Eickhoff, Phillies gear up for another National League East battle with Nationals

After splitting a two-game series with the Detroit Tigers, the Philadelphia Phillies are set to host their division rivals, the Washington Nationals, for the second time in 2019. They’ll play the first game of a three-game series tonight against an injured-riddled Nationals squad with Jerad Eickhoff taking the mound. Eickhoff showed signs of his 2015 form in his last start, going 7.2 innings against the Miami Marlins, while allowing just two hits, no runs, and striking out six.

Meanwhile, the Phillies offense will look to set the tone for the series. Jean Segura has three hits in nine at-bats since coming back from the injured list, while Rhys Hoskins is currently on a five-game hitting streak (along with eight hits in the last seven games). Of course, things aren’t all rainbows and lollipops. Bryce Harper is in a slump that has seen his batting average drop to .231.

For Philadelphia, winning the series could pay big dividends. The Nationals currently sit at 13-17 in the National League East, 4.0 games behind the 17-13 Phillies. A sweep would put the Nationals at 7.0 games back.

Phillies Starting Lineup

1. Andrew McCutchen, center field
2. Jean Segura, shortstop
3. Bryce Harper, right field
4. Rhys Hoskins, first base
5. J.T. Realmuto, catcher
6. Nick Williams, left field
7. Cesar Hernandez, second base
8. Maikel Franco, third base
9. Jared Eickhoff, pitcher

Nationals Starting Lineup

1. Adam Eaton, left field
2. Victor Robles, right field
3. Howie Kendrick, third base
4. Matt Adams, first base
5. Kurt Suzuki, catcher
6. Brian Dozier, second base
7. Carter Kieboom, shortstop
8. Jeremy Hellickson, pitcher
9. Michael A. Taylor, center field

Shibe Vintage Sports Pitching Matchup

• Jeremy Hellickson (2-0, 5.82 ERA and 5.70 FIP) vs. Jerad Eickhoff (1-1, 2.12 ERA and 1.65 FIP)
• Hellickson knows the Phillies very well. After all, he did start on Opening Day for Philadelphia in 2016 and 2017. In four games (three starts) against the Phillies, Hellickson is 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts and six walks in 20.2 innings. In his last start against Philadelphia on April 9, Hellickson pitched six scoreless innings, while giving up just three hits.
• Meanwhile, Eickhoff has a solid 2.88 ERA in four starts (1-1 record) against the Nationals, with 24 strikeouts and seven walks in 25 innings.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• So far in 2019, the Phillies are 2-3 against the Nationals. The series finales in each battle with the Nationals hasn’t been memorable, at least not in a good way: the Phillies blew a 6-1 lead and ended up losing 10-6 on April 9, and then were blown out by a score of 15-1 on April 10. Since then, the Nationals have gone 7-12.
• In 20 at-bats against Hellickson, Harper has collected five hits, two of which were home runs. He also has three RBIs and eight walks. J.T. Realmuto has seen Hellickson the most, collecting 10 hits in 36 at-bats for a .278 average.
• Thanks to their slow start, Washington is already making changes, having just relieved pitching coach Derek Lilliguist. This season, Nationals pitching has a 4.82 ERA, which ranks 13th out of 15 teams in the National League.

Programming Information

• Citizens Bank Park
• 7:05 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Spanish)

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