-hit games — when penciled into the starting lineup this season. That’s not just hot. That’s statistically weird in the best possible way.
He’s hitting. He’s running. He’s fielding in every ZIP code. And somehow, he’s still labeled a bench guy. But if he keeps doing this, that label’s going to peel off real fast.
3. The Pitching Matchups
Tuesday: RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0, 1.38) vs. LHP Chris Sale (0-1, 5.40)
Time: 7:15pm | Weather: 60-degrees and sunny
Wednesday: RHP Taijuan Walker (1-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Grant Holmes (0-1, 7.2)
Time: 7:15pm | Weather: 65-degrees and sunny
Thursday: LHP Jesus Luzardo (2-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.00)
Time: 7:15pm | Weather: 72-degrees and partly cloudy
4. The Key Number
6 - Yes, it's way too early to be worrying about games back in the standings, but the Phillies have a chance to really stretch things this week. You can't win a division this early, but you certainly lose it.
5. What to Watch For
It’s early. We all know it’s early. But try telling that to the Braves, who have somehow managed to turn the opening week of the season into a full-blown dumpster fire.
They finally won their first game of 2025 last Friday — yes, their first — and head into this week’s series with the Phillies sporting the worst record in baseball at 1-8. That’s not a typo. One win. Eight losses. Zero parades.
But wait, there’s more.
Jurickson Profar is serving a PED suspension. Reynaldo López has a shoulder issue that no one in the building seems eager to talk about. And the lineup that’s supposed to bludgeon teams into submission has looked more like a cautionary tale.
There’s still hope, of course. Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. are inching closer to returns that could flip the script in a hurry. But for now, this team needs something — anything — to stop the bleeding. Three games with the Phillies await. And if that sounds like an early-season measuring stick, well, it probably is.
Closing Thought: The Phillies are riding high after taking two-of-three from the Dodgers. Walker will start the middle game of this series, and if he looks like he did last week, the club has a solid shot at taking two-of-three down in Georgia.
They finally won their first game of 2025 last Friday — yes, their first — and head into this week’s series with the Phillies sporting the worst record in baseball at 1-8. That’s not a typo. One win. Eight losses. Zero parades.
But wait, there’s more.
Jurickson Profar is serving a PED suspension. Reynaldo López has a shoulder issue that no one in the building seems eager to talk about. And the lineup that’s supposed to bludgeon teams into submission has looked more like a cautionary tale.
There’s still hope, of course. Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. are inching closer to returns that could flip the script in a hurry. But for now, this team needs something — anything — to stop the bleeding. Three games with the Phillies await. And if that sounds like an early-season measuring stick, well, it probably is.
Closing Thought: The Phillies are riding high after taking two-of-three from the Dodgers. Walker will start the middle game of this series, and if he looks like he did last week, the club has a solid shot at taking two-of-three down in Georgia.
