Drew Smyly will his debut in Philadelphia for the Phils, aiming to build off a solid first outing with the club where he tossed six solid innings against the Pirates while surrendering just one run. The Giants counter with right-hander Tyler Beede who will make his 14th start of the season and enters with a 4.85 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP in 65 innings.
The Phillies dropped two of three to the NL East-leading Braves over the weekend with the lone highlight being Sunday's 9-4 win. The club enters play tonight six games off the pace.
“We’re a game out of the playoffs right now," manager Gabe Kapler told reporters on Sunday. "I think we’re positioned well to make a run. I don’t think the clubs that are battling for those positions are better than us. I think we have the capability with the talent in the room to be much better in the second half than we were in the first.”
With the trade deadline set for Wednesday, it's becoming likely that if the club makes an acquisition it'll likely be for more of a role player-type than a superstar addition.
The club acquired left-handed hurler Jason Vargas from the Mets on Monday in exchange for minor league catcher Austin Bossart. General manager Matt Klentak said Vargas will start a game this weekend for the Phils. The 36-year-old has a career 4.26 ERA over a 14-year career.
“He’s been a relatively effective Major League pitcher for the better part of a decade now,” Klentak said of Vargas. “We’re trying to fortify the depth of our roster and we know that it will take more than 25 guys to win a championship. We know that it’s going to be hard to make acquisitions over the next two months, and we believe that Jason Vargas is going to give us a chance to win every time he takes the ball. That’s what he does. He keeps his team in the game.”
____________________________________________________
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR