Well, it’s here. And with it, the expectation wheel turns.

Baseball gets underway in full force Thursday with a schedule of games that begin at 3 p.m.

We are all accustomed to the usual 1 p.m. first pitches and April beginnings, but this year baseball will get is earliest season start for 28 of its 30 teams.

The Phillies will be in Washington, and the Mets in Houston for 4:05 p.m. starts, while the Yankees will host Milwaukee at 3:05 p.m.

Across the board, the matchups are mostly familiar ones, but one intriguing contest is the Tigers-Dodgers, in which Blake Snell squares off against reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column, I’ll take a look at the Phillies’ possible plight, and some of their history with the Nationals, as well as some New York nuggets and a former Weatherly major leaguer.

Color It Red? ... Within the past two weeks, the Phillies have gained significant ground as a potential World Series champion.

In our preseason staff predictions, colleague TJ Engle and myself were the only ones to envision a first Phillies title since 2008.

However, expectations haven’t yet reached a pinnacle. With their surprising losses to the Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS, and to the Mets in the 2024 NLDS, the Phils’ stock as a World Series champion hasn’t been a best buy.

With another passing year, Bryce Harper and Trea Turner are another year into their 30s, while Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are free agents next season.

The crank of the cast for the presumed championship window has closed a turn or two.

The Phillies should be able to make a solid run at the division, but the Braves are healthy again and are likely to shake their slumps from last season.

With two consecutive unanticipated exits, the pressure could be squarely on the shoulders of Phillies skipper Rob Thomson. Sure, the ex-Yankees bench coach to former skipper Joe Girardi has a 250-185 season record heading into this year.

But there could be a tight leash on Thomson this season. Girardi was fired with a 22-29 record on June 3, 2022, and early June could be a good indicator for this club. By the way, Girardi never won a division title.

New left fielder Max Kepler had a good spring, even though he had some back issues. Bryce Harper also looked good, but Nick Castellanos struggled, hitting at a .150 clip.

Jesus Luzadro and Taijuan Walker both didn’t have impressive springs, but they will be integral parts of the rotation. Cristopher Sanchez and Joe Ross, who both looked good, could play key roles in solidifying the staff.

Neither Schwarber nor Turner did enough to wrestle the leadoff spot away from the other, and Schwarber is a notorious slow fist two-month starter.

Last season, the Phils slugged their way to an 8-8 start, before they went 54-25 to record a 62-33 mark in the penultimate game before the All-Star break.

From there, the Phils never regained the momentum and went 33-34 the rest of the way.

In the early going, the National League road to the World Series appears to once again go through Los Angeles. On paper, the Dodgers look pretty invincible with even more depth.

Still, if the Phillies have another breakout like they did last season, the pressures will be mounting.

And a third early exit surely could mean a third strike for some.

Three-peat ... Believe it or not, this is only the third time the Phillies and Nationals will meet in their season openers.

In 2005, the Phils downed the Expos, 8-4, at Citizens Bank Park. Jon Lieber got the win over Livan Hernandez. Kenny Lofton was two-for-three with three RBIs, and Pat Burrell was three-for-three with two RBIs.

In 2011, the Phils routed the Nationals at National Park 11-1 behind Placido Polanco’s grand slam and six-RBI performance. Roy Halladay picked up the victory with a seven-inning, nine strikeout showing.

A New York Minute ... Two of the more scrutinized players in the Big Apple this spring will be Mets’ first baseman Pete Alonso and Yankees’ left fielder Jasson Dominquez.

Alonso will try and shake off a 2024 campaign in which he hit 34 homers with 88 RBIs and a .240 average. He will have to be the buffer for Juan Soto, and New York scribes are seeking a .250-plus, 40-homer-plus season.

Dominquez will also face plenty of hype to be the star they have anticipated in his first full season. He has the potential to have a 30-30 season (30 homers and 30 steals) with his power and speed, and is an early AL Rookie-of-the-Year candidate.

His lone drawback has been his awful play in the field, but his consistent play should eventually rectify the problem.

Catchin’ Up ... Yankees’ catcher Austin Wells will be hitting leadoff today in their opener, and will become the first Yankees’ backstop in team history to hit in the position.

Do you remember former Phillies’ catcher Tim McCarver hitting leadoff? Well, he did for the Phillies and the Expos during the 1972 season when he was traded to Montreal on June 14 of that year.

Former Phillie Johnny Oates did so with the Orioles in 1973. Other catchers to hit in the spot with their respective teams were Butch Wynegar (Twins), Jason Kendall (Pirates), Craig Biggio (Astros), Ivan Rodriguez (Rangers), Brad Ausmus (Tigers), Paul Lo Duca (Dodgers), and Charlie Moore (Brewers).

Busy Corner ... From 2004 to 2012, Alex Rodriguez was the Yankees’ third baseman. Since then, however, there has been a relatively unknown group that has led to current third sacker Oswaldo Cabrera.

After Rodriguez in 2013, those who have played there include Jayson Nix, Yangervis Solarte, Chase Headley (three seasons), Miguel Andujar, Gio Ursehla (three seasons), Josh Donaldson, and D.J. LeMahieu.

To the Shelf ... Speaking of LeMahieu (10-day, left calf), he’s among 10 players on the injured list to start the season. The rest are pitchers Clayton Beeter (right shoulder), J.T. Brubaker (rib fracture), Scott Efross (left hamstring), Ian Hamilton (viral illness), Jonathan Loaisiga (right elbow), Clarke Schmidt (right rotator cuff), and outfielder Giancarlo Stanton (10-day, right and left epicondylitis – tennis elbow).

On the Home Front ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former local player who played or is playing in the pros or minors, or also a piece of local history.

Upon initial research, Lehighton’s first semi-pro baseball team was the Miners. They participated in the Pennsylvania State League from 1902-05. There will be more information about the team in the future.

Also, Carl Duser was a standout baseball and basketball player at Weatherly and signed a contract with the Philadelphia A’s in 1950 upon graduation from high school. He once hit .446 for Mauch Chunk in the American Legion Tri-County League.

After he served in the Army, Duser played at Triple-A with Columbus and Buffalo of the International League, as well as with Sacramento and Hollywood of the Pacific Coast League.

He played three games for the Kansas City A’s from 1954-56 with a 1-1, 7.88 mark.

Time Passages ... Each week, I’ll reminisce about a former player, manager, game, or situation from our favorite pastime.

The Phillies and the Nationals first met on April 17, 1969, and it was a momentous matchup before 6,496 fans at Connie Mack Stadium.

Montreal’s Bill Stoneman fired a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and five walks. It was former Phillies’ skipper Gene Mauch’s first season in Montreal.

Rusty Staub went four-for-five with three RBIs, Coco Laboy was three-for-four with an RBI, and Ty Cline had two hits.

Jerry Johnson started for the Phillies and went eight innings, allowing four runs and 11 hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. Billy Wilson and Turk Farrell pitched the ninth.

At the time, the first-year Expos were off to a fast start at 4-5, but finished the season 52-110. The Phillies were 2-7, and finished 63-99 under Bob Skinner and George Myatt.

OK, it’s time ... let’s play ball!

Your comments and thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com