Philadelphia already has the series opener in hand, a 5-3 win, and now looks to build on it against a team that's given away pieces of its big-league roster in the middle of a losing stretch.
Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Angels
Sat Aug 297:07 PM PT
By JR·1 min read
TLDR: The Phillies are chasing October; the Angels are just trying to get through August. That gap is the whole story here.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PHI | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
 LAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Philadelphia Phillies
- Sánchez is 16-4 with a 2.62 ERA this season
- Won 2 straight and 3 of last 5 entering this set
- Already took the series opener, 5-3
- Lost 2 of last 5, including a 9-2 blowout to Seattle
- Marchan, Reyes, Rojas and Garcia all out long-term
Los Angeles Angels
- Johnson's last start was a scoreless one-hitter over 7 innings
- Nothing to lose playing out a rebuilding season
- Lost 5 straight and sit 52-83 on the year
- Traded away O'Hoppe, Adell, Soriano and Silseth at the deadline
- Johnson's season ERA still sits at 5.75 in a 3-7 record
Cristopher Sánchez takes the ball for Philadelphia, sporting a 16-4 record and a 2.62 ERA, and draws Ryan Johnson, who's 3-7 with a 5.75 ERA for a Los Angeles club that has dropped 5 straight. First pitch is 7:07 PM PT at Angel Stadium.
Cristopher Sánchez
(17-5)·2.79 ERA
Aug 23 vs Cardinals
ND
6.2IP
4ER
7K
0BB
103P
08/29 Lineup
Ryan Johnson
(4-8)·5.12 ERA
Aug 22 @ Rangers
W
7.0IP
0ER
3K
2BB
88P
08/29 Lineup
The bigger story in Anaheim right now isn't the record, it's the roster. The Angels shipped out catcher Logan O'Hoppe, outfielder Jo Adell and relievers Jose Soriano and Chase Silseth at the trade deadline, and this lineup and bullpen are visibly thinner for it. Philadelphia, by contrast, is still missing several bats and arms to the injured list — Adolis Garcia, Johan Rojas and Rafael Marchan among them — but has enough depth in the organization to paper over it.