Phillies-Marlins 5 things: Jake Thompson aims to follow Mark Leiter Jr.'s lead

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Phillies (46-79) vs. Marlins (62-63)
1:05 p.m. on CSN; streaming live on CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App

The Phillies got back in the win column on Wednesday night after a pair of losses during Tuesday's doubleheader. The Phils aim for their second straight four-game split with Jake Thompson getting called up for the start. Former Phillies right-hander Vance Worley will take the hill for the Marlins.

Here are five things to know for the series finale on Thursday afternoon:

1. Calling on Thompson
Thompson returns to the rotation for the first time in three weeks after a lackluster outing in Anaheim on Aug. 2.

Thompson has made only five appearances this season, including two starts. Before allowing seven runs (two earned) on nine hits in five innings against the Angels, he threw five shutout innings in a spot start against the Braves at home. 

In 15 innings this year, he's allowed 12 runs on 20 hits (and seven walks). He's struck out 10 batters and allowed four home runs, three of which came against the Angels. 

The 23-year-old righty has made three starts in Triple A Lehigh Valley in the last few weeks. He had one quality start against Charlotte, the White Sox's Triple A team, but in 17 1/3 innings he has given up 21 hits and 10 runs. He's even walked 10 compared to just 14 strikeouts. 

He has a 4.20 ERA this season, but his peripherals suggest he's been much worse than that, particularly with his high walk and low strikeout rates. He has yet to face the Marlins in his career before Thursday.

2. Unleash the Vanimal
Worley, who spent his first few seasons in Philadelphia, returns to Citizens Bank Park for just the third time as an opposing player.

He's spent the entire season in the Marlins' system and has faced the Phillies twice in relief earlier this season, both times at Marlins Park. In four innings, he's allowed three runs, all of which came in one outing.

The "Vanimal" is back in the Marlins' rotation after spending over a month in relief. The 29-year-old righty has a 3.08 ERA in his last five starts and the team is 4-1 in his starts. His peripherals aren't ideal with just an 11-9 K-BB rate while allowing 23 hits in 26 1/3 innings. However, he's allowed only one home run, though all five starts came in pitcher's parks.

He has a 4.82 ERA in 56 innings this season and his strikeout rate is near his career low. Worley has been able to cut down on both his walks and home runs. He is not close to his 2011 rookie campaign with the Phils, but he's still been a serviceable pitcher in the Marlins' rotation.

Worley's fastball sits around 90 mph and he throws it 90 percent of the time. He throws three different fastballs — a sinker, cutter and four-seamer — while mixing in an occasional curveball.

In 13 career innings against the Phillies, he has a 4.85 ERA. Freddy Galvis is 4 for 6 with a BB against him. Tommy Joseph is 2 for 2 while Maikel Franco is 1 for 2 with a double.

3. Dog days of the rotation
While the Phillies are 33 games under .500, there is plenty to watch down the stretch, particularly in the team's rotation. 

After Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin were placed on the 60-day and 10-day disabled list, respectively, there are now a few rotation spots up for grabs surrounding Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff, now the longest-tenured members of the rotation. Even Eickhoff is getting an extra day between starts after his velocity drop last time around, so there is plenty of flux surrounding this staff.

It's hard not to be reminded of last season, when nearly every member of the rotation saw their season end early of Eickhoff and Jeremy Hellickson. That led to plenty of young starters, including Thompson, getting the chance to show off their stuff in the last month or two of the season. 

That is the benefit and curse of the Hellickson trade. The team no longer has a veteran innings eater, so the last 40 days of the season is a chance for pitchers like Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta and Thompson to sink or swim. Mark Leiter Jr. kept his hat firmly in the ring with seven shutout innings of one-hit ball on Wednesday (see story).

An interesting wild card in all of this is Henderson Alvarez, who the Phillies signed to a minor-league deal. The former All-Star underwent shoulder surgery for the second consecutive year in 2016 and couldn't find a deal in affiliated ball this season. He was solid for the Long Island Ducks in seven starts and one report had him hitting 98 mph with his fastball. 

You can laugh at independent ball like the Atlantic League all you want, but Rich Hill has made a pretty impressive comeback also starting with the Ducks and there are other success stories to point to.

While Rhys Hoskins and the other hitting prospects will likely grab the headlines for the Phils in the last month or so, how the rotation shakes out will also have a strong affect on next season and even the offseason. If pitchers like Thompson and Leiter don't impress down the stretch, the team may feel compelled to sign more veteran starters to take the innings next year.

4. Players to watch
Phillies: Hoskins drilled another homer on Wednesday, his seventh of the year, and is now batting .271/.407/.729 through 14 career games. That's Aaron Judge/Cody Bellinger-esque right now.

Marlins: Another guy hitting like Judge and Bellinger is the man to whom Judge is most often compared: Giancarlo Stanton. He went 0 for 4 on Wendesday but he's up to 46 home runs this year, including 13 in August alone.

5. This and that
• Hill threw nine no-hit innings on Wednesday for the Dodgers before allowing a walk-off home run in the 10th inning. The last pitcher to throw 10 innings in a game? Cliff Lee on April 18, 2012, with the Phillies. 

Before Lee, the last two to do it were both former Phillies, although they each did it before they came to Philadelphia. Both Roy Halladay and Aaron Harang accomplished the feat in 2007.

• The Phillies are 5-6 against the Marlins this season, but they're 3-2 against the Fish at CBP. The Phils went 10-9 last season against Miami, the only team they had a winning record against in division. 

• After facing the Cubs for three games this weekend, the Phillies play 17 straight games in the division. Believe it or not, the team is actually 25-24 against NL East opponents this year, buoyed by an 11-2 mark against the Braves.

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