Phillies Rally Past Rays 8-4 in Home Stand Opener

Following another impressive victory away from home, the team had an opportunity to start their next series strong right at home. Momentum can often play a crucial role during such matches against familiar opponents before supportive hometown fans. However, for the Rays this season, achieving success under these conditions hasn’t happened consistently enough. The stadium was packed with Phillies supporters wearing red shirts and hats at George Steinbrenner Field as they kicked off what would be a three-game matchup.

Significantly, Taylor Walls started at shortstop for the third straight game, marking the first occurrence since April 18. Additionally, Junior Caminero moved down to the sixth position in the batting lineup for the first time this campaign.

After Kyle Schwarber smacked a foul ball directly into the injured Shane McClanahan, he compounded the issue by launching a solo home run to left field, giving the Phillies a 1-0 advantage. McClanahan quickly exited through the tunnel accompanied by the team’s head athletic trainer, Joe Benge, yet came back out for Schwarber’s subsequent at-bat sporting protective gear.

Alec Bohm sneaked one past the short porch in right field, extending their lead to 3-0; this was his first home run of the season.

Continuing the theme of opposite-field home runs in this contest, Yandy Diaz contributed another one to score two runs off an impressively pitching Zack Wheeler. Later in the game, Diaz had to exit due to what seemed like a leg injury following a swing and miss.

Luckily, Diaz’s injury doesn’t appear severe, and Kevin Cash is optimistic that he will return to the starting lineup tomorrow.

In this match, both Rasmussen and the Rays' relief pitchers needed nearly flawless play to beat Wheeler. With the score at 3-2 during the eighth inning, I expected Cash might call upon Garrett Cleavinger. However, he opted for Mason Englert instead, which quickly changed things as the lead expanded to 7-2. The decisive blow came when Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homer, essentially sealing the victory. By then, the Phillies had enough of an advantage to take Wheeler out after only throwing 84 pitches, relying instead on their less reliable bullpen. Despite giving up one run apiece, Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm held strong until the end, leading to an 8-4 win for Philadelphia.

Sadly, the following two evenings do little to improve your outlook on the series. The Rays acquired Christopher Sanchez as part of the deal for Curtis Mead, and he has adapted well to playing with Philadelphia, securing a four-year, $22 million contract extension. Since transitioning into the Phillies' starting rotation in 2023, his ERA has remained under 3.50. To wrap up the series, Tampa Bay faces Jesus Luzardo, one of Philadelphia’s key additions during the off-season. Luzardo currently holds the fifth-best ERA across Major League Baseball this season.