Phillies Sit Star Slugger In Series Opener Against Reds

May 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) exits the mound during the game against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. David Butler II-Imagn Images

Phillies Sit Star Slugger In Series Opener Against Reds

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated May 18, 2026 5:00 PM ET

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The Philadelphia Phillies will be entering their series against the Cincinnati Reds over the .500 mark after a terrible start to the season. Now, they will be hoping to continue to build momentum and catch up to the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

Following a dreadful (9-19) start to the year, the Phillies are back over the .500 mark thanks to a strong three weeks of baseball. Since Philadelphia fired Rob Thomson, the team has been able to win six straight series and has gone (15-4) during the impressive stretch.

The Phillies came into the year with high expectations, and they are finally starting to look like the team that many expected them to be. While there is still a lot of work to do and a long season to go to get to where they want to be, the recent stretch is an excellent start.

In their series opener against the Reds, it will be Andrew Painter taking the ball for Philadelphia. The right–hander is coming off a short, but encouraging outing after some struggles in his rookie season. However, they hope that he will be able to build off that outing and get some consistency going forward.

With Painter taking the mound, the Phillies will have a bit of a different-looking lineup against Cincinnati with one of their top players getting the day off.

Kyle Schwarber Gets Rest Day

Phillies lineup vs. Reds. 6:40 p.m. on NBCSP/94WIP.

Turner 6
Harper DH
Bohm 3
Sosa 5
García 9
Stott 4
Realmuto 2
Crawford 8
Kemp 7

Painter RHP
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) May 18, 2026

Going up against the left-hander Nick Lodolo, Mattingly has decided that this would be a good day to get Schwarber a day off. The talented slugger has been red-hot of late with 20 home runs already on the season, but against a southpaw, getting a day off to keep the veteran slugger fresh isn’t a bad idea.

Furthermore, with the designated hitter spot open, it will be Bryce Harper sliding into that position for the night. Also, with Harper not starting at first base, Alec Bohm will be taking over there and batting third in the lineup.

Bohm batted cleanup in the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and is currently on an eight-game hitting streak. His success is key for Philadelphia as one of the more important right-handed hitters on the roster.

Lodolo is just coming back from a stint on the injured list to begin the season, but as a left-hander, it will be interesting to see if the offense can continue to perform at a high level.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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