Last night the Phillies were blown out by the Nationals in the opening game and it was brutal. John Lannan was lit up for eight runs in five innings against his former team as he took his 5th loss of the year. Now 11 games under .500, the Phillies' all-time low has gotten even lower as they have plummetted to 17 1/2 games back in the NL East. Tonight Cliff Lee (10-5, 3.13 ERA) will make the start as the Phillies look to even up this series against the Nationals. Opposing will be Taylor Jordan (1-3, 3.76 ERA).
Cliff Lee has not pitched well his last few times out. With a 6.00 ERA in a that stretch, Lee also took three-straight losses – moving him to 10-5 on the year. Last time out, on Sunday against Atlanta, Lee was hit for four runs (three earned) over five innings. It was Lee's first start since July 21st (stiff neck). One of Lee's last three starts was against the Nationals and it was a bad start. Back on July 10th, Lee was hit for four solo home runs (two pairs of back-to-backers) over seven innings. In his career against Washington, Lee is 6-4 with a solid 2.73 ERA.
Taylor Jordan earned a no-decision last time out against the Brewers. On Sunday, the right hander cruised through five scoreless innings before unraveling in the sixth – allowing four earned runs. All in all, Jordan struck out two and walked two. In his last three starts, the rookie is 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA. Back on July 9th, Jordan surrendered three runs on eight hits through 5 2/3 innings against the Phillies en route to a loss. It is his only start against the Phils.
Game Notes:
- Charlie Manuel remains at win no. 999 with the Phillies.
- Cliff Lee is 6-2 with a 2.45 (24 ER in 88.0 IP) on the road this year.
- Darin Ruf will play RF yet again tonight.
Phillies lineup:
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Michael Young 1B
- Chase Utley 2B
- Domonic Brown LF
- Darin Ruf RF
- Cody Asche 3B
- Carlos Ruiz C
- Michael Martinez CF
- Cliff Lee P.
Nationals lineup:
- Denard Span CF
- Ryan Zimmerman 3B
- Bryce Harper LF
- Jayson Werth RF
- Ian Desmond SS
- Adam LaRoche 1B
- Wilson Ramos C
- Anthony Rendon 2B
- Taylor Jordan P.
TV: CSN, MLB Network
Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT
Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter.
