Miami, FL – Searching for their 50th victory of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies (49-74) will call upon rookie right hander Aaron Nola this afternoon in the series finale of a four-game set with the Miami Marlins (50-73).
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (49-74) | Miami Marlins (50-73) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Aaron Nola | LHP | Adam Conley | ||
| (3-1, 4.41 ERA) | (1-0, 5.82 ERA) | ||||
Nola, 22, is 2-0 in the month of August, having allowed 24 hits, seven walks and seven earned runs in 21 innings.
The right hander's most recent start against the Blue Jays on August 18 was his least effective thus far in terms of finding the strike zone (56.4% strikes). Nola walked a career-high four batters that night, as the Phillies went on to lose 5-8 on Larry Bowa Bobble Figurine night.
In three career starts on the road, the 7th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft is 2-0 with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP ratio.
Conley, 25, has been on the receiving end of ample run support over his three career starts on the mound. Despite allowing a total of 10 earned runs in these outings, the Marlins' offense has combined to score 37 runs, or approximately 12 per game.
Listed as 6' 3" and 185 lb., Conley was recalled from Triple-A New Orleans on August 1 to replace right hander Dan Haren in the rotation. Haren was dealt to the Chicago Cubs a day prior in exchange for minor leaguers Ivan Pineyro and Elliot Soto.
The Redmond, Washington-native has a 8.64 ERA and a 2.280 WHIP ratio over 8 1/3 innings in his last two starts, facing the Boston Red Sox (.455) and the Milwaukee Brewers (.427).
Neither Nola nor Conley have faced their opposition prior to today.
Game Notes:
- Rookies Aaron Altherr and Darnell Sweeney each homered in last night's 4-2 victory. Sweeney's home run was the first hit in his major league career. The player the Phillies sent to the Dodgers to acquire Sweeney, second baseman Chase Utley, hit a grand slam for his first big-league hit back in 2003.
- Over closer Ken Giles' last 32 appearances, 29 of them have been scoreless. Giles recorded his ninth save of the season last night, and the 10th of his career in 13 opportunities. The right hander has seven saves and 1.04 ERA spanning 8 2/3 innings this month.
- Phillies third baseman Andres Blanco has a .417 batting average over his past 10 games with six runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, four runs-batted-in and three walks.
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 1:10 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
The Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park for a seven-game homestand against the division-rival New York Mets and the San Diego Padres. Philadelphia is 3-4 at home in the month of August, whereas New York (N.L.) is 7-3 on the road.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
