Marlins at Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies' offensive issues didn't end when they went up against the worst team in the National League on Friday, and the switch at the top of the order is not yet producing results. The Phillies will try to snap out of the funk and end a five-game slide when they host the Miami Marlins in the second of a three-game series on Saturday.
Philadelphia dropped nine of its last 11 games after suffering a 2-1 loss in the series opener on Friday and totaled eight runs in the last five contests. The Phillies moved $330 million slugger Bryce Harper into the leadoff spot on Thursday and he is 2-for-10 in two games in that spot, continuing a trend of poor leadoff performances for the team since Andrew McCutchen went down with a season-ending knee injury on June 3. The Marlins are scratching together a decent run with wins in three of their last four games and earned the one-run victory on Friday when Brian Anderson scored on an error in the sixth inning to plate the go-ahead run. Philadelphia will try to snap the slide on Saturday behind right-hander Vince Velasquez while Miami counters with righty Elieser Hernandez.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FS Florida (Miami), NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Marlins RH Elieser Hernandez (0-2, 3.95 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (2-4, 4.71)
Hernandez is looking for his first win after getting little support in back-to-back starts against the St. Louis Cardinals in his last two turns. The Marlins totaled one run in those two games as Hernandez was saddled with a pair of losses despite allowing four earned runs and striking out 13 over 11 2/3 total innings. The 24-year-old Venezuela native appeared in two games in relief against Philadelphia during his 2018 rookie campaign and allowed a total of one run in 1 2/3 frames.
Velasquez is getting a chance to earn back his spot in the rotation and is making his second straight start after allowing four runs and four hits over 2 1/3 innings to suffer a loss at Atlanta on Sunday. "It's up to him," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told reporters of Velasquez after announcing him as the starter on Saturday. "He's got a really cool opportunity in front of him and he has a chance to seize it." The 27-year-old enjoyed his best start of the season at Miami on April 14, when he scattered one run and two hits across six innings.
WALK-OFFS
1. Marlins C Jorge Alfaro was placed on the seven-day concussion list on Friday.
2. Philadelphia LF Rhys Hoskins went 3-for-4 on Friday, matching his hit total from the previous seven games.
3. Miami 1B-RF Garrett Cooper (triceps tightness) sat out Friday's game and is day-to-day.