Phillies (55-89) vs. Marlins (68-76)
7:05 p.m. on CSN; streaming live on CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App
Coming off a strange/exciting/frustrating series opener, the Phillies turn to Aaron Nola tonight as they look to clinch a season series win over the Marlins.
Here are some thoughts on Game 2:
• Rhys Hoskins' game-tying home run in the 10th inning last night came on a 100 mph fastball and wasn't even fully barreled. The faster the balls comes in, the faster it theoretically goes out, but this was another clear sign of Hoskins' power and strength. The ball traveled 431 feet to dead-center.
• Hoskins, Nick Williams and J.P. Crawford combined to reach base 13 times in 23 plate appearances last night. Hoskins and Crawford each walked twice and Williams was hit by two pitches. The trio combined for two homers (Hoskins) and four doubles (two apiece from Williams and Crawford).
• The day that Hoskins debuted in the majors, the Phillies lost 10-0 to the Mets. Since that next night, Aug. 11, the Phillies have scored 159 runs, second in the National League to only the Cubs. Over that span, the Phils have averaged 5.1 runs per game.
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• Hoskins is on a 162-game pace of 81 home runs, but he's not the only one with gaudy full-season projections. Williams, who is hitting .292 with an .849 OPS, is on a 162-game pace of 35 doubles, 25 home runs and 117 RBIs.
• Last night was Crawford's best offensive night as a pro, and he also fielded his position well in his debut at second base before moving over to shortstop late in the game.
• Maikel Franco added two hits for the fourth straight game, but he also had a couple bad at-bats, missing hittable pitches and showing over-aggressiveness when the situation did not call for it.
• The Phillies' bullpen last night allowed just one run on five hits over 10 innings.
• Aaron Nola (10-10, 3.71) makes his 25th start of the season tonight after a pair of inefficient outings. Nola lasted 5 and 5⅓ innings in his last two starts, averaging 19.9 pitches per inning.
Two starts ago, Nola allowed six runs on 10 hits in Miami and was taken deep in the first inning by Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.
An interesting note on Nola: Only three pitchers in recorded history have equaled his strikeout rate (9.2 per nine) and walk rate (2.4 per nine) while pitching at least as many innings as him in his first three seasons. Those three pitchers? The Mets' trio of Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey.
