Machado, Padres look to slow down Harper and the Phillies

Last night’s bottom of the ninth grand slam walk-off home run from Bryce Harper was nothing short of magical. It was one of those Philadelphia sports moments where you can easily recall where you were when it happened. Some disgruntled (or tired) Phillies fans may have already been asleep, but those who kept on watching, whether it be from inside the ballpark or at home, will have the memory of that home run etched in their memory for a long time.

Thursday’s victory could indicate the start of a late season run Gabe Kapler and the Phillies have continued to insist is still within them. The team will have a chance at proving just that if they can pull-off a victory against the San Diego Padres in Friday night’s series opener. Ironically, tonight is Super Hero Night at Citizens Bank Park. Kids attending the game are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Marvel hero. The youngsters should opt to wear a Harper jersey instead.

The team will face Padres rookie Chris Paddack. He’s a 23-year-old right-hander who is sure to become a star in the league. Paddack was shaky in his start against the Phillies in early June but since then, he has given up three earned runs or less in eight of his last nine starts. Manny Machado will also make his return to Philadelphia eight months after visiting the city on his free agency tour last season.

Here’s everything you need to know for tonight’s series opener against the Padres…

Padres Lineup 

1. Luis Urías, short stop
2. Josh Naylor, right field
3. Manny Machado, third base
4. Eric Hosmer, first base
5. Francisco Mejía, catcher
6. Will Myers, left field
7. Ty France, second base
8. Manuel Margot, center field
9. Chris Paddack, pitcher

Phillies Lineup 

1. Roman Quinn, center field
2. Bryce Harper, right field
3. J.T. Realmuto, catcher
4. Corey Dickerson, left field
5. Jean Segura, short stop
6. Logan Morrison, first base
7. Scott Kingery, third base
8. César Hernández, second base
9. Vince Velasquez, pitcher

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Vince Velasquez (4-7, 4.30 ERA, 5.45 FIP, 4.84 xFIP) vs. Chris Paddack (7-5, 3.26 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 4.13 xFIP)
• Velasquez has been superb against the Padres in his career. He has yet to give up an earned run against San Diego in just over 17 innings of work. Velasquez pitched a scoreless inning and a third at Petco Park in the Phillies 7-5 victory on June 5.
• As mentioned before, Paddack’s only career start against the Phillies was in June. He lasted only four and a third innings, giving up five earned runs and two home runs in a loss to the Phillies.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• After Thursday night’s victory, Rhys Hoskins underwent an X-ray on his right hand after getting hit with a 94-MPH fastball from Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop. Hoskins said after the game that he had so much adrenaline running through him at the moment that he didn’t feel much pain. He is out of the starting lineup for tonight’s game
• The Cubs win probability last night peaked at 99.4% when the first out was recorded in the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies win probability spiked to 32.3% when Harper stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded.
• Here is the bottom of the ninth inning of last night’s game in its entirety. Enjoy.

Ticket IQ Programming Information

• 7:05 at Citizens Bank Park
• NBC 10
• Sportsradio 94 WIP; WTTM 1680 (Spanish)