The Philadelphia Phillies will look to keep their bats warm tonight as they face the Seattle Mariners in game two of their three-game series.
Cristopher Sánchez is on the mound for the Phillies, going up against right-hander Bryce Miller. The Phillies will look to get back into the series column for the first time since their trip to Arlington as fans dressed as Harry Potter characters swarm Citizens Bank Park.
The Matchup
Cristopher Sánchez is for all intents and purposes the ace of the Phillies’ pitching staff at this point in the season. Zack Wheeler is out indefinitely as he recovers from a thrombolysis procedure to remove a blood clot in his upper right extremity, Aaron Nola just returned from an Injured List stint of his own, and Ranger Suárez has shown signs of second half fatigue.
Sánchez owns a 2.45 ERA with 157 strikeouts over 150.2 innings this season. Most recently, he allowed three runs over 6.0 innings of work in Cincinnati. On the month, he currently owns a 1.80 ERA.
Sánchez will go against right-hander Bryce Miller, indicating the Phillies will likely run back the same lineup from Monday night against Logan Gilbert. Miller is making his first start in over two months after dealing with a bone spur in his right elbow that has resulted in two IL stints this season for the 26-year old. Over his 10 starts on the season Miller has struggled, owning a 5.73 ERA on the year.
If the Phillies do deviate from their current left-hander-centric lineup against righty Miller, it will be to give Harrison Bader a start in the outfield. Bader is 3-for-7 lifetime against Miller, whom the Phillies’ roster has seldom faced thus far in his career.
Keeping Up the Offensive Outburst
Trea Turner had a night to remember on Monday, going 4-for-6, a triple shy of the cycle, while hitting a three-run home run as the 1,500th hit of his Major League career. Bryce Harper reminded everyone why he is The Showman as well, hitting two home runs a total of 888 feet.
The offensive surge was not exclusive to the high-profile bats on the roster, however, as every starter not named Alec Bohm recorded at least two hits (Bohm recorded just one). Each starter recorded a hit in the first two innings alone, marking the first time they have done so since at least 1974.
Tallying up Monday’s 12-run affair with Sunday’s series finale in Washington, D.C., the Phillies combined to score 23 runs in the past two days. The seven days preceding that had the Phillies only scoring 17 runs. 17 runs over seven games equate to 2.43 runs per game, nearly half the Phillies’ season average of 4.70, fourth-best in the National League.
Recent Bullpen Struggles
The Phillies’ two recent high-scoring offensive affairs would leave one assuming that the Phillies blew out the Mariners and Nationals in their respective games. That was not the case.
Sunday’s emotional affair on the heels of the news regarding Zack Wheeler also featured the return of Aaron Nola from the Injured List. Nola struggled in his return against the Nationals, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings. The Phillies maintained an 11-6 lead going into the bottom of the ninth when Max Lazar allowed four straight hits, including a three-run home run from Paul DeJong.
Lazar, who will likely return to the active roster when rosters expand in September, was sent down to Lehigh Valley in exchange for Nolan Hoffman on Monday. Hoffman made his Major League debut against the Mariners, allowing three runs in the ninth inning.
Hoffman was not the only Phillies’ reliever to struggle on Monday, however. Jordan Romano entered in relief of Ranger Suárez in the seventh inning, allowing three runs (one inherited) to score on a home run off Cole Young. Romano now owns an exorbitant 7.56 ERA on the season. Over his last seven appearances, he has pitched only 4.1 innings, allowing six earned runs.
Up Next
With Miller on the mound for the Mariners, the Phillies will look to keep up the heat Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. You can catch all the action on NBC Sports Philadelphia or 94 WIP.
