Now comes the hard part. Now comes Houston.
Tuesday marks the start of a six-game road trip, beginning with a three-game clash against an Astros team that’s been running on duct tape and defiance. Somehow, despite a roster that’s looked like a triage report — nearly half the pitching staff and a chunk of their core on the shelf — the Astros have won seven of their last nine series, with two splits, since mid-May. This is not a fluke. This is muscle memory.
And the man holding it all together is Framber Valdez. The left-hander isn’t just keeping them afloat — he’s anchoring a surge. Over his last eight starts? 7-0, 2.13 ERA, 62 strikeouts in 55 innings. He walked five against Oakland last Wednesday and still cruised to an 11–4 win. Call it resourceful. Call it efficient. Call it classic Astros.
Valdez has faced the Phillies twice in his career, and the results are tidy: 1-1, 2.25 ERA. Last April, he scattered eight hits over seven innings in a 3–1 loss. But this isn’t April anymore — and this isn’t that Phillies team.
Because now they hand the ball to Ranger Suárez, and it feels like more than just a Tuesday night game in late June.
Suárez (6-1, 2.20 ERA) has pitched like a man trying to make up for lost time. His last eight outings? All quality starts. His last six? Practically surgical: 0.91 ERA, four wins, four walks in 27 innings. And when he’s on, the Phillies don’t just compete — they command. They're 10–3 when he pitches.
Here's a number to tape to the dugout wall: Suárez has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 10 of his 13 starts. That's postseason material, wrapped in a summer storyline.
And let’s be honest — Minute Maid Park hasn’t been kind to the Phillies. Not in 2022. Not before. And especially not when Valdez is sinking that two-seamer at your knees.
But this version of the Phillies? It’s not flinching.
Since a five-game slide threatened to unravel everything earlier this month, they’ve gone 10–3, caught and passed the Mets, and found their rhythm again. The rotation’s humming. And Rob Thomson’s club is playing like a team that knows exactly who it is.
“Anytime you win a series, it feels good, especially within your division,” Thomson said after Sunday’s finale. “It was a great win because of the fact that it was a bounce-back from Saturday.”
He said it straight. But here’s the translation: This team isn’t chasing confidence anymore. It’s carrying it.
And now, with one of their best arms on the mound, they walk into Houston for a showdown that feels a little too big for June — and maybe just right for what this team is trying to become.
Starting Pitchers
Tuesday, 8:10PM: Ranger Suárez (6-1, 2.20) vs. Framber Valdez (8-4, 3.09)
Wednesday, 8:10PM: Zach Wheeler (7-2, 2.61) vs. Colton Gordon (2-1, 4.54)
Thursday, 2:10PM: Cristopher Sánchez (6-2, 2.87) vs. Hunter Brown (8-3, 1.88)
As we roll into the final week of June, only three teams in all of baseball are playing .600 ball: the Dodgers, the Tigers, and your Philadelphia Phillies.
That’s it.
The Phils?
They’re sitting at 47–31, and that’s not just a good record — it’s a historic one. In fact, it’s the second-best late-June mark the franchise has had in the last two decades.
The only time they’ve been better?
Last year, when they came out of the gates like a team on a mission at 51–26… only to stumble through the second half like they forgot what got them there.
