World Series rematch awaits after Phils' 3rd straight series win 

PHILADELPHIA -- When the Phillies return to the site of last year's World Series for a three-game set against the Astros this weekend, it will come under very different circumstances than their last trip to Houston.

Obviously, there's no trophy on the line this time around, but it goes well beyond that.

The Phils will be without Bryce Harper (perhaps not for much longer, though) and Rhys Hoskins (likely for the season). They will once again be rolling out their co-aces for the first two games of the series, but neither Aaron Nola (5.40 ERA this season) nor Zack Wheeler (4.73 ERA) has found their footing yet this season.

The one similarity is the Phillies will arrive in Houston riding a bit of a hot streak. It's not quite the electric run from last October, but they clinched their third straight series victory with Thursday afternoon's 1-0 win over the Mariners at Citizens Bank Park.

Philadelphia (13-13) has gone 8-3 over its past 11 games to get back to .500 for the first time this season.

“Once you get to .500, then you get to five over [.500], then you get to 10 over, then you get to 15 over," manager Rob Thomson said. "It’s early. We didn’t play well early, but I think we’re playing well now."

As for whether the World Series rematch will carry any extra weight, well … it depends who you ask.

"I see it as just another game, just another series," Thomson said.

But for some, it’s not that easy.

"I can't block that out," Nick Castellanos said. "Those memories are too strong to pretend that they don't exist. So I have no choice but to use them."

Castellanos capped off his disappointing debut season in Philadelphia by making the final out of the World Series. Though he's enjoyed a resurgent start to 2023, he certainly hasn't forgotten how '22 ended.

"I'm excited to go back to Houston," Castellanos said. "There's going to be some uncomfortable memories that I'll have to confront, just being the last out of the World Series there and things like that, but I'm excited to get back there."

Likewise, the last time Nola was on the mound at Minute Maid Park, he was tagged for five runs on six hits (including two homers) in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, though the Phillies rallied to win, 6-5, in 10 innings. Nola also took the loss at home in Game 4.

Nola will not only get a chance to exorcise some demons against the Astros in the series opener, but that should line him up to also face the Dodgers in Los Angeles on the final game of the six-game trip.

"You just go in and try to play good baseball against these guys," Nola said. "You know what kind of talent they've got, but we've been playing pretty good these last few series. Definitely looking forward to these two series."

As well as the Phillies have played over the past two weeks, it's worth noting that stretch came against teams with losing records: the Reds (10-15), White Sox (7-18), Rockies (8-18) and Mariners (11-14).

Now comes a two-week stretch against the Astros, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays -- none of whom entered play Thursday with a losing record.

"We've got a tough schedule coming up. We've got Astros, Dodgers, Boston, Toronto -- they're all good teams," Thomson said. "We've got to take it one game at a time, one series at a time. Just keep playing the way we're playing."

Whether Harper rejoins the team in Los Angeles -- or shortly after -- remains to be seen. The Phillies are also waiting for Nola and Wheeler to settle into their usual form as Cy Young contenders. Not to mention Trea Turner, who likely has better days ahead in his debut season in Philly.

Any or all of that would pair well with the encouraging starts from Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm. There’s also been the emergence of Edmundo Sosa as a potential everyday player and Matt Strahm -- who tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday -- as the club’s top starter to this point. Plus, the bullpen has been lights out over the past two weeks.

"We know what we have in here,” outfielder Kyle Schwarber said. “So yeah, we've got good teams coming up -- Houston, who just won the World Series, and the Dodgers, who have been really good for a while. So focus on Houston first, because yeah, it's a good team."

Then, after a brief pause, he added:

“But we're a good team, as well."