The Phillies pulled out a 9-5 win over the Marlins on Tuesday night, thanks in part to a grand slam by Kyle Schwarber and some outstanding work by the bullpen tossing 4 2/3 scoreless frames. It was as close to a must-win game as you can get in mid-August
Now, the Phillies hope to build on that momentum with a four-game set against the Nationals.
Where: Citizens Bank Park, Thursday through Sunday.
Pitching matchups and start times: LHP Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.76) on Thursday at 6:40 p.m., LHP Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60) on Friday at 6:40 p.m., LHP McKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50) vs. LHP Cristopher Sanchez (8-8, 3.63) on Saturday at 6:05 p.m., and RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72) vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68) on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
Series: The Phillies lead the season series, 5-1. The Phillies also lead the all-time series, 491-451.
Nationals Update (44-75): Entering play on Wednesday, James Wood is 23-for-58 (.397) with four doubles, three triples,
two homers, 13 RBI, 11 walks, four stolen bases and 16 runs scored in
his last 16 games...He's hit safely in 13 of the 16 games. Since being recalled on July 29, Alex Call is 21-for-51 (.412) with five doubles, a homer, 10 RBI, six walks,
three stolen bases and five runs scored in 14 games. Washington's bullpen has pitched to a 1.89 ERA (8 ER/38 IP) with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in the last nine games since August 5
Phillies Update (70-50): José Ruiz (3-1) recorded the last two outs of the fifth on Tuesday to earn the win.
Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman, José Alvarado and Carlos Estévez combined to
toss two-hit ball over four shutout innings out of the bullpen. Trea Turner was out of the lineup on Wednesday, but manager Rob Thomson indicated he would be back in action Thursday against the Nationals. Turner has struggled mightily since the All-Star break, batting just .168 with a .463 OPS while also performing poorly in the field and on the base paths.
Notable Injuries: Nationals -- OF Joey Gallo (hamstring), SP Trevor Williams (elbow), SP Josiah Gray (elbow), SP Cade Cavalli (elbow) are on the injured list.
Phillies -- OF Austin Hays (hamstring), RHP Spencer Turnbull (shoulder), RHP Taijuan Walker (finger), SP Ranger Suarez (back), and RHP Dylan Covey (shoulder) are on the injured list.
Next: The Phillies will head to Atlantia to open a series with the rival Braves on Monday. From there, the club will head to Kansas City for a three-game set next weekend.
