Phillies, Eflin seek 40th win in opener against Nationals

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Looking for their 40th win of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies (39-33) and right-hander Zach Eflin will take on right-hander Tanner Roark and the Washington Nationals (40-33) in Friday evening’s series opener at Nationals Park.

The Phillies won their third straight series with a 4-3 win in Wednesday’s matinee against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. It was the club’s first series win over St. Louis since August 2014. Odubel Herrera broke a 3-3 tie with a home run to right, his fourth in as many games. Adam Morgan picked up his first career save, while reliever Edubray Ramos improved to 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA on the season. Starter Jake Arrieta allowed three runs in six innings 0n 92 pitches.

Outscored 13-10, the Phillies dropped their first 2018 series against the Nationals, May 4-6 at Nationals Park. Roark fell to the Phillies on May 5, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks while striking out nine batters spanning 6 1/3 frames and 115 pitches. First baseman Carlos Santana tripled off the right-hander, while left fielder Rhys Hoskins homered.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

RHP Zach Eflin, Age: 24

• Career vs. WSN: N/A
• Career at Nationals Park: N/A

Eflin will make his first career start against the Nationals. The right-hander has won each of his last three outings, allowing no more than two runs while tossing no fewer than five innings.

Since May 23, Eflin is tied with Andrew Suarez (San Francisco Giants) and Matt Koch (Arizona Diamondbacks) in allowing the third-fewest walks among qualified National League starters, 5. They trail only Ross Stripling (2, Los Angeles Dodgers) and Miles Mikolas (4, Cardinals).

RHP Tanner Roark, Age: 31

• Career vs. PHI: 6-7, 3.98 ERA, 18 G, 16 GS, 97 1/3 IP, 90 H, 45 R, 43 ER, 8 HR, 27 BB, 82 SO, 1.202 WHIP
• Career at Nationals Park: 29-22, 3.42 ERA, 80 G, 59 GS, 400 IP, 364 H, 164 R, 152 ER, 42 HR, 119 BB, 329 SO, 1.208 WHIP

Roark’s most recent start, June 17 against the Toronto Blue Jays, was his first this season in which he tossed fewer than five innings. Six of the right-hander’s 14 starts were seven-inning outings, with no more than three earned runs allowed in each.

Starting Lineups:

Broadcast Information:

• First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
• TV: NBC 10
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game Notes:

• The Phillies trail the division by 3 1/2 games and the second Wild Card spot by a 1/2 game. They will play the Nationals seven times over the next 10 days, three on the road (June 22-24) and four at home (June 28-July 1).
• On Thursday, the Phillies optioned right-hander Jake Thompson to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In a corresponding move, the club recalled southpaw Zac Curtis. Curtis joins Adam Morgan and Austin Davis as active Phillies southpaws in the bullpen.
• Phillies ink 8-year veteran infielder Danny Espinosa to minor-league deal [Link].
• The Phillies have not won a series at Nationals Park since a three-game sweep, April 26-28, 2016.
• This month, Hoskins is slashing .357/.429/.714 with four home runs and 13 RBI in 11 games. Hoskins has a five-game hit streak, while Cesar Hernandez has hit safely in six straight, with a team-best 13 runs scored in June.

Pat Neshek will begin a minor league rehab assignment Saturday at high-A Clearwater. Sounds like it could be a short one, although #Phillies not yet pinpointing return date.

— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) June 22, 2018




• Herrera is 13-31 lifetime against Roark with five doubles, four RBI and three walks (.419/.500/.581). Only two Nationals players have previously faced Eflin, Matt Adams (2-3, RBI, SO) and Mark Reynolds (0-3, SO). Adams is currently on the 10-day disabled list with a fractured left index finger.

What’s Next:

Saturday, June 23, 2018: at Washington Nationals, 4:05 p.m.

• Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
• RHP Aaron Nola (8-2, 2.55 ERA) vs. RHP Erick Fedde (0-2, 5.63 ERA)
• TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP