Phillies at Nationals
Manager Dave Martinez's decision to move Bryce Harper to the leadoff spot has paid immediate dividends, not only for the former National League MVP, but for the Washington Nationals as well. With four of his NL-leading 12 home runs coming over those four contests, the five-time All-Star looks to remain locked in at the plate when the red-hot Nationals continue their three-game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
Harper batted .247 with eight home runs, 19 RBIs and 38 walks over his first 29 games out of the third spot in the lineup before Martinez moved him up in an effort to force pitchers to throw him more strikes. The 25-year-old Las Vegas native homered in his first two at-bats from atop the order in Friday's series-opening 7-3 win and is 6-for-17 with nine RBIs since the move. While Washington is riding a season-high six-game winning streak and averaging 7.8 runs with Harper leading off, Philadelphia quickly is fading since its surprising 16-9 start. Carlos Santana and Maikel Franco each homered and combined to drive in all three runs on Friday, but the Phillies have scored fewer than four runs four times while dropping five of their last six.
TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, MASN (Washington)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Vince Velasquez (1-4, 5.70 ERA) vs. Nationals RH Tanner Roark (2-2, 3.55)
Velasquez's roller-coaster season continued Sunday against Atlanta as he gave up a season-high six earned runs and seven hits - two homers - in four innings. The 25-year-old is 0-2 with a 10.39 ERA over his last two turns after a three-outing stretch during which he went 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA while posting a 20:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Harper is 5-for-6 with a home run and five RBIs against Velasquez, who is 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA in four starts versus the Nationals.
Roark posted his first victory since his season debut on Monday as he held Pittsburgh to two runs in seven frames, The native of Illinois has limited his opponents to fewer than three runs in four of his six trips to the mound, posting a .194 batting average against and 1.03 WHIP while logging at least six innings in all but one turn. Roark went 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in five starts versus the Phillies last year and is 6-6 with a 3.96 mark in 17 career appearances (15 starts) against them.
WALK-OFFS
1. Martinez told reporters after Friday's game that he expects 3B Anthony Rendon (toe) to be activated from the disabled list on Saturday.
2. Philadelphia 1B Rhys Hoskins went 0-for-4 on Friday, marking only the third time in which he failed to reach base in 30 starts this season.
3. Washington 1B Matt Adams is 6-for-14 with four walks, four homers, seven RBIs and seven runs scored since replacing Harper as the third hitter in the order.