Phillies at Red Sox
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers has been tormenting pitchers all season, but the 22-year-old appears to have taken it up a notch over the last 10 days. Devers aims to extend both his hitting streak to nine contests and Boston's winning streak to six on Tuesday as the club plays the opener of an abbreviated two-game series against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies.
Devers has 20 hits - including 12 for extra bases (eight doubles, four homers) - to go along with 14 RBIs with nine runs scored during his hitting streak. Named the American League Player of the Week, Devers highlighted his four-hit, four-RBI performance with a homer on Sunday as the Red Sox overcame a six-run deficit to complete a sweep of Baltimore with a 13-7 victory. While Boston is riding high, Philadelphia was feeling pretty good with a season high-tying four-game winning streak before dropping its final two contests to San Diego over the weekend. Rhys Hoskins, who went 0-for-4 in Sunday's 3-2 setback to the Padres, is just 3-for-45 in his past 14 games.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NBCS Philadelphia, NESN (Boston)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (11-3, 3.56 ERA) vs. Red Sox LH Brian Johnson (1-1, 6.45)
Nola improved to 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA in his last 11 starts on Wednesday after allowing one run on three hits over seven innings of an 11-1 romp against the Chicago Cubs. The 26-year-old's lone blemish was a solo homer in the seventh, marking the eighth time in those 11 outings that he has permitted one or fewer earned runs. Nola turned in a sparkling performance in his lone career start against Boston, yielding one run on four hits over eight innings in a no-decision on July 30, 2018.
Johnson will get the nod in a spot that was initially earmarked for Chris Sale, who reportedly received positive news on Monday after his meeting with Dr. James Andrews confirmed a previous diagnosis of inflammation on his ailing left elbow. The 28-year-old Johnson last pitched on Wednesday, when he allowed one unearned run on three hits in 2 2/3 innings of a no-decision at Cleveland. Johnson, who also received a no-decision in his lone appearance versus Philadelphia in June 2017, will be making his third start at home after splitting a pair of decisions with a 7.98 ERA over 14 2/3 innings on the road.
WALK-OFFS
1. Philadelphia C J.T. Realmuto went 12-for-23 with four homers, nine RBIs and eight runs scored in a six-game stretch before going 0-for-4 on Sunday.
2. Boston RF Mookie Betts is 8-for-21 with seven extra-base hits (five doubles, triple, homer) with eight runs scored during his five-game hitting streak.
3. Phillies SS Jean Segura has eight hits - including four doubles - in his last six contests.