This story was excerpted from Paul Casella's Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PHILADELPHIA -- Monday marks the start of a pivotal 10-day stretch in which the Phillies exclusively play the Padres and Dodgers -- two of the top contenders in the National League.
The last time the Phils had a stretch like this one came about a month ago when they dropped 10 straight games to the Braves and Cubs. They fired manager Rob Thomson and replaced him with Don Mattingly just a few days later.
A lot has changed since then, but the next week and a half -- starting Monday in San Diego -- could reveal a lot about where exactly the Phillies stand.
Here’s a look at 10 storylines for the next 10 days:
1. How do the Phillies stack up?
Yes, the Phillies have turned their season around following that disastrous 9-19 start that led to a managerial change -- but now comes a significant test against a pair of NL West powers.
The Phils are 17-8 since interim manager Don Mattingly took over, but they've dropped two straight series after winning each of their first six with Mattingly at the helm. Those first six series came against the Giants (22-31), Marlins (25-29), A's (27-26), Rockies (20-34), Red Sox (22-30) and Pirates (27-26).
These next three series against the Padres (31-21) and Dodgers (33-20) could be more indicative of how the Phillies match up in the NL.
2. Sánchez goes for history
Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound on Wednesday at Petco Park needing just four scoreless innings to surpass Grover Alexander for the longest scoreless streak by a Phillies pitcher since at least 1893 (when the mound moved to its current distance).
Sánchez, who has turned in four consecutive scoreless outings of at least seven innings, has gone 37 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing a run. Alexander holds the franchise record of 41 innings. (Note: Sánchez needs to complete four innings to surpass Alexander because if he gives up a run with two outs in the fourth, he would be credited with only three scoreless innings as it pertains to his scoreless streak -- not 3 2/3 innings.)
3. What does Schwarber have in store for Petco?
While any Kyle Schwarber at-bats could be considered must-see TV at this point, that's particularly true any time he steps into the box at Petco Park.
Though Schwarber has never called the ballpark home, he owns two of the five longest home runs hit at Petco since Statcast began tracking in 2015. That includes the majestic 488-foot blast he hit off Yu Darvish in Game 1 of the 2022 NLCS. That's not only the longest home run tracked at Petco Park, but also of Schwarber's career.
Schwarber also crushed a 465-foot homer on Sept. 6, 2023, which is tied for the fourth-longest in the history of the park.
Including the postseason, Schwarber has 20 home runs in 45 starts against the Padres. That's a 72-homer pace over 162 games.
4. Can offense heat up out west?
Now, as for the rest of the offense, the Phillies are still looking for more consistency throughout the lineup. They've been held to one run or fewer 13 times this season. Only the Mets (15 times) and Giants (14) have done so more times.
Trea Turner, who hit .304 to win the NL batting title last season, is hitting just .225 with a .619 OPS. J.T. Realmuto is hitting .219 with a .572 OPS. Adolis García is hitting .203.
While Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott have started to turn things around following their slow starts, the Phillies need a few more guys to follow suit.
5. Sho Time: What will Ohtani do vs. Phillies?
Well, it looks as if the Phillies will miss Shohei Ohtani the pitcher, meaning they'll have to deal only with Shohei Ohtani the hitter. Ohtani, who has a 0.73 ERA in eight starts this season, is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday against the Rockies before the Phillies arrive for the weekend showdown.
As for the hitting aspect, Ohtani is off to a bit of a slow start by his standards. After averaging 51 homers and posting a 1.037 OPS over the past three seasons, Ohtani entered Monday with just eight home runs and an .875 OPS.
The Phillies are one of the few teams to have mostly held Ohtani in check. He's a career .209 hitter with a .663 OPS in 22 games vs. Philadelphia, including going just 1-for-18 (.056) with nine K's in last year's NLDS.
6. Good spot for Nola to get on track
Aaron Nola's struggles are no secret at this point. He has a 6.04 ERA in 10 starts this season -- and a 6.02 ERA in 27 outings dating to the start of last season. That ranks 121st out of 123 pitchers with at least 25 starts during that span.
However, the difference between this year and last year is that Nola has actually thrown a pretty effective curveball so far in 2026. The key issue is that his four-seam fastball has been the single-worst pitch across the Majors, according to Baseball Savant's Run Value metric.
The good news for Nola is that his next two starts are lined up to come against the Padres -- a team that entered Monday with the second-worst team OPS in the Majors. Even more importantly, San Diego is hitting just .227 against four-seam fastballs as a team.
7. Castellanos reunion
Nick Castellanos obviously had an up-and-down tenure during his four seasons with the Phillies. There were huge postseason moments -- like his historic back-to-back two-homer games and some big catches -- but he also posted just a .732 OPS, struggled defensively and had that infamous dugout exchange with then-manager Rob Thomson last season.
The Phillies released him in March prior to what would have been the final year of the five-year, $100 million contract he signed prior to the 2022 season. Castellanos ultimately landed with the Padres, who are paying him the league minimum of around $780,000 while the Phillies cover almost all of the $20 million he is owed this season.
He entered Monday hitting .190 with a .577 OPS in a part-time role with San Diego.
8. NLDS rematch
After wrapping up their three-game set in San Diego, the Phillies will head a hundred miles north and return to Dodger Stadium -- the same place where their 2025 season ended in devastating fashion last October.
It will be the first trip back to L.A. for the Phillies since Orion Kerkering's errant throw in Game 4 of the NLDS resulted in a walk-off series-clinching win for the Dodgers. But the dramatic ending may have overshadowed just how close that series was.
The Phils let a late lead slip away in Game 1, dropped a one-run decision in Game 2 and rolled to a six-run victory in Game 3 before the 11-inning loss in Game 4.
9. Painter takes on Dodgers' potent lineup
Andrew Painter seems to be settling in after a rocky start to his big league career. He has a 2.60 ERA over his past three starts after struggling to a 6.89 ERA through his first seven outings.
Next up is a major test on Saturday night against a Dodgers' offense that leads the Majors with a .771 team OPS.
10. Crawford back in LA
Justin Crawford will return to the scene where he first met his current manager almost 14 years ago. The 22-year-old Crawford recalled earlier this year meeting Mattingly -- the Dodgers’ manager at the time -- after his dad, Carl, was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers in August 2012.
Carl Crawford spent the final four seasons of his 15-year career playing in Los Angeles.