The Philadelphia Phillies will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon, and manager Don Mattingly has made a notable change to his starting lineup.
All-Star second baseman Luis Arraez is not in the lineup for the series finale at Angel Stadium. The left-handed hitting Arraez started the first two games of the set and finished 2-for-9.
Mattingly instead went with a right-handed heavy group against Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Bryson Stott will handle second base, while Edmundo Sosa starts at third base.
The Phillies’ announced lineup features Kyle Schwarber at designated hitter, Trea Turner at shortstop, Bryce Harper in right field, Alec Bohm at first base, Sosa at third, Bryan De La Cruz in left field, Stott at second, J.T. Realmuto behind the plate and Derek Hill in center field. Zack Wheeler is the scheduled starting pitcher.
Philadelphia has won the first two games of the series in dramatic fashion. On Friday, the Phillies rallied for a 5-3 victory when Sosa delivered a go-ahead pinch-hit grand slam in the ninth inning. Angels outfielder Wade Meckler had robbed Bryson Stott of a potential three-run homer earlier in the frame.
On Saturday, the Phillies and Angels were locked in a 1-1 tie before Philadelphia scored three times in the 10th inning for a 4-2 win. The victory extended the Phillies’ winning streak to three games.
The Phillies have been one of the hottest teams in baseball of late. They have taken 12 of their last 14 contests, including recent sweeps of the Minnesota Twins, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals.
Philadelphia entered Sunday with a 76-60 record and sits in possession of the second National League wild-card spot. The Phillies trail the Atlanta Braves by five games in the NL East.
Arraez joined the Phillies in a trade from the San Francisco Giants just before the deadline. In return, Philadelphia sent pitching prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair to the Giants and also acquired reliever Caleb Killian.
Since arriving in Philadelphia, Arraez has appeared in 23 games and posted a .284 batting average, .296 on-base percentage and .400 slugging percentage for a .696 OPS. He has two home runs and 11 RBIs in 95 at-bats with his new club.
Overall this season, Arraez is hitting .317 with six home runs and 54 RBIs across 128 games. He leads the National League in batting average and ranks second in the majors behind Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, who sits at .320.
Arraez has primarily slotted into the cleanup spot in the Phillies order since the trade. He is in the final year of his contract and is set to become a free agent after the season.
Wheeler will take the mound for Philadelphia with a 10-5 record and 3.40 ERA. Kikuchi enters the contest at 0-4 with a 6.25 ERA for the Angels, who own a 52-84 mark and have dropped six straight games.
The first pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. ET.
