Nothing seems to faze the Philadelphia Phillies.
Even with shortstop Trea Turner and outfielder Brandon Marsh sidelined by hamstring strains, Philadelphia just keeps winning. The Phillies are 22-8 dating back to May 1, and they will look to stay hot on Tuesday when they continue a three-game series with the visiting Milwaukee Brewers.
Turner hasn’t played since May 3, while Marsh just landed on the 10-day injured list on Monday.
With Marsh hitting the IL, Philadelphia selected the contract of outfielder David Dahl from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and Dahl instantly made an impact in the Phillies’ 3-1 victory over Milwaukee on Monday in the series opener.
Dahl went 2-for-3 with a solo shot and two runs, and now he is hoping to keep making the most of his opportunity at the big-league level.
“It’s been a grind to get here,” Dahl told NBC Sports Philadelphia in a postgame interview. “I’m grateful to be here. They win a lot. I’ll do whatever they want. I’m blessed.”
The Colorado Rockies selected Dahl in the first round (10th overall) of the 2012 draft, and he was an All-Star back in 2019 before injuries limited him to 91 games from 2020-23. He did not play in the majors in 2022.
But Dahl now appears healthy, and the Phillies may have found a key bench piece.
“He’s been swinging the bat really well,” Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said of how Dahl was doing at Triple-A. “He’s hitting home runs, he’s getting on base, playing OK defensively. So we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Among those hoping Dahl continues to produce at the plate is left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (3-3, 2.83 ERA), who is scheduled to start for the Phillies on Tuesday.
In his most recent outing, Sanchez logged six scoreless innings against the San Francisco Giants last Wednesday to earn a win. He scattered just four hits, walked one and struck out seven.
“I was attacking the hitters early,” Sanchez said through a translator. “I mixed my pitches well. My sinker was (good), my changeup was (good). Everything was great.”
Sanchez has not factored into the decision in each of his two previous appearances (one start) against Milwaukee, posting a 2.45 ERA in those outings.
The Brewers, who have yet to officially announce who will go up against Sanchez on the mound, will be trying to bounce back after having a five-game winning streak come to an end on Monday.
Milwaukee could opt to go with another bullpen day after getting one scoreless inning from opener Jared Koenig in Game 1 of the series. Koenig threw just five pitches.
Koenig (5-1, 2.05), a left-hander, could end up serving as an opener again on Tuesday, and right-hander Colin Rea (4-2, 3.77) could also be called upon.
Even though the Brewers took the loss, Rhys Hoskins had a memorable return to Citizens Bank Park, accounting for Milwaukee’s lone run with a solo shot in the seventh.
Hoskins spent the first six seasons of his career with the Phillies but missed all of last year due to a torn ACL. He signed with the Brewers this past offseason, with Monday marking his first game back in Philadelphia.
“It was loud. Yeah, I thought it was loud,” Hoskins said of the ovation he received from Phillies fans. “That’s what this place does. I’m not surprised by it.”
–Field Level Media