Coming off of Aaron Nola's first major-league victory Sunday afternoon, the Philadelphia Phillies (37-63) will look to continue their hot streak tonight at the Rogers Centre, as they open a short, two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays (50-50).
Late Monday evening, the Blue Jays completed a trade with the Colorado Rockies which centered around a swap of All-Star shortstops. Shortstop Jose Reyes was dealt from Toronto back to the National League, along with three prospects, in exchange for Troy Tulowitzki and right handed veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins.
Tulowitzki is expected to make his Blue Jays debut tomorrow evening against Jerome Williams. Because of this trade, the Phillies won't have to face the former switch-hitting Met in Reyes this series, who batted .298/.355/.480 against them in 145 career games.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (37-63) | Toronto Blue Jays (50-50) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | Adam Morgan | LHP | Felix Doubront | ||
| (1-2, 4.28 ERA) | (1-0, 4.34 ERA) | ||||
Morgan, 25, will be throwing his first career game at an American League ballpark tonight. He has been the beneficiary of receiving offensive run support, as the Phillies have scored a combined 21 runs thus far over his five career starts.
Doubront, 27, has never faced the Phillies. He signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on April 2, five days after being released by the Chicago Cubs.
On July 3, Doubront's contract was purchased from Triple-A Buffalo, where he threw 2.1 innings in relief and yielded one run on three hits against the Detroit Tigers. He has since been a starter for John Gibbons' team, who currently trails the New York Yankees by seven games in the American League East division.
Signing as an amateur free agent with the Red Sox in 2005, the southpaw went on to make his major league debut in 2010. Three years later, Doubront won a World Series Championship after going 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA over 4.2 innings against the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.
In three starts this season, all of which have been away from the Rogers Centre, Doubront is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA and a 1.592 WHIP ratio.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (37-63) | Toronto Blue Jays (50-50) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Batter | Bats | Position | Batter | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | 2B | Devon Travis | R |
| 2 | CF | Ben Revere | L | 2 | 3B | Josh Donaldson | R |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | RF | Jose Bautista | R |
| 4 | RF | Jeff Francoeur | R | 4 | 1B | Edwin Encarnacion | R |
| 5 | DH | Ryan Howard | L | 5 | DH | Chris Colabello | R |
| 6 | 1B | Darin Ruf | R | 6 | C | Russell Martin | R |
| 7 | LF | Cody Asche | L | 7 | LF | Danny Valencia | R |
| 8 | SS | Andres Blanco | S | 8 | CF | Kevin Pillar | R |
| 9 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 9 | SS | Ryan Goins | L |
Game Notes:
- Outfielders Jeff Francoeur and Ben Revere are 0-5 with a walk and 2-3 respectively in their careers against Doubront.
- The Toronto Blue Jays lead all of baseball in offensive runs (528), doubles (196), total bases (1492), runs-batted-in (509), and OPS (.772).
- In 20 career games played at the Rogers Centre, dating back to June 5, 1998, the Phillies are 9-11. Over this stretch, they have been outscored by 14 runs, 109-95. They have lost six consecutive games at the venue.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:07 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- Wednesday, July 29, 2015: at Toronto Blue Jays, 7:07 pm
- RHP Jerome Williams (3-7, 6.28 ERA) vs. RHP R.A. Dickey (4-10, 4.53 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
