Phillies will try for a rare 2019 series sweep in Cardinals finale

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Gabe Kapler has the Phillies in first despite inability to sweep series

This will be the finale of a three-game series between the two clubs, as well as the final meeting between them scheduled for the 2019 regular season.

The two teams have battled the weather in the first two games, as a major wave of powerful thunderstorms has been pushing through the area. Each of those first two contests was delayed at the outset by an hour or more.

This afternoon’s game should get underway as scheduled. The chance of precipitation is low at first pitch time and throughout the game. However, between 4-6 pm another round of storms is expected to roll through the area. Hopefully the game will be concluded before those arrive. Once begun, neither of the series first two games was actually delayed at any point.

This is also the lone series at home for manager Gabe Kapler and the Phillies in the middle of a stretch in which they play 13 of 16 on the road. They are now 10-6 during what we described weeks ago as a 23-game “crucible” of a test against tough teams from outside their division.

With the team immediately leaving for a west coast road trip to Los Angeles and San Diego, this will be the home fans last chance to see the Phillies until next Friday. That means that it’s also the last time to enjoy the antics of the Phillie Phanatic at Citizens Bank Park until next weekend.

THURSDAY STARTING LINEUPS

PHILLIES LINEUP

1. Andrew McCutchen LF
2. Jean Segura SS
3. Bryce Harper RF
4. Rhys Hoskins 1B
5. Cesar Hernandez 2B
6. Scott Kingery CF
7. Andrew Knapp C
8. Maikel Franco 3B
9. Jerad Eickhoff P

CARDINALS LINEUP

1. Kolten Wong 2B
2. Paul DeJong SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt 1B
4. Marcell Ozuna LF
5. Jose Martinez RF
6. Matt Wieters C
7. Jedd Gyorko 3B
8. Harrison Bader CF
9. Dakota Hudson P

INJURY REPORT

CARDINALS: Remain mostly healthy with just a pair of relievers on the IL in RH Mike Mayers and LH Brett Cecil

PHILLIES: Bullpen remains depleted with the following on the IL – Adam Morgan, David Robertson, Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, Edubray Ramos, Victor Arano. Outfielder Roman Quinn also remains out. None are due back until some time in June at the earliest.

SHIBE VINTAGE SPORTS STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP

• Jerad Eickhoff: 2-2, 3,86 ERA, 1.190 WHIP, 35 hits allowed over 42 innings across eight games (seven starts) with a 39/15 K:BB ratio.
• The Phillies 28-year-old right-hander is making third career start vs Saint Louis: 1-1, 1.93 ERA, nine hits allowed over 14 innings. At Busch Stadium back on May 8, Eickhoff went eight innings and registered his most recent win on the season, allowing just three hits.
• Eickhoff has pitched poorly over his last three starts: 17 hits allowed over 12 innings with an 8/4 K:BB. He has a .333 batting average against and has surrendered seven home runs in that span, lasting no more than five innings.
• Dakota Hudson: 3-3, 4.22 ERA, 1.631 WHIP, 63 hits allowed over 53.1 innings across 11 games (10 starts) with a 38/24 K:BB ratio.
• Hudson is a 24-year-old righty from Chattanooga, Tennessee who was the Cardinals supplemental first round pick at 34th overall in the 2016 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State University.
• Hudson has made one career start previously vs the Phillies, that coming back on May 7 this season. He lasted five innings during an 11-1 Phillies victory, allowing eight runs (just two earned) on seven hits and three walks at Busch Stadium.

PHILLIES NUGGETS PREGAME NOTES

• After dropping the first two games of this series, the Cardinals are now just 6-18 over their last 24 games. They have fallen from first place with a 3.5 game lead in the NL Central at the start of this poor stretch to now fourth place, five games out.
• The Phillies have now won five of their last six games and nine of 12. They are also 20-10 over the last month, building a 3.5 game lead (four in the loss column) in the NL East Division standings. The club has spent just seven days all season out of first place, none lower than second place.
• Phillies will be going for just their third series sweep of the 2019 season. Each of the others came at Citizens Bank Park: Atlanta in the season’s first series back in late March, and Colorado two weeks ago.
• After this game the Phillies will travel out for their first west coast trip of the season. They visit the NL’s top team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, for three over this coming weekend. That will be followed by three in San Diego against Manny Machado and the Padres to open next week.
• Today will be another “Throwback Thursday” game, with the Phillies wearing the old powder blue style uniforms worn by the team for road games during the 1970’s and 1980’s.

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TICKET IQ PROGRAMMING INFORMATION

• Thursday May 30 at 1:05 pm EDT vs. the Saint Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park
• TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia; also MLB Network (out-of-market only)
• Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP, WTTM 1680 (Spanish)

Originally published at Phillies Nation as "Phillies go for sweep of Cardinals in Thursday series finale"