As Justin Timberlake once said, “It’s gonna be [May]”. With the calendar flipping to a new month, the main thought on anyone’s mind is who the Philadelphia Phillies are going to be facing.
March and April were so-so months for the Phils. Sitting 3 games above .500, could May be the springboard the team needs to catch up with the New York Mets?
Challenges facing the Phillies
The Phillies don’t have to face a single current first-place team in the month of May. That doesn’t mean it’ll be smooth sailing, though. Here are some of their tougher tests of the month.
Back to the minor leagues (stadiums)
In May, the Phillies will face both the Tampa Bay Rays and [REDACTED] Athletics on the road. For two very different reasons, this means the Phillies will play in two minor league ballparks.
The Rays are first on the schedule. From the 6-8th, the Phillies will play at Steinbrenner Field. The home of the Tampa Tarpins (Single-A for the Yankees) now serves as home for the Rays after the roof of the Trop was destroyed by Hurricane Milton.
Sitting around .500 and in the middle of the pack of the AL East, the real challenge could be the limited capacity of the field. With a capacity of 11,026, the Phillies will have to find a way to generate their own energy as the crowd won’t be much of a factor.
The same could be said about the A’s. They’re playing the season in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park. It’s the usual ballpark of the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants and only seats 14,014. The A’s are playing there, not because of a natural disaster, but because of mismanagement. They’re slated to become the Las Vegas A’s but the ballpark won’t be ready for years.
Hot in Cleveland?
You can’t really call the Cleveland Guardians a “hot” team right now. While currently in 2nd place in the AL Central, the Guardians are the defending division champions.
They’ve been struggling with their rotation and Emmanuel Clase but still feature Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez. Besides Clase, the rest of the bullpen has been one of the best in baseball. The Phillies’ trip to Cleveland could be a tough one.
Tough opponents at home
In their first full series in May, the Phillies face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks. While they’re also around .500, they feature a dynamic offense. Eugenio Suárez just hit the 19th 4-homer game in MLB history and leads the National League with 10 homers.
Josh Naylor, Corbin Carroll, and Pavin Smith all have an OPS+ over 147. Smith leads the NL in OBP with a .478 mark and Carroll has 9 homers on the season.
Their pitching staff hasn’t gotten going, as only Brandon Pfaadt has an ERA under 4 in the rotation. If the pitching gets going, it could be a tough series for the Phillies.
At the end of the month, the rival Atlanta Braves come to Citizens Bank Park for 3 games. Since the Phillies saw them in Atlanta, the Braves have been one of the hottest teams in the NL.
They are 13-7 since the start of that series. Their offense has been fueling them, but they recently added Spencer Strider back into the rotation. It will be an important series for the future of the NL East.
The “should win”
Despite losing two of three against the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Phillies should have a favorable matchup when they come to CBP on May 12. They’re currently 5 games under .500 and don’t have much going for them.
They feel destined to sell at the trade deadline.
Immediately following the Cardinals are the basement dwellers of the NL Central. The Pittsburgh Pirates are a couple of games behind the Cardinals in the standings. Outside of Paul Skenes and Oneil Cruz, they don’t have anything that should scare the Phillies.
The Phillies might have their easiest season matchup May 19-22. They travel to Colorado to face the woeful Rockies. As of writing on April 30, the Rockies have just 4 wins. They are 4-25. They might have 2 decent hitters and absolutely nothing else. They are this season’s White Sox, and the Phillies have to capitalize on it.
Overall, there isn’t much for the Phillies to be scared of in May. If they play well, it could be a huge month for the team.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
