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Series Preview: Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks (8/6-8/8)

By Casey Pazzalia

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 26: Nick Ahmed #13 of the Arizona Diamondbacks turns a double play as Drew Hutchison #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides under the throw in the third inning during a game at Citizens Bank Park on April 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Diamondbacks won 8-2. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 26: Nick Ahmed #13 of the Arizona Diamondbacks turns a double play as Drew Hutchison #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides under the throw in the third inning during a game at Citizens Bank Park on April 26, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Diamondbacks won 8-2. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
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The Arizona Diamondbacks will wrap-up their nine-game homestand with a three-game set against the first-place Philadelphia Phillies.

After splitting the first six games of their current homestand down the middle (3-3), the Arizona Diamondbacks will take on the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies. Of all the series currently going on in baseball, this one is the only matchup featuring two teams atop their divisions. Therefore, you can bet the D-Backs will have a few more eyeballs on them than usual — at least over the next few days.

In-Depth Series Preview:

(odds courtesy of OddsShark)

Who: Philadelphia Phillies (63-48) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (62-51)

When: Monday, August 6th through Wednesday, August 8th

Where: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Head to Head: Arizona is 2-1 vs. Philadelphia this year.

World Series Odds: Arizona (+2200); Philadelphia (+1800)

Local TV: Phillies (NBC Sports Philadelphia); Diamondbacks (Fox Sports Arizona)

Local Radio: Phillies (WIP 94.1 FM); Diamondbacks (KMVP 98.7 FM)

National TV: All games are available to MLB.tv subscribers.

National Radio: All games are available to MLB.tv or MLB Gameday Audio subscribers. Right now, MLB.tv is just $49.99 for the remainder of the season. MLB Gameday Audio is included with MLB.tv but you can also subscribe separately for $19.99/mo.

Series Schedule: 

  • Mon, August 6th: PHI at ARI, 9:40 ET
  • Tue, August 7th: PHI at ARI, 9:40 ET
  • Wed, August 8th: PHI at ARI, 3:40 ET

Projected Starters:

  • Mon, August 6th: Arrieta (9-6) vs. Godley (12-6)
  • Tue, August 7th: Pivetta (6-9) vs. Greinke (12-6)
  • Wed, August 8th: Velasquez (8-8) vs. Corbin (8-4)

Expert Scoop on Philadelphia:

"“The Phillies have won five in a row and are coming off a four-game sweep of the Marlins at home. Sitting 1.5 games above the Braves, there’s no room for errors on this team. Unfortunately, they’re second in the National League in errors and their catching staff leads the league in passed balls. Philadelphia has ridden their pitching staff throughout the season, which boasts a 4.09 RA/G, fifth best in the National League.”–George Stockburger, Site Expert at That Ball’s Outta Here, FanSided’s home for everything Phillies."

Key Injuries:

Old Friends:

  • Torey Lovullo: That’s right, the current D-Backs’ manager once rocked the red-and-white pinstripes. In fact, it was the last MLB team he ever suited up for. Back in 1999, Lovullo went 8-for-38 with two home runs in 17 games for Philadelphia.
  • Clay Buchholz: In between his historic Red Sox career and his 2018 resurgence with the D-Backs, Clay started two games for the Phillies in 2017. They were not pretty, however, resulting in just 7.1 innings pitched and 10 earned runs.
  • Jake Diekman: The D-Backs newest reliever was drafted by the Phillies and spent the majority of his career with them. From 2012-2015, the lefty pitched in 191 games for Philly with a 3.84 ERA.
  • Zac Curtis: Although Curtis was DFA’d to make room for Ramos, he’s almost cleared waivers and could be in Triple-A very shortly. Having said that, Curtis was a sixth-round pick for Arizona in the 2014 MLB Draft. He threw 13.1 innings for the D-Backs in 2016 before getting traded to Seattle in a deal that brought back Ketel Marte and Taijuan Walker. Since moving onto Philly, he’s been wild (12 BB) but effective (2.03 ERA) in 13.1 innings.

Next. Highlights From D-Backs 20th Anniversary Ceremony. dark

Stat Nerds:

  • As of August 6th, Ketel Marte is the only MLB player with at least 10 singles, doubles, triples, and home runs in 2018.
  • David Peralta is hitting .470 (8-for-17) since returning to the D-Backs lineup on August 2nd.
  • Arizona is 8-2 in their last 10 games against Philadelphia.

Fun Stuff:

  • Both Arizona and Philadelphia are leading their respective divisions going into their series. Arizona, however, is tied with the Dodgers while the Phillies hold the NL East’s top spot outright.
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