Phillies (42-65) vs. Dodgers (60-46)
7:05 p.m. on CSN
After beating the Dodgers, 6-2, in Jimmy Rollins' first game back at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies look to stay hot tonight in Game 2 of the series:
Winning ways
The Phils are 13-3 since the All-Star break and have yet to lose a series. They're 4-0-1 in five series so far in the second half with a pair of sweeps over the Marlins and Cubs.
The Dodgers are the best team the Phillies have faced since the break, but luckily for them, they'll avoid Clayton Kershaw in this series. The Phils will face left-hander Brett Anderson tonight and NL All-Star starter Zack Greinke in tomorrow afternoon's series finale.
The Phillies are now just one game behind the Marlins, MLB's second-worst team, in the NL East. Three weeks ago they were a lock for the No. 1 pick in next June's draft. Now it looks like a toss-up.
Franco on fire
The ball just jumps off Maikel Franco's bat, doesn't it? Franco's no-doubt grand slam was the difference in the Phillies' four-run win over the Dodgers Tuesday night, and it was yet another reminder that his power is much greater than probably every Phillie developed since Pat Burrell.
Through 70 games this season, Franco has hit .282 with a .339 OBP and a .491 slugging percentage. He has 19 doubles, a triple, 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 298 plate appearances.
MLB
The homer was just Franco's second since his back-to-back five-RBI games at Yankee Stadium on June 22-23. He'd been an extra-base hit machine of late, but it was nice to see him leave the yard again. Franco is 11 for 35 (.314) over his last nine games with five doubles, two homers and nine RBIs.
Franco's .831 OPS is 20 points higher than Matt Duffy's, 30 points higher than Joc Pederson's and 42 points higher than Kris Bryant's.
Rookie of the Year? The next six weeks will determine that.
Harang needs momentum
Aaron Harang (5-11, 3.97) got his ERA back under 4.00 by allowing one run one five innings in his last start. He didn't look sharp, though, giving up nine hits and needing 96 pitches to gather 15 outs.
Harang had that putrid six-start stretch from June 4 to July 1, going 0-6 with a 8.31 ERA and .964 opponents' OPS before going on the DL with plantar fasciitis in his left foot.
Early in the year, Harang looked like a trade chip capable of bringing a decent player back to the Phillies. Now, they'd be lucky to just clear his remaining salary from the books.
To find a willing trade partner for Harang in August, the Phils will need him to show health and effectiveness a few starts in a row. For that reason, tonight's outing is important.
Current Dodgers have had a lot of success against him, hitting .333 in 138 at-bats.
Adrian Gonzalez is 10 for 23 (.435) against Harang with two doubles, three homers and eight RBIs. Rollins is 13 for 46 (.283) with a pair of doubles. Utilityman Alberto Callaspo has reached base in eight of 16 plate appearances against Harang, so he'll likely be in the Dodgers' lineup. Oh, and Yasiel Puig is 5 for 6 off Harang with a double and a triple.
Scouting Anderson
Anderson is a solid lefty who has been prone to injuries in recent years. He's stayed mostly healthy for the Dodgers this season, going 5-6 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 20 starts.
Anderson is coming off a strong outing against his former team, the Oakland A's — he allowed two runs over seven innings last Tuesday. In his previous start, he left after 2⅔ innings with an Achilles injury.
Anderson faced the Phils back on July 7 in Los Angeles and allowed four runs (three earned) over five innings. Jeff Francoeur had the big hit that night, a two-run double off Anderson.
Lefties have hit .283 against Anderson this season while righties have batted .267. But opposite-handed hitters own nine of the 10 home runs the southpaw has allowed.
No active Phillie has more than one hit or three at-bats against Anderson.
This and that
• Ken Giles pitched last night for the first time since July 30, but the 34 pitches he threw to earn his third save may have made him unavailable for tonight's game, especially since the Phillies want to be cautious with the 24-year-old. Giles is 1-0 with three saves in his last four appearances.
• Darin Ruf, who had two hits Tuesday, should get another start tonight. He's hitting .386 this season against lefties and has a career OPS of .898 against them.
• According to the Phillies' PR department, their streak of six straight games at Citizens Bank Park with 10-plus hits is their longest since Sept. 6-19, 2010.