Pitching For Phillies And Yankees Could Keep Hitters Guessing

Phillies vs. Yankees, 1:05 ET

People tend to get pretty excited about potential championship previews early in the season. You can never be too sure in baseball who will actually end up in the World Series. Sure, a team like the Dodgers is a fairly safe bet to at least make the playoffs, but keep in mind even though they won last year, they were taken to seven games. There were times they struggled and I thought they might lose. Other teams find a groove and make it work for them in the playoffs. It is similar to hockey where a team can get hot and win the whole thing. Both of the teams in this game should find their way to the playoffs and find a way to get hot as the Phillies take on the Yankees.

The Phillies are one of the more interesting franchises over the past decade. They've both lost and gained players from divisional opponents - Jayson Werth leaving years ago, and the Phillies taking Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber from the Nationals. They have been counted out in the playoffs before getting hot and finding a way into the mix. That has propelled them to National League Championship Series as well as the World Series. They have a good offense with a great mix of hitting for power and average. They have a good pitching staff, able to mix power pitchers with a bit of finesse. The team is very talented, and will keep looking to improve this next week via the trade market. They don't really need a new starter, but their bullpen could use a bit of help. Today they send out Ranger Suarez to the mound with a 7-6 record, 2.66 ERA, and a 1.15 WHIP. Suarez is a guy that tends to fly under the radar probably because of the team he is on. He's had a lot of success with Philadelphia though. He has been fantastic on the road this season, sporting a 1.47 ERA. He is coming off of an ugly start where he allowed six earned runs to the Angels in just 4.1 innings. Yankees hitters have done well against him, batting .293 in 41 at-bats.

Apr 27, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (left) celebrates with center fielder Brandon Marsh (16) after defeating the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

I recently saw a clip of Jomboy doing an interview with Yankees manager Aaron Boone. Jomboy was essentially looking for emotion to come out of Boone and for him to express (I assume) a sense of urgency because the Blue Jays are doing well, and the Yankees are in second place in the division. Boone was clearly getting frustrated with the interview, but handled it pretty well. He essentially was saying that fans get emotional, he can't let the players get emotional. He is right, the players need to stay pretty even keel in order to make sure they are performing at an optimal level. The Yankees were in the World Series last year, are looking to add to the roster, and have a great chance to make it back this year. There is no reason for anyone to panic or get emotional. They could use some improvement from today's starter Marcus Stroman. For the season, Stroman is just 2-1 with a 5.64 ERA. I lost my last bet on him, but I still think he is a solid pitcher. He has thrown just 30.1 innings this year and has a 1.48 WHIP, but I think that could go down. He is coming off of four straight strong starts - 21 innings, and a total of seven earned runs allowed. He has been great against the Phillies in the past, holding them to a .173 average over 139 at-bats.

This is a game that could be a bit more of a coinflip than you would think. Suarez, especially on the road, has done a phenomenal job. Stroman seems to be rounding into shape after some rough outings. I think the Phillies win, but I'm not overly confident in betting on that. Instead, I'm backing the under as I think both pitchers should keep opposing offenses from getting too comfortable.