The Philadelphia Phillies look to put a lackluster series loss against the New York Mets in the rearview mirror when they welcome in the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series starting Monday night at Citizens Bank Ballpark. 

It marks the second meeting between the two teams this season, with the Phillies dropping two of three in Los Angeles back in late May. 

The Dodgers are coming off a series win against the New York Yankees in the Bronx, where they dominated on the mound, allowing just five runs in the three-game set. 

Series details 

Who: Philadelphia Phillies (55-45, 3.0 GB in NL East) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (63-37, 1st in NL West) 

When: Monday, 7:10 p.m. (ESPN); Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. (NBCSP, TBS); Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. (NBCSP)

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA

Pitching Probables: 

Monday: RHP Emmet Sheehan (4-6, 4.81 ERA) vs. Cristopher Sánchez (11-4, 2.62 ERA) 

Tuesday: LHP Eric Lauer (4-5, 4.81 ERA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (10-1, 2.13 ERA) 

Wednesday: LHP Justin Wrobleski (10-2, 2.69 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (3-7, 5.68 ERA) 

Phillies Notes

The Phillies are just 7-7 in the month of July after an impressive June where they went 18-9. The offense has struggled along with the bullpen, and they have a serious issue with the fifth spot in the starting rotation. 

The Phillies are 37-7 in games started by Sánchez, Wheeler or Jesus Luzardo since Wheeler returned to the rotation on April 25. 

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Bryce Harper has struggled so far this month, hitting just .157 with a .530 OPS in 14 games. He also is struggling against southpaws this season with just a .644 OPS and .215 batting average this season. He has not hit a home run against a left-hander since April 21. 

Brandon Marsh, another All-Star, is also slumping at the plate. Marred in his first noticeable skid, Marsh is hitting .157 this month with a .461 OPS and 16 strikeouts in 51 at-bats. 

If the Phillies win the series opener, it will mark the 1,000th victory at Citizens Bank Park. They are currently 999-783 (.561) inside their friendly confines. This season, the Phillies look to bounce back against defending champion Dodgers in a 26-23 home record. 

Dodgers Notes 

It was announced that Shohei Ohtani will be taking a break from pitching for the time being as he continues to deal with a sore knee. At the plate, he’s hitting .290 with a .938 OPS with 22 home runs and 60 RBIs as he continues to remain one of the best bats in the Dodgers’ lineup. 

Since returning from the IL, outfielder Teoscar Hernández is hitting just .118 (6-for-51) with a home run and six RBIs in 15 games. 

Tommy Edman is hitting .357 (10 for 28) with a pair of doubles, a home run and five RBIs over his last 10 games. 

The mighty offense of the Dodgers has cooled off quite a bit over the last nine games, hitting just .218 collectively during that stretch, averaging 3.3 runs per game and are 4-5. 

Keywords

Philadelphia Phillies,

MLB,

Los Angeles Dodgers,

Bryce Harper,

Shohei Ohtani