Phillies vs Dodgers Preview: Deep Philly Arms, Dodgers’ Hot Streak

The Dodgers are on fire. They're 37-20 and just beat the Phillies 4-2 yesterday. Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Will Smith all went yard, launching the ball into the Dodger Stadium night sky. The Phillies answered back with Kyle Schwarber's long shot in the sixth, but it wasn't enough. Now the Phillies stand at 29-28 after dropping their last game. They need to strike back hard today or this series gets away from them fast. Jesus Luzardo takes the mound for Philadelphia. Let's see if he can slow down this Dodger lineup.

Roki Sasaki is the Dodgers' starter today, and he's part of a pitching staff that looks unstoppable. The Dodgers have Yoshinobu Yamamoto as their ace, but Sasaki gives them another world-class arm. He's got the kind of stuff that makes hitters look foolish. Meanwhile, the Phillies lean on their rotation too. Zack Wheeler is their ace, and they've got Nola, Luzardo, and Sánchez backing him up. Both teams built their rosters around dominant pitching. This matchup is pitcher against pitcher, arm against arm. Whoever throws strikes and keeps the ball down will control this game.

Kyle Schwarber showed up yesterday with that massive home run, but overall the Phillies' hitters have been quiet. Schwarber's batting just .158. Trea Turner is hitting .182. Even Bryce Harper, the face of the franchise, is down to .100. Alec Bohm and Adolis Garcia are doing better, but the whole lineup needs to connect today. The Dodgers just scored four runs on five home runs yesterday. That's dangerous power. The Phillies need their stars to step up and start swinging hard. One big inning could flip everything.