By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies (72-64) will kick off a crucial six-game road trip in a Labor Day matinee opposite RHP Jose Urena and the Miami Marlins (54-83) at Marlins Park. Right-hander Vince Velasquez receives the starting nod for the Phillies, his third this season against the current National League East-worst club.
While Miami-Dade County is under a Tropical Storm Warning, the Marlins say their game against the Phillies at 1:10pm is still on. Yes, they have a roof, but dangerous conditions outside right now for fans who have tickets to go. #Gordon https://t.co/5i1pbIeeBd
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) September 3, 2018
Amid a 2-for-18 stretch over 21 plate appearances, slashing just .111/.238/.167 with one double, one RBI, two walks and four strikeouts, the Phillies will rest left fielder Rhys Hoskins in Monday's opener. Hoskins is 0-8 lifetime in 12 career plate appearances opposite Urena with four walks and six strikeouts. Odubel Herrera will make his first non-center field career start in Hoskins' place, while Roman Quinn and Nick Williams receive starting nods in center and right fields, respectively.
The Phillies have 26 games remaining this season: three against the Washington Nationals (.496 winning percentage), four against the Colorado Rockies (.544), six against the Marlins (.394), six against the New York Mets (.449), and seven against the Atlanta Braves (.559).
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (72-64) | Miami Marlins (54-83) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Vince Velasquez | RHP | Jose Urena | ||
| (9-9, 4.05 ERA) | (4-12, 4.56 ERA) | ||||
RHP Vince Velasquez, Age: 26
- 2018 vs. MIA: 2-0, 0.73 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 12 1/3 IP, 6 H, R, ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 13 SO, 0.649 WHIP
- Career vs. MIA: 4-1, 2.25 ERA, 8 G, 8 GS, 44 IP, 31 H, 13 R, 11 ER, 5 HR, 12 BB, 41 SO, 0.977 WHIP
- Career at Marlins Park: 0-1, 4.05 ERA, 3 G, 3 GS, 13 1/3 IP, 13 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 3 HR, 2 BB, 10 SO, 1.125 WHIP
RHP Jose Urena, Age: 26
- 2018 vs. PHI: 0-2, 6.75 ERA, 3 G, 3 GS, 16 IP, 19 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 4 HR, 7 BB, 13 SO, 1.625 WHIP
- Career vs. PHI: 1-4, 5.84 ERA, 12 G, 8 GS, 44 2/3 IP, 50 H, 30 R, 29 ER, 9 HR, 15 BB, 37 SO, 1.455 WHIP
- Career at Marlins Park: 8-23, 4.19 ERA, 56 G, 41 GS, 253 1/3 IP, 259 H, 126 R, 118 ER, 30 HR, 86 BB, 170 SO, 1.362 WHIP
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (72-64) | Miami Marlins (54-83) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Roman Quinn | S | 1 | RF | Rafael Ortega | L |
| 2 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S | 2 | 3B | Brian Anderson | R |
| 3 | LF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | C | J.T. Realmuto | R |
| 4 | C | Wilson Ramos | R | 4 | 2B | Starlin Castro | R |
| 5 | RF | Nick Williams | L | 5 | 1B | Derek Dietrich | L |
| 6 | 3B | Asdrubal Cabrera | S | 6 | SS | Miguel Rojas | R |
| 7 | SS | Scott Kingery | R | 7 | CF | Lewis Brinson | R |
| 8 | P | Vince Velasquez | R | 8 | LF | Austin Dean | R |
| 9 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 9 | P | Jose Urena | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 1:10 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- For the Phillies to get back into postseason contention, they must take advantage of the struggling Marlins and Mets on their current six-game road trip. The Phillies trail the Braves by four games in the division, and the St. Louis Cardinals by 3 1/2 for the second National League Wild Card spot.
- Monday's Postseason Race Matchups:
- Boston Red Sox (RHP Nathan Eovaldi) at Atlanta Braves (RHP Touki Toussaint), 1:05 p.m.
- St. Louis Cardinals (RHP Jack Flaherty) at Washington Nationals (RHP Max Scherzer), 1:05 p.m.
- Chicago Cubs (LHP Cole Hamels) at Milwaukee Brewers (RHP Zach Davies), 2:10 p.m.
- San Francisco Giants (LHP Madison Bumgarner) at Colorado Rockies (LHP Tyler Anderson), 3:10 p.m.
- New York Mets (RHP Jacob deGrom) at Los Angeles Dodgers (LHP Alex Wood), 8:10 p.m.
- San Diego Padres (RHP Bryan Mitchell) at Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Zack Godley), 8:10 p.m.
- The Phillies have won five of their last seven Labor Day games since 2011, including a 6-2 comeback victory over the Marlins on Sept. 5, 2016.
- Velasquez needs eight strikeouts this afternoon to reach 150 for the season, which would join RHP Aaron Nola (188) and Nick Pivetta (168). Only two other times in franchise history that three Phillies pitchers recorded 150-plus strikeouts in the same season: 2011 (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee) and 2016 (Jerad Eickhoff, Jeremy Hellickson and Velasquez).
- The Phillies have won 8 of 13 games against the Marlins this season, outscoring them, 69-38, and outhitting them, 114-87. The Phillies have scored at least five runs against the Marlins in each of their last five meetings since July 15, 2018.
- Active Phillies hit streaks of five or more games
- Jorge Alfaro (8 games): 30 AB, 2 R, 10 H, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 BB, 7 SO, .333/.355/.567
- Carlos Santana (5): 20 AB, 2 R, 7 H, HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 2 SO, .350/.350/.550
- Lifetime against Urena, Williams is 2-for-9 with two home runs, four RBI, two walks and one strikeout spanning 11 plate appearances (click to expand).
What's Next:
Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018: at Miami Marlins, 7:10 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pa.
- RHP Jake Arrieta (9-9, 3.54 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Richards (3-7, 4.26 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
