Toronto Blue Jays (21-14) at Philadelphia Phillies (16-19): Game 36 Preview

05/09/2023 ~ Michael Lipinski ~ Leave a comment

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies return to the diamond after an off-day welcoming the Toronto Blue Jays to South Philadelphia for the first of a quick two-game set.

The Phillies will look to build off of a 6-1 win on Sunday over the Boston Red Sox. The Phils’ will start righty Aaron Nola. Nola surrendered 7-hits and 4-earned runs in his last outing, a no decision at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phils’ starter is 0-2 with a 5.48 ERA in four career starts against Toronto.

The Blue Jays are fresh off a sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The Jays outscored the Buccos 22-2 in the three-game sweep. Toronto will lean on 25-year-old Alek Manoah, he will be making his first career start against the Phillies.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM/EDT from South Philadelphia.

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Ranger Suarez Stellar in Latest Rehab Outting for Lehigh Valley, Return to the Rotation on the Horizon

05/07/2023 ~ Michael Lipinski ~ Leave a comment

Nov 1, 2022; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) pitches against the Houston Astros during the first inning in game three of the 2022 World Series at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez is one step closer to returning to the Big Leagues. The left-hander scattered four hits and one run on Sunday to lead the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to an 8-4 victory over the Syracuse Mets in International League play.

Suarez, who was expected to pitch four innings and around 65 pitches, earned the “W” after throwing a mere 48-pitches in the aforementioned five frames. He touched around 94 MPH with excellent command. Suarez will likely start for the Phillies next weekend against the Colorado Rockies, per multiple reports.

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Phillies Final: The Losing Streak is Ovah! Phils’, Kyle Schwarber Defeat Boston in Series Finale

05/07/2023 ~ Michael Lipinski ~ Leave a comment

May 7, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber (12) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies stopped the bleeding on Sunday afternoon defeating the Boston Red Sox, 6-1, to end a six-game losing skid.

Kyle Schwarber had his best game in weeks, breaking an 0-for-21 streak in the 4th inning with an RBI single. He followed in the 6th with a 434-foot, upper deck “Schwarbomb” to extend the Phillies lead to 4-1.

Phils’ starting pitcher Taijuan Walker also had his best game in weeks. The righty issued no walks over 6-innings and only allowed one run while striking out six Sox. The Phillies bullpen settled down with Jose Alvarado throwing a scoreless inning and Matt Strahm earning a two-inning save against his former team.

Here’s a closer look at how they scored, stats and facts from the game, and what’s on deck for the Phillies.

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Boston Red Sox (19-14) at Philadelphia Phillies (15-17): Game 33 Preview

05/05/202305/07/2023 ~ Michael Lipinski ~ Leave a comment

The Philadelphia Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park on Friday to face the American League’s Boston Red Sox for the first game of a three-game set.

The Phils’ are limping into Friday’s game after being swept by the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers outscored the Phillies 36-11 during the brutal three-game series. The sweep put the Phillies back under the .500 mark for the season.

But all hope is not lost as a raucous crowd is expected for the 2023 home debut of slugger Bryce Harper.

The Phillies will send Zack Wheeler to the mound and hope the hurler can duplicate his last outing against Houston– 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 7 K.

Boston will throw lefty Chris Sale. Sale is 2-2 on the season with a 6.75 ERA but is coming off of his best outing on April 30 against Cleveland– 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 K.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM/EDT from South Philadelphia.

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Who is Masataka Yoshida and Does He Make Sense for the Phillies?

11/09/202211/10/2022 ~ Michael Lipinski ~ 1 Comment

Philadelphia Phillies fans are quickly becoming fans of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Orix Buffaloes. The Osaka based club is home to outfielder Masataka Yoshida, Japan’s next big export to the United States.

The 29-year old slugger is the hottest name to come out of Japanese baseball since Shohei Ohtani in 2017. Yoshida, a self-professed Bryce Harper superfan, has asked Orix to be posted, or made available to the highest bidding MLB team. The move is likely to be confirmed in the next week or so according to MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi

The addition of Yoshida to the free agent class throws a massive wrinkle into an already interesting hot stove season.

But who is Japan’s next big star, how are the Phillies connected, and does it make sense?

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