Phillies to conclude shortened 2020 season on road vs. Rays

The Phillies will end their 60-game 2020 season in St. Petersburg, Florida

While the official 2020 Philadelphia Phillies schedule for their shortened 60-game season has yet to be released, we do know who manager Joe Girardi‘s team will face to conclude the season.

According to the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin, the Phillies will head south to Tropicana Field to take on their 2008 World Series rival Tampa Bay Rays for their season finale. The Phillies are 6-6 all-time at the venue, excluding their Game 1 postseason win, 12 years ago.

Topkin adds the Phillies and Rays will face off three times overall in 2020, meaning the set will likely occur September 25-27, and that the Rays would not play the regular season in South Philadelphia.

So far, it has been confirmed that the Phillies will play each of their four division opponents 10 times each. Also, TSN’s Scott Mitchell reports the Phillies and Blue Jays will face off six times.

Everything appears to agree with the New York Post’s Joel Sherman report that the interleague breakdown will work similar to how it was arranged in 2018.

So, this is the Phillies’ likely schedule breakdown, in order of greatest to fewest games, spanning  66 days:

• 10 games vs. Washington Nationals
• 10 games vs. Atlanta Braves
• 10 games vs. New York Mets
• 10 games vs. Miami Marlins
• 6 games vs. Toronto Blue Jays (with any away games possibly in Buffalo, New York)
• 4 games vs. Boston Red Sox
• 4 games vs. Baltimore Orioles
• 3 games vs. New York Yankees
• 3 games vs Tampa Bay Rays.

The universal designated hitter will be in play for all 60 games.

Facing the Yankees and the Rays the fewest amount of times among their nine opponents is good news for Girardi’s team. The Yankees are the reigning American League East champions, having won 103 games last season, and are entering 2020 with one of the best starting pitchers in the game, Gerrit Cole.

The Rays, meanwhile, qualified for the American League Wild Card in 2019, winning 96 games.

In facing the Red Sox, the Phillies do not need to worry about opposing Mookie Betts nor David Price, as they were traded in the offseason to the Los Angeles Dodgers — a team Bryce Harper and company would not face at all until the postseason.

And, as long as Phillies pitching can keep rising slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at check, their six games against the Blue Jays should stay close.

As far as the Orioles? Girardi’s team should be able to take advantage, as well as their 10 games against the similarly lowly Miami Marlins.

Get ready for a fast-paced, intense season, which we now know will end against the Rays.