Division leads are perilous at best in the National League. Today, Arizona leads the NL West and Philadelphia leads the NL East, but that doesn’t mean that they will tomorrow. That’s why tonight’s game (and seemingly every game) is so important. Arizona took the opener of the series 3-2 in 14 innings on Monday night, even after Philadelphia carried a two-run lead and a five-game winning streak into the 9th. The Diamondbacks lead the season series 3-1.
- The D-Backs are 7-2 SU in Zack Greinke’s last nine starts.
- The total has gone UNDER in eight of the Phillies’ last nine games with an average combined score of 6.22.
- Both teams have a team batting average of .237 (T-26th MLB)
Phillies vs Diamondbacks Matchup Page
Greinke One of MLB’s Best
Zack Greinke (12-6, 2.96 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) was the hard-luck loser his last time out, allowing two runs on four hits through six innings against San Francisco. Greinke is 6-1 with a 1.32 ERA in his last eight starts, allowing a maximum of two earned runs per start. He has accomplished that feat in 16 of his 23 starts in 2018.
Arizona’s ace is among NL leaders in wins (2nd), WHIP (4th), strikeouts (4th), innings pitched (4th), and ERA (5th). The D-Backs have won seven of Greinke’s last nine starts against the Phillies.
Nick Pivetta (6-9, 4.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) gets the ball for the Phillies in the middle game of this early week series. It’s been an up and down year for the Canadian hurler, but Philadelphia has won four of his last six starts. He’s coming off a no-decision vs Miami on August 2 where he allowed four hits and two earned runs over six innings of work.
This is just Pivetta’s second career start vs the D-Backs. In 2017, Arizona knocked Pivetta off the mound with two outs in the third inning after tagging him for seven hits and six earned runs. Pivetta served up five walks in that game. By comparison, Pivetta has allowed just five walks combined in his last five starts.
Division Leaders Batting .237??
It’s not often you see a team that’s hitting a combined .237 (T-26th in MLB) on top of the division standings, but that’s the case for both the Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Make no mistake, they are getting by on their pitching and defense, and not the numbers they’re putting up. The Phils’, led by Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta, have a team ERA of 3.74 - 6th in the majors. Arizona’s team ERA is 3.63, good for 4th in MLB, with opponents hitting, believe it or not, .237 against the D-Backs staff.
Opponents are hitting just .240 vs Philadelphia pitching. When you combine that with the low offensive numbers they put up, it’s no surprise that the total has gone UNDER in eight of their last nine games with an average combined score of 6.22.
