Phillies meet Red Sox in battle of struggling teams with new managers

"Despite their best efforts - and the effort was there on Sunday by Payton Tolle and others - the Red Sox lost another series. This time to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox briefly rose to 4th place in the AL East before the Sox dropped the series, the Orioles won, and Boston returned to its seemingly permanent last place home. That series was supposed to be four games, but rain forced Saturday's matinee - and a possible split - to July."

"Chris Cotillo said the Red Sox may hope to get Willson Contreras back for the start of the series against the Phillies. Losing their first baseman would bring shades of 2025. And Contreras has been one of the few players to contribute on both sides of the ball so far this season. Roman Anthony might return at the end of the week when eligible. Ranger Suarez dodged a bullet with his own health issue. There are positives. The team just needs...wins."

"While the Red Sox found Chadball after the firing of Alex Cora and a 7-6 record, the Phillies have benefitted even more from their shakeup: they're 10-3 under Don Mattingly. This pushes the Phillies all the way to 19-22 (.463) vs. the Red Sox 17-23 record (.425) The Mets, the remaining big market flop, thankfully sit at 15-25 with their manager intact."

"But if the Sox can sweep Detroit, can they handle Philly? They'll miss ace Christopher Sáchez, thankfully. Bryce Harper, Kyle "from Waltham" Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh are leading the offense, while Trea Turner and some of the younger players struggle. Zack Wheeler returned from thoracic outlet syndrome to pitch like he always has. A lucky break for the Phils to regain a second ace. His strikeouts are down a tick, his walks up a bit, but he's made three starts on the season and allowed just 6 runs in"

The Red Sox lost another series to the Tampa Bay Rays, slipping back to last place in the AL East after briefly reaching fourth. Rain delayed part of the series schedule, and Boston remains close to a Wild Card spot and within reach of third place. Willson Contreras could return for the start of the series against the Phillies, and Roman Anthony may be eligible to return later in the week. The Phillies have improved after a managerial change, posting a strong record and holding a better overall mark than Boston. Boston’s outlook depends on stringing wins, especially after a potential sweep of Detroit, while the Phillies’ offense is led by several established hitters and their pitching includes Zack Wheeler returning from injury.

Read at Over the Monster