Yankees seek second straight win in series with Phillies
The New York Yankees are trying to make the most of a rare trip to Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to prove they can keep hanging with some of the best teams in baseball.
The Yankees, making their first trip to Philadelphia since the 2009 World Series, will go for their second straight win over the Phillies on Tuesday night. It could turn out to be a pitcher's duel between Yankees ace Luis Severino against former Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta.
New York took the first game of the series 4-2 on Monday night and held Philadelphia to three hits. The Phillies (41-35) need to win the last two games in the set for their fifth consecutive series victory.
Three of those series wins have come against the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals -- who are all above .500.
Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said his team is embracing the tough stretch on the schedule.
"It shows we're not scared of any situation. We don't back down from any opponent," Kapler told NBC Sports Philadelphia ahead of Monday's series opener. "We're resilient. When we have a loss like (Sunday) we bounce back the next day. We come prepared. We're working in that clubhouse like animals, and we know this is not going to be an easy matchup by any stretch. But we're prepared for it."
The Yankees (51-25) have the best record in the majors, and they ended a season-worst three-game losing streak on Monday. The team did so with a healthy amount of New York fans among the 44,136 in attendance.
Severino (11-2, 2.24 ERA) will try to give Yankees fans more to cheer about Tuesday.
Severino tied a season high by allowing eight hits in his last start. The Seattle Mariners scored three runs against the 24-year-old righty, but the Yankees still picked up a 4-3 win last Thursday.
"Every time they give me the ball, I want to go out there and have a good game," Severino told reporters after the game. "Today, I wasn't the best. Wasn't feeling that good, wasn't feeling that comfortable. I was missing some pitches and getting deep in counts. But we got a great team and got some runs."
Severino, who has never faced the Phillies, has allowed more than three earned runs in just one of his 16 starts in 2018. The Yankees are 14-2 when he pitches.
The Phillies, on the other hand, are just 6-8 in Arrieta's 14 starts this year.
Arrieta (5-5, 3.42) has a 6.97 ERA in four starts this month. Arrieta did have his best start of June in his last outing, however. He struck out five and gave up three runs and four hits in six innings against the Cardinals last Wednesday.
Arrieta, who spent parts of four seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, has faced the Yankees eight times in his career. He is 3-1 with a 3.83 ERA and 1.213 WHIP in those games.
Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton and infielder Neil Walker are the Yankees with the most experience against Arrieta. Stanton is 2-for-11 with a solo home run, and Walker has a .243 average in 37 at-bats.
