Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola is set to take the ball to open the second half of the season in Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Nola put together a rock-solid first half for the Phillies, logging a 3.38 ERA (3.77 FIP) and 1.02 WHIP with 116 strikeouts and 27 walks over 119 2/3 innings (19 starts). Although the 31-year-old former All-Star has a 4.60 ERA in five starts against the Pirates since 2021, he also owns a sharp 35:6 K:BB across 29 1/3 frames against them during this span. Nola will be a confident fantasy option across all formats in Friday's favorable matchup against Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering will serve as the opener on Sunday afternoon as the Phillies look to clinch a series victory over the Oakland Athletics. Right-hander Michael Mercado will operate in a bulk role. Zack Wheeler (back) was originally scheduled to take the mound on Sunday afternoon but the Phillies will opt to give their ace some more rest as he experienced lower-back tightness in his previous start. Kerkering will likely only be called upon to pitch the opening frame, as he never recorded more than five outs at a time this season. He is currently riding an eight-inning shutout streak. Mercado struggled in his previous outing against the Atlanta Braves on July 7 when he allowed five runs but looked much sharper in his previous outing, where he allowed only one run across five innings. Mercado could be a sneaky play in DFS this afternoon, as he should have a great opportunity to tally a win and a handful of punchouts against Oakland.

Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estevez worked a scoreless ninth in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Mariners, securing his 17th save of the season. The righty threw seven pitches in the frame, six for strikes, allowing no runs on zero hits and no walks while striking out one batter. After a few rough outings to begin the season, the 31-year-old has been terrific as he hasn't allowed a run to cross the plate since May 21 (which was an unearned run), a stretch of 15 scoreless appearances. He now owns a 2.61 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and a 23.7% K-BB% over 31 innings.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos homered and knocked in four runs Saturday in an 11-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics. On the season, Castellanos is hitting .235 with 13 home runs, 47 RBI, three stolen bases and 44 runs scored. In July, Castellanos is hitting .262 with two home runs, five RBI, and four runs scored for the NL East leaders. The Phillies will look to the veteran to continue to be productive as they seek a playoff berth in 2024.

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper homered and knocked in three runs in an 11-5 win over the Oakland Athletics. Harper is hitting .303 with 21 home runs, 61 RBI, four stolen bases and 55 runs scored on the season. The National League All-Star continues to be a dominant force in the Phillies lineup, who are 62-33 with one game left before the All-Star break hits tomorrow evening.