Andrew Abbott's 0.54 ERA Is Looming Over The Phillies, And Their 20-Homer Slugger Is GONE

Get ready, baseball fans, because Wednesday afternoon is setting up for an absolute grinder of a rubber game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies! The Reds are throwing their red-hot lefty Andrew Abbott, who has been absolutely dealing this month. But the real kicker for the Phillies? Their dude Kyle Schwarber, who crushes dingers like it's his job, is out with an illness for a third straight game. Yeah, the guy who leads the majors with 20 home runs, just gone. That's a huge blow for a Phillies team trying to keep their impressive series win streak alive.

Abbott's April Dominance Meets a Struggling Phillies Lineup

Andrew Abbott has been on another planet this month, plain and simple. We're talking about a 0.54 ERA over three starts, giving up just one single run in 16 2/3 innings! The dude hasn't lost in his last six starts, including a solid outing against the Guardians on Friday where he only coughed up one run in five-plus frames. His manager, Terry Francona, hit it right on the head, saying, "He's been (pitching) much more like (himself)." Francona noted that Abbott "made some pitches when he really had to. He competed like hell." That's the kind of grit you love to see on the mound. While Abbott has never beaten the Phillies in four previous starts, holding a 0-1 record and a 4.35 ERA against them, the absence of Schwarber could be the break he needs to rewrite that history.

Philly's Offense Is Missing, Nola's Command Is Gone

Without their home run king, Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies' offense has looked absolutely anemic, managing only eight hits combined in the first two games of this series. They snuck out a 5-4 win on Monday, thanks to a Bryson Stott homer late in the eighth. But Tuesday was a different story, with a Trea Turner homer not being enough in their 4-1 loss. They only tallied three hits in six innings against Chase Burns, who combined with his bullpen for a whopping 14 strikeouts! Interim manager Don Mattingly summed it up perfectly: "We just didn't really do a whole lot with him." The Phillies had been scorching hot, winning their last six series and finally climbing over .500 after a rough 9-19 start that cost manager Rob Thomson his job. They can extend that to seven straight series with a win today. But their pitching for the rubber match is a serious question mark. Aaron Nola, with a 2-3 record and a 5.91 ERA, is taking the bump. His last start was a disaster, giving up six runs, six hits, two homers, and three walks in just 3 2/3 innings against the Pirates. Mattingly didn't pull any punches either, saying Nola "just couldn't get his (control)... It's probably the least command he's had this year." While Nola has a decent career record against the Reds at 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA over 10 starts, his current form is a huge worry. It's a huge rubber game for both squads. The Phillies are fighting to extend their series streak, while the Reds, who'd lost five of their previous seven games and a brutal 11 of their last 12 road contests before Tuesday, are desperate to get things turned around. You know we'll be glued to every pitch. Let's go baseball!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.