MLB Game Preview - Chicago Sox at Philadelphia

Fri Aug 2, 2019 7:05 PM EDT

Four days after the Phillies acquired Jason Vargas in a little-to-lose move to bolster their pitching staff, they will send the veteran left-hander to the mound against the visiting Chicago White Sox in the opener of their three-game series on Friday night in Philadelphia.

The Phillies sent cash and light-hitting Double-A catcher Austin Bossart to the New York Mets on Monday in exchange for Vargas, who delivered better results as the season went along in New York.

Vargas (6-5, 4.01 ERA) had a 3.27 ERA over his final 16 appearances with the Mets. The 36-year-old also made it into the sixth inning in 10 of those outings.

"He gives us depth," Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler told reporters after the trade. "He gives us stability and a guy who has been extremely competitive over a really long period of time."

Vargas will be up against a Chicago team that's lost four in a row and hasn't scored more than two runs in any of those losses.

The White Sox were shut out 4-0 by the Mets on Thursday afternoon.

Chicago will try to end the losing streak behind right-hander Ivan Nova, who has also delivered better results with each month this season.

Nova (6-9, 5.23) went 3-2 in five starts in July with a 3.16 ERA.

He did not allow an earned run over six innings in his last outing on Saturday against the visiting Minnesota Twins, earning the win in the 5-1 victory over the AL Central leaders. He has allowed one earned run in his past 15 innings overall.

"I think I'm throwing more strikes," Nova told reporters after his most recent outing.

Nova has faced the Phillies five times in his 10-year career, owning a 2-1 mark and 2.53 ERA.

Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper is 6-for-13 in his career off Nova with two home runs, six RBIs and no strikeouts.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer and three runs scored in a 10-2 win in the rubber game against the visiting San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon. Scott Kingery also had three hits and two RBIs in the win.

The arrival of Vargas has shifted right-hander Zach Eflin to the bullpen for the first time in his four-year career.

Eflin had a 10.73 ERA in his last six starts before making the first relief appearance of his major league career on Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to the Giants. He tossed a scoreless inning, but surrendered a hit and two walks along the way.

Eflin could come in handy when the top right-handed hitters for the White Sox come up late in the game, however.

Jose Abreu, Tim Anderson and James McCann are all expected to be in the lineup in the series opener against Philadelphia.

"One of the things that we're potentially excited about is seeing Eflin in a role where he could take down several righties in a row," Kapler said. "Utilize his good fastball-slider combination, among his other offerings, to be effective out of the pen."

--Field Level Media