By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Having split the first two games of the series with the St. Louis Cardinals (38-33) — both by one-run margins — Jake Arrieta and the Philadelphia Phillies (38-33) will look to secure their 10th series victory of the season in Sunday's matinee at Citizens Bank Park. Arrieta will oppose 2013 NLCS MVP, Michael Wacha.
Wacha and Arrieta previously faced off in the Cardinals' 12-4 victory on May 18. The former Cardinals All-Star earned the win, allowing two runs through six innings. Meanwhile, Arrieta took the loss, tossing a season-low three frames with four runs and two earned runs allowed.
The Phillies fell 7-6 on Tuesday, despite left fielder Rhys Hoskins delivering a game-tying, two-RBI double in the eighth. Seranthony Dominguez suffered his first career loss, as he allowed the go-ahead home run the next half-inning to leadoff hitter Matt Carpenter. Phillies third baseman J.P. Crawford exited the game early after being hit by a pitch, and was later diagnosed with a fractured left hand. Manager Gabe Kapler said Crawford is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, according to philly.com's Matt Breen. Prior to the game, the Phillies placed Crawford on the 10-day disabled list and recalled infielder Mitch Walding from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
With a win on Wednesday, the Phillies would secure their first series win over the Cardinals since August 2014. The club will have off on Thursday, as it participates in the annual Phillies Phestival to benefit the fight against Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS. Next, the Phillies will play three games at the site of this year's All-Star Game, Nationals Park, before returning home to face the MLB-best New York Yankees for a three-game set.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| St. Louis Cardinals (38-33) | Philadelphia Phillies (38-33) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Michael Wacha | RHP | Jake Arrieta | ||
| (8-2, 3.24 ERA) | (5-5, 3.33 ERA) | ||||
RHP Michael Wacha, Age: 26
- Career vs. PHI: 3-2, 4.15 ERA, 6 G, 6 GS, 34 2/3 IP, 38 H, 19 R, 16 ER, 1 HR, 11 BB, 32 SO, 1.413 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 0-1, 7.00 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 9 IP, 17 H, 10 R, 7 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 10 SO, 2.111 WHIP
Since tossing eight shutout innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 3, Wacha is 1-1 with a 9.31 ERA and .289/.404/.684 opposing slash over his last two starts.
RHP Jake Arrieta, Age: 32
- Career vs. STL: 8-5, 2.38 ERA, 18 G, 18 GS, 102 IP, 86 H, 35 R, 27 ER, 7 HR, 33 BB, 108 SO, 1.167 WHIP
- Career at Citizens Bank Park: 5-1, 1.38 ERA, 8 G, 8 GS, 52 1/3 IP, 32 H, 12 R, 8 ER, 3 HR, 15 BB, 49 SO, 0.898 WHIP
Arrieta has struggled in June allowing at least four runs in three straight starts while posting a respective single-game ERA and WHIP of no less than 6.75 and 1.313. Over these outings behind Arrieta, the Phillies have been outscored 31-6. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 33-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio through six starts and 37 1/3 innings at Citizens Bank Park this season.
Starting Lineups:
| St. Louis Cardinals (38-33) | Philadelphia Phillies (38-33) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 3B | Matt Carpenter | L | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | CF | Tommy Pham | R | 2 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 3 | 1B | Jose Martinez | R | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | LF | Marcell Ozuna | R | 4 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S |
| 5 | C | Yadier Molina | R | 5 | SS | Scott Kingery | R |
| 6 | RF | Dexter Fowler | S | 6 | RF | Nick Williams | L |
| 7 | SS | Greg Garcia | L | 7 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 8 | 2B | Kolten Wong | L | 8 | C | Jorge Alfaro | R |
| 9 | P | Michael Wacha | R | 9 | P | Jake Arrieta | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- In the News:
- Phillies outfielder Nick Williams believes he could have played in NFL if not drafted by Rangers [Link]
- Phillies' 2018 top pick Alec Bohm triples in 1st at-bat of professional debut [Link]
- Former Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins competes on 'Celebrity Family Feud' [Link]
- Wednesday ends the Phillies' 25-game stretch, since May 26, of not facing a division opponent.
- Williams (broken nose) passed concussion protocol Wednesday morning and is cleared to play.
- Right-hander Luis Garcia has been diagnosed with mild tendinitis in his right wrist. Kapler said the club is not concerned about Garcia's injury long-term, according to The Athletic's Meghan Montemurro.
- With Crawford down until late July to early August, expect Maikel Franco to receive playing time in the starting lineup once again at the hot corner.
- Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera has homered in three straight games, and in four of his last five contests since last Friday. Herrera is tied with five other players for the most home runs since last Wednesday, also four. Lifetime against Wacha, he is 4-13 with two doubles and six RBI.
What's Next:
Thursday, June 21, 2018: Off day (Phillies Phestival, 4-6 p.m.)
Friday, June 22, 2018: at Washington Nationals, 7:05 p.m.
- Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
- RHP Zach Eflin (4-2, 3.43 ERA) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (3-7, 3.87 ERA)
- TV: NBC 10; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
