Phillies’ Alvarez set for club debut in rubber match with Athletics

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

PHILADELPHIA — Making his first major league appearance in nearly 850 days, right-hander Henderson Alvarez will debut in Philadelphia Phillies (58-90) pinstripes in the interleague series finale against southpaw Sean Manaea and the Oakland Athletics (65-83) Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

Alvarez, a former National League All-Star who pitched the first no-hitter in Marlins Park history on Sept. 29, 2013, joins the Phillies rotation as it shifts from five to six to conclude the season. Alvarez will become the 31st different pitcher the Phillies have used, which sets a single-season franchise record that bests their 2015 tally of 30.

The Phillies defeated the Athletics 5-3 on Saturday — after a near 105-minute rain delay — to set up Sunday's rubber match. Phillies pitching limited the Athletics offense to just three hits and a walk on 124 combined pitches (84 strikes). Right-hander Ben Lively's outing was cut short to just three innings due to the delay, marking just his fourth non-quality start through 13 career appearances. Third baseman J.P. Crawford and catcher Jorge Alfaro each drove in a pair of runs, the latter being a go-ahead and subsequent game-sealing two-run blast in the sixth (412 feet).

Just 14 games remain, 11 of which are at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies will next welcome Chase Utley back to Philadelphia for a four-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Pete Mackanin's club will then travel south for their final road series against the Atlanta Braves in the inaugural season of SunTrust Park, before returning home for two three-game sets against the Washington Nationals and New York Mets.

Starting Pitching Matchup:

Manaea Career vs. PHI: N/A

Manaea, 25, is 1-3 with a 3.89 ERA and 23-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio through six career interleague starts (34 2/3 innings). The Valparaiso, Indiana native leads the Athletics in wins (10), starts (27), innings pitched (147), strikeouts (130), total batters faced (639) and number of pitches (2,497).

In his most recent appearance, Sept. 12 against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, Manaea surrendered a season-high seven runs on 11 hits and four strikeouts spanning 3 2/3 innings.

Season Splits, By Month:

• April: 5 GS, 1-2, 5.18 ERA, 24 1/3 IP, 27 SO, 12 BB, .191/.314/.303
• May: 4 GS, 3-1, 2.63 ERA, 24 IP, 27 SO, 7 BB, .167/.231/.298
• June: 5 GS, 3-1, 3.82 ERA, 30 2/3 IP, 30 SO, 12 BB, .281/.351/.413
• July: 5 GS, 1-1, 3.71 ERA, 34 IP, 26 SO, 7 BB, .277/.317/.477
• August: 5 GS, 1-3, 9.17 ERA, 17 2/3 IP, 7 SO, 6 BB, .391/.436/.678
• September: 3 GS, 1-2, 5.51 ERA, 16 1/3 IP, 13 SO, 6 BB, .343/.400/.493

Alvarez Career vs. OAK: 0-2, 3.78 ERA, 3 G, 3 GS, 16 2/3 IP, 20 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 HR, 7 BB, 8 SO, 1.620 WHIP

Alvarez, 27, will make his first start in Phillies pinstripes after going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 8-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in three starts (19 innings) at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Through nine career interleague appearances, the right-hander is 3-5 with a 4.40 ERA and 28-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 59 1/3 innings.

The Valencia, Venezuela native signed a minor league deal with the Phillies on August 22. Given his Sept. 13 call-up, Alvarez will earn a prorated salary of $750,000, notes FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman.

Alvarez has not pitched in the majors since May 22, 2015 in large part due to shoulder inflammation and subsequent surgery. He appeared in a combined 11 starts (33 innings) within the Athletics' system last season at the Rookie, Single-A and Triple-A levels (1-1, 4.09 ERA), but never reached the majors.

Season Splits, By Month (MiLB):

• April: 0 GS
• May: 0 GS
• June: 0 GS
• July: 0 GS
• August: 2 GS, 1-0, 3.75 ERA, 12 IP, 5 SO, 4 BB, .292/.346/.354
• September: 1 GS, 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 7 IP, 3 SO, 2 BB, .217/.280/.391

Starting Lineups:

Broadcast Information:

• First pitch: 1:35 p.m.
• TV: CSN
• Radio: 1210 WPHT

Game Notes:

• Phillies southpaw Hoby Milner extended his consecutive scoreless appearance streak to 20 games on Saturday (16 1/3 innings), notes Meghan Montemurro. This is the longest such streak by a Phillies reliever since J.C. Romero in 2007 (35 games).
• The only active player with prior experience against either of the two starting pitchers is Athletics right fielder Matt Joyce. In 16 career at-bats against Alvarez, Joyce has four singles and a double, alongside a pair of RBIs and strikeouts (.313/.353/.375).
• Injury Report:
  • Athletics
    • OF Khris Davis (paternal leave), day-to-day
    • OF Dustin Fowler (ruptured right patella tendon), 2018 return
    • RHP Paul Blackburn (right hand bone bruise), 2018 return
    • RHP Bobby Wahl (thoracic outlet surgery, shoulder), 2018 return
    • RHP Andrew Triggs (left hip torn labrum), 2018 return
  •  Phillies
    • OF Daniel Nava (lower back injury), 2018 return
    • INF/OF Pedro Florimon (right ankle dislocation), 2018 return
    • RHP Jesen Therrien (right elbow strain, ulnar collateral ligament elbow damage), 2018 return
    • RHP Jerad Eickhoff (right hand nerve irritation), 2018 return
    • RHP Zach Eflin (strained right shoulder), 2018 return
    • RHP Vince Velasquez (right middle finger numbness), 2018 return
    • RHP Clay Buchholz (forearm surgery), possible September return
• Active Hit Streaks (* indicates player is injured):
  • PHI OF Nick Williams, 10
  • PHI INF/OF Pedro Florimon*, 7
  • PHI INF J.P. Crawford, 5
• The Phillies are 5-3 all-time at home against the Athletics, outscoring and outhitting them 29-23 and 58-50, respectively.

What's Next:

• Monday, Sept. 18, 2017: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 7:05 p.m.
• Citizens Bank Park
• LHP Clayton Kershaw (17-3, 2.12 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pivetta (5-10, 6.75 ERA)
• TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP