This afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies (34-63) will open a three-game set with the Chicago Cubs (51-43) at the historic Wrigley Field.
Right hander Jerome Williams returns to the diamond for the Phillies after missing four weeks with a strained left hamstring. Despite winning his first game of the season in seven starts, David Buchanan was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for the ten-year, 33-year-old veteran on the roster.
This series could get very interesting, as southpaw Cole Hamels is slated to start Saturday afternoon in opposition of right hander Jake Arrieta. Hamels, 31, has been recently linked in trade rumors with the Cubs. If a trade occurs within the next 24 hours or so, perhaps he will start against the Phillies instead.
The Phillies have won five out of their last six games played since the All-Star break, outscoring their opponents, 27-19.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (34-63) | Chicago Cubs (51-43) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jerome Williams | LHP | Jon Lester | ||
| (3-7, 6.43 ERA) | (5-8, 3.37 ERA) | ||||
Williams' last start occurred against the Baltimore Orioles on June 16, in the 19-3 beating of the Phillies. He lasted just 0.2 innings and was pulled due to injury, allowing six runs on four hits and two walks.
The Hawaiian-native, drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 1999 amateur draft, is 0-5 on the road this season with a 8.72 ERA, opposed to 3-2 with a 4.50 ERA at Citizens Bank Park.
Lester, 31, has never lost to the Phillies in five career starts. In 34.0 combined innings, he is 4-0 with a 1.59 ERA, having allowed only 23 hits and eight walks to yield an excellent 0.912 WHIP ratio.
The three-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion last faced the Phillies while with the Oakland Athletics on September 19, 2014. In seven innings, Lester threw 114 pitches of one-run baseball to give him his final winning decision of the 2014 regular season.
Lester has allowed one run or fewer in four out of the five career starts against Philadelphia. Additionally, out of the 129 total batters he has faced within these outings, just five Phillies have hit for extra bases (three doubles, two home runs).
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (34-63) | Chicago Cubs (51-43) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Batter | Bats | Position | Batter | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | CF | Dexter Fowler | S |
| 2 | CF | Ben Revere | L | 2 | 3B | Kris Bryant | R |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | 1B | Anthony Rizzo | L |
| 4 | RF | Jeff Francoeur | R | 4 | RF | Jorge Soler | R |
| 5 | 1B | Darin Ruf | R | 5 | LF | Chris Coghlan | L |
| 6 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 6 | SS | Starlin Castro | R |
| 7 | LF | Cody Asche | L | 7 | C | David Ross | R |
| 8 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 8 | P | Jon Lester | L |
| 9 | P | Jerome Williams | R | 9 | 2B | Addison Russell | R |
Game Notes:
- Rookie third baseman Maikel Franco returns to the starting lineup today after missing two games with right elbow soreness.
- All-time at Wrigley Field, which opened on April 23, 1914, the Phillies are 397-489. They have won seven out of their last ten games played at the venue, outhitting and outscoring Chicago 92-75 and 52-38 respectively.
- Jeff Francoeur, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz are a combined 3-37 (.081 batting average) in their careers against Lester with one home run, one run-batted-in, three walks and 13 strikeouts.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 4:05 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- 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. RHP Jason Hammel (5-4, 2.82 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
