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Phillies Look to Regain Composure Against Giants

Following a crushing sweep by the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies take on the San Francisco Giants as they look for a confidence boost.

Author:
Declan Harris
May 30, 2022 2:45 PM EDT

Since the Philadelphia Phillies upset the Los Angeles Dodgers in a near sweep, the Phillies have won only four of their previous 13 games, spanning three series. This rough patch has seen the team fall six games below .500 as well as 10.5 games behind the first-place New York Mets in the NL East.

Over their recent three series, the Philadelphia Phillies are struggling, only winning four out of their 13 recent games.

The San Francisco Giants share a similar story to Philadelphia, coming into the series winning only five of their previous 12 games. Their only series win over the past week has come against the Mets, who they took two games from in a series that saw a lot of offensive action.Although it looks difficult to see any positives during this murky period, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Bryce Harper have all been playing All-Star caliber baseball. Whether it's Wheeler pitching to an ERA of 1.40 over his previous five starts, Nola averaging eight strikeouts over his last five starts, or Harper slashing .404/.451/.723 over his previous ten games, it's clear that although the whole machine may not be working, there are a few cogs turning.

The San Francisco Giants share a similar story to Philadelphia, coming into the series having won only five of their previous 12 games. Their only series win over the past week has come against the Mets, from whom they took two games in a series that saw a lot of offensive action.

So far this season, the Giants' offense has been fueled by Luis Gonzalez (.326/.369/.457), Mike Yastrzemski (.298/.404/.479), and Thairo Estrada (.278/.320/.392).

Let's take a look at the pitching match-ups for this series:

Game One:

Phillies Starter: Kyle Gibson 3-2, 3.94

Giants Starter: Logan Webb 5-1, 3.54

Kyle Gibson opens the series for the Phillies, coming off of a solid performance against the Atlanta Braves in which he struck out eight batters while allowing two runs to score over five innings on the mound.

Logan Webb is off to a great start this season and will be looking to add on to a string of top-notch performances from the mound. His most recent start against the Mets saw him strike out six batters over five innings, allowing two runs.

First Pitch: Monday 4:05 P.M. EST

Game Two:

Phillies Starter: Ranger Suárez 4-3, 4.74

Giants Starter: Jakob Junis 2-1, 2.76

If there's one thing that should be on Ranger Suarez's mind going into Tuesday's game, it will be snapping his recent streak of bad performances. Over his previous two starts, Suárez has allowed eight runs and six walks over seven innings.

Junis has held opposing lineups to poor numbers and a fantastic ERA in 2022, keeping hitters to a total slashline of .217/.254/.367. The Phillies have hit Junis well in his one career start against them. He gave up 5 runs in just 4.1 innings.

First Pitch: Tuesday 6:45 P.M. EST

Game Three:

Phillies Starter: Aaron Nola 2-4, 3.56

Giants Starter: Carlos Rodon 4-4, 3.60

Nola will close out the series for the Phillies on the heels of his season-high 10 strikeout gem against the Braves. The Giants have always been a team who have given Nola trouble, he is 1-2 against them with a 7.94 ERA across five starts.

Rodon has not come close to replicating his 2021 season in which he finished fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting. He comes into the series with a 7.80 ERA while allowing eight walks in his last three starts.

First Pitch: Wednesday 6:05 P.M. EST

Players to Watch:

Phillies: Bryce Harper

Harper earns himself the Player to Watch tag due to performance over the previous ten games. Harper is slugging .404/.451/.723 with three home runs and 10 RBI in that time frame, getting Philadelphia pivotal runs, though they haven't used his production to its potential.

Giants: Joc Pederson

Defending World Series Champion Joc Pederson finds himself as the Player to Watch for the Giants due to his recent string of performances, hitting .323/.447/.774 over his previous ten games. Pederson has hit will in Citizens Bank Park, where his career slash is .300/.395/.500.