By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies (32-26) will aim for their eighth series win, as ace Aaron Nola opposes southpaw Jose Quintana and the Chicago Cubs (33-24) Wednesday evening at Wrigley Field. Likewise, Nola seeks his eighth win of the season, in the midst of a MLB fifth-best 2.18 ERA. Last season, the right-hander earned his eighth win on July 26.
Prior to the game, the Phillies activated shortstop J.P. Crawford (right forearm strain) from the 10-day disabled list, and optioned infielder Mitch Walding (0-6, six strikeouts) to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies snapped a three-game losing streak — as well as a three-game skid at Wrigley Field — with a 6-1 series opener win on Tuesday. Starter Zach Eflin tossed 7 2/3 innings of one-run ball, allowing eight hits and one walk while striking out two batters. The Phillies had nine hits — one by each starter — for the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since August 1998, according to Bob Vetrone Jr. Nick Williams homered and collected three RBI, while Carlos Santana produced his team-leading 14th double and 34th RBI. Seranthony Dominguez recorded the final three outs with one wild pitch, lowering his career WHIP to 0.136.
Kapler on bringing in Dominguez after Ramos' leadoff walk with 5-run lead in the 9th: "Right now, Seranthony is the guy we can depend on most to come in and attack the strike zone out of the bullpen." #Phillies
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) June 6, 2018
Through 12 games against National League Central opponents this season, the Phillies have won 10 of them. They are 10-6 in games against left-handed starters.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (32-26) | Chicago Cubs (33-24) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Aaron Nola | LHP | Jose Quintana | ||
| (7-2, 2.18 ERA) | (6-4, 4.30 ERA) | ||||
RHP Aaron Nola, Age: 25
- Career vs. CHC: 1-0, 4.70 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0.913 WHIP
- Career at Wrigley Field: 1-0, 4.70 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO, 0.913 WHIP
While Nola is 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in six starts at home, he is 2-2 with a 2.45 ERA in six starts on the road. The right-hander won his last road start, and his most recent start overall, in a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 31. Nola has allowed one or zero runs in five of his last six starts, tossing no fewer than six innings.
LHP Jose Quintana, Age: 29
- Career vs. PHI: 0-1, 7.36 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 IP, 14 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 1 HR, 6 BB, 12 SO, 1.818 WHIP
- Career at Wrigley Field: 7-3, 4.93 ERA, 15 G, 15 GS, 84 IP, 78 H, 47 R, 46 ER, 13 HR, 26 BB, 91 SO, 1.238 WHIP
Quintana has a 6.66 ERA in five home starts this season, allowing 18 runs and five home runs in 24 1/3 innings. The 2016 American League All-Star last faced the Phillies on August 25 of last season, a game in which the Cubs fell 7-1. In five innings, Quintana allowed six runs on nine hits and four walks.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (32-26) | Chicago Cubs (33-24) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | 2B | Ben Zobrist | S |
| 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 2 | RF | Jason Heyward | L |
| 3 | SS | Scott Kingery | R | 3 | 3B | Kris Bryant | R |
| 4 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S | 4 | 1B | Anthony Rizzo | L |
| 5 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R | 5 | C | Willson Contreras | R |
| 6 | LF | Nick Williams | L | 6 | LF | Kyle Schwarber | L |
| 7 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 7 | SS | Javier Baez | R |
| 8 | C | Jorge Alfaro | R | 8 | CF | Albert Almora Jr. | R |
| 9 | P | Aaron Nola | R | 9 | P | Jose Quintana | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 8:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- The Phillies are 20-17 (.541) in road games against the Cubs since 2007 — the highest win percentage for any visiting Major League team with at least 10 games played at Wrigley Field.
- Gabe Kapler's club is 11-1 when Dominguez appears in a game. The right-hander has recorded at least one strikeout in 11 of his 12 career outings. His 14 2/3-inning scoreless streak to begin his career is the longest by a Phillies reliever since Todd Frohwirth, also 14 2/3 innings in 1987-88.
- The Phillies are 18-2 when rookie Scott Kingery scores a run. Fourteen of his 39 career hits — 11 doubles, one triple and two home runs — have gone for extra bases.
- Cesar Hernandez is 2-3 lifetime against Quintana with a double, triple and three RBI.
What's Next:
Thursday, June 7, 2018: at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.
- Wrigley Field, Chicago, Ill.
- RHP Nick Pivetta (4-4, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Chatwood (3-4, 4.02 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
