Phillies-Boston Series Preview
After a rough series against the Miami Marlins, The Philadelphia Phillies will be back at it again at Citizens Bank Park, welcoming the Boston Red Sox into town for a three-game series. The Phillies need to start getting back on track here in this series. They have lost seven of their last 12 games in this stretch and the pitching and non-existence offense is hurting the Phils.
The Phillies will send out Aaron Nola today and since throwing the first nine-inning shutout of his career on April 18 against the Cardinals, Nola is 2-2 with a 4.58 ERA in five starts. He has allowed fewer than three runs in only one of those starts. Nola has seen a decrease in his ability to pitch over the last couple of starts. He needs to get back on track to get back to that ace form the Phillies need him to be in.
Boston will have Martin Perez start for Boston and he has really started to fond his stride in his last couple of starts. Perez has found a way to control his stuff and really find ways to notch batters out. Over the last four starts, he has posted a 1.61 ERA and has fooled hitters at the plate. However, the last time these two teams met Perez had to work in his outing against the Phillies, posting six walks, five hits, and gave up for runs for a no-decision.
We will see, on Saturday a struggling Chase Anderson take the mound against hard-throwing right-hander Nathan Eovaldi. Anderson had an abysmal outing against the Blue Jays, giving up seven runs in just 1 and 1/3 innings. Anderson has been a real letdown for the Phillies this year. He was a boom or bust option and it has been a real bust year for Anderson. Anderson still has yet to make it past the fifth inning in any of his starts.
Eovaldi has been inconsistent, as he always is, in his recent starts. Sometimes he can look like an all-star, and next start he looks bad. You never know what Eovaldi you're gonna get when he takes the mound. Eovaldi has some history at Citizens Bank Park as he has made five starts there already. He is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA in those starts.
Finally, we will get to see a big pitching matchup for the last game of this series. For the Phillies, it will be Zack Wheeler taking on Bostons Eduardo Rodriguez. Wheeler has been outstanding for the Phillies this year. Wheeler is 2-0 with a 1.70 ERA in his past five starts. He has struck out 40 and walked five in 37 innings in that stretch. The command of his fastball has really improved over those starts. However, the Phillies need to start giving him some run support soon because he keeping the Phillies in games.
Rodriguez is the Phillies' hitters' worse nightmare. In his last start against them, he struck out 12 batters in just 6 and 2/3 innings of work. He was untouchable in that game. However, Rodriguez has been slump as of late, and the Phillies need to make him stay that way. Rodriguez has given four runs or more in three of his last four starts.
The Phillies offense has gone cold as of late. They really need to start scoring earlier in games. They are striking out way too much. They need to make the opposing pitcher work. Also, give Maton starts. He has been one of the hotter hitters in this club. He needs to be out there. We will see if the Phillies can turn it around and get back on the right track against the Boston Red Sox's.