First-place Phillies look for 30th win in finale opposite Happ, Blue Jays

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

Sitting alone atop the National League East for the first time since 2011, the Philadelphia Phillies (29-20) will look to capture their eighth series win — and 30th win overall — as they take on their former southpaw, J.A. Happ, and the Toronto Blue Jays (24-28) Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies right-hander Nick Pivetta will make his first career start against his native country-based team in the rubber match.

The Phillies snapped a four-game skid in games opposite Toronto in Saturday's 2-1 matinee victory. Starter Aaron Nola carried a no-hitter with two outs in the seventh, while Maikel Franco and Nick Williams went yard in the fifth and eighth to secure the win. Reliever Seranthony Dominguez notched his first career win, while reliever Luis Garcia earned his first save of 2018 and the fifth career save of his six-year career.

The 2017 Phillies did not win 30 games until July 16. The 102-win 2011 Phillies, meanwhile, won their 30th game on May 25. This year's club can fall in between both dates with a win in Sunday's finale.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

LHP J.A. Happ, Age: 35

• Career vs. PHI: 4-0, 1.11 ERA, 4 G, 4 GS, 24 1/3 IP, 15 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 HR, 12 BB, 15 SO, 1.110 WHIP
• Career at Citizens Bank Park: 8-3, 3.93 ERA, 29 G, 19 GS, 128 1/3 IP, 123 H, 59 R, 56 ER, 19 HR, 61 BB, 103 SO, 1.434 WHIP

Happ will make his 30th career appearance at Citizens Bank Park and just his fifth while not a member of the Phillies. The southpaw was drafted in the third round of the 2004 amateur draft and spent three-plus seasons with the big league club from 2007-2010, before being dealt to the Houston Astros as part of the Roy Oswalt trade on July 29, 2010. Happ has since played for the Astros (2010-2012), Blue Jays (2012-2014, 2016-2018), Seattle Mariners (2015) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2015).

RHP Nick Pivetta, Age: 25

• Career vs. TOR: N/A
• Career at Citizens Bank Park: 7-4, 4.14 ERA, 18 G, 18 GS, 100 IP, 93 H, 48 R, 46 ER, 17 HR, 26 BB, 119 SO, 1.190 WHIP

Over his last three starts, Pivetta has allowed just one run through 19 innings, while posting a 25-2 strikeout to walk ratio, 0.47 ERA and .149/.174/.224 opposing slash. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.55 ERA through four career interleague starts.

Starting Lineups:

Broadcast Information:

• First pitch: 1:35 p.m.
• TV: NBCSP
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game Notes:

• The Phillies have the second-best winning percentage in the National League (.592), trailing only the Milwaukee Brewers (.623) by four games in the win column.
• The Phillies are 5-1 against American League opponents in 2018.
• The Phillies are 7-13 (.350) against the Blue Jays all-time at Citizens Bank Park. The club has never won consecutive home games within the same series against Toronto in the venue's history.
• Cesar Hernandez failed to reach base on Saturday, snapping a 28-game streak.
• Dominguez has begun his career with nine scoreless appearances, allowing just two hits and no walks while striking out 10 batters through 10 1/3 innings. The last Phillies reliever to begin his career with a scoreless streak longer than 10 innings is Todd Frohwirth (14 2/3 innings in 1987-88).
• Three current Blue Jays who have previously faced Pivetta — Aledmys Diaz, Curtis Granderson and Yangervis Solarte — are a combined 0-9 lifetime against Pivetta with one walk and one strikeout. Diaz is inactive, as he was placed on the disabled list with a left ankle sprain on May 8.

What's Next:

Monday, May 28, 2018: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 8:10 p.m.

• Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, Calif.
• RHP Vince Velasquez (4-5, 4.18 ERA) vs. RHP Brock Stewart (0-0, 3.72 ERA)
• TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP