Phillies Head to the Lone Star State for a Rematch of the 2022 World Series with the Astros
The Philadelphia Phillies travel to Texas to take on the Houston Astros in a rematch of the 2022 World Series. The Phillies enter the series with a record of 47-31 and have won 10 of their last 13 games. Most recently, the Phillies won a close series over the Mets, two games to one, to put them in the sole possession of the first-place spot in the NL East. The team relied on their starting rotation, which of one of the best in the MLB and headlined by Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo, both shining in the Mets series. At the plate, it has been the power of Kyle Schwarber with his 24 home runs and Trea Turner, who is batting .300 on the season. The Phillies have not returned to the World Series since that matchup against the Astros, but are looking to keep their hot streak going and compete for a championship.
As for the Astros, they enter the matchup with a 45-33 record, which puts them at the top of their division, like the Phillies are. Unlike the Phillies, the Astros have some more breathing room with their lead, as the Rangers are five games behind. Nevertheless, the Astros have been red hot because they have not lost any of their last nine series. They have only tied two out of those nine and pushed themselves into a firm spot atop the division. On the mound, the Astros are led by Framber Valdez, who will be talked about later, and Hunter Brown, who will also be talked about later. At the plate, it has been Jeremy Pena leading the way with a .326 batting average and reliable Astro Jose Altuve, who continues to perform well at his age. With both teams entering the matchup red hot, fans should be in store for a great matchup.
Tuesday 6/24 - 8:10 p.m. EST
In the opening matchup, it will be Ranger Suarez on the mound for the Phillies against a man who was talked about earlier in Framber Valdez. Starting with Suarez, since returning from injury this season, Suarez has been lights out for the Phillies. In his first start, he struggled mightily as he gave up seven runs, but has brought down his ERA to 2.20 since. In the following 53.2 innings of work, Suarez has only given up a combined seven runs in those outings while also picking up 46 strikeouts. Suarez has bounced back beautifully for the Phillies to add to an already dominant rotation. On the other since, Valdez has been as good for the Astros as Suarez has been for the Phillies. He enters the matchup with an 8-4 record to go along with a 3.09 ERA. Even though the record shows he has four losses, the Astros have performed extremely well when he pitches as of late. The team has won the last eight games that he has started and looks to extend that streak to nine on Tuesday night during this pitchers' battle.
Wednesday 6/25 - 8:10 p.m. EST
In game two between these two teams, it will be Cristopher Sanchez for the Phillies against Colton Gordon for the Astros. Looking at Gordon, he has performed decently this season with some highs and lows. His counting stats show that he has a 2-1 record and a 4.54 ERA, but it doesn’t tell the whole story for him. In May, he struggled, giving up at least three runs in each of his four starts. To start the month of June, he bounced back and has given up two or fewer runs in each of the three starts this month, which has dropped his ERA by 1.50 since the start of the month. The Astros will need Gordon to perform like he has been as he goes against Cristopher Sanchez, who has been dominant out for the Phillies. Sanchez is one of the few Phillies pitchers who are having some of the best years in their career with his 2.87 ERA. The Phillies perform extremely well when Sanchez pitches, winning 12 out of his 15 starts this season to put him at an official record of 6-2. The Phillies will look to keep the success going when Sanchez pitches to potentially pick up the Game Two win.
Thursday 6/26 - 2:10 p.m. EST
The final game of the series offers a pitching matchup against some of the best in the MLB, with Zack Wheeler going against Hunter Brown. Starting with Wheeler, since arriving in Philadelphia, he has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB, and this season has not changed anything. Wheeler enters with a 7-2 record to go along with a 2.61 ERA and the third most strikeouts in the MLB with 118. Wheeler has been the Phillies' ace this entire season and continues to get better as the season goes on, as he has only given up two runs in June. Wheeler will need to be at his best going up against up-and-comer Hunter Brown. Brown is having one of the best seasons in the MLB with an 8-3 record to go along with the second-lowest ERA in the MLB at 1.88. Not only that, but Brown is top 10 in both strikeouts and WHIP with 109 strikeouts and a 0.92 WHIP. The Astros have performed extremely well with him on the mound during June, going undefeated, and look to keep things going on Thursday during this pitcher's duel.
