Phillies go for third straight win behind Velasquez

The Philadelphia Phillies (71-65) will look to earn a third straight victory as they play game two of a three game set against the Cincinnati Reds (64-74). The Phillies enter play on Tuesday 2.5 games behind the Cubs for the final National League Wild Card spot with 26 to play.

On Labor Day, the Phils were able to earn a victory in their series opener against the Reds. Rhys Hoskins hit two home runs while Bryce Harper and Scott Kingery also went deep once. Philadelphia got a strong effort from Drew Smyly, who had been struggling. The veteran hurler allowed a run on four hits while striking out eight in 5.1 innings of work. He hasn’t gotten through the sixth since his second start with the Phillies on July 30.

This evening, Vince Velasquez will look to continue build upon his strong month of August. Taking away his seven-run outing against the Marlins, Velasquez went 3-1 with a 4.03 ERA. He’s kept the Phillies in games and they’ve won four of his last six starts. Opposing Velasquez will be 25-year-old right-hander Lucas Sims. He’s appeared in 17 games this season for the Reds, but has started just twice. He’s 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

Phillies Lineup

1. Corey Dickerson (LF)
2. J.T. Realmuto (C)
3. Bryce Harper (RF)
4. Rhys Hoskins (1B)
5. Brad Miller (3B)
6. Cesar Hernandez (2B)
7. Scott Kingery (SS)
8. Adam Haseley (CF)
9. Vince Velasquez (P)

Reds Lineup

1. Josh VanMeter (LF)
2. Joey Votto (1B)
3. Freddy Galvis (2B)
4. Aristides Aquino (RF)
5. Tucker Barnhart (C)
6. Nick Senzel (CF)
7. Jose Iglesias (SS)
8. Kyle Farmer (3B)
9. Lucas Sims (P)

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Vince Velasquez (6-7, 4.86 ERA) vs. Lucas Sims (2-1, 4.99 ERA)
• Velasquez has faced the Reds twice this season out of the bullpen, striking out four in 2.1 scoreless innings. He’s made one career start at Great American Ballpark, allowing two runs in five innings.
• Sims hasn’t gone against the Phils this season. He is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in one career game against them.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• The Phillies will try once again to go seven games over .500 in 2019. They have gone 0-11 in their opportunities to reach that mark this season, going back to when they were 39-33.
• Prior to Tuesday night’s game, the Phillies recalled Nick Pivetta and infielder Jose Pirela from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Pivetta didn’t allow a run in three appearances since his most recent demotion, striking out eight and walking two in four innings. Pirela joins the Phillies following a 2019 season that saw him slash .327/.376/.596 between Triple-A El Paso and Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia acquired Pirela in trade with the Padres on July 27 for cash considerations.
• With a home run on Monday, Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino became the first player to hit 15 home runs in his first 122 big league plate appearances.
• Rhys Hoskins is hitting .322 over his last eight games with two doubles, a triple, three home runs and 8 RBIs. He is 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI against Reds starter Lucas Sims.
• Freddy Galvis will be playing his eighth game against his former club on Tuesday night. He is 10-for-24 with a double, home run, nine RBIs and three runs scored against them. Galvis spent the first six seasons of the major league career with Philadelphia, finishing with a .245 average and a .287 on-base percentage in 642 games.

Ticket IQ Programming Information

• 6:40 p.m. on Tuesday, September 3 at Great American Ballpark
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP

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