At long last, the Phillies have a schedule for the 2020 season! Time to get excited for baseball!
Ok, maybe not that excited.
Perfect.
Anyway…WE HAVE A SEASON WITH A SCHEDULE!
Let’s break it down. Shall we?
Off Days
Let’s get the boring part out of the way first. The Phillies will have a total of 6 off days. This effectively breaks down the season into 7 stretches of days without a rest day.
In order, they go: 10 games, 13 games, 2 games, 3 games, 20 GAMES, 9 games, and 3 games.
Of course, the Phillies would have a marathon within a sprint of a season. The good news with that 20-game stretch is that the Phillies will have 3 off days in 8 days right before it begins. Also, the trade deadline is set for the 7th game of that stretch. If they need to, they’ll be able to bring in new talent.
The Phillies’ series in Fenway Park against the Red Sox is book-ended by off days as well as a series against the Braves in Atlanta.
AL East Oppenents
It’s no surprise that the Phillies will be playing the American League East this season. What is a surprise is how those matchups panned out.
The Phillies will play 3 games vs the Orioles, 4 games vs the Yankees, 4 games vs the Red Sox, 3 games vs the Rays, and 6 games against the Blue Jays.
It’s unfortunate that the Phillies get to face the Orioles only 3 times, but other teams in the division aren’t as lucky with who they’ll face 6 times.
The Braves have the Red Sox for 6 games.
The Marlins got Tampa Bay for 6 games.
The Mets are the lucky bunch that get to play the Yankees for 6 games.
Naturally, the World Series Champion Washington Nationals get to play the Baltimore Orioles for 2 games more than any other NL east team.
Insert eye roll here. They also only face the Yankees 3 times. Talk about your strength of schedule.
The Opening Stretch
The Phillies will start their season off at home against the Miami Marlins on July 24th. Make sure to mark your calendars and pick up some Yuenglings (the official beer of Aaron Nola).
That 3 game set will be followed by a home/away 4-game series against the New York Yankees. After this, Phillies won’t see the Yankees the rest of the season.
Then, the Phillies head north of the border to Toronto to play the Blue Jays in a 3-game set.
As long as the Yankees don’t completely tear the Phillies apart and the Blue Jays’ young hitters don’t destroy the Phillies’ pitching, the Phillies should get a good jump on the season.
Important Stretches
There’s no doubt that the 20-game is going to be a test for the Phillies. In that stretch, they’ll play Washington 7 times, the Mets 4 times, the Marlins 4x, Atlanta 3x, and Boston twice.
The Phillies went 5-14 against the Nationals last year. That can’t happen again if the Phillies want any shot at the postseason. Luckily for the Phillies, Anthony Rendon and Phillie killer, Ryan Zimmerman won’t be on the team.
Home games probably won’t mean a ton this season without fans. However, the Phillies do have a 10-game homestand from August 7-16. In which, they’ll face the Braves 4x, the Orioles 3x, and the Mets 3x. If the Phillies win that Braves series, they could be looking at an 8-2 stretch.
The Final Stretch
The last 2 series in the Phillies’ season could prove difficult. They’ll have to face the Nationals and the Rays on the road to conclude the season.
We all know what the Nats did in 2019, but the Rays were also great last season. They went 96-66 in the AL East to claim the first wild card.
Unless the Phillies are rolling at this time, they’re going to A) do better against the Nats or B) pile up wins early in the season in order to see the postseason for the first time since Ryan Howard tore his Achilles.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports