By: Brandon Apter, contributor 
Minneapolis, MN – After being swept by the Diamondbacks and going 0-6 on their most recent homestand, the Phillies will embark on a 10-game road trip with stops in Minnesota, San Francisco and Arizona in hopes of finding offense away from home. Their first stop is in Minnesota against the Twins, a team they will face for the first time since 2013.
Philadelphia is currently in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, a span in which they've been outscored 53-12. The Twins aren't faring much better, winners of only 21 games this season. They've lost five of their last six and seven of their last 10.
In the series opener tonight at Target Field, the Phillies will look for a bounce back effort from Aaron Nola while the Twins will counter with Tyler Duffey.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (30-41) | Minnesota Twins (21-48) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Aaron Nola | RHP | Tyler Duffey | ||
| (5-6, 3.51 ERA) | (2-6, 5.56 ERA) | ||||
Nola hasn't pitched past the fourth inning in either of his last two starts, a span that has seen his ERA jump from 2.65 to 3.91. The road trip may be just what he needs at this point, posting a 3-1 record and a 2.27 ERA in seven starts away from Citizens Bank Park this season compared to a 2-5 record and a 4.83 ERA at home. Nola is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in four career Interleague starts.
Tyler Duffey hasn't made a quality start since May 15. Over his last seven starts, he is sporting a 6.86 ERA. He's 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in the month of June. His last start came against the Angels on June 15. He allowed six runs, four earned, in 4.1 innings of work. He's allowed four runs or more in each of his last six starts.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (30-41) | Minnesota Twins (21-48) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 1 | SS | Eduardo Nunez | R |
| 2 | 2B | Andres Blanco | S | 2 | LF | Robbie Grossman | S |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | 1B | Joe Mauer | L |
| 4 | DH | Ryan Howard | L | 4 | 2B | Brian Dozier | R |
| 5 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 5 | 3B | Trevor Plouffe | R |
| 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 6 | RF | Max Kepler | L |
| 7 | LF | Cody Asche | L | 7 | DH | Byung Ho Park | R |
| 8 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 8 | C | Kurt Suzuki | R |
| 9 | RF | Peter Bourjos | R | 9 | CF | Byron Buxton | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 8:10 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Philadelphia is last in the National League with 221 runs scored this season. The Twins have scored 268, ranked last in the American League. Minnesota has given up 60 more runs than the Phillies.
- Opposing teams are hitting .296 against the Twins starting rotation this year, a group of pitchers that currently hold an ERA of 5.61.
- With the Phillies needing a designated hitter for the series, Ryan Howard will likely be back in the lineup. He's 3-for-21 as the DH so far this season.
- Tommy Joseph's average is down to .230 this season and he has just one hit in his last 31 at-bats.
- Minnesota is 13-24 at Target Field this season
- Dalier Hinojosa made his first rehab appearance with Advanced 'A' Clearwater on Monday. He pitched a scoreless sixth, allowing one hit while striking out two. He threw 15 of his 16 pitches for strikes.
- Phillies starter Vince Velasquez will make a rehab start with Double-A Reading on Wednesday.
What's Next:
- Wednesday, June 22nd, 2016: at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m.
- Minneapolis, MN – Target Field
- LHP Adam Morgan (1-6, 6.49 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Gibson (0-5, 6.06 ERA)
- TV: CSN, MLB.TV; Radio: 94 WIP
