8/21 Gamethread: Giants @ Phillies

Another difficult series begins, as the San Francisco Giants visit the Philadelphia Phillies this afternoon for a three-game set that will take them into a Thursday off day, and then home for the weekend.

Tuesday is the exciting game in the series, as Kyle Harrison will make his MLB debut. But before that happens, the Giants have an important game to play!

And for it they’ll have lefty Scott Alexander on the mound, working as an opener. In 44 games this year, Alexander is 6-2 with a 4.06 ERA, a 3.32 FIP, and 22 strikeouts to 10 walks in 37.2 innings. He’s been an opener six times this year, and while he’s given up five runs in the role, he’s only allowed seven baserunners.

On the other side is righty Aaron Nola, who is having quite a down year after finishing fourth in Cy Young voting in 2022. In 25 starts, the 2018 All-Star is 10-8 with a 4.58 ERA, a 4.25 FIP, and 160 strikeouts to 39 walks in 153.1 innings. A year after leading the Majors with 8.1 strikeouts per walk, Nola’s mark has been cut nearly in half, down to 4.1. He gave up four runs in five innings against the Toronto Blue Jays his last time out.

Enjoy the game, Giants fans!

Game #125

Who: San Francisco Giants (65-59) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (67-57)

Where: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

When: 3:40 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area (available on fuboTV)

National broadcast: MLB Network (out-of-market only)

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM