Cubs at Phillies
Cole Hamels will take the mound in the City of Brotherly Love for the first time since pitching for the Phillies in 2015 when the Chicago Cubs continue their three-game series against Philadelphia on Wednesday. Hamels, who did not pitch for the Cubs when they visited Philly last year, highlighted his first 10 seasons with the Phillies by being named the World Series MVP in 2008.
Perhaps Hamels' return "home" could help a struggling Cubs' club that has endured horrific troubles away from The Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, as the National League Central leader fell to 23-36 on the road following Tuesday's 4-2 loss to Philadelphia. Chicago's Nicholas Castellanos continued to endear himself to his new teammates, however, with a solo shot among his two hits in the series opener, improving to a robust 19-for-50 with five homers, seven RBIs and 13 runs scored since being acquired from Detroit. The Phillies provided an uneven performance at the plate mere hours after naming former manager Charlie Manuel as their hitting coach, with the club recording five extra-base hits in the face of striking out 15 times. J.T. Realmuto belted a solo homer in the fifth inning and an RBI double in the seventh for his second straight multi-hit performance.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN, NBCS Chicago, NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs LH Cole Hamels (6-3, 3.09 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Aaron Nola (10-3, 3.67)
Although Hamels will be making his first start in Philly with an opponent's uniform, the left-hander has faced the Phillies on one occasion -- allowing three runs on nine hits in four innings in a no-decision at Wrigley Field on May 22. The 35-year-old sported a 114-90 mark with Philadelphia from 2006-15 after being signed as a first-round pick in the 2002 amateur draft. Hamels returned from an oblique injury with a strong performance against Milwaukee on Aug. 3 before struggling five days later versus Cincinnati, against which he permitted five runs on eight hits in three innings of a no-decision.
Nola sustained his first loss since June 21 on Thursday after allowing three runs on seven hits in five innings of a 5-0 setback at San Francisco. The 26-year-old improved to 2-1 with a 5.11 ERA in four career starts against Chicago on May 23 after yielding three runs on four hits in 5 1/3 frames of a 9-7 victory. Nola kept the Cubs in the park in that contest, but Anthony Rizzo is 4-for-9 with two homers and four RBIs against him in his career.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia 1B Rhys Hoskins is mired in a 2-for-32 rut in his last nine games after going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the opener.
2. Chicago owns an 0-9-2 mark in its last 11 road series.
3. Phillies RF Bryce Harper is 1-for-11 in his last three games.