Philadelphia Phillies Look For Second Straight Series Win Tuesday vs. Astros

The Philadelphia Phillies look to continue building positive momentum on Tuesday vs. the Houston Astros.

Aug 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first base Bryce Harper (3) celebrates his walk-off single with teammates against the Houston Astros during the tenth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies started an intriguing interleague matchup on Monday night against the Houston Astros. The Astros have been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last few weeks, but the Phillies are looking to cool them off.

In the series opener, a thrilling contest was had between the two playoff contenders. Philadelphia outlasted Houston, winning the game 3-2 in 10 innings.

Bryce Harper was the hero on Monday night, recording the game-winning hit that scored Kyle Schwarber. On Tuesday, the Phillies will be looking to win the series.

It would be the second straight series victory for Philadelphia, and third out of the last four, who is stabilizing after a rough stretch at the start of the second half. 

They defeated the Kansas City Royals in two out of three games over the weekend. Prior to that, they won three out of four against the Washington Nationals, with a series loss against the Atlanta Braves sandwiched in between.

Taking the mound for the Phillies on Tuesday will be Aaron Nola. He has been an excellent one-two punch for Philadelphia this season atop their rotation with Zack Wheeler, who started the game on Monday.

Nola is 11-6 this season with a 3.45 ERA. Tonight will be his 27th start of the season.

Pitching against him for the Astros is Justin Verlander. This will be his 12th start of the season, as he missed more than two months this season because of injury. He is 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA and made his return to the rotation last week in a loss to the Boston Red Sox.

This series against Houston is the start of a seven-game homestand for the Phillies. After they wrap things up here, they play a huge four-game set against the Braves.

Currently holding a six-game lead in the National League East, things could change quickly if Philadelphia goes on another skid. They will want to go into that divisional showdown with as much positive momentum as possible. 

Nola is certainly the man for the job, as he has gotten things done for the team time and time again throughout his career. Verlander and the Astros will be just as motivated, as they currently hold a 3.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.