By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Trailing the division by two games — and having split their last 10 games — the Philadelphia Phillies (65-53) will look to split the series against the Major League Baseball-best Boston Red Sox (86-35) itself in Wednesday evening's finale at Citizens Bank Park. Right-handers Vince Velasquez and Nathan Eovaldi will square off.
Read: Phillies' Bour, Ramos to Make Club Starting Debuts in Finale Against Red Sox
Limiting the potent Red Sox' lineup to just two runs and six hits in Tuesday's series opener was not enough, as the Phillies offense mustered just a single and a Rhys Hoskins solo home run en route to a 2-1 loss. Red Sox starter and 2016 American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello improved to 15-5 by tossing seven innings of one-run baseball, along with 10 strikeouts. Former Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel notched his 36th save, good for second-best in the league. Newly-acquired Phillies first baseman Justin Bour walked in his second plate appearance with the club, which was the team's only base on balls of the series-opening contest.
The Phillies have won six of their last seven games at home, and 12 of their last 15. The club — 10-6 against American League opponents this season with four more games to go — needs just one more win to tie their franchise, single-season interleague wins record (11-9, 2016).
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Boston Red Sox (86-35) | Philadelphia Phillies (65-53) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nathan Eovaldi | RHP | Vince Velasquez | ||
| (5-4, 3.74 ERA) | (8-9, 3.98 ERA) | ||||
RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Age: 28
- 2018 vs. PHI: N/A
- Career vs. PHI: 3-4, 3.51 ERA, 9 G, 9 GS, 51 1/3 IP, 58 H, 24 R, 20 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 34 SO, 1.442 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 1-1, 4.57 ERA, 4 G, 4 GS, 21 2/3 IP, 25 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 15 SO, 1.477 WHIP
Since joining the Red Sox via trade on July 25, Eovaldi is 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA, 9-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .258/.290/.348 opposing slash spanning three starts and 17 2/3 innings. In his most recent start, away against the Baltimore Orioles on August 10, the right-hander surrendered eight runs (four earned) on 10 hits, two walks and no strikeouts recorded through a season-tying-low 2 2/3 innings pitched.
RHP Vince Velasquez, Age: 26
- 2018 vs. BOS: N/A
- Career vs. BOS: 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 7 SO, 1.167 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 11-13, 4.34 ERA, 33 G, 32 GS, 168 IP, 144 H, 86 R, 81 ER, 32 HR, 61 BB, 208 SO, 1.220 WHIP
Velasquez has not surrendered a home run over his last seven appearances and six starts (31 1/3 innings) dating back to June 30. The right-hander (23 1/3 innings) is among six qualified pitchers which have yet to surrender a home run over the past 30 days, joining the Red Sox' David Price (26 1/3), the Arizona Diamondbacks' Zack Godley (31 2/3) and Patrick Corbin (33 1/3), the Toronto Blue Jays' Marcus Stroman (30 2/3), and the Houston Astros' Gerrit Cole (25 1/3).
Starting Lineups:
| Boston Red Sox (86-35) | Philadelphia Phillies (65-53) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | LF | Andrew Benintendi | L | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | 2B | Brock Holt | L | 2 | 1B | Justin Bour | L |
| 3 | 1B | Mitch Moreland | L | 3 | SS | Asdrubal Cabrera | S |
| 4 | RF | J.D. Martinez | R | 4 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | SS | Xander Bogaerts | R | 5 | RF | Nick Williams | L |
| 6 | CF | Jackie Bradley Jr. | L | 6 | C | Wilson Ramos | R |
| 7 | 3B | Rafael Devers | L | 7 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 8 | C | Sandy Leon | S | 8 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 9 | P | Nathan Eovaldi | R | 9 | P | Vince Velasquez | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP, ESPN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- With 44 games to go, the Phillies hold a one-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals for the second National League Wild Card spot. The Cardinals have won seven straight games, and nine of their last 10, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have dropped five straight.
- The Phillies are slashing .200/.288/.291 against Red Sox pitching this season (125 plate appearances), as opposed to the Red Sox slashing .178/.228/.327 against Phillies pitching (114 plate appearances). Pitching-wise, the Phillies have posted a 1.48 ERA and 0.791 WHIP in 30 1/3 innings, while the Red Sox have posted a 1.45 ERA and 1.097 WHIP in 31 innings.
- Second baseman Cesar Hernandez — who saw his six-game hitting streak snapped on Tuesday — is 2-7 lifetime against Eovaldi with one walk and two strikeouts. Eovaldi is a seven-year veteran who has played with the Dodgers (2011-12), Miami Marlins (2012-14), New York Yankees (2015-16), Tampa Bay Rays (2018) and now, the Red Sox (2018).
What's Next:
Thursday, August 16, 2018: Single-admission doubleheader vs. New York Mets, 4:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Game 1: TV: Facebook-Watch; Radio: 1210 WPHT
- RHP Corey Oswalt (1-2, 5.03 ERA) vs. LHP Ranger Suarez (1-0, 7.20 ERA)
- Game 2: TV: NBCSP, MLBN; Radio: 1210 WPHT
- LHP Steven Matz (5-9, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Eflin (8-4, 3.57 ERA)
