The Phillies’ western swing started out well with the team scoring seven runs in the first inning of Friday’s game against the Rockies. Unfortunately, the offense largely dried up throughout the remainder of the series
The Phillies will try to get their bats going again when they travel to San Francisco for a three-game series against the Giants. The good news is that the Giants are off to a slow start to the 2026 season. The bad news is that no matter how good or bad the Giants are in a given season,
the Phillies rarely win games in Oracle Park.
San Francisco Giants
Record: 3-7, Fifth place in National League West (4.5 games back)
The last time they met
The Phillies visited Oracle Park in July 2025, and as they usually do, they lost the series. However, they were able to win the finale by a score of 13-0, which feels like a special kind of triumph.
What’s the deal with the Giants?
After a mediocre 81-81 season that resulted in the firing of manager Bob Melvin, the Giants had a modest offseason, opting to stay away from the top of the market, and instead pursue second-level free agents like Harrison Bader, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.
Under new manager Tony Vitello, not much seems to have improved, and the offense has been putrid. They’ve scored the fewest runs of any team in baseball and have already been shut out three times. They haven’t hit for average, they haven’t walked much, and their four combined home runs rank last in the majors.
The pitching has been far more mediocre in the early going. The Phillies are scheduled to face three veteran starters in Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, and Robby Ray, so at least they won’t be surprised by anything they see. The Giants’ bullpen is largely unproven with players like Blade Tidwell and Ryan Walker in key roles.
Featured Giants player: Harrison Bader
After the Phillies acquired Harrison Bader at the trade deadline in 2025, the Phillies’ outfield situation became much better. He played solid defense in centerfield and put up one of the best offensive stretches of his career.
There was a strong sentiment that the Phillies should bring him back, but ultimately, they went in another direction. I liked Bader and certainly wouldn’t have minded having him on the team, but the team also seemed determined to play rookie Justin Crawford in centerfield. Since much of Bader’s value comes from defense, it was questionable how wise it would be to sign him to play a corner outfield spot.
Early in the 2026 season, Bader hasn’t done much to make the Phillies regret their choice. While he’s still playing strong defense, he hasn’t hit well, putting up an OPS of just .396.
Remembering a guy who used to play for the Giants
Barry Zito was a star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics in the early 2000’s, winning the AL Cy Young Award in 2002. After the 2006 season, the A’s allowed him to leave as a free agent, but he didn’t go far, signing with the Giants.
For whatever reason, crossing the Bay didn’t agree with Zito, and he was largely a bust. The two-time All-Star’s most notable achievement was leading the NL in losses in 2008, and his ERA during his seven years in San Francisco was over a run higher than it had been in Oakland.
It should be noted that the Giants won two titles while Zito was there, although he didn’t even pitch in the 2010 playoffs. There’s been some debate about Zito’s worth among Giants fans. Because while he was not good overall, he did pitch well in the 2012 postseason, and flags fly forever.
What about the Phillies?
Oracle Park has not been kind to the Phillies in recent years. The Phillies haven’t won a series in San Francisco since 2013 (though they did split a four-game set in 2017). Really, the park was never all that friendly to the Phillies as they’re 25-58 since it opened in 2000.
Andrew Painter will get the first crack at reversing that luck as he will make his second career start in the season opener on Monday. Maybe the rookie can succeed where so many veterans have failed.
Normally, I’d say the Phillies were catching the struggling Giants at the right time, but it seems more likely that the Giants aren’t actually as bad on offense as they’ve looked, and they’re due to regress the heck out of the Phillies the next few days.
Pennant year song battle
Everybody Wants You defeated My Sister to become the first song to successfully defend the title.
The next contender comes from the year 2009 and describes what Oracle Park has done to the Phillies over the years. It’s Gives You Hell by All-American Rejects:
Vote for the winner now:
Closing thought
A good rule of thumb for the Phillies is that they are never as bad as they look when they play at either Oracle Park or Citi Field. And if the Phillies should happen to do the impossible and actually win this series, then maybe that’s a sign that this is their year!
