Phillies turn to bullpen in Game 1 against Nationals

The Philadelphia Phillies (79-76) are on the brink of elimination as they get set for a day-night doubleheader against the Wild Card leading Washington Nationals (86-69) today in our nation’s capitol. The Phils fell to the Nats 7-2 on Monday night, pushing their elimination number to one. With seven games remaining, they will have to win all of them while Washington and Milwaukee loses all of theirs to just force a tie for the second Wild Card spot. The Phillies need to go 3-4 over the final stretch of games to finish with their first winning record since 2011.

On Tuesday, the Phillies and Nationals will play a twinbill. Philadelphia will be relying heavily on their bullpen in game one of the doubleheader. After Monday’s loss, Gabe Kapler told reporters that Blake Parker would start for the Phils. There’s a good chance Nick Pivetta gets some innings behind him along with a few other bullpen arms. Parker has been a workhorse for the Phillies since being acquired from the Twins. He’s appeared in 20 games, posting a 4.71 ERA. The Nationals will counter with Joe Ross, who has spent time in both the rotation and bullpen. He surrendered seven earned runs in 3.2 innings his last time on the mound.

The Phillies will once again be without the services of catcher J.T. Realmuto. The 28-year-old backstop is still experiencing right knee soreness. Deivy Grullon will make his first big league start. He hit .283 with 24, doubles, 21 homers and 77 RBIs in Triple-A this season.

Phillies Lineup

1. Cesar Hernandez (2B)
2. Bryce Harper (RF)
3. Rhys Hoskins (1B)
4. Brad Miller (LF)
5. Jean Segura (SS)
6. Scott Kingery (3B)
7. Adam Haseley (CF)
8. Deivy Grullon (C)
9. Blake Parker (P)

Nationals Lineup

1. Trea Turner (SS)
2. Adam Eaton (RF)
3. Anthony Rendon (3B)
4. Juan Soto (LF)
5. Ryan Zimmerman (1B)
6. Brian Dozier (2B)
7. Victor Robles (CF)
8. Raudy Read (C)
9. Joe Ross (P)

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Blake Parker (2-0, 4.71 ERA) vs. Joe Ross (3-4, 6.17 ERA)
• Parker has not faced the Nationals at all in 2019. He has had a forgettable month of September, posting a 7.88 ERA in eight innings. He has put together two scoreless outings in a row.
• Ross has appeared in two games against the Phillies this season out of the bullpen. He’s allowed five runs on six hits in 2.1 innings with the Phils hitting .429 against him. Ross has a 2-0 record to go along with a 3.38 ERA in five career games (three starts) against the Phillies.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• Washington could clinch a playoff spot today with a doubleheader sweep paired with a Cubs loss to the Pirates.
• Philadelphia has lost five straight to the Nationals in D.C.
• Nationals starter Joe Ross has not pitched since September 2 because of a forearm injury. He was 3-0 with a 1.05 ERA in five starts during the month of August.
• In the last two games, the Phillies have been outscored 17-3.
• Rhys Hoskins’ second half of terror continued on Monday night. He went 0-4 with two strikeouts, lowering his average to .185 since the All-Star Break. He’s hitting .179 with an uncharacteristically low on-base percentage of .270 in September. He has 12 strikeouts in his last 22 at-bats.
• Tuesday will be Blake Parker’s first career start after 286 relief appearances.
• The Phillies have activated Juan Nicasio from the injured list, per Philly.com’s Matt Breen. He last appeared for them on August 23.

Ticket IQ Programming Information

• Game 1 – 1:05 p.m. on Tuesday, September 24 at Nationals Park
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP

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