Phillies set to host the White Sox
Jason Vargas will make his Phillies debut on Friday night as he takes the mound as the Chicago White Sox visit Philadelphia to open a three-game weekend set at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies acquired the 36-year-old from the Mets on Monday in exchange for minor league backstop Austin Bossart. In 19 appearances (18 starts) this year with the Mets the left-hander is 6-5 with a 4.01 ERA to go along with a 1.27 WHIP.

“He’s been a relatively effective Major League pitcher for the better part of a decade now,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said of Vargas earlier this week. “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.”

The Phillies enter the weekend seven games behind the Braves in the NL East but tied with the Cubs and Nationals for one of two Wild Card berths. Of all the teams currently in position to make the postseason, the Phillies are the lone club with a negative run differential at -16. The club is coming off a series win over the Giants, their first series win over a team with a winning record in nearly two months.

The White Sox, meanwhile, come to Philadelphia having won just two of their last eight and with a 19-32 mark on the road. Veteran Ivan Nova will toe the rubber for the visitors, sporting a 6-9 mark to go along with a 5.23 ERA.

Starting Lineup
Hernandez 4
Segura 6
Hoskins 3
Harper 9
Realmuto 2
Kingery 5
Haseley 7
Vargas 1
Quinn 8
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BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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