The Philadelphia Phillies will look to rebound after last night's 7-5 loss at Fenway Park this afternoon at 4:05.
Adam Morgan took the loss in the series opener, allowing six runs, but he looked much better than his stat line indicated. His command of his fastball was on point, as he struck out David Ortiz twice. The Phils tried to mount a ninth inning comeback but Ryan Howard was left in the game against a southpaw and struck out on three pitches to end the game.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Boston Red Sox (62-72) | Philadelphia Phillies (53-82) |
|---|
| LHP | Wade Miley | RHP |
Alec Asher |
||
| (10-10, 4.57 ERA) | (0-1, 6.35 ERA) | ||||
Alec Asher will make his second career major league start for the Phillies this afternoon. The big right hander fell to the San Diego Padres last week in his big league debut.
In that start he went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits. He struck out three while walking one.
Asher will be opposed by left hander Wade Miley. Miley has struggled over his last two starts, allowing a combined nine earned runs in 12 2/3 innings. He has pitched at least six innings in each of his last six starts though. In those outings, he has 33 strikeouts and seven walks while posting a 4.31 ERA.
Starting Lineups:
| Boston Red Sox (62-72) | Philadelphia Phillies (53-82) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Mookie Betts | R | 1 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 2 | 3B | Brock Holt | L | 2 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 3 | SS | Xander Bogaerts | R |
3 |
RF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 4 | DH | David Ortiz | L | 4 | DH | Jeff Francouer | R |
| 5 | 1B | Travis Shaw | L | 5 | LF | Darnell Sweeny | S |
| 6 | LF | Rusney Castillo | R | 6 | 3B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 7 | C | Blake Swishert | S | 7 | 1B | Darin Ruf | R |
| 8 | 2B | Josh Rutledge | R | 8 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 9 | RF | Jackie Bradley | L | 9 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
Game Notes:
- Odubel Herrera was 3 for 5 in last night's game. He is now hitting .298 for the season.
- Wade Miley is 1-1 with a 4.24 ERA in three career starts against the Phillies. He last faced them in July of 2014 and allowed five runs in five innings.
- Last night's 82nd loss officially made it a losing season for the Phillies.
- Asher is the second of three rookie pitchers the Phillies will send out for the series.
- Darin Ruf and Jeff Francoeur are a combined 5-for-8 against Miley with a home run.
- Pablo Sandoval was a late scratch from Friday's game with back tightness. He isn't supposed to miss extended time.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 4:05 pm EST
- TV: CSN Philly
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, SBP 1480 (Sp.)
What's Next:
Sunday, September 6, 2015: vs. BostonRed Sox, 1:35 pm
LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (8-5, 4.25 ERA) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (1-2, 2.84ERA)
Bill Minchin is a contributing writer for Philliedelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074
