Phillies (62-97) vs. Marlins (69-90) — doubleheader
Game 1 at 4:05 p.m. on CSN
Game 2 follows on CSN
The Phillies are nearing the finish line of this onerous season, but don’t think Saturday’s doubleheader against the Miami Marlins holds little weight.
We’ll have that and more in five things you need to know for the double dip.
1. We’re No. 1
Suddenly, thanks to the Reds’ absolute nosedive, the Phillies have company in the basement and competition for next season’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
Cincinnati has lost 13 straight and is now just a half game ahead of the Phillies for worst record in the majors. The Reds’ final two games come against A.J. Burnett, J.A. Happ and the playoff-ready Pittsburgh Pirates, while the Phillies have three to go against the Marlins.
A good thing for the Phillies is that they hold the tiebreaker, which is record from the previous season.
And there’s plenty to be had with the 2016 top pick, outlined here by CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury (see story).
MLB
2. Triple digits?
The Phillies need just one more win to keep their name out of the history books.
The club has not lost 100 games since 1961 — and it doesn’t sound like manager Pete Mackanin wants any part of being the next.
“It would be nice [to avoid],” he said Thursday after the Phillies won their fourth in a row with a three-game sweep of the NL East champion Mets. “Nobody wants to lose 100 games. These last three wins were good for everybody’s mental health.”
However, one more loss will give the Phillies their most defeats since 1969, when they dropped 99 games.
But hey, it wouldn’t be 100.
3. Harang, Asher finish up
Veteran right-hander Aaron Harang (6-15, 4.86 ERA) takes the ball in Game 1 for the Phillies, while rookie right-hander Alec Asher (0-5, 9.00 ERA) goes in Game 2.
For Harang, it’s undoubtedly his last start in a Phillies uniform. The 37-year-old was signed to a one-year deal last offseason and it’s highly unlikely the Phillies bring him back in 2016.
Following a strong start, Harang quickly went south before hitting the disabled list with plantar fasciitis.
Since June 4, Harang is 2-10 in 17 starts with a 6.99 ERA and 21 homers allowed. But his last two outings have gone for quality starts, while he also has a pair of seven-inning, two-run performances against Miami this season.
Meanwhile, for Asher, his Phillies career is just underway. His first taste of the big leagues hasn’t gone well and he’ll be happy to have one more start. That’s because his previous one went just two-thirds of an inning in which he allowed five runs on two homers and two walks to the Mets.
He may be facing the ideal team to go out on a positive. Just nine days ago, Asher threw seven innings of one-run ball against the Marlins.
4. Scouting Koehler, Nicolino
Harang will be opposed by right-hander Tom Koehler (11-14, 4.00 ERA), while Asher goes up against a fellow rookie in left-hander Justin Nicolino (4-4, 4.16 ERA).
Koehler owns a road ERA of 4.70 this season compared to a 3.29 mark at home and is 0-2 with a 4.68 ERA in five games (four starts) lifetime at Citizens Bank Park.
The 29-year-old primarily throws four pitches, featuring a four-seam fastball (93 mph) and slow curveball (80), while mixing in a slider (87) and sinker (93).
Nicolino has nearly as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21), while his longest start of his career came against the Phillies on Aug. 22 when he threw 7 2/3 innings and surrendered just two runs.
The 23-year-old, a former 2010 second-round pick of the Blue Jays, rarely throws a fastball, and instead relies on a sinker (89 mph), changeup (82) and curveball (76).
5. This and that
• The Phillies are 9-7 against the Marlins this season.
• Darin Ruf has four home runs and 10 RBIs in his last nine games.
• The Phillies have not won five consecutive games since July 22-28.