The rumor mill has, without a doubt, been swirling in the last couple of days. While teams like the Chicago Cubs have already begun their fire sale, the Phillies have made but one minor trade. It is not a cause for concern, at least not at this point. As the July 31st trade deadline becomes a palpable date, the Phillies are expected to become more and more active, with names like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cliff Lee, and A.J. Burnett all becoming a part of mix. While Burnett does have a full no-trade clause due to his desire to stay near his home and family, the talk of him being shipped back to Pittsburgh, where he spent the last two years of his career, has ignited. The return ranges from minor leaguers to his opponent on the mound today, Jeff Locke. Regardless, there is baseball to be played between the two clubs this afternoon.
Any time we discuss the season veteran A.J. Burnett is having, base on balls allowed must be a part of the conversation. Since he went a stretch of 24 innings with just two walks allowed over three starts, Burnett's weakness has reemerged. His last two starts, totaling thirteen innings, have seen Burnett give up six free passes, and in return, six earned runs. While neither start was particularly terrible (in fact, his FIP hovered around 2.00 in both games), it is still not a good sign for the right hander to return to his old ways. He returned to the top spot in the National League in walks allowed, but Roberto Hernandez continues to catch him (51 and 49 allowed, respectively). If Burnett is to succeed today, he'll need to keep his free passes at a minimum.
Possible future Phillies starter Jeff Locke gets the ball for the Pirates, and should he actually become a Phillies, fans have something to look forward to. While he spent some time in Triple A this season, Locke returned to the major league roster on June 8th. While his first start saw him allow six runs in just over five innings, Locked has adjusted and put together five consecutive quality starts. His overall FIP rests half a run lower than his ERA, and Locke's last outing consisted of eight innings, two earned runs, a walk, and three strikeouts given up. Locke has pitched 11.2 innings in his career against the Phillies, having allowed just a pair of earned runs.
Game Notes
- Dating back to July of last season, National League MVP Andrew McCutchen has ten hits in his last twenty-two at bats against Phillies pitching. Those ten hits include two doubles, two triples, and a home run.
- Getting the start at first base today is John Mayberry Jr. Mayberry has just three hits in his last 31 at bats, all of which were singles. As a first baseman this season, Mayberry has had seventeen at bats. He has a single, two doubles, and a home run in those appearances.
- Jimmy Rollins bats third today. J-Roll is 119-for-483 when batting third in the order in his career. He also has nineteen doubles, four triples, and two home runs.
- The Phillies now sit at 37-50 on the season (.425 winning percentage). They are twelve games off the pace in the NL East standings, and 10.5 back in the Wild Card.
- Chase Utley and Ryan Howard both sit out today's game.
Phillies Lineup
- Ben Revere CF
- Cesar Hernandez 2B
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Marlon Byrd RF
- John Mayberry Jr. 1B
- Cody Asche 3B
- Domonic Brown LF
- Cameron Rupp C
- A.J. Burnett P
Pirates Lineup
- Gregory Polanco RF
- Josh Harrison LF
- Andrew McCutchen CF
- Neil Walker 2B
- Russell Martin C
- Ike Davis 1B
- Pedro Alvarez 3B
- Jordy Mercer SS
- Jeff Locke P
Location: PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Game Time: 1:35 PM Eastern
Weather: 80° F – Mostly Cloudy – 0% PoP
Andrew Gillen, Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com
