A strong offensive performance captained by catcher J.T. Realmuto spurred the Philadelphia Phillies to a 5-3 victory in their series opener against the Washington Nationals Friday night.
On a night where they were without Bryce Harper, the Phillies’ lineup stepped up big time as everyone hit, combining for 13 hits collectively. Realmuto went 3-for-3 on the night with a solo home run off of Nationals’ starter Patrick Corbin in the sixth inning. Hoskins also went yard on the night while Edmundo Sosa continued his recent tear, going 2-for-3 with a triple and one run scored.
Meanwhile, Noah Syndergaard posted a textbook quality start against the Nationals, going six innings while allowing three runs on eight hits overall. Andrew Bellatti and Jose Alvarado pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, respectively, while Nick Nelson came in to pitch a one-out save in the bottom of the ninth after Brad Hand got into a bit of trouble.
Phillies vs. Nationals Pitching Matchup
Ranger Suarez (8-5, 3.52 ERA) vs. Erick Fedde (6-9, 5.08 ERA)
Ranger leads the way Saturday night as Suarez will take the mound in game two against the Nationals. Suarez has been in a bit of a tough spot as of late, combining to have pitched only 7.2 innings over his past two starts, allowing nine runs, five of which were earned, against the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants. The left-hander has performed well overall on the season, pitching for a 3.52 ERA and striking out 110 batters in 127.2 innings.
In two outings against the Nationals this season, Suarez has been nothing but consistent, pitching into the sixth inning in both outings while allowing three runs apiece. While no Nationals batter has faced Suarez more than eight times, Victor Robles and Lane Thomas both are batting .500 against him while Nelson Cruz is sitting at a .429 average.
Toeing the rubber opposite to Suarez is Nationals’ former first-round draft pick Erick Fedde. With an ERA consistently in the fives over the past two seasons, Fedde is what he is. The Nationals can rely on him to pitch an average of 4.2 innings per game. Surprisingly, this is Fedde’s first appearance against the Phillies in 2022, having avoided the Phillies in each of the previous series.
The Phillies’ Lineup
The Phillies’ lineup will look a bit different on Saturday night against Fedde.
First, the big change: Bryce Harper will return to the lineup, batting third on the night. Harper was given the night off on Friday, but returns unhindered against former teammate Fedde. In fact, in 18 career at bats against Fedde, Harper is batting .500 with five home runs. Given that and the fact that Harper has not hit a home run since June 9th (primarily due to injuries), it’s hard to ignore Harper at +215 odds to hit a home run Saturday night.
Looking at the rest of the lineup, Bryson Stott is batting fourth, Realmuto is on an off day with Garrett Stubbs in the lineup, the Sosa train continues with Alec Bohm getting a breather at third, and Brandon Marsh and Nick Maton and in center field and right field, respectively.
With a lineup worth of Philadelphia Phillies Daycare Inc., the Phillies are a safe bet to score three-plus runs in the first five innings, with the odds sitting ripe at +115.
AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
