Philly took the opener 2-1 on Tuesday behind another Schwarber bomb — his 5th game in a row going deep, and his MLB-leading 17th of the year. It was also Don Mattingly's 900th career win as a manager. Not a bad Tuesday. Now they try to push the series in front of a Red Sox team that has lost 4 of its last 5 and is staring at a 17-24 record that looked unthinkable in March.
The catch: Andrew Painter on the mound. The phenom is 1-4 with a 6.89 ERA, and the recent starts have been ugly — he got tagged for a 12-1 loss against the A's on May 7 and struggled with command in Miami before that. The stuff is real and the Phillies still believe, but right now opposing lineups are barreling the fastball. A short-handed Red Sox order, even one missing Roman Anthony and Willson Contreras, is a tough spot to find your footing.
Boston counters with Sonny Gray, who's quietly been the rotation's anchor while Garrett Crochet rehabs a shoulder and Kutter Crawford sits with elbow inflammation. Gray's 3-1, 3.54, and is coming off a clean 5-inning return against Detroit after his own hamstring scare. He's the steadying presence on a staff that has otherwise been held together with duct tape.
- Day-To-DayKeaton Anthony 1B — Anthony suffered a fractured toe after fouling a ball off his foot during Monday's Grapefruit League game versus the Red Sox, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- Day-To-DayRene Pinto C — Pinto (undisclosed) began a rehab assignment Monday, Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Bechtold 3B — Bechtold signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Dec. 1.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILZach Pop RP — Pop (calf) began a rehab assignment Saturday, throwing a clean inning for Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
- suspensionJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (shoulder) is starting in center field and batting leadoff in Thursday's Grapefruit League contest against Atlanta, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- 15-Day-ILKyle Backhus RP — The Phillies placed Backhus on the 15-day injured list Thursday with left elbow inflammation.
- Day-To-DayWillson Contreras 1B — Contreras (hand) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
- Day-To-DayHobie Harris RP — Harris was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILRoman Anthony LF — Anthony (wrist) has yet to resume baseball activities, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILGarrett Crochet SP — Crochet (shoulder) threw off a mound Tuesday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILDanny Coulombe RP — The Red Sox placed Coulombe on the 15-day injured list Monday with cervical spasms.
- 15-Day-ILKutter Crawford SP — Crawford has been diagnosed with inflammation in his right elbow following an MRI, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
- 60-Day-ILTriston Casas 1B — The Red Sox transferred Casas (abdomen/knee) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILRomy Gonzalez 1B — The Red Sox placed Gonzalez (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
The market still likes the Phillies — DK has them at -136 with the moneyline laying -1.5 on the run line. Pinnacle's number is tighter at +114/-126, which is why the EV across the board sits negative on both sides. Translation: there's no free money here, and the public is piling on the favorite anyway with 79% of moneyline bets on Philly.
The under is the interesting wrinkle. DK has the total at 8 while Pinnacle is up at 9 — a full run of disagreement, with both Contreras and Anthony out of the Boston lineup and Gray pitching to contact. If Painter can survive 5 reasonable innings, this thing stays low. If he can't, the under is cooked by the 4th. The Phillies will take their chances either way — they're 3-2 in their last 5 and feeling it at the plate.