The Phillies came out of Opening Weekend with a series victory over the rebuilding Oakland Athletics. While many fans expected a straight sweep over an Athletics team that shipped away all their big names, there is still much to take away.
The long ball was out in full force during this opening series as the boosted Phillies offense started with five home runs. In 2021, the Phillies only ranked 15th in Major League Baseball for yard shots but showed just how explosive an order with names like Harper, Castellanos, Hoskins, Schwarber, and Realmuto can be.
Take away a third of an inning by Aaron Nola and the Phillies’ starting pitching had a lights-out weekend going seventeen innings strong on only 5 hits and one run scored. That trend hopes to continue as 2021 Cy Young candidate and former Met, Zach Wheeler, takes the mound in the final game of this division series.
Taking a look back at the New York Mets Opening Weekend, business was good. Steve Cohen’s checkbook was responsible for a team average of .293 to start the year along with a Major League-leading .396 OBP. Staying on the theme of efficiency, 2021 home run derby champion and the Polar Bear of New York, Pete Alonso, started his 2022 long ball campaign with a grand slam in Saturday’s 5-0 win over the Nationals.
Things to look out for in this division series include a fan favorite matchup of former teammates, now division rivals, Bryce Harper and New York offseason acquisition Max Scherzer. Both of the former Nationals All-Stars haven’t had a picture-perfect start to 2022. Bryce Harper going 1-11 at the plate and Scherzer allowing three earned runs in six innings pitched. With both teams coming off a highlight-filled series win, all signs point to a strong matchup likely to leave one of the two teams atop the NL East.
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