Phillies Series Preview: vs Arizona Diamondbacks

The Philadelphia Phillies host the Arizona Diamondbacks of the NL West in a four game wraparound weekend series at Citizens Bank Park.

There appears to be no righting the fast-sinking ship that is this Philadelphia Phillies team. The once-promising 2016 campaign sprung a leak, began taking on water, listing, and is now in full-scale Titanic mode.

Right now the only questions appear to be how far they will sink – straight to the MLB bottom once again?

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who come to Citizens Bank Park for a four-game weekend wraparound series beginning tonight and ending on Monday are actually even worse off than the Fightin’ Phils, at least as far as their win-loss record.

That Dbacks are 29-39 and sit in 4th place in the five-team NL West Division, 12.5 games behind the front-runners. They hold a pair of five game winning streaks, the last ending on May 10th to get them within a game of the .500 mark.

The biggest culprit for Arizona has been their pitching staff, an area that was expected to be a major strength when the season opened.

The Dbacks signed big money free agent Zack Greinke to front the group, traded for Shelby Miller, had talented Patrick Corbin returning fully from injury, and had blossoming prospect Archie Bradley nearly ready to contribute.

But now, two and a half months into the season, the Dbacks find themselves 26th of 30 MLB teams in ERA, 22nd in BAA, and they have allowed the fourth-most walks in the game.

The Phillies are scheduled to see Greinke, Bradley, Corbin, and lefty Robbie Ray in this series. Miller went 1-6 with an ERA of 7.09 before having to be placed on the disabled list.

On offense, 1st baseman Paul Goldschmidt can be a one-man wrecking crew. The 2015 NL MVP runner-up, ‘Goldy’ is hitting for a .281/.423/.489 slash line with a dozen homers, 42 RBI, 36 runs scored, and eight stolen bases.

2nd baseman Jean Segura is turning in a fine season after coming over from Milwaukee. He has a .305 average, 34 runs, and seven stolen bases. 3rd baseman Jake Lamb has hit 12 homers, has 40 RBI and 30 runs scored.

The Dbacks have a half-dozen players with six or more homers, including the three mentioned above, as well as catcher Welington Castillo, left fielder Yasmany Tomas, and utility man Brandon Drury. Were it not for some missed time with injuries, right fielder David Peralta would easily be there as well.

You a fan of day baseball, like I am? Well then you will love this series. Friday will be a night game, but the following three will all be played under the glare of the afternoon sun.

This will be yet another series where the Phillies are facing a team with far more firepower than they possess themselves. Arizona under manager Chip Hale is also a team that is not afraid to run. Three players have seven or more steals, and seven have three or more swipes.

Next: PHILLIES - DBACKS PITCHING MATCHUPS

FRIDAY: Adam Morgan (1-5, 6.33 ERA) vs Robbie Ray (3-5, 4.57 ERA): after opening his season with three straight strong starts, the 24-year old southpaw Ray has failed to reach the 7th inning in eight of his last ten outings. In those last ten he has an ERA of 5.51 and has allowed 65 hits over 50.2 innings. However, he also has a 61/21 K:BB ratio over that span, so while he can get hit, he also piles up the K’s, and this free-swinging Phillies lineup could play right into his hands. Morgan rebounded nicely in his last start, but only after putting the Phils into a big hole. He has much to prove moving forward.

SATURDAY: Jerad Eickhoff (4-8, 3.40 ERA) vs Zack Greinke (9-3, 3.75 ERA): the now 32-year old right-handed Greinke was the 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner as a member of the Kansas City Royals. After moving through Milwaukee and on to LA, Greinke was an NL All-Star and Gold Glover the last two seasons with the Dodgers. His K/9 are down for a 2nd straight year, his H/9 and HR/9 are up this season, but he is coming on fast. Greinke has won six straight starts. Over those half-dozen most recent outings he has allowed just 30 hits in 44 innings with a 35/6 K:BB ratio, and has lowered his ERA by more than a run and a half. He will pose a major challenge for the anemic Phils offense. Eickhoff has been outstanding his last two outings. He’ll need to be again for the club to have a shot.

SUNDAY: Zach Eflin (0-1,27.00 ERA) vs Archie Bradley (2-3, 5.66 ERA): a pair of promising youngsters match up here. Bradley has been a Top 100 MLB Prospect for a couple of years now. Since being recalled from AAA in late May he has allowed just 17 hits in 24.2 innings over four starts with a 33/11 K:BB ratio. Included in there was a 10-strikeout effort at Wrigley Field. Eflin was shelled in his first big league start against a potent Toronto Blue Jays lineup. This lineup is not quite that powerful, but they do have a number of offensive producers. This will be a big test of not only his stuff, but his mental makeup, his ability to bounce back.

MONDAY: Jeremy Hellickson (4-5, 4.46 ERA) vs Patrick Corbin (3-6, 4.76 ERA): the 26-year old southpaw Corbin missed the entire 2014 season and much of the start of the 2015 campaign following Tommy John surgery. Expected to be primed and ready to go this year, he has failed to perform up to lofty expectations. However, Corbin is working on a streak of three consecutive Quality Starts, and the Phillies may be catching him at just the wrong time. Hellickson pitched last season in Arizona, going 9-12 with a 4.62 ERA for the Dbacks, so their lineup and coaching staff should be familiar with him. He has gone at least six innings in seven of his last eight starts, so he certainly does give the Phillies innings.

Next: PHILLIES KEYS TO VICTORY OVER THE DBACKS

GO FOR THE GOLD(Y): the Phillies need to control Goldschmidt as best they can. He can be a one-man wrecking crew at times, and is the type of player who can carry his club over a series. The Phillies arms are best served pitching around him, frankly.

GO THE DISTANCE: the Phillies starting pitchers don’t necessarily have to actually pitch a Complete Game. But the starters must begin to pitch effectively and economically enough to post Quality Starts, giving the team a chance to win and the bullpen a chance to be rested and effective themselves.

GO YARD: the Phillies need both Maikel Franco and Tommy Joseph pounding the ball at the same time. Here in a home series, with two left-handers making starts against them, would seem the perfect opportunity to begin establishing themselves as a legit 1-2 punch in the middle of the Phils’ lineup.

Next: PHILLIES WEEKEND TV & RADIO BROADCAST SCHEDULE

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Arizona Diamondbacks

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