Citizens Bank Park will play host to a Thursday night MLB battle between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Diamondbacks (43-85) have dropped 49 of their 65 road games and own the worst overall record in the National League. On Wednesday, Arizona OF David Peralta collected three hits and drove in a pair of runs during a 5-2 road victory against Pittsburgh.
Twenty-six year old righty Zac Gallen (1-7 4.59 ERA) is a better pitcher than his record might indicate. In his last start, Gallen fanned nine batters in seven shutout innings during a 5-2 road loss against Colorado.
The Philadelphia Phillies have lost seven of their last ten games and trail Atlanta by five games for the top spot in the NL East Division standings. Last night, Philadelphia OF Bryce Harper hit a two-run blast during a 7-4 home loss versus Tampa Bay. SP Zack Wheeler (10-9) gave up seven runs (5 ER) in eight innings and took the loss for the Phillies, who fell to 63-63 on the year.
Philadelphia manager Joe Girardi will give the ball to right-hander Zach Eflin (4-7 4.17 ERA) on Thursday. Eflin has been sidelined with a knee injury and owns a respectable 1.24 WHIP through 105 plus innings so far this season.
