The Philadelphia Phillies will look to salvage a split when they wrap up their 2-game set tonight with the Tampa Bay Rays at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia lost a close one last night to Tampa, 3-1, but were without Andrew McCutchen and Rhys Hoskins. Both should be in the lineup tonight. Zack Wheeler, the expected starter for the Phillies, should be able to slow down the explosive Rays offense. Wheeler is 10-8 with an ERA of only 2.77 and a 1.00 WHIP. Ryan Yarbrough is expected on the hill for Tampa. Yarborough is 7-4 with a mediocre ERA of 4.57 and a 1.17 WHIP. Over his last 3 turns, Yarbrough is 0-0 and his ERA has jumped to 5.82. Philadelphia sits just 4-1/2 games back of Atlanta for the top spot in the NL East. Up next for the Phillies are three of the worst teams in the National League: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Washington Nationals, and Miami Marlins. Atlanta will have to face the red hot San Francisco Giants over the weekend, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, so now is the Phillies’ chance to gain some ground and it starts tonight. The Rays have won six straight against the Phillies but are just 3-7 in their last 10 at Citizens Bank Park.
TONIGHT’S PICK: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES