Philadelphia, PA – For the first time in 5,500 days, the Philadelphia Phillies will be playing a baseball game in which second baseman Chase Utley is not part of the organization. Wednesday afternoon, the 2008 World Series Champion was reportedly dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Having lost six of their last ten games, and four consecutive overall, the Phillies (46-73) will look to rebound tonight against 16-year veteran left hander Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays (66-54) in the series finale of the brief, two-game set.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Toronto Blue Jays (66-54) | Philadelphia Phillies (46-73) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHP | Mark Buehrle | LHP | Adam Morgan | ||
| (13-5, 3.31 ERA) | (3-4, 4.11 ERA) | ||||
Buehrle, 36, is 6-2 with a 3.50 ERA in nine career starts against the Phillies.
The four-time Gold Glove Award winner and five-time All-Star is 0-2 with a 5.56 ERA over 11 1/3 career innings at Citizens Bank Park. These starts came while a member of the Miami Marlins during their inaugural, re-branding season.
Having now played for 16 seasons and considered to be the elder statesman of the league, Buehrle is the current active leader in games started (484), innings pitched (3239 2/3), hits allowed (3,414), runs allowed (1,505), earned runs allowed (1,364), and home runs allowed (355).
Morgan, 25, last faced Toronto on July 28. He threw six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks as the Phillies went on to win, 3-2.
Despite having one of the best outings of his career in his last start against the Brewers, yielding a career-low 0.500 WHIP ratio over six innings of work, Morgan suffered the losing decision as the Phillies' offense was silenced.
Over 21.1 innings pitched at Citizens Bank Park this season in four outings, Morgan is 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA, allowing 10 runs on 26 hits and eight walks.
Starting Lineups:
| Toronto Blue Jays (66-54) | Philadelphia Phillies (46-73) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | SS | Troy Tulowitzki | R | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S |
| 2 | 3B | Josh Donaldson | R | 2 | 3B | Andres Blanco | S |
| 3 | RF | Jose Bautistia | R | 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L |
| 4 | 1B | Edwin Encarnacion | R | 4 | RF | Jeff Francoeur | R |
| 5 | C | Russell Martin | R | 5 | 1B | Darin Ruf | R |
| 6 | CF | Kevin Pillar | R | 6 | LF | Aaron Altherr | R |
| 7 | LF | Ben Revere | L | 7 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S |
| 8 | 2B | Cliff Pennington | S | 8 | C | Cameron Rupp | R |
| 9 | P | Mark Buehrle | L | 9 | P | Adam Morgan | L |
Game Notes:
- Outfielder Aaron Altherr, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley yesterday to replace rookie third baseman Maikel Franco on the roster, will earn his first start of the season tonight in left field.
- The Blue Jays have homered in 10 straight games on the road (19 total). They have hit multiple home runs in five straight games away from the Rogers Centre (11 total).
- All-time in Interleague play, the Blue Jays are 166-173 (.490), whereas the Phillies are 141-180 (.439).
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:05 pm EST
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
What's Next:
- Thursday, August 20, 2015: at Miami Marlins, 7:10 pm
- RHP Jerome Williams (4-8, 5.47 ERA) vs. LHP Brad Hand (2-3, 4.74 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
- Friday, August 21, 2015: at Miami Marlins, 7:10 pm
- RHP Aaron Harang (5-14, 4.79 ERA) vs. RHP Kendry Flores (0-1, 2.45 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT, WTTM 1680 (Sp.)
Matt Rappa (@mattrappasports) is managing editor of Philliedelphia.com.
