Phillies host the Marlins
The Phillies welcome the Marlins to Citizens Bank Park to open a three-game set on Friday night. The Phils are looking to turn things around after dropping five of six on the road, including three in Washington.

The club opens play tonight four games behind the Braves in the NL East.

Aaron Nola will start the series opener. He struggled in his last time out, surrendering five runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings against Atlanta.

Consistency has been a problem this year for Nola. He's sporting a 4.89 ERA through 15 starts. His walk rate is up and his WHIP is 1.51. For comparison, his career WHIP 1.18. The good news though for the Phils is he's pitched much better this year at home, posting a 3.51 ERA at Citizens Bank Park.

As for the Marlins, they come to Philadelphia after splitting a four-game set in St. Louis with the Cardinals. Starter Sandy Alcantara has pitched extremely well as of late, posting a 2-2 record with a 2.13 ERA over his last six starts.

Roster Moves
The Phillies activated reliever Adam Morgan on Friday from the 10-day injured list and sent Cole Irvin to Triple-A.

Weekend Starting Pitchers
Manager Gabe Kapler announced Vince Velasquez will start Saturday while Enyel De Los Santos will start on Sunday. Neither has locked down a spot in the rotation, but for this weekend at least, Kapler thinks they give the Phils their best chance to take a series - something they desperately need to do.

Celebrate Chase
Chase Utley will be honored in a pre-game ceremony on Friday. The second baseman spent 13 of his 16 years in the majors in Philadephia and led the club as it went on to win a World Series championship, two National League pennants, and five straight division titles.

The Lineup
Harper 9
Hoskins 3
Bruce 7
Realmuto 2
Segura 6
Kingery 5
Hernandez 4
Nola 1
Quinn 8
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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