The Phillies snapped their four-game losing streak last night as they defeated the Marlins 6-3 in the series opener. A.J Burnett pitched 4 1/3 innings before being pulled due to "groin soreness". He allowed two earned runs on five hits and walked six batters. The Phillies' offense would prove positive as they took out Marlins' ace Jose Fernandez (4 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 6 K). Marlon Byrd (2 RBI), Domonic Brown (1 RBI), and Chase Utley (1 RBI) went 2-for-4 in the win. Tonight, the Phillies will use their fifth man for the first time this season as Jonathan Pettibone (2013: 5-4, 4.04 ERA) makes his 2014 debut. Opposing him will be Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 3.46 ERA).
Jonathan Pettibone began the season in Triple-A Lehigh after missing a lot of time in spring training due to shoulder soreness. Pettibone was shut down in August last year due to rotator cuff issues after going 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA in 18 starts. On Sunday, Pettibone pitched five innings for Lehigh Valley, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts and one walk. In two career starts against Miami, the 23-year old Pettibone owns a 1-0 record accompanied by a 1.46 ERA.
Nathan Eovaldi is making his third start of the season tonight as he takes on a now-familiar N.L. East rival. With a loss on Sunday against the Padres, Eovaldi allowed just three earned runs over seven innings while striking out eight hitters. In 13 innings this year, Eovaldi has struck out 14 hitters and shown overpowering stuff on the mound. He is looking for more run support as he takes on the Phillies, a team he has not had a great track record against. In over 32 innings against, Eovaldi is 1-4 with a 4.13 ERA against the Phils.
Game Notes:
- Jimmy Rollins is hitting a lifetime .357 (5-for-14) against Eovaldi including a home run.
- Ben Revere is out for the second straight day. Revere appeared to pull a muscle while making an outstanding play in the outfield. Revere did pinch hit in last night's victory over the Marlins.
- Freddy Galvis gets a start at third base in place of Cody Asche.
Tonight's Lineups:
Phillies lineup:
- Tony Gwynn CF
- Jimmy Rollins SS
- Chase Utley 2B
- Ryan Howard 1B
- Marlon Byrd RF
- Domonic Brown LF
- Carlos Ruiz C
- Freddy Galvis 3B
- Jonathan Pettibone P.
Marlins lineup:
- Christian Yelich LF
- Marcell Ozuna CF
- Giancarlo Stanton RF
- Garrett Jones 1B
- Casey McGehee 3B
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia C
- Derek Dietrich 2B
- Adeiny Hechavarria SS
- Nathan Eovaldi P.
First Pitch: 7:05 PM ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA.
Weather: 66° – Sunny – 0% Precip
TV: NBC 10
Erik Seybold is a writer for Philliedelphia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.
