First pitch is 6:40 PM ET, and the pitching gap on paper is laughable. Zack Wheeler (5-1, 2.22) — coming off a 6-inning, 1-run no-decision in Toronto and a near no-hitter against the Padres on June 4 — gets the ball for Philly. Miami counters with Ryan Gusto, who carries an 0-1, 6.00 ERA and threw 66 pitches over 4 scoreless innings in his last look.
The vibes around the Phillies are not great. They've dropped 4 of their last 5, got blanked 6-0 by Milwaukee on Friday and 4-0 again on Sunday, and the outfield is a triage unit — Adolis Garcia just went on the 60-day IL with a shoulder pull and Johan Rojas is done for the season with a UCL tear. Wheeler hasn't lost since opening day-ish, but he can't drive in runs himself.
Meanwhile the Marlins keep finding ways. They just took 2 of 3 in Pittsburgh, swept Arizona before that with back-to-back shutouts at home, and have quietly clawed back to .500 at 36-36. The road record (per Bleacher Nation, 13-20 coming in) says they shouldn't be a problem in Philly. The way they're playing says otherwise.
Gusto is the variable that breaks everything. The right-hander has been a fill-in arm all year — Miami's rotation is held together with tape, with Eury Perez, Janson Junk, Robby Snelling, and Adam Mazur all on the IL. He kept the Diamondbacks off the board last time out but only went 4 innings on 66 pitches, so the Marlins bullpen is staring down a long night against a Philly lineup that, even slumping, isn't going to be no-hit twice in 12 days.
- Day-To-DayThomas White SP — White was diagnosed with a left shoulder capsular sprain Friday and is expected to miss the rest of the season, Isaac Azout of FishOnFirst.com reports.
- Day-To-DayKemp Alderman RF — Triple-A Jacksonville placed Alderman on the 7-day injured list Tuesday due to a left wrist injury, Michael Germanese of Roundtable.io reports.
- 15-Day-ILJosh Ekness RP — Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said Monday that Ekness is expected to miss approximately six weeks due to a right calf strain, Kyle Sielaff of Marlins.tv reports.
- 15-Day-ILJanson Junk SP — The Marlins placed Junk on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to right shin bone inflammation, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEury Perez SP — The Marlins placed Perez on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, due to a right gracilis strain.
- 60-Day-ILGriffin Conine LF — Conine (hamstring) appears to be a week or two away from beginning a rehab assignment, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
- 60-Day-ILAndrew Nardi RP — The Marlins transferred Nardi (ribcage) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
- 60-Day-ILRobby Snelling SP — Snelling underwent internal brace surgery Friday to repair a torn UCL in his left elbow.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Walling RP
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- paternitySteward Berroa RF — The Phillies recalled Berroa from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILKyle Backhus RP — Backhus (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILAdolis Garcia RF — Garcia was removed from Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays due to a pulled muscle near his right shoulder, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- OutJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (suspension) will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a right elbow UCL tear that will require an internal brace procedure.
The script writes itself: Wheeler does Wheeler things, the Phillies finally push a couple across against Gusto in the middle innings, and Citizens Bank Park exhales. The script can also get torn up if Miami's bats keep doing what they've done for a week and Philly's offense stays asleep. Monday night gets to decide which it is.