The Philadelphia Phillies won 96 games last season, while the Chicago White Sox won 60.
This year, the Phillies and White Sox have the same record heading into their only series of the season, which begins Friday in Philadelphia.
With 100 games remaining, the Phillies and White Sox own 33-29 records — and they have taken similar paths to this point.
Philadelphia started 9-19 before firing manager Rob Thomson. The team has turned it around under interim skipper Don Mattingly, including a three-game sweep of the visiting San Diego Padres this week.
Chicago started 11-17 before getting on track. The White Sox have won six of their past eight games, capped by an 8-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
The White Sox had Thursday off — their first day of rest in two weeks — and it was a welcome sight for the players.
“Definitely (glad to have the day off),” said outfielder Sam Antonacci, who reached base all six times he came to the plate on Wednesday. “Especially getting to hang out with these friends, continue to have a life outside of baseball. But also take care of your body before the upcoming series in Philadelphia.”
The Phillies posted a 6-4 triumph over the Padres on Thursday, their first game with more than four runs since May 18. Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott each recorded two hits and an RBI for Philadelphia, and Adolis Garcia homered to back Zack Wheeler’s strong seven-inning start.
“I don’t think we can think we’re going to win every game 2-1 or 3-2,” said Mattingly, whose team has won seven of its past nine contests. “It’s going to be important for us to be able to tack on runs.”
In the opener against the White Sox, the Phillies will give the ball to Jesus Luzardo (4-4, 4.30 ERA), who has allowed a total of only four runs over his past four starts. The left-hander gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a no-decision on Saturday.
“I felt like I made some good pitches, executed my plan pretty well,” Luzardo said. “Two walks, and then just kind of got beat by some weak contact throughout. I felt like, seven hits, look up there (at the scoreboard), it kind of (stinks), but when you see the quality of contact, it’s not terrible.”
Luzardo has faced the White Sox once in his career — a crisp performance last July in which he gave up just two hits over seven scoreless innings.
On Friday, he will be opposed by Anthony Kay (5-1, 3.77 ERA), who has made four career appearances (one start) against the Phillies. The left-hander went 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA in those outings, all of which came before he spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan.
Kay is coming off an impressive May in which he went 4-0 with a 1.95 ERA in six starts. Most recently, he gave up one run in five-plus innings during a 7-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Kay exited with the potential tying and go-ahead runs on base in the sixth, but reliever Grant Taylor retired the next three hitters in a sequence that Kay described as “massive.”
The White Sox won two of three meetings with the Phillies last season, during a late-July series in Chicago.
–Field Level Media
