Returning home to Citizens Bank Park after a 4-1 road trip, the Philadelphia Phillies (38-64) will face the division-rival Atlanta Braves (46-55) tonight in National League baseball with 14-year veteran right hander Aaron Harang as their starter.
During this recent five-game stretch away from Philadelphia, the Phillies traded away two well-known and impactful players from their organization: starting pitcher Cole Hamels (Texas Rangers), and closer Jonathan Papelbon (Washington Nationals).
Spanning a decade in red pinstripes, Hamels, 31, was 114-90 with a 3.30 ERA over 295 appearances. Papelbon, 34, was 123-138 in save opportunities (89.1%) as a Phillie from 2012-2015, and became the franchise's all-time leader and the category.
According to a Thursday morning report from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, outfielder Ben Revere could be the next, and perhaps last Phillie to be traded prior to tomorrow afternoon's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Atlanta Braves (46-55) | Philadelphia Phillies (38-64) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Shelby Miller | RHP | Aaron Harang | ||
| (5-7, 2.27 ERA) | (4-11, 4.08 ERA) | ||||
Miller, 24, will be throwing in his 90th career major league appearance tonight, his seventh against the Phillies. All-time at Citizens Bank Park, the 2015 National League All-Star is 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA over two starts.
The Braves' right hander has already faced the Phillies three times this season, combining for only two earned runs allowed over 21.1 innings to yield a 0.84 ERA.
Harang, 37, will start for the first time tonight since July 1 as he returns from the disabled list with plantar fasciitis. He was supposed to partake in a rehab assignment down with the lower-levels of the organization, however it was likely a mutual interest to come back early with the hopes of sparking trade interest with other clubs.
Over the right hander's last five starts, dating back to June 9, Harang is 0-5 with a 8.38 ERA in 29.0 innings (27 earned runs). This is a complete contrast with his first five starts of the season: 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA in 32.1 innings (nine earned runs).
In 13 career starts against the Braves, 80.1 innings, Harang has allowed 77 hits, 33 runs (32 earned), nine home runs and 31 walks. Expect Harang to be limited on pitches tonight in his 18 start of the season.
Starting Lineups:
| Atlanta Braves (46-55) | Philadelphia Phillies (38-64) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Batter | Bats | Position | Batter | Bats | ||
| 1 | RF | Nick Markakis | L | 1 | LF | Ben Revere | L |
| 2 | CF | Cameron Maybin | R | 2 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 3 | 1B | Freddie Freeman | L | 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R |
| 4 | LF | Adonis Garcia | R | 4 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L |
| 5 | C | A.J. Pierzynski | L | 5 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 6 | 3B | Chris Johnson | R | 6 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 7 | 2B | Jace Peterson | L | 7 | RF | Domonic Brown | L |
| 8 | SS | Andrelton Simmons | R | 8 | C | Carlos Ruiz | R |
| 9 | P | Shelby Miller | R | 9 | P | Aaron Harang | R |
Game Notes:
- First baseman Ryan Howard is 5-14 in his career against Miller with a double, three home runs and six runs-batted-in (.357/.438/1.071).
- The Philadelphia Phillies currently trail the season series 4-5 against the Atlanta Braves, having been outscored 38-28. The Braves are 54-50 all-time at Citizens Bank Park.
- Harang has allowed just five hits in 33 combined at-bats against first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher A.J. Pierzynski in his career (.152 batting average).
Promotion: MLB.com Ballpark Check-In Offer: Apple Vacations Photo Day Magnet Frame
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:05 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
| Probable Starters | Atlanta Braves | Philadelphia Phillies | TV | Radio | ||||
| F, 7/31 | RHP | Williams Perez | RHP | David Buchanan | CSN | 94WIP, 1210 WPHT | ||
| 7:05 | (4-0, 2.88 ERA) | (1-5, 7.00 ERA) | ||||||
| Sa, 8/1 | RHP | Matt Wisler | RHP | Aaron Nola | NBC10 | 94WIP, 1210 WPHT | ||
| 7:05 | (5-1, 3.43 ERA) | (1-1, 3.29 ERA) | ||||||
| Su, 8/2 | RHP | Julio Teheran | TBA | CSN | 94WIP, 1210 WPHT | |||
| 1:35 | (6-6, 4.71 ERA) | |||||||
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
