As the sun rose on the Philadelphia skyline this morning, the smells of fireworks, grilled meats, and celebrations of freedom have lifted. Americans everywhere are taking it a little bit slower as they rise this morning, preparing for the next party or tailgate on their docket this Independence Day weekend. For the Phillies, they will look to put behind what was a lackluster day of celebrating at Citizens Bank Park as they lost to the Cincinnati Reds 9-6.
As shrapnel from fireworks is being picked up city-wide, the Phillies will look to pick up some pieces of their own. Despite recording 14 hits on Friday, the Phillies were only 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Balance the offensive inefficiency with another difficult outing from Jesús Luzardo, and the Phillies find themselves down 1-0 on the weekend series against their opponents from one state over.
Saturday southpaws
The ever-unflappable Ranger Suárez will take the mound Saturday afternoon as he looks to tie the series up for the Phillies. Zack Wheeler may have gotten all of the attention for his amazing month of June, but Suárez put together a strong case to earn NL Pitcher of the Month in his own right. In six outings, Suárez allowed just six earned runs over 41.2 innings. Suárez has pitched at least seven innings in five straight games. He’s pitched 10-straight quality starts since his initial return from the Injured List on May 4.
Suárez has scant faced the Reds thus far in his career. The one player with the most at-bats against him, however, has seen some success. The familiar face of Austin Hays, who is 3-for-7 lifetime against his once teammate.
Going against Suárez is the Reds’ Nick Lodolo. A near-sidearm thrower with an arm slot at 15 degrees, Lodolo owns a 3.52 ERA on the season and has walked the ninth-fewest batters amongst qualified starters this season. Lodolo does, however, lead Major League Baseball with 11 hit batsmen this season, primarily on his curveball which, given his slot angle, breaks in about 8.6 inches towards right-handed batters.
Another day using the right-handed heavy lineup?
When it’s a left-handed pitcher on the mound against the Phillies, you can typically expect to see players like Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas work their way into the Phillies’ lineup.
Despite not performing with runners in scoring position on Friday, the Phillies’ original starting lineup each recorded at least one hit against the Reds. It would not be surprising to see manager Rob Thomson run it back with the same lineup, especially given that six runs of support is usually enough for Suárez.
Sosa will almost certainly be in the lineup against Lodolo. In 16 career at-bats, Sosa owns a .438 average and 1.096 OPS against the left-hander.
Follow along
The first pitch for Saturday afternoon’s contest is scheduled for 4:05 P.M. Fans can follow along on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
