Nola gets ball as Phillies open two-game set against Betts, Red Sox

Coming off a four game in Cincinnati, the Philadelphia Phillies continue their road trip as they head to Boston for a short two game series against the Red Sox.

After losing three of four in the Queen City, the Phillies will turn to their best two arms in this series: Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta.

Monday evening, we will see a battle of two pitchers with All-Star Game experience on their resumes as Nola will be going up against five-time All-Star David Price for the Red Sox. Despite a strong track record, Price’s tenure in Boston has been largely unsuccessful, as he has a 4.17 ERA and 4.29 FIP in 2018. Those numbers are very underwhelming for someone making $30 million this season, although Price has won his last two starts. Meanwhile, Nola has been one of the National League’s best starters in 2018, but is looking to rebound from a rather pedestrian start against the Los Angeles Dodgers last Tuesday. 

In game two of the series, Jake Arrieta will get the ball for the Phillies. Arrieta will look to put a bow on what has been a strong month of July (he’s 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA). He will be facing off against Drew Pomeranz, who is trending in the opposite direction. Currently his ERA is close to seven and his in last three starts he is 0-2 and has given up at least four runs in each of those outings. 

The Red Sox are on pace to win over 100 games in 2018, so this series will certainly serve as a test. But in a postseason series, the Phillies will be playing quite good teams with similar pitching matchups, so this series could offer a glimpse of what October could look like.

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.42 ERA, 2.71 FIP) vs. David Price (11-6, 4.17 ERA, 4.29 FIP)

Game 2: Jake Arrieta (8-6, 3.45 ERA, 4.11 FIP) vs. Drew Pomeranz (1-4, 6.91 ERA, 5.71 FIP)

Where to Watch/Listen

Game 1

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 2

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, ESPN

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Series Notes

• Heading into this series, the Phillies are 9-4 in interleague play in 2018.
• In his last seven games, Rhys Hoskins is batting .386 with five home runs.
• Carlos Santana has a .252 batting average with seven home runs and 28 RBI for his career against the Red Sox.
• Aaron Nola is 4-3, 2.86 ERA (21 ER, 66.0 IP) in 11 starts away from Citizens Bank Park this year.
• The last game that the Phillies played at Fenway Parkwas on June 13, 2017. Of the 15 players who appeared in that game for the Phillies, only four players are currently on either the active roster or the disabled list: Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, Edubray Ramos and Luis Garcia.