The Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays square off in the first of a three-game series on Friday at Citizens Bank Park, at 6:40 p.m. ET. Zack Wheeler (10-2, 2.49 ERA) will start for the Phillies, who are 62-54 this season and second in the NL East. Jose Soriano (9-6, 3.37 ERA) is the expected starter for the Blue Jays, who are 54-62 and fifth in the AL East.

How to watch Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Blue Jays vs. Phillies odds

• Favorite Moneyline: Phillies -222
• Underdog Moneyline: Blue Jays +180
• Total: 7.5
• Total Over Odds: -115
• Total Under Odds: -105

Injury reports

Phillies

Rafael Marchan: 10 Day IL (Knee), Johan Rojas: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Brad Keller: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Adolis Garcia: 60 Day IL (Lat), Tanner Banks: 60 Day IL (Forearm), Derek Hill: day-to-day (Shoulder), Andrew Painter: day-to-day (Hamstring)

Blue Jays

Luis Urias: 10 Day IL (Quadricep), Jonatan Clase: 10 Day IL (Foot), Spencer Arrighetti: 15 Day IL (Foot), Trey Yesavage: 15 Day IL (Knee), Cody Ponce: 60 Day IL (Knee), Anthony Santander: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Bowden Francis: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Joe Mantiply: 60 Day IL (Knee), Addison Barger: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Yimi Garcia: 60 Day IL (Elbow), José Berrios: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Lenyn Sosa: 60 Day IL (Wrist), Patrick Corbin: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: day-to-day (Hamstring)

Stats to know

• Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper is slashing .255/.364/.500 this season with 24 home runs (15th in MLB), 68 RBIs and an OPS of .864 (18th in MLB). He has a 21.1% strikeout rate and a 14.9% walk rate in 489 plate appearances, and he has scored 71 total runs. Harper has recorded six steals on 11 attempts.
• In 477 plate appearances, Luis Arraez has slashed .326/.361/.450 this season. He has hit five long balls and driven in 47 runs with a strikeout rate of 4.4% and a walk rate of 5.2%. He has 10 stolen bases on 10 attempts. He has come around to score 54 times.
• Toronto’s Ernie Clement is slashing .287/.311/.415 this season with nine home runs, 38 RBIs and an OPS of .726. He has a 9.4% strikeout rate and a 3.3% walk rate in 457 plate appearances, and he has scored 48 total runs.
• In 456 plate appearances, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has hit six long balls, tallied 44 RBIs and scored 56 runs. He is batting .259/.338/.349 and has posted a 13.6% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate. Guerrero has recorded seven steals on 10 attempts.

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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images

One night after burning through eight pitchers in a 13-inning walk-off loss, the Chicago White Sox blundered their way into another pitching conundrum. They made one mound visit too many to rookie Noah Schultz, forcing their starter to leave Friday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians after recording only one out.

No one was warming in the bullpen when White Sox manager Will Venable walked onto the field after Schultz gave up a two-run single in the first inning. But because the White Sox had already sent pitching coach Zach Bove to speak with their 22-year-old lefty following a hit-by-pitch, major-league rules dictated they needed to make a pitching change.

Momentary confusion ensued and umpires conferred. As right-hander David Sandlin scrambled to get loose in the bullpen, it was announced that Schultz needed to depart. He had faced five batters and thrown 23 pitches. Sandlin, also a rookie, escaped the inherited jam by retiring two batters with five pitches.

Members of a coaching staff, including the manager, can make only one mound visit per pitcher per inning without needing to remove the pitcher from the game. If a pitcher receives multiple visits in the same inning, the pitcher must exit.

The weekend series carries significant implications in a muddled division. The White Sox, coming off a taxing sweep by the Boston Red Sox, entered Friday with a three-game lead in the American League Central. The Minnesota Twins and the Guardians, who have lost 11 of their past 14 games, were tied for second place as of Thursday, while the Detroit Tigers were one-half game behind them.

Venable, a former big-league outfielder, bench coach and associate manager, is in his second year managing the White Sox. Bove joined his staff in November after serving as an assistant pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals.

Chicago miscommunication Friday resembled a mistake made three years ago by the Toronto Blue Jays. Manager John Schneider paid a sixth-inning visit to starter Alek Manoah on May 20, 2023, not long after pitching coach Pete Walker had made the same walk.

“I f—–d up,” Schneider told reporters after the game. “But I think, regardless of my f—up, it was the right time to get him out.”

The White Sox saw a similar situation during Ozzie Guillen’s years at the helm. According to veteran Chicago Sports Network reporter Chuck Garfien, Guillen once doubled up mound visits to Javier Vazquez because he missed that pitching coach Don Cooper spoke to the pitcher while he had been in the bathroom. Garfien wrote in a social media post that it was Vazquez who informed Guillen he would no longer be able to pitch.