<p>The Philadelphia Phillies come to Rogers Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday night for a short two-game set. The National League East leaders are fresh off taking three of four from the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays lost their rubber match with Minnesota on Sunday to drop their weekend series. Let&#8217;s take a look at what&#8217;s worked well for the Phillies this year as the regular season winds down.</p>
<p></p>
<h2>Nuts and Bolts</h2>
<p>Tuesday, September 3rd, 7:07 PST: Tyler Phillips (4-1, 5.50 ERA) vs Chris Bassitt (9-13, 4.27 ERA)</p>
<p>Wednesday, September 4th, 3:07 PST: Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.49 ERA) vs Bowden Francis (8-3, 3.66)</p>
<h2>Starting Pitching</h2>
<p>The Phillies own the 4th best pitching ERA in the Major Leagues this season (3.67), boosting up to second when talking about starting pitching in particular (3.51). Luckily for the Blue Jays, they will avoid having to face the three-headed monster of Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez this week.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="es" dir="ltr">Cristopher Sánchez, Dirty 86mph Slider. 😨 <a href="https://t.co/blKjnQ0sfz">pic.twitter.com/blKjnQ0sfz</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1826772479727337861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 23, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Tuesday&#8217;s starter, Tyler Phillips, is making just his seventh career start in a season where he has faced some ups and downs. His best start of the year came on July 27th, when he threw a complete game shutout against the Guardians while only allowing just five baserunners. He&#8217;s had some rough starts since then, most recently a 4.1 IP outing against the Marlins in which he allowed five earned runs on nine hits.</p>
<p>Wednesday&#8217;s starter, Cristopher Sanchez, has been one of, if not the best, number four starter in the Majors this year. Few teams can boast that they have a guy with a sub-3.50 ERA at the back of their rotation. Through 26 starts, Sanchez has struck out 124 and walked 36 through 152.0 innings.</p>
<h2>Bullpen</h2>
<p>The Phillies rank in the middle of the pack this year in bullpen ERA, with their 3.96 mark placing 15th in the Major Leagues. They remain a top-heavy unit that will likely be primarily relying on four arms come playoff time.</p>
<p>Jeff Hoffman leads the team in appearances, owning a 1,85 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 60 games. He&#8217;s punched out a whopping 78 batters while only walking 15 through 58.1 innings. He has converted 10 of 13 attempts, most of which came before the team added closer Carlos Estevez at the deadline.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pitch that Jeff Hoffman used on Marcell Ozuna to end the top of the 8th. Perfect. <a href="https://t.co/iFfT1pAVJb">pic.twitter.com/iFfT1pAVJb</a></p>
<p>&mdash; PHILLIES BELL (@PhilliesBell) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilliesBell/status/1830096560736108708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Matt Strahm has been one of the most dominant left-handed relievers in baseball, orchestrating a 2.05 ERA and 0.84 WHIP (a team-high) through 56 games. He has struck out 66 in his 52.2 innings while also leading the team in opponent&#8217;s batting average (.179). Strahm has not been effective in closing out games, as he&#8217;s converted just one save in seven opportunities.</p>
<p>Carlos Estevez has been excellent since coming over from the Angels, as his 1.84 ERA has given this team an extra weapon out of the bullpen. He has converted three of four saves as a Phillie. Orion Kerkering has been dominant at times this year as well, owning a 2.21 ERA through 53 games.</p>
<h2>Hitting</h2>
<p>The Phillies are tied for 6th in the Major Leagues in terms of OPS this year (.746), as they&#8217;ve been a balanced team all season long.</p>
<p>They have four regulars that have an OPS north of .800, including Bryce Harper (.895), Kyle Schwarber (.813), Alec Bohm (.805), and Trea Turner (.803). Schwarber has had another typical season, leading the club in home runs (28), while placing third in the Majors in walks (94) and strikeouts (167).</p>
<p>Bryce Harper has continued to get on base since returning from the injured list in late June, although his power numbers have declined. He recently admitted to playing through <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/phillies-bryce-harper-admits-to-playing-through-wrist-elbow-injuries-amid-two-month-power-outage/">wrist and elbow injuries</a>, which help explain why he&#8217;s only hit six home runs over the last two months.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">JT Realmuto CRUSHED! <a href="https://t.co/CDA7FUHyMH">pic.twitter.com/CDA7FUHyMH</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) <a href="https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1827507233627766892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>J.T. Realmuto is a guy to watch as the season winds to a close. Over the last two weeks, he has hit three home runs while owning an OPS of .942. Over the course of the season, he has bopped 11 home runs while sporting an OPS of .727.</p>
<p>The Phillies are one of the more veteran-hitting lineups in the Majors, which should provide them with the experience needed to go on another playoff run in 2024.</p>
<h2>Final Word</h2>
<p>After splitting two games with Philly in May, the Blue Jays will look to win the season series this week. It will be particularly interesting to see how Bowden Francis performs on Wednesday night in one of his toughest tests of the season.</p>

