When this MLB schedule came out many months ago, we learned that the Phillies would open the 2026 MLB campaign with their first two series at home before venturing away from the friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park for a six-game western road swing. Now, with the season's opening week in the books, the Phillies embark on a trip to Colorado and San Francisco looking to improve upon their 3-3 mark.
Everyone wants to get out to a hot start, and that didn't happen for the Phils. Still, there are signs of encouragement thanks to some of the pitching performances, most notably Andrew Painter, and their early penchant for rallying late that could bode well in the future for this club.
As always, however, there are early areas for improvement and growth, and a few of those dovetail with what the Phillies need to do over their next six games to return to CBP this time next week with a winning record.
To come back home with a winning record, the Phillies can look toward these three key aspects of their road trip
"Get right" games for the offensive stars
It's no secret that the team's biggest names — and highest paid players — struggled mightily for much of the team's opening homestand. Kyle Schwarber homered in his first at bat of the season, but only went 3-for-21 with 10 strikeouts after that point. Bryce Harper had a miserable first week, going just 3-for-25 before he mercifully homered in Wednesday's game to aid the Phillies in their comeback victory. And then there is Trea Turner, who has more hits than Schwarber and Harper but has arguably looked more lost at the plate and doesn't have a single RBI so far. Luckily for them, Coors Field is here to save the day (hopefully).
Jayson Stark shared a troubling stat about Bryce Harper when he joined @975Unfiltered
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 2, 2026
"According to Statcast, there are 276 full-time players. Where would you guess that Bryce (Harper) ranks in average exit velocity in that group?.. How about 235th... I get that it is early,… pic.twitter.com/rleP3YWibA
The hitter's paradise could be just what the doctor ordered for the ailing top of the order, offering the team's struggling sluggers a chance to tee off. Last year, the Phillies banged out 27 runs and 50 hits in a four-game sweep over the hapless Rockies at Coors. Schwarber, Harper, and Turner all homered in the series, and you have to believe that all of the Phillies hitters are licking their chops at this early season opportunity to get the offense on the right track.
Improved results for a starting pitcher (or two)
Sandwiched between Cristopher Sánchez's Opening Day dominance and Painter's extremely promising debut, the Phillies received a trio of underwhelming starts from Aaron Nola, Jesús Luzardo, and Taijuan Walker. Perhaps some of that shouldn't be surprising, but this team is going to have some problems if they can't get reliable starting pitching more than half the time. As a result, this trip offers an early chance for the club's starters to theoretically deal with a less stressful situation on the road for the next few games.
Nola takes the ball first, and he'll receive two road starts this week to bookend the trip. It's unfortunate that the first start has to come at Coors, given Nola's penchant for serving up longballs, but at least the Rockies' lineup provides a softer landing spot than most clubs. The same can be said for Luzardo, who put the Phillies behind the 8-ball by allowing a pair of home runs against Texas on Sunday. He hurled a great start at Coors last year, allowing one run in six innings and striking out ten, so he shouldn't really be fazed at the prospect of pitching there.
Walker also starts at Coors on this trip, which is a cause for concern, although it should be noted that he pitched fine there last year. He's mostly just keeping the seat warm for Zack Wheeler anyway, so it's hard to get too worked up if he delivers another subpar effort. It would be nice to know that he could be relied upon in short spurts, though. In a perfect world, all three of these pitchers turn in better outings than they did at home in their first starts, but the law of averages probably won't allow for it to happen. We'll see.
Some left-handed looks for Crawford
Justin Crawford's MLB career is off to a nice start, punctuated by his walk-off hit to win Wednesday's game as the Phillies completed a big comeback. Still, to be a long-term viable everyday option, he is going to need to show that he can capably hit left-handed pitching. He's 1-for-5 so far, and the Phillies held him out of Monday's starting lineup against Nationals southpaw Foster Griffin. It's fine, they're easing him in, but he's going to need to play against lefties more often than not.
The Phillies were slated to face a pair of left-handed starters on this trip: Jose Quintana in Colorado and Robbie Ray in San Francisco. Quintana was placed on the Injured List on Thursday afternoon, leaving Ray as the only guaranteed opportunity for Crawford. It's likely they hold him out of that game Crawford ends up accumulating five at bats or less versus lefties on the trip as a whole. But the team would be wise to look upon this as an early opportunity to see how he performs in different environments against lefties while he's swinging a hot stick in general.
Big hitters getting back to their normal levels, improved performances from regular rotation members, and a young player getting valuable on-the-job training? I'd say that those ingredients can lead to a highly successful road trip if they all come together. The Phillies are hoping to get some early momentum going over the next week, and these keys can help them to unlock it.