How to watch Asdrubal Cabrera make his Phillies debut
By John Town
Recently-acquired Asdrubal Cabrera will make his Phillies debut Saturday night against the Reds. Here is how you can watch it happen.
Asdrubal Cabrera will make his Phillies debut Saturday night against the Reds. He is in the starting lineup at shortstop replacing Scott Kingery, batting fifth.
Philadelphia acquired Cabrera from the Mets Friday in exchange for pitching prospect Franklyn Kilome. Kilome was the team’s 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com before the trade.
Here is all the info you need to watch Cabrera’s debut:
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Date: July 28, 2018
First Pitch: 6:40 PM ET
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Stadium: Great American Ball Park
Pitchers: Vince Velasquez (7-8, 4.05 ERA) vs Matt Harvey (5-6, 5.21 ERA)
Radio Station: 94 WIP, WTTM 1680; WLW 700, Reds Radio Network
TV Channel: NBC 10; FS-O
Live Stream: NBCSP Live, YouTube TV
Saturday will be the first time Cabrera has played shortstop in a year. He last played there July 27 last year and hasn’t been a full-time shortstop since 2016. His defense there is poor, which certainly won’t help this defense-deficient team. However, he is expected to move all around the infield, lessening his defensive impact.
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In 98 games with the Mets this year, Cabrera hit 18 home runs, drove in 58 runs, hit .277, and had an .817 OPS (125 OPS+). His batting average is better than any other Phillie, while his OPS and home runs are outclassed only by Rhys Hoskins. His bat is a huge pickup for this team, especially considering the lack of production they have gotten from the shortstop position.
Cabrera will be facing off against a former teammate in Harvey. After being released by the Mets, Harvey has been better, but not great, with the Reds. In 13 starts, he has a 4.50 ERA, 5-4 record, 1.221 WHIP, and 3.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Those numbers are at least better than his last two seasons in New York.
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This will be the first time Velasquez ever faces the Reds. He threw seven shutout innings in his last start against the Padres, striking out seven. His last outing was Tuesday night against the Dodgers, finishing out a 16-inning marathon of a game. In his last five appearances, Velasquez has a 1.23 ERA, 21 strikeouts, and eight walks in 22 innings.