The Phillies are back from London for a six-game road swing against Boston and Baltimore.

Let’s be honest here: it’s easy to look ahead to the weekend at Camden Yards because it has the potential to be one of the best series of the MLB regular season.

But the Phils have to get through Boston first and must do so without J.T. Realmuto, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday.

The offensive production could take a hit without Realmuto in the lineup and with Trea Turner still on the mend. Realmuto’s injury makes Turner’s return even more important, especially to balance out the top of the lineup.

Alec Bohm or Nick Castellanos will be the short-term fix in the No. 2 role, starting with a series where the Phillies are a -165 favorite to win in Boston. The Red Sox are listed at +140 to win the series at DraftKings.


If you judge the series solely on pitching matchups, it’s actually pretty even. Zack Wheeler holds the edge on Tuesday against Kutter Crawford. Former Phillie Nick Pivetta is coming off one of his best starts of the season and opposes Cristopher Sanchez. The Aaron Nola/Tanner Houck matchup on Thursday should produce the lowest-scoring game of the series.

More strikeouts than we expect could be in the cards for all three games. The Phils’ pitching staff has the second-most strikeouts in the majors, while Boston ranks seventh. Pivetta and Houck combined for 71 strikeouts in the last month.

Tuesday’s matchup is far more favorable for the Phillies against Crawford, even with Realmuto out. Crawford’s allowed at least five hits in five of his last six outings and he’s given up 15 earned runs in the last three starts.

Here’s where the Realmuto news stings –

Right-handed hitters are .261 against Crawford and lefties have a .199 mark. Bohm and Castellanos would be the top player prop targets here.

Oddly enough, the best splits against a pitcher in Tuesday’s game come from Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper, who each hit over .400 against Wheeler in 46 combined at-bats from their times in the NL East.

Wheeler has a higher ERA of 2.1 points when he starts on extra rest. He last started on June 3rd.

This stat has an even smaller sample size, so take it with a grain of salt. Teams returning from London are 2-2 in their first games back, and they’re 1-2-1 in their first series following the England trip. The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals both lost their series upon return from London in 2023.

There seems to be a lot of weird factors that could contribute to a series loss in Boston, but that could just be the normal built-in panic button that Philadelphia fans have whenever anything goes wrong.

Kinkead: if this series scares the bejesus out of you, as it does me, I’d suggest online gambling in New Jersey or Pennsylvania online casino. Check out the MLB-themed slots games, but come equipped with online casino guides and a free spins welcome offer.