Gamethread 7/9: Phillies at Red Sox

Surprisingly, this has become a big series for the Phillies

Had you said two weeks ago that this series in Boston would be a big one for the Phillies, i probably would have laughed.

Snickered.

Guffawed.

Lo and behold, after beating up on the Chicago Cubs and with the Mets coming back to the pack a little bit, the Phillies suddenly look like they have a chance. Most of this optimism is thanks to the offense coming back to life, the aftereffect of having everyone healthy for the first time in forever. The defense gave a game away Wednesday night and the starting pitching has been inconsistent, but here we are. On June 26, they had a 6.7% chance of making the playoffs according to Fangraphs. Today, they’re at 14%.

So tonight becomes a big game. Here are the lineups for that game. For the Phillies:

Bryce Harper gets the first crack at DH tonight with Brad Miller deservedly getting the start in rightfield. Travis Jankowski continues to get more playing time in centerfield. Vince Velasquez toes the rubber, hoping to shut down a loaded Red Sox lineup. That lineup is:

Garrett Richards has really struggled lately, logging a 7.89 ERA over his last five starts. It’s a good opportunity for the Phillies to grab a quick win.

Let’s talk about it.