The Philadelphia Phillies have announced the starting pitchers for their series with the Washington Nationals.
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a tough series against the Atlanta Braves, dropping two of three games.
This now puts them five games back of Atlanta for the National League East division with just a few weeks left in the season. Philadelphia was hoping to gain some ground on the Braves over the weekend, but the team just wasn't able to find consistency on the field.
Now, the team will be entering a two-game series against the Washington Nationals on the road. This could offer them a chance to stack some wins against one of the worst teams in the division.
But Washington won't come easy, and the Phillies will have to avoid taking them for granted. The Nationals are a sneaky offensive team, who can make life tough on Philadelphia if they aren't careful.
Philadelphia enters this series with a record of 83-67 on the year. As for the Nationals, they have a record of 70-81 for the season.
Phillies vs Nationals Probable Pitchers
Tuesday, September 15: LHP Cristopher Sánchez vs LHP Jackson Kent
Sánchez gets the ball to open the series for the Phillies, looking for better results than his last start. In his last outing against the Houston Astros, Sánchez got rocked for six runs on 10 hits over six innings of work.
The left-hander owns a 2.79 ERA over 30 starts this season, throwing 187.1 innings, while striking out 210 batters. Sánchez needs to set the tone early against the Nationals, giving the Phillies a good chance to win.
As for Kent, he has a 6.59 ERA over six starts this season.
Wednesday, September 16: RHP Zack Wheeler vs RHP Cade Cavalli
Wheeler will take the mound in the finale, putting his 3.14 ERA on the line. The right-hander has been excellent this season for Philadelphia, giving this team a massive boost.
Against the Astros in his last start, Wheeler went seven innings, allowing just one run on five hits, while striking out nine batters. Wheeler has lights-out stuff on the mound, and he'll need to continue his strong performance of late here.
Cavalli will go opposite Wheeler, posting a 3.12 ERA over 31 starts this year.
How to Watch Phillies vs Nationals
Tuesday's game will take place at 3:45 p.m. PT/6:45 p.m. ET. This game will be broadcast on NBCSP, Nationals.TV, and in the MLB app.
Wednesday's game will take place at 3:45 p.m. PT/6:45 p.m. ET. This game will be broadcast on NBCSP, Nationals.TV, and in the MLB app.
