By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
LOS ANGELES — With RHP Aaron Nola placed on the 10-day disabled list with a lower back strain, the Philadelphia Phillies (11-11) will send RHP Nick Pivetta to the mound for his Major League debut Sunday afternoon in the series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers (13-12) at Dodger Stadium.
Pivetta, 24, will oppose LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu, who has lost each of his four starts this season. The Phillies rookie was slated to debut Wednesday in place of Nola against the Miami Marlins, however his turn was skipped due to a rain out the night prior creating two consecutive off-days.
The Phillies will look to avoid being swept for the second time this season, having dropped the first two games of the series 5-3 and 6-5.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (11-11) | Los Angeles Dodgers (13-12) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nick Pivetta | LHP | Hyun-Jin Ryu | ||
| (Triple-A: 3-0, 0.95 ERA) | (0-4, 4.64 ERA) | ||||
Pivetta Career, MiLB: 38-25, 3.61 ERA, 90 G, 87 GS, 463 2/3 IP, 433 H, 203 R, 186 ER, 40 HR, 162 BB, 388 SO, 1.283 WHIP
Pivetta was acquired from the Washington Nationals on July 28, 2015 in exchange for franchise saves leader, Jonathan Papelbon. Through 37 starts since within the Phillies system, at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, the Victoria, Canada native is 17-10 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.245 WHIP ratio.
Ryu Career vs. PHI: 0-0, 2.77 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 13 IP, 16 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 HR, 5 BB, 9 SO, 1.615 WHIP
Ryu, 30, has thrown just 26 innings since Sept. 2014 due to shoulder and elbow injuries.
The southpaw has allowed two runs in each of his two career starts against the Phillies, both of which were no-decisions at Dodger Stadium on June 29, 2013 (7 IP) and April 22, 2014 (6 IP).
The only active Phillie to have faced Ryu previously in their career is shortstop Freddy Galvis (0-3, SO). Phillies 2B/LF Howie Kendrick — who is on the 10-day disabled list with a right abdominal strain — is 1-6 lifetime against Ryu with a strikeout.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (11-11) | Los Angeles Dodgers (13-12) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | CF | Andrew Toles | L |
| 2 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 2 | LF | Cody Bellinger | L |
| 3 | LF | Daniel Nava | S | 3 | 3B | Justin Turner | R |
| 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 4 | 1B | Adrian Gonzalez | L |
| 5 | CF | Aaron Altherr | R | 5 | RF | Yasiel Puig | R |
| 6 | RF | Michael Saunders | L | 6 | C | Yasmani Grandal | S |
| 7 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 7 | 2B | Chris Taylor | R |
| 8 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 8 | SS | Enrique Hernandez | R |
| 9 | P | Nick Pivetta | R | 9 | P | Hyun-Jin Ryu | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 4:10 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes
- Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco has not struck out over his last 32 plate appearances.
- Pivetta, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, is the first Canadian-born pitcher to debut as a starting pitcher with the Phillies since RHP Scott Mathieson (2006).
- Pivetta will become the fourth Phillie to make his Major League debut this season, joining first baseman Brock Stassi, catcher Andrew Knapp and RHP Mark Leiter Jr. According to MLB.com, it is the first time since 1970 that at least four Phillies debuted before May.
NL East Standings (entering April 30, 2017)
| W | L | GB | L10 | Streak | Home | Road | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Nationals | 16 | 8 | — | 7-3 | L2 | 6-5 | 10-3 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 11 | 11 | 4.0 | 7-3 | L2 | 7-4 | 4-7 |
| Atlanta Braves | 10 | 12 | 5.0 | 4-6 | W4 | 4-3 | 6-9 |
| Miami Marlins | 10 | 12 | 5.0 | 3-7 | L4 | 4-4 | 6-8 |
| New York Mets | 10 | 13 | 5.5 | 3-7 | W2 | 4-10 | 6-3 |
What's Next:
- Monday, May 1, 2017: at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m.
- Wrigley Field
- RHP Vince Velasquez (1-2, 6.33 ERA) vs. LHP Brett Anderson (2-0, 3.54 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
