Bryce Harper will look to continue his electric beginning to the second half as the Philadelphia Phillies (55-42) face off against the Los Angeles Angels (48-49) in game two of their three-game series Saturday night.
The Angels defeated the Phillies in the second half start-up Friday 6-5. Jesús Luzardo allowed four runs in 4.2 innings while Tanner Banks allowed two runs in the seventh inning to earn the loss.
The Rematch of the Weekend: Walker vs. Trout
Taijuan Walker will face off against Yusei Kikucki in the 6:05 p.m. start tonight. Walker has performed well bouncing between the bullpen and starting rotation this season, maintaining a consistent 3.55 ERA. Having rejoined the rotation earlier this month following the demotion of Mick Abel, Walker pitched four innings of one-run baseball in San Francisco. He used 63 pitches to do so, having not thrown more than 43 pitches in a game since May 30. The Phillies will look to extend Walker a bit today especially given Luzardo’s shorter outing the night prior.
Going up against the Angels for the first time since 2022, there is one particular player for the Angels that has been a thorn in Walker’s side since his early days with the Seattle Mariners: Mike Trout.
The South Jersey native may not be the perennial MVP candidate he once was, but Michael Nelson Trout has a long pedigree of success against Taijuan Walker, going 10-for-19 lifetime against him with three home runs. The most recent of these home runs came in September 2016, Walker’s final year in Seattle. Since leaving the American League, Walker has faced Trout five times, striking him out once and allowing two singles.
Yusei it ain’t so
Yusei Kikuchi will toe the rubber against Walker. The 34-year old Japanese pitcher owns a 3.11 ERA on the year, striking out 115 batters in 113 innings of work. Kikuchi entered the ALl-Star Break after allowing seven runs in 10.2 innings over his last two starts against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers.
Saturday night will be Kikuchi’s debut at Citizens Bank Park, having only faced the Phillies one time previously in 2023 with the Toronto Blue Jays. Kikuchi allowed one run over six innings of work that day, striking out seven Phillies’ batters. Whit Merrifield scored two runs for the Blue Jays on their way to a 2-1 decision over the Phillies.
Speaking of that game, Edmundo Sosa scored the Phillies’ lone run in the sixth inning that day, scoring on a double down the left field line from Johan Rojas. With the left-handed Kikuchi on the mound, expect both Sosa and Rojas to be in the starting lineup for the Phillies this evening.
One final Phillies point to Harp on
Bryce Harper hit multiple home runs in a game for the first time since September 14, 2024 last night against the Angels. The 29th time he has done so, Harper appears to be turning a corner after his injury-plagued first half.
The slugger had only hit 10 home runs while batting .261 with a .825 OPS in the first half. In his absence, the Phillies have seen a gap in power in their lineup outside of Kyle Schwarber, who hit his 31st home run of the season Friday night.
Tune in
First pitch for tonight’s contest is scheduled for 6:04 p.m. Phillies fans can tune in on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
