On Wednesday in game two of the Phillies double-header vs the Padres, Cristopher Sánchez was excellent on the mound, going seven innings strong and getting a lot of groundball outs. He's now 7-2 with a great 2.68 ERA. Max Kepler delivered from the plate and was also really key to this Phillies win. He had a homer while driving in two. Kepler has had a mildly underwhelming year but he's had some good games here and there and I think he's a pretty good outfielder too. All in all it was a really solid 5-1 win and series victory over a strong Padres team!
After an off day, the Phillies stayed in Philly and began their series against the Cincinnati Reds on Independence Day! The Reds are having a pretty strong season and are very much in contention for the playoffs in 2025. It would be just their second playoff appearance since 2013 if they did so, so I imagine that Reds fans are pretty excited. I am also a fan of Reds star shortstop Elly De La Cruz. When the Reds don't play the Phillies, the Reds are a fun squad.
The Phillies actually struck first early in today's game against the Reds, but soon after the Reds smacked back in a big way with a big five run third inning. The game turned into a slugfest from then on but ultimately it was the Reds' day as they won 9-6. Even though the Phillies lost on the 4th of July, it was still cool that it was a good game. 25 hits and 15 runs in what was just a pretty fun game. Jesús Luzardo struggled again which is a bit concerning but I am not near panicking at this point.
4th of July falls perfectly to begin a weekend this year so, the whole weekend should be crazy. If the Phillies win the series on a fun weekend like this, it would still feel good.
It appears it's Ranger Suárez on the mound tomorrow so I like the Phillies' chances!
#GOPHILLIES
