New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies
PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies continue their weekend interleague series Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. under cloudy skies and 78 degrees.
The Yankees (58-44) took the opener 1-0 on Friday and hold a one-game edge in the division race over the Phillies (56-47). New York has won four of its last five, while Philadelphia has dropped four of six.
New York will send right-hander Gerrit Cole to the mound. Cole (8-7, 3.42 ERA) has struggled recently, losing his last three starts despite posting solid strikeout numbers. He allowed three earned runs and struck out 11 over seven innings in a 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh on July 22, and gave up two earned runs with eight strikeouts over six innings in a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 17. His last win came July 3 against Minnesota, when he allowed two earned runs over five innings with seven strikeouts.
Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm has been productive at the plate. He went 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs in a 9-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 22, and earlier in that series had three hits and an RBI on July 21. Bohm is batting .280 this season with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs.
The Yankees took Friday’s matchup 1-0, with Ben Rice driving in the game’s only run. New York also swept a three-game series against Pittsburgh earlier this week, outscoring the Pirates 12-5.
Philadelphia dropped a three-game set to the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning only the middle game 10-7 before falling 9-5 in the series finale.
BetMGM lists the Yankees as -1.5 favorites on the run line, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Yankees victory.
The teams conclude the series Sunday afternoon before New York travels to Chicago for a four-game set against the White Sox beginning Monday. Philadelphia heads to Miami for a three-game series starting Monday.