Phillies’ road gets even tougher with a trip to Fenway | Series preview

The Phillies have played 29 games against the Red Sox in Boston and lost 21. It started with the 1915 World Series and just hasn't gotten better.

Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco, shown here making a tag on Xander Bogaerts last year, was 6 for 9 in the Phillies two games in Fenway Park last season.Read moreCharles Krupa / AP

by Ed Barkowitz | Columnist

Published Jul. 30, 2018, 11:00 a.m. ET

If history is any indication, things will be just as bad in Boston as they were in Cincinnati over the weekend for the Phillies.

The Phils don't play the Red Sox that often, which is a good thing considering that Boston treats the Phillies like a rock concert beats an eardrum, especially in Boston.

Counting the 1915 World Series, and who could forget the 1915 World Series, the Phillies have played 29 games against the Red Sox in Boston and lost 21. They were losing to Boston before Babe Ruth became Babe Ruth. (He was a pitcher in 1915 and didn't pitch in the World Series.)

The Phillies have won only two of the 11 series up there (1998, 1999).

Even during the recent glory years, the Phillies visited Boston once and lost two of three during the 2010 season. Overall, Boston is 41-23 against the Phillies and 8-2 since 2015. This season, the Red Sox are 37-14 at home and 74-33 overall — both are tops in baseball.

Series results

*Played at Braves Field. All other games have been at Fenway Park.

Pitching matchups

Monday, 7:10 p.m. (NBCSP): RHP Aaron Nola (12-3, 2.42) vs. LHP David Price (11-6, 4.17)

Tuesday, 7:10 p.m. (NBCSP): RHP Jake Arrieta (8-6, 3.45) vs. LHP Drew Pomeranz (1-4, 6.91)

Stats Phillies | Red Sox

By the numbers

• Carlos Santana is a .253 hitter at Fenway in 26 games (24-95). He has five homers and a .374 OBP. He's 11-33 off Price and 1-5 against Pomeranz.

• Asdrubal Cabrera has three homers and a .292 average at Fenway (40-137). He's 7-20 against Price (though he hasn't faced him since 2015) and 2-4 off Pomeranz.

• Maikel Franco went 6-9 with a pair of doubles in the two games played in Fenway last season. In the first game, he smashed a ball off the top of the famous left field wall that would have been a home run in any other ballpark and hit into a terrific doubleplay as the Phillies lost in 12 innings.

• Aaron Nola has never pitched at Fenway.

• Jake Arrieta has been roughed up by the Red Sox in his career, posting a 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in five games (four starts). He gave up five earned runs in 4.1 innings in an April start last season while with the Cubs. Andrew Benintendi homered in a five-run first inning for Boston.

• Pomeranz is 1-1, 3.60 in four career starts against the Phillies. Price is 1-1 in three starts, including last season when he gave up three runs in six innings in a no-decision. Aaron Altherr homered. Luis Garcia gave up a 12th-inning walkoff single to Benintendi.

• The Phillies went into last year's visit to Boston with the worst record in baseball (21-40). Even after dropping three of four in Cincinnati, the Phils are 58-47 and in first place in the NL East.

• The Red Sox also are dramatically better. They were six games above .500 when they welcomed the Phillies last June 12-13. This year, they are 41 games above .500 and on pace to win 112. Yo.

Eovaldi makes the Red Sox even better