This afternoon, in a rubber match, series finale matinee between the Tampa Bay Rays (48-48) and Philadelphia Phillies (33-63), left hander Adam Morgan will take the mound for his third career start at Citizens Bank Park, and fifth overall.
Rookie third baseman Maikel Franco is out of the starting lineup for the second-consecutive day with soreness in his right elbow. He is not expected to land on the 15-day disabled list, however.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Tampa Bay Rays (48-48) | Philadelphia Phillies (33-63) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jake Odorizzi | LHP | Adam Morgan | ||
| (5-6, 2.80 ERA) | (1-2, 3.91 ERA) | ||||
Odorizzi, 25, has never faced the Phillies. Only outfielder Jeff Francoeur has opposed the right hander in the past, going 0-1 with a strikeout.
Returning on July 11 from a strained oblique that sidelined him over a month, Odorizzi threw 5.2 shutout innings against the Houston Astros, allowing just two hits and three walks.
Odorizzi's most recent outing, July 17 in Toronto, was a much different story.
Odorizzi struggled badly with his command, issuing five walks on the night while striking out only one. He had allowed just one run through the first four innings, but the Jays broke the game open and chased the right-hander with a five-run uprising in the fifth, capped by a three-run homer by Justin Smoak. Despite this setback, he'll carry an impressive 2.80 ERA and 1.08 WHIP into Wednesday's start against the Phillies in Philadelphia (Rotoworld).
Starting for the Phillies this afternoon will be rookie southpaw Adam Morgan, who is 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in four career starts.
In 12.0 career innings pitched at Citizens Bank Park, Morgan is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.250 WHIP ratio.
Starting Lineups:
| Tampa Bay Rays (48-48) | Philadelphia Phillies (33-63) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Batter | Bats | Position | Batter | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Brandon Guyer | R | 1 | CF | Ben Revere | L |
| 2 | RF | Steven Souza Jr. | R | 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 3 | 3B | Evan Longoria | R | 3 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 4 | 2B | Logan Forsythe | R | 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 5 | LF | Joey Butler | R | 5 | 3B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 6 | SS | Tim Beckham | R | 6 | RF | Domonic Brown | L |
| 7 | 1B | Jake Elmore | R | 7 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 8 | C | Rene Rivera | R | 8 | LF | Cody Asche | L |
| 9 | P | Jake Odorizzi | R | 9 | P | Adam Morgan | L |
Game Notes:
- Center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who had two extra-base hits and two runs scored in the series opener Monday night, is out of the starting lineup today.
- The Phillies are 8-15 overall and 5-9 at home, all-time against the Rays. Since the 2008 World Series, the Rays have won five out of the eight regular season meetings between the clubs.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 1:05 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- Friday, July 24, 2015: at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 pm
- RHP Jerome Williams (3-7, 6.43 ERA) vs. LHP Jon Lester (5-8, 3.37 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
- Saturday, July 25, 2015: at Chicago Cubs, 4:05 pm
- LHP Cole Hamels (5-7, 3.91 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Arrieta (11-5, 2.52 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
- Sunday, July 26, 2015: at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 pm
- RHP Aaron Nola (0-1, 1.50 ERA) vs. TBA
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
