With Spencer Howard and Jake Arrieta both sidelined with injuries, the Phillies will need help to close out the regular season. Today, the Phillies will likely turn to their young pitching prospect Adonis Medina to start against the Blue Jays in what will be their last home game of the season before hitting the road for 4 against the Nationals and 3 against the Rays.

The Phillies have won their first 3 games against the Blue Jays, which included a double header sweep and surprising performances from Vinny Velasquez and the bullpen. The Phils’ have improved their record to 27-25. They are currently a half-game behind the Marlins for 2nd place in the NL East and three games behind behind the Atlanta Braves for 1st place.

With 8 games remaining in the regular season, the Phillies have fully entered the “next man up philosophy” as they make a push to secure and improve on seeding in the hunt for a Red October.

The 17-year -old Medina was signed by the Phillies in May 2014 for just $70k. He is currently ranked #6 on the Phillies prospect list according to MLB.com. Medina has consistently moved up through the farm system year over year. He pitched in the Futures Game in 2019 and was a Double-A Eastern All-Start in 2019, before struggling in the second half last season.

Medina had 4.94 ERA last season at double-A Reading with 82 strikeouts in 105+ innings. His best season was in 2017 at single-A Lakewood when he had a 3.01 ERA in 22 starts and struck out 10 batters per nine innings.

Medina is definitely still a work in progress. He has a fastball that can hit 96mph. According to reports, his changeup is the best of his three pitches, and he also throws a slider. He’s a ground ball machine (think Zack Wheeler) but does have trouble hitting locations around the plate.

In regular circumstances, Medina wouldn’t have been called up assuming the Phillies were healthy. At age 23, he’s still developing and scouts believe he could be a part of the Phillies rotation in the future, but now, we need him today at 3:05pm to complete the sweep of the Blue Jays.

Alec Bohm sat out yesterday due to a stomach bug. It’s unclear if he will be available to play in today’s game. Girardi also mentioned that he is hoping JT Realmuto can return to the lineup tomorrow against the Nationals. Updates on Rhys Hoskins and Spencer Howard should be coming this later this week.

Keep an eye on the Marlins and the Braves who are both in action today at 1:05pm. The Marlins will be playing the Nationals while the Braves will face the Mets.

Ace Max Scherzer will pitch for the Nationals which could be super helpful for the Phillies plans to catch the Marlins and overtake them for 2nd place in the NL East.

Ring that bell, baby.