How long between Phillies games? Almost a full offseason
For the first time in 128 days, the Phillies will play a game against a team wearing a different uniform on Saturday night.
To put that in perspective, a typical offseason for a non-playoff team is about 138 days.
So, the Phillies have essentially had an offseason in the middle of, well, the season.
Such is life in 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Phillies have been back at work, in training camp at least, for more than two weeks. They will begin the shortened, 60-game sprint of a season Friday night at Citizens Bank Park against the Miami Marlins. In preparation, the Phillies will play a trio of exhibition games these next three days against the Washington Nationals, the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees.
The Phils will bus to Washington for Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. start against the Nats. They will also bus to New York for Monday evening’s game against the Yankees. They will host the Orioles at 6:05 p.m. on Sunday night.
After the three games, manager Joe Girardi will have a better read on his team’s readiness for this most unusual regular season.
“I think it’s just good to see another team,” Girardi said. “You worry about guys getting tired of seeing each other in a sense. You worry about boredom setting in. I think our guys have done a really good job but it’s great that we’re getting a chance to go see other teams.”
The Phillies have been playing intrasquad games for more than a week. Pitchers are getting their innings. Hitters are getting their at-bats.
But the speed of an intrasquad game is different from the speed of a competitive game against a rival, even an exhibition game. Hitters, in particular, should benefit from three days of at-bats under game conditions.
On Saturday night, Phillies hitters will be thrown right into the fire as three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer of the Nationals makes his final tune-up before his opening night start against Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees on Thursday night.
“Scherzer is as good as it gets so it gives our hitters a little bit of a measuring stick,” Girardi said.
Girardi plans on taking most of his regulars, including Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, Didi Gregorius, Scott Kingery and Andrew McCutchen on the trip to Washington. J.T. Realmuto will stay back and catch Zach Eflin’s simulated game in Philadelphia.
Aaron Nola, who is in line to start the Phillies’ opener, is scheduled to get four innings of work and closer Hector Neris will also see action in Washington.
Zack Wheeler is in line to pitch against Baltimore on Sunday.
Saturday is an important day for some roster decisions as this weekend marks the five-day point before opening day so the Phils have to begin notifying some of their non-roster players whether they have made the roster. Reliever Francisco Liriano seems likely to make it. Blake Parker is also in the picture. Josh Harrison, Logan Forsythe, Neil Walker, Phil Gosselin and Ronald Torreyes, all vying for work off the bench, also fit into this category.
Subscribe and rate the Phillies Talk podcast:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher / Art19 / YouTube
More on the Phillies
