Phillies win series against Mariners
Philadelphia now heads to Los Angeles to take on Dodgers for four games
Phillies win series against Mariners on heels of Hoskins’ slam
Rhys Hoskins’ grand slam in the 4th inning against Mariners’ starter Logan Gilbert helped elevate the Phillies to a 2-1 series win in Seattle on Wednesday. Their record improves to 14-17. —Kade Kistner, Inside the Phillies
Pitching performances:
PHI Bailey Falter: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K
SEA Logan Gilbert: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
Standout bats:
PHI Rhys Hoskins: 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBI
PHI Jean Segura: 9-game hitting streak
SEA Julio Rodríguez: 1-for-4, RBI
SEA Ty France: 2-for-4, RBI
Wheeler to make start on Thursday against Dodgers
Zack Wheeler will be activated from the COVID-19 injured list on Thursday and join the Phillies in Los Angeles to make his start against the Dodgers.
According to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Wheeler will meet the team in Los Angeles on Thursday for the Phillies’ 10:10 p.m. game against the Dodgers.
After COVID-19 took down Wheeler and Zach Eflin on Sunday, the Phillies were forced to call up Bailey Falter to start Wednesday’s game against the Mariners to fill Eflin's spot.
Eflin remains on the COVID-19 IL and his timetable for return is currently unknown. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
“Phillies after dark" continues
The Phillies will now head to Los Angeles to take on the NL West-leading Dodgers for four games. Philadelphia’s lineup will have their work cut out for them against a challenging Dodgers’ rotation. Three out of four games are scheduled to begin at 10:10 p.m., so drink lots of coffee! —Declan Harris, Inside the Phillies
Game 1:
PHI starter: Zack Wheeler (1-3, 4.10 ERA)
LAD starter: Tyler Anderson (3-0, 2.78 ERA)
First pitch: May 12, 10:10 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 2:
PHI starter: Kyle Gibson (3-1, 2.94 ERA)
LAD starter: Clayton Kershaw (4-0, 1.80 ERA)
First pitch: May 13, 10:10 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 3:
PHI starter: Ranger Suárez (3-1, 3.68 ERA)
LAD starter: Walker Buehler (4-1, 1.96 ERA)
First pitch: May 14, 10:10 p.m. EST
MLB Network/NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Game 4:
PHI starter: Aaron Nola (1-4, 3.83 ERA)
LAD starter: Julio Urías (2-2, 2.10 ERA)
First pitch: May 15, 4:10 p.m. EST
NBCSP/94.1 WIP
Latest Inside the Phillies podcast
Lauren Amour, Alex Carr, Kade Kistner, and Ben Silver discuss the Phillies’ latest failings, Rhys Hoskins’ April struggles, and who might replace Joe Girardi as manager should he be fired.
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Phillies trade for bullpen depth from Giants
Earlier this week, the Phillies traded for Corey Oswalt from the San Francisco Giants.
Oswalt has spent the entirety of his Major League career pitching for the New York Mets.
The former seventh-round pick has appeared in 26 games since 2018, 16 of which were starts.
Over 94.2 career innings, he has a 5.89 ERA and 5.39 FIP. His three-pitch mix includes a low-90 mph fastball, a change-up, and a slider. —Ben Silver, Inside the Phillies
Phocus on Phillies’ farm
Wednesday’s Top Performances:
Triple-A: RHP Mark Appel - 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Appel, now 30-years-old, has tossed 15.1 innings this season to the tune of a 1.76 ERA, alongside 12 Ks. Should something unforeseen strike the Phillies' Major League bullpen, Appel is certainly on the shortlist of guys that could help in a pinch.
High-A: RHP Griff McGarry - 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Some evaluators have speculated that McGarry has the filthiest raw stuff in the entirety of the Minor Leagues. Based on what he did on Wednesday, that seems pretty believable.
His fastball alone carries so much late-life and spin that what onlookers perceive as 95-97 mph on the fastball looks well over 100+ to the hitter. He couples that dastardly fastball with a gut-busting curveball/slider combo and a deceptive changeup.
Single-A: OF Yhoswar Garcia - 2-for-5, 3B, R, 3 RBI, K, SB
“The Drone” is at it again. Garcia stole his 22nd base for Clearwater, while also managing a triple and 3 RBI to secure the win for the Phillies' Single-A affiliate. —Alex Carr, Inside the Phillies
Opinion: As Hoskins heats up, so does Phillies' offense
Aside from a few games this season, the Phillies’ offense has largely underperformed. However, one key to their success—when they have had it—has been Rhys Hoskins.
Hoskins began the season hitting .296/.441/.556 with four doubles and a home run over the first nine games. As a result, Philadelphia took one of the only three series they have won this season and scored 38 runs.
Over the next 16 games, his bat became ice cold; .142/.218/.265 was his slash line at the end of April and the Phillies won only one series during that span.
Through eight games in May, Hoskins has batted .281 with a .949 OPS, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI, and 2 BB, leading the Phillies to just their third series victory on Wednesday. —Kade Kistner, Inside the Phillies