Padres, Phillies set to return to action in split doubleheader

After a rainout on Tuesday in Philadelphia, the Phillies and the San Diego Padres took different approaches regarding their scheduled starting pitchers for the game that didn't happen.

San Diego right-hander Nick Pivetta will start the regularly scheduled Wednesday afternoon game, but Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sanchez will be pushed back to start the nightcap of the split doubleheader.

Pivetta (8-2, 3.36 ERA) will oppose Phillies right-hander Mick Abel (2-1, 3.47).

Sanchez (6-2, 2.79 ERA) will match up against San Diego right-hander Dylan Cease (3-7, 4.53).

Pivetta is coming off an outstanding performance in a 1-0 win over the Washington Nationals on June 25. He allowed three hits in seven innings while issuing no walks and striking out 10.

"He was fantastic," Padres manager Mike Shildt said about Pivetta after that contest. "Everything was on display. ... He was lights-out. A clean seven, and we had no margin for error."

Pivetta has not been successful in two career starts against Philadelphia, one of his former teams, going 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in eight innings. In his most recent meeting with the Phiillies, he allowed four runs and four hits in four innings in a no-decision for the Boston Red Sox on June 12, 2024.

Abel will aim to build on an impressive outing by teammate Zack Wheeler during a 4-0 win in the series opener on Monday. Wheeler scattered six hits over eight innings, did not walk a batter and struck out 10.

Abel, a 23-year-old rookie, will be facing San Diego for the first time in his career. His most recent turn in the rotation was wiped out due to rain on Friday in Atlanta. The last time Abel actually got on the mound, he lost to the New York Mets on June 21 after permitting four runs on six hits in three innings.

Sanchez had a 1.85 ERA in five starts last month. In his most recent outing, he limited the Houston Astros to one run over six-plus innings on Thursday in a no-decision. Sanchez struck out 11 batters without issuing a walk.

The combination of an upper-90s fastball with his deceiving changeup has put the left-hander in position for a potential berth on the National League All-Star team. It would be his second straight All-Star selection.

"He's so good against lefties, it makes you put the righties in there -- but then his changeup is so devastating to them," Phillies reliever Matt Strahm said. "So it's a great equalizer for the right-handed batters."

Sanchez is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his career against the Padres in two starts.

Cease enters his first July start after enduring an inconsistent June. He alternated losses with wins in his five June outings, finishing 2-3 with a 4.23 ERA. Most recently, he was tagged for four runs (three earned) on five hits in four innings during a defeat against the Cincinnati Reds on Friday.

Cease has appeared just once against the Phillies, a loss on April 27, 2024. He allowed five runs and six hits in six innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper returned Monday after spending more than three weeks on the injured list with a wrist injury. He went 0-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch in his first game since June 5.

--Field Level Media