Aaron Nola will start Game 1 tonight, aiming to bounce back from a pedestrian performance last week in San Francisco where he surrendered five runs over innings. The start marked just the third time all season he walked more than three batters and ended a streak of 10 straight starts lasting six innings while allowing two runs or less.
The Marlins counter with right-hander Dan Straily. The 28-year-old has been Miami's most consistent starter this season. In 25 starts, he's 7-8 with a 3.80 ERA over 139 2/3 innings. He comes to Citizens Bank Park looking for his first win since July 7.
Game 2 with feature Nick Pivetta facing off against Jose Urena. The Phillies added Pivetta this afternoon to take the 26th spot on the roster, a slot available only on days of a doubleheader. The rookie collected 11 strikeouts in his start last week in San Diego before being sent to the minors to give the Phillies some roster flexibility while the organization debated placing outfielder Odubel Herrera on the disabled list.
Pivetta has been impressive at times, but he's been prone to the longball and keeping Giancarlo Stanton in the ballpark is quite a task. Stanton leads the majors with 45 dingers and is on pace to potentially surpass Roger Maris' mark of 61 homers in a season.
Offensively for the Phillies, Rhys Hoskins is becoming a can't miss at bat. He crushed homers in each of the Phillies' victories in San Francisco and has five through 11 games since being promoted to the big league club on August 11.
Starting Lineup
1. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
2. Freddy Galvis, SS
3. Nick Williams, CF
4. Rhys Hoskins, LF
5. Tommy Joseph, 1B
6. Hyun Soo Kim, RF
7. Maikel Franco, 3B
8. Cameron Rupp, C
9. Aaron Nola, P
___________________________________
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR
