By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
San Francisco, CA — The Philadelphia Phillies (57-89) look to build on a three-game sweep against the Marlins as they open up a three-game interleague series with the Oakland Athletics (64-82) this weekend at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies youth movement took center stage over the weekend with Nick Williams delivering a walk-off on Friday and rookie slugger Rhys Hoskins hitting four home runs in the series to lead Philadelphia to the three-game sweep. Aaron Nola tallied a career-high 11 strikeouts on Saturday while Jake Thompson and the bullpen combined to toss a shutout in the series finale on Sunday.
Tonight, Mark Leiter Jr. gets the nod in game one against Oakland against Daniel Mengden.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Oakland Athletics (64-82) | Philadelphia Phillies (57-89) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Daniel Mengden | RHP | Mark Leiter Jr. | ||
| (0-1, 7.07 ERA) | (3-5, 4.84 ERA) | ||||
Mark Leiter's last outing: Mark Leiter has had an okay season thus far in Philadelphia, seeing time in both the rotation and the bullpen, proving versatility to the organization. Over his last two starts, he has a 11.57 ERA, but has found success at home this season, posting a 1.87 ERA in nine appearances, three of which have been starts. Leiter's last start came against Washington. He surrendered four runs on six hits over six innings, striking out eight during the Phillies' 5-4 win.
Daniel Mengden's last outing: The 24-year-old right hander has made just three starts in the big leagues this season for Oakland. Mengden's last start was his best of his young career, allowing two earned runs on five hits with four strikeouts. He's 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in one road start this season
Starting Lineups:
| Oakland Athletics (64-82) | Philadelphia Phillies (57-89) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | LF | Matt Joyce | L | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | SS | Marcus Semien | R | 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 3 | 2B | Jed Lowrie | S | 3 | LF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 4 | 1B | Matt Olson | L | 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R |
| 5 | 3B | Ryon Healy | R | 5 | RF | Nick Williams | L |
| 6 | C | Bruce Maxwell | L | 6 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 7 | RF | Chad Pinder | R | 7 | C | Andrew Knapp | S |
| 8 | CF | Boog Powell | L | 8 | SS | J.P. Crawford | L |
| 9 | P | Daniel Mengden | R | 9 | P | Mark Leiter Jr. | R |
Game Notes:
- Rhys Hoskins has reached base 17 times in his last six games, going 8 for 20 with six homers, 12 RBIs, nine runs and nine walks.
- The Phillies will have to go 6-10 or better the rest of the way to avoid a 100 loss season. They are no longer the worst team in baseball after their weekend sweep. The Giants own that honor at 57-91.
- Philadelphia is 4-13 this season in Interleague play, the worst record in all of baseball.
- In their three game series against the Marlins, the Phillies offense hit .344 with eight home runs and 11 doubles.
- A's left fielder Khris Davis, who leads the team with 39 homers, will be missing from action to begin the series. He returned home Thursday for the birth of his first child.
- Daniel Mengden has made five of his 17 career starts against the National League, posting a 1-3 record and a 4.60 ERA in those games.
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP
What's Next:
- Saturday, September 16th, 2017: vs Oakland Athletics, 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- RHP Ben Lively (3-6, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Kendall Graveman (5-4, 4.48 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
