Friday night at Globe Life Field, the Phillies hand the ball to one of the best pitchers in baseball. And no, it’s not Zack Wheeler. Cristopher Sánchez has been so good this season that he’s crashed the Cy Young conversation. Fresh off eight scoreless innings against Detroit, he now sits as the National League’s third choice for the award — behind only Paul Skenes and Wheeler.
On the other side is Merrill Kelly, the former Diamondback who landed in Texas at the Trade Deadline as part of the Rangers’ desperate push for the final AL Wild Card. Kelly’s Rangers debut was solid: 5.2 innings, two runs, six strikeouts.
If Sánchez has been the model of steady brilliance, Jesús Luzardo has been a study in extremes. The lefty has strung together back-to-back quality starts against the White Sox and Orioles, but the Rangers’ lineup will be a much stiffer test. He’ll face Jacob deGrom, who looked like his old self earlier this year after injuries marred the start of his Texas tenure. Lately, though, he’s been tagged for five earned runs in each of his last two starts.
Originally, Wheeler was supposed to take the ball on Friday. Then he felt some shoulder stiffness. The tests came back clean. The Phillies played it safe and pushed him to Sunday. Wheeler’s season has been Cy Young–worthy, but since the Trade Deadline he’s posted a 4.58 ERA in 17.2 innings. A strong outing here — against a playoff contender — could erase any lingering questions about his health and drop him right back into the race with Skenes and Sánchez. He’ll go up against Patrick Corbin — yes, that Patrick Corbin — the former National who was nearly out of baseball before Texas threw him a lifeline. Now he’s having his best season since 2019. Baseball, man.
And then there’s Brandon Marsh, whose story has quietly become one of the Phillies’ best. Since May 1, only Kyle Schwarber (.974 OPS) and Bryce Harper (.911) have been more productive among Phillies hitters than Marsh (.815).
The Phillies arrive in Arlington with a 2½-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. The Rangers own the fourth-most home wins in the American League and sit just 1½ games out of a Wild Card.
If Sánchez has been the model of steady brilliance, Jesús Luzardo has been a study in extremes. The lefty has strung together back-to-back quality starts against the White Sox and Orioles, but the Rangers’ lineup will be a much stiffer test. He’ll face Jacob deGrom, who looked like his old self earlier this year after injuries marred the start of his Texas tenure. Lately, though, he’s been tagged for five earned runs in each of his last two starts.
Originally, Wheeler was supposed to take the ball on Friday. Then he felt some shoulder stiffness. The tests came back clean. The Phillies played it safe and pushed him to Sunday. Wheeler’s season has been Cy Young–worthy, but since the Trade Deadline he’s posted a 4.58 ERA in 17.2 innings. A strong outing here — against a playoff contender — could erase any lingering questions about his health and drop him right back into the race with Skenes and Sánchez. He’ll go up against Patrick Corbin — yes, that Patrick Corbin — the former National who was nearly out of baseball before Texas threw him a lifeline. Now he’s having his best season since 2019. Baseball, man.
And then there’s Brandon Marsh, whose story has quietly become one of the Phillies’ best. Since May 1, only Kyle Schwarber (.974 OPS) and Bryce Harper (.911) have been more productive among Phillies hitters than Marsh (.815).
The Phillies arrive in Arlington with a 2½-game lead over the Mets in the NL East. The Rangers own the fourth-most home wins in the American League and sit just 1½ games out of a Wild Card.
Cy Young candidates on both sides. October implications everywhere you look. Three days of storylines that could swing two playoff races.
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