Phillies at Orioles
The Philadelphia Phillies have shown they can step to the plate at Citizens Bank Park, with their recent 5-1 homestand improving their mark to 16-6 in the City of Brotherly Love. The Phillies have dropped six of their last nine outside the city limits, however, as they head down I-95 to begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday with the opener of an abbreviated two-game series versus the Baltimore Orioles.
After initially providing pennies on the dollar, Carlos Santana has started paying significant dividends on the three-year, $60 million contract he signed in the offseason. The 32-year-old Dominican went deep in Philadelphia's 4-2 triumph over the New York Mets on Sunday, marking his fifth homer in nine outings while improving to 12-for-37 with 16 RBIs and eight runs scored in that stretch. Baltimore has discovered its offense while taking three of four from Tampa Bay, as the club belted four of its dozen homers in the series in Sunday's emphatic 17-1 romp over the Rays. "There's really no explanation for why April went the way it did," said Danny Valencia, who homered to highlight a career high-tying four-hit performance.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, MASN2 (Baltimore)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Nick Pivetta (2-2, 4.15 ERA) vs. Orioles RH Andrew Cashner (1-4, 4.84)
Pivetta answered a brutal outing with one of his best of the season on Wednesday, scattering four hits and striking out seven over five scoreless innings in an 11-3 romp over San Francisco. The 25-year-old British Columbia native, who emerged victorious for the first time since April 5, had been blitzed for six runs - including two homers - in one inning in his previous start. Pivetta and the rest of the Phillies starters have stepped up their game this month, with the group posting a 1.99 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 11 games while holding opponents to a .209 batting average.
Cashner received his second straight no-decision and saw his winless stretch extend to six outings (0-3) on Wednesday despite allowing three runs on six hits in six innings versus Kansas City. The 31-year-old was taken deep for the fifth straight outing against the Royals, raising his home run total to 10 in 44 2/3 innings after surrendering just 15 in 166 2/3 frames in 2017. Cesar Hernandez (5-for-11, four walks) and Odubel Herrera (6-for-14, two homers) have taken Cashner to task, but the right-hander sports a 4-1 career mark versus the Phillies.
WALK-OFFS
1. Herrera has reached base in 41 consecutive games, which is tied with Pete Rose (1982) and Don Hurst (1929) for the fifth-longest streak in Phillies' franchise history.
2. Orioles 3B Manny Machado is 9-for-24 with four homers, 11 RBIs and eight runs scored in his last six games.
3. Philadelphia 3B Maikel Franco has answered a seven-game hitting streak with a 1-for-11 rut with three strikeouts in his last three contests.