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) is congratulated by catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) after hitting a home run against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies come to Rogers Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday night for a short two-game set. The National League East leaders are fresh off taking three of four from the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays lost their rubber match with Minnesota on Sunday to drop their weekend series. Let's take a look at what's worked well for the Phillies this year as the regular season winds down.


<h2>Nuts and Bolts</h2>
Tuesday, September 3rd, 7:07 PST: Tyler Phillips (4-1, 5.50 ERA) vs Chris Bassitt (9-13, 4.27 ERA)

Wednesday, September 4th, 3:07 PST: Cristopher Sanchez (9-9, 3.49 ERA) vs Bowden Francis (8-3, 3.66)
<h2>Starting Pitching</h2>
The Phillies own the 4th best pitching ERA in the Major Leagues this season (3.67), boosting up to second when talking about starting pitching in particular (3.51). Luckily for the Blue Jays, they will avoid having to face the three-headed monster of Zach Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez this week.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1826772479727337861

Tuesday's starter, Tyler Phillips, is making just his seventh career start in a season where he has faced some ups and downs. His best start of the year came on July 27th, when he threw a complete game shutout against the Guardians while only allowing just five baserunners. He's had some rough starts since then, most recently a 4.1 IP outing against the Marlins in which he allowed five earned runs on nine hits.

Wednesday's starter, Cristopher Sanchez, has been one of, if not the best, number four starter in the Majors this year. Few teams can boast that they have a guy with a sub-3.50 ERA at the back of their rotation. Through 26 starts, Sanchez has struck out 124 and walked 36 through 152.0 innings.
<h2>Bullpen</h2>
The Phillies rank in the middle of the pack this year in bullpen ERA, with their 3.96 mark placing 15th in the Major Leagues. They remain a top-heavy unit that will likely be primarily relying on four arms come playoff time.

Jeff Hoffman leads the team in appearances, owning a 1,85 ERA and 0.98 WHIP through 60 games. He's punched out a whopping 78 batters while only walking 15 through 58.1 innings. He has converted 10 of 13 attempts, most of which came before the team added closer Carlos Estevez at the deadline.

https://twitter.com/PhilliesBell/status/1830096560736108708

Matt Strahm has been one of the most dominant left-handed relievers in baseball, orchestrating a 2.05 ERA and 0.84 WHIP (a team-high) through 56 games. He has struck out 66 in his 52.2 innings while also leading the team in opponent's batting average (.179). Strahm has not been effective in closing out games, as he's converted just one save in seven opportunities.

Carlos Estevez has been excellent since coming over from the Angels, as his 1.84 ERA has given this team an extra weapon out of the bullpen. He has converted three of four saves as a Phillie. Orion Kerkering has been dominant at times this year as well, owning a 2.21 ERA through 53 games.
<h2>Hitting</h2>
The Phillies are tied for 6th in the Major Leagues in terms of OPS this year (.746), as they've been a balanced team all season long.

They have four regulars that have an OPS north of .800, including Bryce Harper (.895), Kyle Schwarber (.813), Alec Bohm (.805), and Trea Turner (.803). Schwarber has had another typical season, leading the club in home runs (28), while placing third in the Majors in walks (94) and strikeouts (167).

Bryce Harper has continued to get on base since returning from the injured list in late June, although his power numbers have declined. He recently admitted to playing through <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/phillies-bryce-harper-admits-to-playing-through-wrist-elbow-injuries-amid-two-month-power-outage/">wrist and elbow injuries</a>, which help explain why he's only hit six home runs over the last two months.

https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1827507233627766892

J.T. Realmuto is a guy to watch as the season winds to a close. Over the last two weeks, he has hit three home runs while owning an OPS of .942. Over the course of the season, he has bopped 11 home runs while sporting an OPS of .727.

The Phillies are one of the more veteran-hitting lineups in the Majors, which should provide them with the experience needed to go on another playoff run in 2024.
<h2>Final Word</h2>
After splitting two games with Philly in May, the Blue Jays will look to win the season series this week. It will be particularly interesting to see how Bowden Francis performs on Wednesday night in one of his toughest tests of the season.

Up next: First place Phillies come to town for two-game set

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