Game 2 Preview: Phillies need a slump buster tonight in Colorado before I lose my mind

Funny how things unfold with sports in the city of Philadelphia. At the end of the NBA regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers were playing terrible basketball and fans turned their focus to the other side of Pattison Avenue as the MLB lockout ended and the Phillies finally spent some significant money over the offseason to build what we thought would be a contending baseball team. Now a few weeks later, the 76ers look like a team ready to make a finals run and the Phillies are 3-7 over their last 10 games and in desperate need of a win tonight in Colorado.

Last night, the Phillies fell to the Rockies in game one of three by a final score of 4-1. Aaron Nola was promising to start the game, but the bats were dead, and the bullpen struggled.

The Phillies will now turn their focus to tonight’s matchup, as Kyle Gibson takes the mound against Kyle Freeland. Gibson has had a good start to his season, throwing a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched, with 16 strikeouts and just seven hits allowed. Kyle Freeland will get the ball for the Rockies, and has endured a horrible start to his 2022 stint, throwing just 9 innings and allowing 14 hits and 10 earned runs.

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Over his career, Bryce Harper has torched the Colorado Rockies, batting .332 with 67 hits, 13 home runs, 35 RBIs and 44 runs scored in 54 games. If the Phillies want to get things rolling, it starts with the reigning NL MVP. I’m jumping on the Harper HR and Phillies to Win +500.

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THE PHILLIES ARE BORING

Maybe I’m just caught up in the 76ers’ NBA Playoff hype, but damn, the Phillies are a boring team and with later-than-usual start times, have really just become miserable to watch.

Last night, they only mustered five hits and on the season, are averaging less than four runs per game while batting just .244 as a team. When you have a lineup that includes Bryce Harper, JT Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, and Rhys Hoskins and your best hitter is Alec Bohm, it’s not hard to see why this team is struggling to win baseball games.

Side Note: Bohm is slashing .571/.550/.714 to start the year, with eight hits, two doubles, and four RBIs but continues to be miserable on defense.

JT Realmuto and Nick Castellanos have been solid as well, but I’m really looking at Harper and Schwarber to get things rolling for this baseball team before we’re 10 games out heading into May.

Read more: Phillies acquire outfielder Dustin Peterson from the Milwaukee Brewers >>

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Game 2 Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Team	Spread	Money Line	Total
Phillies	-1.5 (+114)	-142	O11.5 (-104)
Rockies	+1.5 (-137)	+120	U11.5 (-118)

Game 2 Starting Lineup

Tuesday night lineup. #RingTheBell

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Prediction

The Phillies are a complete mystery right now. However, with the lineup they have, it’s pretty easy to believe that they can snap out of a slump on any given night. Girardi continues to tinker with the batting order and has Segura batting leadoff, Hoskins in the 2-hole, and Realmuto-Schwarber in the five and six spots tonight.

Something has to give. Please, for my sanity.

It’s only a matter of time before we see the Phillies offense turn into what we expected it to be at the start of the season, so why not get things rolling tonight?

Pick: Phillies -1.5

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Mandatory Credit: Getty Images