The Philadelphia Phillies are taking their 74-60 record out west to Angel Stadium for a 10:07 PM EDT regular season matchup, which is great news for anyone in Anaheim who enjoys watching actual, functional baseball. If you are staying up for the first pitch on MLB.TV or Angels.TV, you will get to see if the Angels and their sleepy .235 team batting average can keep up with Philadelphia's .242 mark. The Phillies are currently managing a few minor roster bumps with outfielder Derek Hill listed as day-to-day and catcher Rafael Marchan resting on the 10-day injured list, but that is mere pocket change compared to the structural deficit of a 52-82 Angels squad.
The pitching matchup feels less like a duel and more like bringing a gourmet chef to a microwave cook-off. Philadelphia rolls out left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, who has cruised to a 16-4 record and a sparkling 2.62 ERA that probably looks like a typo to the home team. Meanwhile, the Angels counter with Ryan Johnson, whose 5.75 ERA and 16 surrendered home runs in just 67.1 innings suggest he has been serving up more meatballs than an all-you-can-eat Italian buffet. With Los Angeles sporting a bloated 4.28 team ERA compared to Philadelphia's 4.10 mark, lock in your predictions on StreakChat and see if the Angels can somehow avoid another late-night crash.