Welcome to the St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview.
Starting Friday, August 25, and finishing Sunday, August 27, the St. Louis Cardinals face the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game series in Philadelphia.
This is the first time these two teams have played since the Phillies swept the Cardinals in the 2022 National League Wild Card series. They will meet again in mid-September.
The Phillies are 69-58 and 13.5 games back from the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. They hold the top National League Wild Card spot by 2.5 games over the Chicago Cubs.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Philadelphia Phillies Series Preview
Probable Pitchers
Friday: Miles Mikolas vs. Cristopher Sanchez (6:05 PM CDT)
Mikolas most recently pitched on August 19 at home versus the New York Mets and took the loss after allowing seven earned runs in four and two-thirds innings. He allowed two home runs (DJ Stewart and Daniel Vogelbach) that accounted for five runs.
Christopher Sanchez is a pleasant surprise for the Phillies this season. The young lefthander has recorded a 3.36 ERA across 12 starts. In his 22 MLB appearances before 2023, he recorded a 5.47 ERA.
Sanchez throws a Sinker (47.7%), Changeup (30.6%), and Slider (21.7%). The Cardinals need to watch out for his changeup, with which he has recorded 28 strikeouts and thrown 33.9% of the time in August.
Saturday: Dakota Hudson vs. Zach Wheeler (6:15 PM CDT)
Continuing his hot streak, Dakota Hudson pitched 5.1 innings versus the Mets on August 20, and recorded seven strikeouts, allowed two earned runs, and picked up the win.
Cardinal fans know the name Zach Wheeler well after he shut the Red Birds down for 6.1 shutout innings in the first game of the 2022 National League Wild Card series. Fan should once again expect him to be in usual form.
The last time Wheeler pitched less than six innings was July 1, in which he lasted just five innings against the Washington Nationals. Since then, he’s recorded a 3.08 ERA across 52.2 innings.
Sunday: Drew Rom vs. Aaron Nola (12:35 PM CDT)
Recent call-up Drew Rom is getting another shot to stick in the big-league rotation for the Cardinals. In his MLB debut, Rom allowed six earned runs in 3.2 innings of play. Rom wasn’t impressive in this outing, but he did manage to strike out four batters. As noted on his Prospect Check-In, the lefthander’s best attribute is his swing and miss stuff.
Similarly to Wheeler, Aaron Nola also shut down the Cardinals in the 2022 postseason. He pitched six and two-thirds shutout innings and struck out six batters en route to the series-clinching win.
Nola is set to be a free agent at season’s end and presumably will be targeted by the St. Louis front office. The 30-year-old is a one-time All-Star and has finished in the top seven for Cy Young voting three times (2018, 2020, 2022)
Top Performers to Watch
After a disappointing series loss versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, there’s not much to look forward to this week. Fan favorite Lars Nootbaar is still on the injured list, and the top performers to watch are slimmed down to just two.
Paul Goldschmidt
Paul Goldschmidt batted 3-for-9 with a walk and hit by pitch against the Pirates. The first baseman also scored three runs and drove in one RBI.
Richie Palacios
The Cardinals sent $100k to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Richie Palacios in June. Thus far, it’s been worth it for the Birds. Over seven games, the outfielder is slashing .389/.421/.667 with one run and six RBI.
Opposing Players to Watch
Bryce Harper
Over the past two months, Bryce Harper has been one of the best batters in baseball. He’s slashing .317/.402/.561 with nine home runs, 31 runs, and 27 RBI since July 1. In the Phillies most recent series, Harper went 6-for-12 with three home runs. Expect him to be just as dominating versus the Cardinals.
Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber was just as hot as Harper during their last series. He went 3-for-11 with two home runs and a double. The outfielder also scored four runs and three RBI while walking six times.
Bryson Stott
While Bryson Stott is impressive with the bat, he is equally impressive on the basepaths. He is slashing .297/.344/.441 with 27 doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs. He also leads the Phillies with 24 stolen bases.
Other News and Notes
Top prospect Masyn Winn is not doing great at the plate during his initial stint in MLB. He’s slashing .217/.217/.261 with a 28 wRC+ in his first six games.
Ryan Helsley continues to struggle with his recovery and rehab assignment. The fireballer has claimed to have discomfort and pain in his arm, but his MRI came back clean. Fans are worried what this may mean for the Cardinals closer, whom they had high hopes for this offseason. Does this mean the Cardinals need to search for a closer this offseason? I think so.
Superstar Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL in his throwing arm. This is terrible news for Ohtani, MLB, and baseball fans worldwide. Despite his injury, Ohtani will continue to be the designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels but is being shut down from pitching. I do not understand the decision to stay in the lineup. The Angels are almost mathematically out of playoff contention. Ohtani is also set to be a free agent this offseason and will easily earn the largest contract in baseball history.
Projected St. Louis Cardinals Record This Series: 0-3
I project the Cardinals to get swept in this series for a few reasons. The first is the pitching matchups. The Phillies have the upper hand in pitching for each game this series, and I expect the Cardinals batters to be held in check.
Secondly, the Cardinals batters cooled off against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The offense scored ten runs and had a -11 run differential.
Lastly, the Phillies have been a top-five offense over the last 15 days. They rank first in OPS and sixth in runs scored over this period.
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