Phillies turn to Eflin in series finale against Nationals

The Phillies looked to be in prime position to take their series against the Nationals on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the bullpen coughed up a late lead and Washington took the win, 10-8. Five relievers combined to give up seven runs over the final three frames. On Sunday afternoon, the Phils will look to rebound from that tough loss behind right-hander Zach Eflin. There is plenty of rain in the forecast.

Eflin is coming off of one of his best starts of the season last time around. He hurled a complete-game, allowing one run while striking out three in a 3-1 win over the Marlins. Eflin has only allowed six earned runs over his last three starts, spanning 19 innings.

Meanwhile, on the offensive end, Jean Segura continued his hot hitting on Saturday night, tallying three more hits. He’s hitting .476 over the last five games. Rhys Hoskins also had a hit in the game, extending his hitting streak to seven games.

Phillies Lineup

1. Andrew McCutchen (LF)
2. Jean Segura (SS)
3. Bryce Harper (RF)
4. Rhys Hoskins (1B)
5. Odubel Herrera (CF)
6. Cesar Hernandez (2B)
7. Andrew Knapp (C)
8. Maikel Franco (3B)
9. Zach Eflin (P)

Nationals Lineup

1. Victor Robles (CF)
2. Wilmer Difo (3B)
3. Adam Eaton (RF)
4. Kurt Suzuki (C)
5. Brian Dozier (2B)
6. Andrew Stevenson (LF)
7. Carter Kieboom (SS)
8. Jake Noll (1B)
9. Anibal Sanchez (P)

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Zach Eflin (3-3, 3.34 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (0-4, 5.91 ERA)
• Eflin faced the Nationals in his first start this season, tossing five shutout innings with nine strikeouts in an 8-2 victory for Philadelphia.
• Anibal Sanchez’s first two starts this season came against the Phillies. In 9.2 innings, Sanchez surrendered seven runs on 11 hits, going 1-1 in those games.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• Philadelphia will be very busy on Sunday afternoon. The Broad Street Marathon has roads closed around the sports complex until 12:00 p.m. The Sixers also host the Raptors at the Wells Fargo Center at 3:30 p.m. for Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series.
• Washington will only come to Philadelphia one more time this season in July. The two teams have already played each other seven times over the first 32 games of the season. The Nationals have won four of the seven games.
• The Nationals enter Sunday’s game ailing. They placed Juan Soto on the injured list prior to Saturday’s game. During the game, Matt Adams (shoulder) and Michael Taylor (wrist) exited due to injury.
• J.T. Realmuto is 4-for-9 in his career against Anibal Sanchez with six RBIs. Jean Segura has five hits in nine career at-bats against Sanchez.
• Odubel Herrera returns to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring his hamstring on April 17. He went 0-for-2 off the bench on Saturday.

Programming Information

• 2:05 p.m. on Sunday, May 5 at Citizens Bank Park
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP