Aug 9, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Max Kepler (17) is greeted in the dugout after scoring during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Last Saturday, the Phillies lost to the Detroit Tigers, who had the greatest pitcher in the sport today, Tarik Skubal, on the mound. For much of this Saturday's contest against the Texas Rangers, it looked like the Phillies would fall victim to one of the most gifted pitchers baseball has ever seen in Jacob deGrom. Instead, they got to deGrom and the Rangers late, and used their newly-acquired elite closer to secure a 3-2 win and series victory.
The Rangers got the scoring started in the home half of the first inning, with Wyatt Langford singling in Corey Seager, a continuation of Jesús Luzardo's struggles pitching with runners on base:
Get it started, @langford_wyatt! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/3OM6kplYVW
The Phillies were held off the board by deGrom across the first six innings, but finally got to the five-time All-Star in the top of the seventh inning.
Max Kepler — in the lineup as the right fielder, rather than Nick Castellanos — delivered the biggest blow of the game, with a two-run double into the right-field corner that was aided by a poor route from the usually-excellent Adolis García:
HBO Max
pic.twitter.com/WVX0zkZBbf
Rob Thomson told the media members in Arlington before the game — including Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic — that each Phillies' regular outfielder was getting an off day during this series because of the "hard turf" in Texas:
Thomson said he’s trying to give all of the Phillies outfielders a day off because of the hard turf at Globe Life. So, he figured it was a good day to rest Castellanos.
It may very well be true that players don't love the surface at Globe Life Field, but that could also be a convenient excuse in this case to get a look at the outfield without Castellanos. In addition to his well-documented defensive struggles this season, Castellanos entered the day with just a .711 OPS against right-handed pitching. If Kepler is going to hit, an outfield of him, Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh might be the best set-up against right-handed pitching. At least for Saturday, it proved to be.
Bryson Stott added another run before the seventh inning was out, an RBI single off of reliever Danny Coulombe that brought Kepler around to score:
Is Bryson Stott starting to heat up?
(Via @MLBONFOX)
pic.twitter.com/rVtRBS8eLX
Meanwhile, Luzardo settled in after giving the run up in the first inning, scattering seven hits and one run over six frames. He only struck out four batters, but managed to keep the Rangers in check for most of the night. In what's been a boom-or-bust first season with the Phillies, Luzardo now has a 4.20 ERA to show for 24 innings.
The Rangers did cut into the Phillies' lead when Corey Seager hit an opposite-field home run off of Matt Strahm in the bottom of the eighth inning:
Corey Seager makes it a one-run game with a solo homer in the 8th!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/LtQAwq7ZPL
But Jhoan Duran came in for the bottom of the ninth inning and set the Rangers down in order to secure the 67th win of the season for the Phillies.
Zack Wheeler will take the ball for the Phillies Sunday afternoon as they look to sweep the Rangers.
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