What to watch as Phillies face a team outside NL East for first time this season
Photo by Frank Franklin II/Associated Press
After four series agains the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves, the 6-6 Philadelphia Phillies will explore life outside the National League East as they face the 6-6 St. Louis Cardinals, who are a member of the NL Central.
Here’s what to watch:
Moniak set to make season debut
After Adam Haseley left the Phils for personal reasons, the team called up for first overall pick Mickey Moniak to fill Haseley’s spot.
Moniak will bat eighth and play center field Friday night.
Roman Quinn, the other center fielder on the Phillies’ roster, should still see his fair share of action, but a player with a career .650 OPS over five seasons shouldn’t be too much of an obstacle for Moniak.
Moniak, 22, was the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. He had an eight-game stint in the big leagues last year and had three hits in 14 at-bats.
He impressed team officials with his play in spring training.
Eflin gets the start
Phillies starter Zach Eflin was supposed to start Thursday against the Mets, but that game was rained out.
In his first two starts, he’s 0-0 with a 3.46 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, and 1.4 BB/9 through 13 IP. The two starts were against the Braves, he ran into a lot of bats in the second start and allowed 4 earned runs over 6 innings.
Lineups
Phillies:
Cardinals:
Tommy Edman 9
Paul Goldschmidt 3
Nolan Arenado 5
Yadier Molina 2
Matt Carpenter 4
Paul DeJong 6
Dylan Carlson 8
Justin Williams 7
Carlos Martínez 9
Essentials
When: 7:05 P.M. E.S.T.
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia +
Radio: 94.1 WIP
Social media coverage: Philly Sports Reports’ Twitter & Instagram.
