August 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) reacts after hitting a three RBI home run during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Nick Castellanos never has to wonder if he has the full support of his manager.
Philadelphia Phillies skipper Rob Thomson has had Castellanos on the team for every game this season, and that will certainly be the case Wednesday when the Phillies go on a three-game sweep against the Houston Astros.
Castellanos had an OPS of .521 through the end of April and struggled to find his rhythm through most of May. However, he had a solid summer and is still performing well as August draws to a close.
The veteran right fielder has hit safely in five consecutive games and 13 of his last 15 contests. He hit a brilliant three-run homer off Justin Verlander on Tuesday to give Philadelphia a 5-0 win.
“I don’t really have an approach,” Castellanos said after hitting his 18th home run of the season. “I just look for the baseball and hit it as hard as I can.”
The two-time All-Star recalled how Thompson told him on Opening Day that he wanted Castellanos to play in all 162 games. He nearly achieved that goal last season, playing in a career-high 157 games.
“From a coaching standpoint, trust is the biggest thing you can have for your players,” Castellanos said, “If you don’t feel like the manager has your back, it’s pretty pointless to tie his shoes.”
“I’m happy for him that he made that change,” Thomson said of Castellanos, whose third-inning blast helped Philadelphia to its fourth consecutive win.
Aaron Nola pitched seven scoreless innings for the Phillies, who will look for a similar performance from Taijuan Walker (3-5, 6.26 ERA) on Wednesday. The struggling right-hander gave up six runs in three innings against the Kansas City Royals on Friday and now has fewer chances to prove he’s worthy of joining the rotation.
“It hasn’t been great lately,” Walker said after his recent performance. “You want to help the team as much as you can. … It would be nice for me to be able to move the team forward. I haven’t done that yet, so that’s disappointing.”
Houston will face Spencer Arrighetti (6-11, 4.94 ERA), who has a 2.55 ERA in four starts this month. The 24-year-old rookie held the Baltimore Orioles scoreless through six innings on Thursday, outdueling All-Star Corbin Burnes.
“I’m a competitive person. I’m always trying to outdo the other guy,” Arrighetti said.
The young right-hander could certainly need offensive support from Yainer Diaz, who is 1-9 with five strikeouts in the series, as well as Jeremy Pena, who is 0-8.
The Astros have lost six of their last eight games and are looking to avoid losing for the first time since losing three in a row against the host Chicago Cubs from April 23-25.
“Sometimes in these tours, one pitch doesn’t go your way, one ball doesn’t go your way, one whatever — that’s the difference between winning and losing,” Verlander said. “Against tough opponents, I think we’ve played pretty well. Just haven’t won.”
–Field Level Media