Utley, Machado and Dodgers come to Philly to square off with first place Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies will continue their homestand against a team that’s sure to provide fans with a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, it’s the final regular season series that franchise icon Chase Utley will play in Philadelphia. On the other hand, Manny Machado – who, just a week ago, seemed like could be playing for the Phillies in this series – will come to town as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. And all of this comes with both teams holding small leads in their respective divisions. 

On paper, it looks as though this series could feature at least a couple pitcher’s duels. The Phillies will have Zach Eflin on the mound for game one, against National League All-Star Ross Stripling. In the second game of the series, Aaron Nola will pitch for the first game since his All-Star Game appearance against Kenta Maeda. Former National League Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta will get the ball for the Phillies in game three of series, with the Dodgers not having announced their starter yet. It appears that star rookie Walker Buehler will return for the Dodgers to square off with Arrieta. 

Pitching Matchups

Game 1: Zach Eflin (7-2, 3.15 ERA, 3.04 FIP) vs. Ross Stripling (8-2, 2.08 ERA, 2.72 FIP)

Game 2: Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.30 ERA, 2.72 FIP) vs. Kenta Maeda (7-5, 3.12 ERA, 2.77 FIP)

Game 3: Jake Arrieta (7-6, 3.47 ERA, 4.08 FIP) vs. TBA

Where to Watch/Listen

Game 1

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 2

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Game 3

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Series Notes

• In his last seven starts, Zach Eflin is 6-0 with a 2.32 ERA.
• Since being traded to the Dodgers Chase Utley has a .227 batting average against the Phillies.
• For his career, Rhys Hoskins has a .364 batting average against the Dodgers.
• The Phillies .646 home winning-percentage is the best among National League teams and third in all of baseball.
• The Phillies have collected at least one extra-base hit in 94 consecutive games, which is the longest extra-base hit streak in the majors this season.