The Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals will play the rubber match of their current series and their season series Wednesday afternoon.
The teams have split the first two games of their series at Citizens Bank Park and are 3-3 against one another in 2018. Jake Arrieta and Michael Wacha will face off for the second time this season.
Arrieta (5-5
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Arrieta gave up four runs (two earned) in just three innings against the Cardinals during a rain-shortened start on May 18.
Arrieta also had a short outing the last time he was on the mound. Facing the Brewers last Friday, he surrendered eight runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. It marked the third straight start in which Arrieta gave up at least four earned runs, and his ERA has risen from 2.16 to 3.33 over that span.
Arrieta took blame after the 13-2 loss.
“It was (bad) all the way around,” he told mlb.com. “I single-handedly lost us the game. I put up a five-spot in the second inning, and it wasn’t because of the defense really. And again, if there’s a play on defense that’s not made, it’s our job to get the next guy out to pick that guy up. And I didn’t do that.”
Wacha (8-2, 3.24 ERA) is also coming off a short start.
The right-hander was hit hard against the Cubs on Friday. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) on seven hits and four walks in four innings. Wacha picked up just his second loss of the season and his first since his season debut against the New York Mets on March 31.
Wacha gave up three homers in the loss after allowing just three long balls in his previous 12 starts.
“They were all elevated
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Wacha tied his season-high with eight strikeouts against the Phillies on May 18. He allowed only two runs on five hits across six innings in that start, and has a 4.15 ERA in six career starts against Philadelphia.
Wacha will try to help the Cardinals win back-to-back games for the first time since June 8-9.
St. Louis was a 7-6 winner Tuesday night thanks in large part to Matt Carpenter. The infielder hit the game-winning home run in the ninth inning off Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez and also had a two-run double. Carpenter has homered in three straight contests and is hitting .316 in his last 13 games.
Carpenter has just four hits in 38 lifetime at-bats against Arrieta, but two of them have been home runs.
DENVER — Outfielder Brandon Nimmo will seek an encore performance after a memorable return to the region where he grew up and will try to continue his startling power surge Tuesday when the New York Mets look to win their fourth straight game and again beat the Colorado Rockies.
The Mets blasted the Rockies 12-2 on Monday with their biggest outburst since they scored 12 runs on May 15 against Toronto. Nimmo, who grew up in Cheyenne, Wyo., about 100 miles from Denver, led off the game with an inside-the-park home run and went 4-for-6 with two home runs and a career-high four RBI. The four hits tied his career-high and occurred after he hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth inning Sunday at Arizona.
Nimmo has hit a career-high 12 home runs this season and 10 since May 23, a 25-game stretch that also includes 19 extra-base hits and 17 RBI. Getting closer to the plate and eliminating his stride are among the suggestions Nimmo got from Mets coaches that have helped him improve his swing.
“I’ve been able to be more consistent when they make mistakes,” Nimmo said. “That’s really been the biggest things
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Left-hander Jason Vargas (2-5, 7.39 ERA) will start for the Mets on Tuesday against German Marquez (4-7, 5.13).
The Rockies will look to end an eight-game losing streak at Coors Field, during which they have been outscored 81-39. Their longest losing streak at home was nine consecutive games at Mile High Stadium from July 25 to Aug. 18, 1993.
The Rockies (34-38) have lost nine of their past 11 games and 13 of their past 17, a slide that has dropped them a season-most four games below .500
Starter Tyler Anderson gave up three runs in 5 1/3 innings before relievers Harrison Musgrave, Jake McGee, Jeff Hoffman and Brooks Pounders combined to allow nine runs in 3 2/3 innings, raising the ERA for the Rockies relievers to a National League-worst 5.60.
“Is there a higher ceiling for this group? For sure
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Vargas is 2-2, 9.00 in five starts against the Rockies, the last in 2014. He’s 1-2, 11.40 in three starts at Coors Field, allowing three runs in seven innings in the most recent one in 2012 while pitching for Seattle.
Marquez is 0-2, 8.44 in three starts this month and last won on May 27 against Cincinnati. He’s 1-4, 7.71 in seven starts at home this season.
Marquez is 1-0, 3.75 in two starts against the Mets. He beat them this season on May 4 at Citi Field, allowing two runs in six innings in Colorado’s 8-7 victory and got a no-decision Aug. 3
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The Mets (31-38) will be trying to win four straight games for the first time since May 18-21. They have since gone 7-19, and Monday’s victory was just the sixth for the Mets in their past 19 games. Monday also marked Nimmo’s second game at Coors Field. He pinc hit and grounded into a fielder’s choice last season on Aug. 2.
“I remember I broke my bat,” Nimmo said. “I did a little bit better today.”
Nimmo’s two-homer, four-hit game raised his average to .287 in 60 games with 22 RBI and a 1.013 OPS.
“It’s a much different feel (than last year),” Nimmo said. “It’s a different experience, but I’m glad to be here. Very, very blessed. Most people do not get to out their dream like this and wonder what it’s like to play on that field and then get to experience that some day in the big leagues. So really, really blessed.”
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