Inside The Phillies

Surging Phillies Look for Real After Acing First Major Test of Season

The Philadelphia Phillies made a big statement with their impressive series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tyler Maher

Apr 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates his grand slam with first base Bryce Harper (3).
Apr 6, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) celebrates his grand slam with first base Bryce Harper (3). / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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The Philadelphia Phillies had an easy schedule to start the season, opening the year with back-to-back series against the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies.

Not surprisingly, the Phillies dominated both series, going 5-1 with a plus-16 run differential against two of the worst teams in baseball.

While Philadelphia's early results were encouraging, it was fair to wonder how the team would perform against a real opponent.

The reigning NL East champions found out over the weekend, passing their first big test of the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies took two of three from the defending World Series champs, winning three straight series to start a season for the first time since 2011. They were also the first team to beat the Dodgers this year, ending their 8-0 start with a pair of hard-fought victories.

Philadelphia's pitching shined in the first two games of the series, limiting Los Angeles' potent lineup to just five runs on 12 hits. Jesus Luzardo outdueled Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the opener, firing seven shutout innings en route to a 3-2 Phillies win.

Aaron Nola delivered a quality start in the middle game, but didn't get enough run support. Philadelphia's bats only managed one run and were held scoreless after the first inning.

The Phillies' offense bounced back in the finale, though, outslugging the Dodgers 8-7 in their most exciting game of the season thus far. Nick Castellanos struck the decisive blow with his go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the third, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Los Angeles clawed back and briefly reclaimed the lead in the top of the seventh, but Philadelphia immediately rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame and held on to win the game.

It was an impressive all-around effort from the Phillies, who proved they can hang with arguably the best team in baseball. They certainly belong in the conversation, especially after going 5-1 against the Dodgers last year and shutting down their best player, reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani, over the weekend (1-for-11 with five strikeouts).

After getting a day off on Monday, Philadelphia has another tough test with this week's road series against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are off to a rough start after going 1-8 to begin the season, but they're still one of the most talented teams in the league and are too good to stay down for long.

The surging Phillies should have plenty of confidence after their big weekend against Los Angeles, but they'll need to stay focused if they want to keep separating themselves in the standings.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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