Phillies: Five players to watch in the Cubs series this weekend

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 29: Roman Quinn #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides into third base on a triple in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

The Phillies are in desperate need of a turnaround, like they have all month, against the Cubs this weekend. Here are five players to watch in the series.

After yet another series loss to the Nationals, the Phillies dropped their record to 71-62. They remain three games behind the Braves despite going just 3-7 in their last ten games. Overall, they are 12-14 in August with just one game left to play. It will at least be tied for, if not the team’s worst month of the season.

Philadelphia is looking for any signs of life from its team, but they face a tough task against the Cubs this weekend. They are the best team in the National League with a 79-54 record and are coming into the series on fire with an 18-9 record. The odds are clearly stacked in their favor here.

The Cubs won the first series of the season between these two teams. The Phillies won the first game but lost the next two on a walk-off grand slam in the second game and by going 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position in the series finale. It was a series Philadelphia had more than enough chances to win but failed to execute. I’m glad that never changed.

This weekend’s series, like seemingly every one before it, could have significant implications on the playoff push. With that being said, let’s take a look at five players to keep an eye on this series.

Anthony Rizzo

As mentioned in the intro, the Cubs are red-hot coming into this series. Anthony Rizzo has played a huge part in their recent success. The three-time All-Star has been unstoppable at the plate with a .354/.440/.636 line, seven home runs, 17 runs batted in, 14 walks, and just 11 strikeouts in 27 games this month.

Rizzo started off the season poorly with a .149 batting average and .448 OPS in April and just a .246 average and .748 OPS in the first half. However, he had a strong month of July and even stronger July to propel his 2018 numbers up to a .280/.375/.478 line, 22 home runs, 86 runs batted in, and 2.3 wins above replacement. His final numbers may not live up to his previous levels of production, but he remains a threat at the plate.

In Chicago’s first series with the Phillies this season, Rizzo tormented them, hitting two home runs, collecting four hits and a walk, and driving in four runs. Considering how well he has done recently, he could be a threat to do even more damage this time around.

One thing that should be noted about Rizzo this year is that he has been significantly better at Wrigley Field. In home games, he has a .338 batting average and 1.017 OPS, driving in 52 runs. However, on the road he his hitting just .230 with a .707 OPS and 34 runs batted in. Hopefully, those road struggles continue while he is at Citizens Bank Park.

Jon Lester

Jon Lester was in the Cy Young conversation earlier this year with a strong first half. Through his first 19 starts, he had a 2.58 ERA, 1.191 WHIP, and 12-2 record. He was named an NL All-Star thanks to his strong start.

However, Lester has not been the same pitcher in the second half. In eight starts since the All-Star Break, Lester’s ERA has ballooned to 6.69 with a 1.686 WHIP while walking 3.37 batters per nine innings. He has a meager 2-3 record in this time. Lester has been better in his last three starts, giving up just four runs in 17.2 innings while striking out 14 batters.

Lester didn’t face the Phillies when the two teams played earlier this season. In nine starts against them during his career, Lester has a 7-0 record, 1.64 ERA, 0.978 WHIP, and just three home runs allowed in 60.1 innings. The last time he faced them on May 2, 2017, he allowed three runs on five walks and four hits in five innings, but he still pulled out the win as the Cubs lit up Jeremy Hellickson for six runs.

Lester will start Sunday, facing off against Aaron Nola. Lester will need to bring his best stuff if he has any chance of outdueling Nola, which he hasn’t had since the All-Star Break for the most part.

Nick Pivetta

Nick Pivetta will get the ball to open up the series Friday night, and it’s hard to know how he will fare. He started off August strong with three straight quality starts, allowing just three runs over 18 innings. He then got lit up in his last two starts, allowing 11 runs in 10.1 innings.

August has been a microcosm of Pivetta’s whole season. He started off great with a 3.26 ERA, 2.79 fielding-independent pitching, and 1.09 through May. His numbers have dropped off a cliff since the start of June with a 5.88 ERA, 4.22 ERA, and 1.45 WHIP over his last 15 starts.

Roman Quinn

Injury after injury has derailed Roman Quinn‘s career, but he is finally healthy again and showing why he such a well-touted prospect. Since his call-up at the end of July, he has been tremendous at the plate. He has a .369 batting average and .957 OPS fueled by a ridiculous .426 batting average on balls in play. For reference, no player since 1900 has qualified for the batting title with a BABIP that high.

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Quinn has been even more dominant over the last two weeks. Since Aug. 16, he has 17 hits, including a double, three triples, and his first major-league home run. He has scored nine runs and driven in five runs in these last 12 games. His speed makes him a huge run-scoring threat, stealing bases and taking extra bases every time he gets the chance.

Quinn has been a spark plug for an offense that has been dormant all August long. After being used near the bottom of the lineup since his call-up, Quinn was moved up to the top of the order, batting leadoff twice during the Nationals series. He has played center field fairly often with Odubel Herrera struggling, but he has gotten a few starts in at right field as well.

Quinn will almost certainly be in the lineup all weekend long as Gabe Kapler should continue to play the hot hand at the plate. Sitting Quinn over a slumping Herrera will certainly raise some question marks as this team needs to do whatever it can to win games.

Rhys Hoskins

Rhys Hoskins was still recovering from a broken jaw the last time the Phillies and Cubs played, so you have to go back almost exactly a year to the last (and only) time Hoskins played the Cubs. Let me give you a refresher on what Hoskins was doing at the time:

Hoskins was at the peak of his ridiculous major-league debut when the Cubs came to Philadelphia for Players Weekend last year. He ripped off a home run in each game to cap off a five-game home run streak and his record-setting 11th home run in his first 18 games. Boy, would that be nice to see again.

Unfortunately, this August did not go as well for Hoskins. He has a .223/.327/.447 line with six home runs and 13 runs batted in. He is suffering from a .217 batting average on balls in play this month, well below his season-long BABIP of .288. His 109 wRC+ in August is still above league-average, which is more than we can say for most of the team.

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Obviously, seeing Hoskins repeat what he did against the Cubs last year would be huge. If the Phillies are going to climb back into the playoff race, Hoskins needs to be on fire in September, starting with this weekend’s series.

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