With the Phillies and Dodgers less than an hour away from first pitch, here are a few things to consider.
On the bump:
- Antonio Bastardo (1-0, 1.50) gets the start for the Phillies. In his major league debut against the Padres on Tuesday, Bastardo tossed six innings of one-run ball, fanning five and walking one. The only run scored via an Adrian Gonzalez home run. The southpaw went 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA in 11 minor league starts this season.
- Randy Wolf (3-1, 3.21) toes the rubber for the Dodgers. He’s coming off a rough start against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, when he yielded a season-high five runs over six innings, but was handed a no-decision. He hasn’t lost a decision since his season-debut on April 7 against the Padres. The ex-Phillie has allowed two runs or less in five of his last seven starts.
Going for 40:
- The Dodgers have steamrolled their way through the first half of the season. With a 39-19 record (.672 winning percentage) the next closest teams to their win total are the Brewers, Red Sox, Yankees and Rangers who are tied with 33.
In the clutch:
- Andre Ethier has ended each of the last two games in walk-off fashion, first with a game-winning RBI double off Brad Lidge on Friday and then a 12th inning solo home run that broke a 2-2 tie on Saturday. Ethier was slumping for the better part of a month, but has hits in 10 of his last 11 games.
Road warriors:
- The Phillies are 20-8 on the road this season, the best record in baseball. They are currently 4-2 on their 10-game roadtrip.
Fantasy angle:
- Jonathan Broxton has fanned 30 over 17 2/3 scoreless innings at Dodger Stadium this season. Opponents are batting just .070 (4-for-57) off him there.
- Juan Pierre is batting .455 (20-for-44) against left-handers this season.
