MLB LOOK AHEAD

After rainout, Phillies, Nats ready for series start

Field Level Media

June 18, 2019 at 5:04 am.

The second visit for Bryce Harper to Nationals Park as a visiting player had to wait at least one more day.

The first contest of the four-game set was rained out Monday in Washington, after a wait of nearly three hours. The game will be made up as part of a split doubleheader on Wednesday, with games at 1:05 p.m. ET and 7:05 p.m. ET.

The Tuesday game will feature Phillies right-hander Jake Arrieta (6-5, 4.31 ERA) against Nationals lefty Patrick Corbin (5-5, 4.11). Both of those pitchers were scheduled to throw on Monday.

Arrieta is 1-2 with a 5.07 ERA in 14 career starts against Washington.

He has lasted just 71 innings in those starts — just over five per outing — and has not beaten the Nationals since 2015.

Corbin, who signed with Washington prior to this season, has struggled in his past three starts, going 0-3 with an 11.37 ERA. He is 3-2 in his career against the Phillies over six outings, all starts, with a 3.58 ERA.

Harper was 5-for-7 in his first two games at Washington in early April. He signed a 13-year deal with the Phillies after playing for the Nationals from 2012-18.

Both teams were involved in blowouts Sunday. Washington’s Matt Adams hit two homers and drove in a career-high seven RBIs as the Nationals won 15-5 over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Phillies lost 15-1 in Atlanta to the Braves.

Washington shortstop Trea Turner, who has hit .379 over the past seven games, realizes the importance of the series between the National League East rivals.

Washington took two of three in Philadelphia on its first visit in April. Then the Phillies won two of three in early May at home against the Nationals.

“I talked with my agent today; almost every team in the National League is pretty good, top to bottom,” Turner said. “You have to come ready to play.”

Washington manager Dave Martinez was a bench coach for the Chicago Cubs when Arrieta was a key part of the rotation for the Cubs.

“It is all about command with him,” Martinez said Monday. “He has three really good pitches. We have to stay in the strike zone with him.”

The Nationals’ bullpen has been better the last three weeks. That coincides with the arrival of Paul Menhart, who took over as the pitching coach on May 2. He took over for Derek Lilliquist, who was let go after serving in the same role during the 2018 season under then-rookie manager Martinez.

“When Paul was named the guy, speaking for myself, I have a familiarity with him. As a whole I think he brings a lot to the table,” lefty reliever Matt Grace of Washington said on Monday.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday that Phillies outfielder Odubel Herrera will now be on administrative leave by Major League Baseball through July 1. The leave was set to expire Monday after Herrera was charged May 27 with assaulting his girlfriend inside a casino in Atlantic City.

Phillies pitcher Jerad Eickhoff went on the injured list with right biceps tendinitis.

Philadelphia also planned to hold catcher J.T. Realmuto out of the lineup Monday for the game that ultimately was rained out. Realmuto left the Saturday game and sat out Sunday after taking a foul ball to the groin.

“We want him to be feeling himself,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told reporters. “Doesn’t mean that he’s going to feel perfect by the time we put him back in the lineup, but we definitely want to be sensitive to the fact that he’s still a little bit sore.”

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