The Philadelphia Phillies have announced the starting pitchers for their massive series with the Houston Astros.
The Philadelphia Phillies are ready to take on the Houston Astros for a crucial three-game series.
The Phillies are coming off a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves where the two teams split the matchups. Philadelphia was able to salvage the series with a 1-0 win on Monday, making up for a blown late-game situation on Sunday.
Philadelphia sits four games back of the Braves for the National League East, making every game that much more magnified at this time. But the two sides will play another three-game series this weekend following this matchup with the Astros.
So for the Phillies, making sure that they can take advantage of this Houston series could be huge.
As for the Astros, they dropped two of three games from the Arizona Diamondbacks in their last series. Houston is also fighting for their playoffs lives, sitting two games up on the Texas Rangers in the American League West division.
Phillies vs Astros Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, September 8: RHP Andrew Painter vs RHP Hayden Wesneski
The Phillies will hand the ball to Painter for the opener, and he's been fairly up-and-down this season. The right-hander has a 5.55 in 21 appearances (19 starts) this year.
Painter was dominant in his last start against Arizona, firing seven scoreless innings, striking out six. If he can build on this outing, the Phillies may be in good shape for this contest.
Wesneski counters for the Astros, and he's been good this year, posting a 3.18 ERA over seven starts.
Wednesday, September 9: LHP Cristopher Sánchez vs RHP Hunter Brown
Sánchez takes the mound for Philadelphia here, and he's been lights out all season long. For the year, the left-hander has recorded a 2.58 over 29 starts.
The lefty has been in the conversation for the Cy Young Award in the NL, but he'll need a good finish to the year to win. In his last outing, Sánchez allowed three runs over six innings to the Braves.
Brown takes the ball for the Astros, holding a 3.31 ERA over 16 starts this year.
Thursday, September 10: Zack Wheeler vs TBD
Wheeler gets the ball for this finale, and he will be looking to keep his strong efforts going. In his last start against Atlanta, Wheeler went six innings, allowing just one run on three hits, while striking out nine.
Overall, the right-hander has posted a 3.23 ERA over 24 starts this season. Wheeler has the talent to dominant on the mound each time out, and the Phillies need him to set the tone in this game.
The Astros have not revealed who will be starting against the Phillies for the finale.
How to Watch Phillies vs Astros Sept 8-10
Tuesday's opener will take place at 3:40 p.m. PT/6:40 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP, Space City Home Network, TBS, and in the MLB app.
Wednesday's game will take place at 3:40 p.m. PT/6:40 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP, Space City Home Network, and in the MLB app.
Thursday's finale will take place at 10:05 a.m. PT/1:05 p.m. ET from Citizens Bank Park. The game will be broadcast on NBC 10, NBCSP, Space City Home Network, and in the MLB app.
