Coming off of a 4-0 loss last night at the hands of the Marlins (38-38) last night, the Phillies (34-41) look to snap their three-game losing streak tonight at 7:05pm. While fans may have started to believe a little more in this team after a five-win road trip, after dropping three straight, it seems like this team still cannot find its identity heading into the end of June. Last night, the Phillies hit plenty off balls hard, but they were right at fielders. Roberto Hernandez surrendered two early runs courtesy of a Casey McGehee double in the first. The Marlins added two more in the ninth, thanks to errors by Antonio Bastardo and Chase Utley. Having lost three in a row overall, tonight Philadelphia also looks to halt their three-game skid against these very Marlins. After winning the first four games against Miami this season, they have lost the last three. A rookie pitching matchup highlights tonight's game.
David Buchanan (3-3, 4.95) is coming off of two good outings in which he allowed four runs in 12.2 innings. Most recently, Buchanan tossed 7.2 innings of one-run ball against the St. Louis Cardinals, keeping them off-balance throughout the game with off-speed pitches and superior strike zone control. Although he only put down four hitters via the strikeout, Buchanan pitched effectively, allowing only four hits and one walk. After giving up 11 runs in his first two starts this month, Buchanan's last two outings has lowered his ERA from 6.11 to 4.95. The 25-year-old right hander will be facing Miami for the first time in his rookie career. Currently, he is 0-2 against the NL East with an ERA over seven.
Making his second big league start for the Marlins will be left-hander, Andrew Heaney (0-1, 1.50). Selected by Miami in the first round of the 2012 first-year player draft out of Oklahoma State, Heaney spent time in both Double-A and Triple-A this season and was promoted to the majors after posting a combined 7-2 record and 2.47 ERA in 13 games. Heaney was the hard luck loser in his big league debut. He threw six innings and gave up just one run on four hits while striking out three, but the Marlins offense was silenced in a 1-0 loss to the Mets on June 19th. David Wright's solo homer was the only run scored. Heaney has been dealing for most of his minor league career, posting a 9-3 record with a 1.60 ERA between Advanced 'A' and Double 'A' in 2013.
Game Notes:
- Wil Nieves has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Taking his place is Tony Gwynn Jr., who returns to the team following the death of his father.
- Domonic Brown is out of tonight's lineup after some bad at-bats yesterday and another misplayed ball in the outfield. John Mayberry will play left.
- Chase Utley commented on a variety of subjects, including the possibility of a rebuild, with Phillies beat writer, Todd Zolecki. Here are some highlights from that.
- First-round pick, Aaron Nola, made his professional debut last night and struggled. Meanwhile, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has returned from a shoulder injury and is pitching out of the bullpen in Clearwater. More on that here.
- The Phillies, as mentioned earlier, have dropped three straight. From June 10th-20th, they posted a 9-2 record.
- The Phils bullpen ERA since June 3rd is now 1.02, good enough to lead the majors. Despite the two unearned runs last night, they have posted that 1.02 ERA over 44.1 innings.
- The Phillies are hitting just .229 at home. The only teams hitting worse than that at home are the Mets, Mariners and Padres, all of whom play in much larger ballparks.
- Since 2012, the Phillies have a 26-18 record against the Marlins, including a 16-7 record at home.
- Casey McGehee, after last night's game, is hitting .390 in 82 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Phillies Lineup
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Carlos Ruiz C
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Marlon Byrd RF
- Cody Asche 3B
- John Mayberry Jr. LF
- Ben Revere CF
- David Buchanan P
Marlins Lineup
- Jake Marisnick CF
- Derek Dietrich 2B
- Giancarlo Stanton RF
- Casey McGehee 3B
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
- Marcell Ozuna LF
- Garrett Jones 1B
- Ed Lucas SS
- Andrew Heaney P
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Weather: 80° - Partly Cloudy – 0% PoP
Game Time: 7:05pm Eastern
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
