In their 70th game of the season this evening, the Philadelphia Phillies (23-46) will look to rebound from last night's 12-4 defeat against left hander Tyler Lyons and the St. Louis Cardinals (44-23). The weather forecast calls for occasional strong to heavy thunderstorms at times, but the two teams hope to get this one in before the strongest weather hits.
Tonight will feature a battle between 13-year veteran John Lackey (157-121, 4.01 ERA) and 14-year veteran Aaron Harang (126-136, 4.17 ERA), as the Phillies seek to tie the series and create a rubbermatch for Sunday afternoon's matinee.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| St. Louis Cardinals (44-23) | Philadelphia Phillies (23-46) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | John Lackey | RHP | Aaron Harang | ||
| (5-4, 3.59 ERA) | (4-8, 3.24 ERA) | ||||
Harang last faced the Cardinals this season on April 29 in St. Louis. He received a losing decision, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk in six innings of work.
In 28 career starts against the Red Birds, 172.1 innings, Harang is 7-16 with a 4.39 ERA.
The 37-year-old right hander has received losing decisions in each of his past five starts, where he has allowed an average of four runs per outing (20 earned runs total). Harang allowed just eight earned runs in the five starts prior, yielding a 2-2 win-loss record with one no-decision.
Lackey, 36, is (2-4) with a 3.46 ERA in six career starts against the Phillies. He has surrendered six home runs in 39.0 innings, two of which were to first baseman Ryan Howard and one to corner outfielder Domonic Brown.
In the month of June this season, the 2007 American League All-Star is (2-1) with a 6.16 ERA in three starts (27 hits, 13 earned runs, and three home runs allowed in 19.0 innings).
Starting Lineups:
| St. Louis Cardinals (44-23) | Philadelphia Phillies (23-46) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Batter | Bats | Position | Batter | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Kolten Wong | L | 1 | CF | Ben Revere | L |
| 2 | 3B | Matt Carpenter | L | 2 | 2B | Chase Utley | L |
| 3 | SS | Jhonny Peralta | R | 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 4 | RF | Jason Heyward | L | 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 5 | C | Yadier Molina | R | 5 | RF | Domonic Brown | L |
| 6 | LF | Randal Grichuk | R | 6 | LF | Cody Asche | L |
| 7 | 1B | Tyler Scruggs | R | 7 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 8 | CF | Peter Bourjos | R | 8 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 9 | P | John Lackey | R | 9 | P | Aaron Harang | R |
Game Notes:
- Seth Rosin will be available in the bullpen tonight for the overworked Phillies pitching staff. The Phillies designated for assignment the contract of Phillippe Aumont earlier today.
- The Phillies have won just two times over their last 15 games. During this stretch, Ryan Howard is batting .224/.269/.469 with five runs scored, 11 hits, three doubles, three home runs, eight runs-batted-in and three walks.
-
Since May 23 at Nationals Park, 24 games ago, Philadelphia starting pitchers have been winless with a 0-15 record and a 5.97 ERA.
- Phillies' career statistics against John Lackey (ESPN):
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:05 pm EST
- TV: TCN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- Sunday, June 21, 2015: vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 1:35 pm
- RHP Michael Wacha (9-2, 2.48 ERA) vs. LHP Adam Morgan (MLB Debut)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
