After an exciting All-Star break that saw designated hitter Kyle Schwarber win MVP honors, the Philadelphia Phillies had excitement of their own to kick off the unofficial second-half of the season. There was a parade and ceremony to announce and reveal the logo for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game that will be hosted in Philadelphia. To add to the excitement, Philly was home to kick off a stretch of seven straight series against American League opponents.
That energy quickly turned negative, as they lost two-of-three to Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels – a club that was below .500 coming into the series. On top of that, third baseman Alec Bohm was placed on the injured list before Saturday’s contest with a fractured left rib. He was hit in the ribs with a pitch before the break in San Diego, and reported discomfort both Friday and Saturday, so the club felt it best to be cautious.
While they will need to turn to their depth to find an answer, the offense will surely miss the third baseman’s bat in the lineup, as they are scarce on consistency from the right side. Since June 3, he was slashing .299/.360/.410 with eight extra-base hits. But time goes on, as they say, and the summer slog continues whether you have your guys on the field or not.
Philadelphia welcomes the Boston Red Sox to town, who in the last few weeks have seemingly gone from a team ready to hit the reset button, to currently holding the last Wild Card spot in the American League, and they are only five games out of first place in their division. Winning 10 straight and 12 of 13 entering the break will change a lot of things for a club. They were predicted to impact the trade deadline with their available names, and they may throw things in flux as a buyer, instead. Despite losing their first series in the second half to the Chicago Cubs – Boston is feeling themselves more than ever.
Philadelphia is sending their best to the mound in the first two games, while the numbers from Boston’s arms look a little more like a mixed bag. Still, these are two franchises and teams who know how to win, and feel they need to do so now to convince their respective front offices it’s worth a heavy investment before the July 31 trade deadline. Let’s preview the pitching match-ups and look at some key hitters to watch in the three game set.
Game 1: Phillies RHP Zack Wheeler (9-3, 2.36 ERA) vs. Red Sox RHP Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.12 ERA)
Despite his heroics for the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s World Series, Walker Buehler had probably his worst season of his career last year. If he can’t turn things around, 2025 will take that moniker. The right-hander recently said his performance has been “embarrassing.” Honest, but not what you want to hear from a guy starting every fifth day. His 7.3 strikeouts-per-9 and 4.0 walks-per-9 would both be the worst of his career
Buehler hasn’t faced this current Phillies lineup much, with only J.T. Realmuto and Trea Turner stepping into the box 10+ times against the right-hander. He’s handled them extremely well, and Realmuto is 2-for-12 against the right-hander, while Turner is hitless in 14 at-bats against him (one walk). The rest of Philly’s hitters, however, have seen Buehler very well. Combined, they are 10-for-25 with 2 HRs, 8 RBIs, and seven walks to only four strikeouts. Walks and the long ball have been big struggles for the 30-year-old, and I don’t expect that to change Monday night. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have opened the second half on fire, and they each have a round-tripper against Buehler.
Zack Wheeler is coming off one of his tougher starts of the season in San Diego, but before that had possibly the best two-start stretch of his career. He, too, has little experience against his opponents to open the series, but has handled them with relative ease. Red Sox hitters are a combined 8-for-36 against the Phillies ace, drawing only two walks and connecting on just two home runs.
Philadelphia’s right-hander has a 2.75 ERA against Boston in his career, and holds a 2.85 ERA in inter-league play since joining the Phillies. There is rarely a concern when they send Wheeler to the mound, and that trend continues tonight. One Boston hitter to watch would be Trevor Story, who is 2-for-5 vs. Wheeler with a home run and has seemingly found his power stroke once again, now that he’s healthy.
Game 2: Phillies LHP Cristopher Sánchez (8-2, 2.50 ERA) vs. Red Sox RHP Richard Fitts (1-3, 4.28 ERA)
Cristopher Sánchez has done nothing but shove as of late. After a small hiccup in April, he might be the most consistent Phillies starter – and that’s including the guy starting Game 1 who ranks No. 6 in the majors in ERA. His only start against Boston came last season, and it did not go well, as he allowed four earned runs on seven hits and two walks over four innings. Despite that start being just a year ago, the left-hander has only faced five active Red Sox hitters. Jarren Duran is having a down season compared to his exciting 2024, but Sánchez will be careful with the left-handed hitter – Duran went 2-for-3 against him in that game.
Still, Philly’s leading lefty has been electric. He’s allowed exactly one earned run in each of his last five starts. Since the start of June, Sánchez has a 1.63 ERA, supported by a 2.10 FIP, and has 52 strikeouts to just 10 walks.
Richard Fitts hasn’t faced anyone on the Phiadelphia roster since coming to the majors, although Johan Rojas and Weston Wilson each have hits off him in the minors. Despite making a few starts last season, Fitts is still considered a rookie and is working through things like one. His 4.28 ERA is serviceable, especially for a team that needs starting pitching help, but his advanced metrics show he may be getting lucky.
Philadelphia can stack left-handed hitters against him, and if they are patient, should be able to score against the right-hander early. Nick Castellanos is someone to watch, as Fitts actually allows a higher slugging percentage against hitters on the right side. With his walk trouble against leftys (8.2% walk rate vs. LHH in his pro career), he should be trying to get ahead of rightys, and Castellanos loves doing damage on the first three pitches in an AB.
Game 3: Phillies LHP Jesús Luzardo (8-5, 4.29 ERA) vs. Red Sox RHP Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.59 ERA)
Jesús Luzardo has been inconsistent, to say the least. One week, he looks un-hittable. The next, teams are teeing off on him or he can’t find the strike zone. With how strong the Red Sox have looked as of late, Philly needs the version that makes takes them from one of, to the best rotation in the league. In two of Luzardo’s last three starts, he’s failed to make it through five innings and allowed 4+ earned runs in each of those appearances.
While not many Boston hitters have faced the left-hander, Story and Alex Bregman both seem to like facing him. Bregman is 3-for-11 with two home runs, and Story is 3-for-4 against Luzardo. They account for all six hits that the current Red Sox have against the Phillies left-hander.
Lucas Giolito is a strong starter, and has looked good this year, but similar to Luzardo – he seems to have a meltdown every few weeks. His last start, he allowed four earned runs in 5.1 innings against the Cubs to bring his ERA back up to 3.59 from a season-low 3.36. The veteran has extensive experience against a few Phillies hitters, especially Max Kepler and Nick Castellanos.
Kepler is 12-for-43 against Giolito with three home runs. Castellanos has not been nearly as successful, recording just two hits in 20 ABs. The good thing? Both of those hits landed in the outfield seats. While he’s handled Philadelphia hitters overall, another guy who sees him particularly well is Turner, who is 2-for-4 with two homers against him.
To get to the deadline, and convince Dave Dombrowski to commit as many resources as possible to improving the roster, they need to continue to win series against tough opponents. As you can see, they are set up to do so with the arms they have toeing the rubber donning red pinstripes this week. The true question, as always, is can the offense be consistent. Despite Bohm’s injury, their prior success against Boston’s pitchers lend one to believe they will be. They need to be three nights in a row to beat the red hot Red Sox.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
