Phillies (3-7) vs. Nationals (6-4)
1:05 p.m. on CSN and streaming live on CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports app
Despite five strong innings from Aaron Nola, the Phillies couldn't nail down a win against the Nationals on Friday evening, losing, 3-2, in extra innings. The Phils send Jeremy Hellickson to the hill Saturday afternoon with hopes to even the series at one apiece while the Nationals toss out Tanner Roark.
Here are five things to know for Game 2 of this series.
1. Can Hellickson tame the Nats again?
In his last time out, Hellickson had the Nationals' number.
The Phillies' opening day starter took the hill last Sunday and held the Nationals to just one hit through five innings. He was perfect the first time through the order and avoided nearly any hard contact. He would have been able to take the Phils later into the game but dealt with forearm cramping and had to leave the game after warming up for the sixth inning.
It was a disappointing finish for Hellickson's solid start. Holding this Nationals lineup in check is no small feat. Even with starting shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day disabled list, the team is chalk full of solid lefty hitters with Adam Eaton, Bryce Harper and Daniel Murphy all in the top four of the lineup. Hellickson had trouble with the Nationals at times last season (5.09 ERA in 23 innings), so the performance on Sunday was encouraging.
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So far on the year, Hellickson has been an ace ... in short bursts. He has a 0.90 ERA but has mustered only five innings in each of his two starts. Run prevention is great, but the Phillies' bullpen could also use a rest with Hellickson working late in the game. It doesn't help that his ERA and his lack of home runs allowed are unsustainable over the long run. However, the focus is one start at a time.
Don't be surprised if the Nationals start Adam Lind at first base against Hellickson again. He is 10 for 34 with three doubles and five walks in his career vs. Hellickson despite going 0 for 2 last time out. Murphy and Jayson Werth have home runs off the righty while catcher Matt Wieters is just 6 for 30, which may be why he didn't start vs. Hellickson last weekend.
2. Tommy Joseph's slow start
While Howie Kendrick and Odubel Herrera are off to hot starts at the top of the lineup, Tommy Joseph has yet to hit his stride further down in the six hole. This is Joseph's first April in the big leagues as well as his first full year as the Phillies' starting first baseman. With that in mind, it's hard to craft realistic expectations for the 25-year-old.
There are some signs that Joseph could be breaking out of his season-opening slump. After starting 2 for 23 at the dish, he had his first extra-base hit -- a double -- on Wednesday before taking Stephen Strasburg deep for a home run on Friday. We know that Joseph has plenty of power after 21 home runs in just 347 plate appearances last season, so some big swings are hardly out of the ordinary.
Joseph isn't out of the woods though. He's struck out in a third of his plate appearances so far this season and still has an ugly batting line. However, the .143/.194/.286 line he's currently sporting isn't his true talent level. Joseph's slump shouldn't be a long-term thing.
3. Roark vs. the Phillies
In five starts last season, Roark dominated the Phillies. The crafty right-hander was 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA over five starts and 34 innings. He had a quality start every time he faced the Phillies and went seven innings in all but one appearance. Sure, Roark had a career year in many ways last season and the Phillies barely won 70 games, but it's still an impressive performance.
Prior to last season, Roark had much more pedestrian numbers against the Phils, allowing 22 runs in 28 2/3 innings while going just 2-5. It's not necessarily a coincidence that Roark improved against the Phillies while also taking tremendous strides in his overall performance, but the Phillies aren't necessarily dead in the water with the 30-year-old starter on the mound.
In 2017, Roark is off to a solid yet unspectatular start. He's 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA, getting 20 runs of support over his two starts. His 9/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 innings is solid to begin the year.
Only one Phillies hitter has a home run off Roark -- Freddy Galvis, who is 4 for 13 with the HR and a HBP vs. the righty. Herrera has the best numbers against him, going 7 for 15 off him. Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco are both 4 for 14 vs. Roark.
4. Players to watch
Phillies: Kendrick is off to a roaring start for the Phillies. While he went just 1 for 4 on Friday, he's still batting .343 with a .410 on-base percentage in the early going.
Nationals: It's gone a bit under the radar with Ryan Zimmerman's resurgence, but Jayson Werth has started his contract season with a bang. He's batting .306 with a .556 slugging percentage and three home runs. Not bad for the former Phillie.
5. This and that
• In five appearances this season, Jeanmar Gomez has allowed seven runs over 5 1/3 innings. While he gave up the winning run Friday, his ERA actually went down from 12.46 to 11.81.
• Nationals new closer Blake Treinen has had a shaky start to 2017 (5.06 ERA in six games). He has a 2.70 ERA in 16 appearances against the Phillies in his four-year career.
• The Phillies' loss in walk-off fashion on Friday was their first extra-inning game this year. They were 7-6 in extras last season.
