Ryan Howard will miss his second straight game because of soreness in his left knee, meaning Tommy Joseph starts again at first base today. Howard was slated to start Saturday, but was scratched shortly after the lineup came out.
Joseph hit fourth Saturday night and slugged his 20th home run of the season during the Phillies' 8-0 win over the Marlins. Today, Joseph faces Andrew Cashner in the series finale. The 25-year-old Joseph is 1 for 3 against Cashner this season.
Behind the plate, Jorge Alfaro makes his second start of his career. He'll catch Alec Asher, whom he's familiar with from catching him in Reading earlier this season and in his first MLB start five days ago. Alfaro went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in his first start. In six plate appearances with the Phillies, Alfaro is 1 for 6 with three strikeouts.
Here is the Phillies' full lineup:
1. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
2. Roman Quinn, LF
3. Odubel Herrera, CF
4. Tommy Joseph, 1B
5. Maikel Franco, 3B
6. Freddy Galvis, SS
7. Jorge Alfaro, C
8. Aaron Altherr, RF
9. Alec Asher, P
For more on today's game, check out Steven Tydings' game notes.