R.A. Dickey of the Mets won his 20th game of the season on Thursday afternoon, tying him with Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals for the Major League lead in that department. Gonzalez won't have to wait very long for his chance to move back into the top spot by himself, as he's scheduled to pitch in Philadelphia on Thursday night in search of his 21st win. The Phillies will look to to stop him and in doing so they would assure that they remain mathematically alive in the wild card race for at least another night.
Gonzalez has had a fantastic season for the Nats, compiling a 20-8 record to go along with his sparkling 2.84 ERA. Despite those spectacular numbers, it's likely going to take a pair of truly special starts for Gonzalez to move into the front of the line for the NL Cy Young award.
Opposing Gonzalez on Thursday will be Tyler Cloyd of the Phillies. Cloyd has gone 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA in his five starts as a major leaguer. The rookie has posted an exceptional strikeout to walk ratio thus far, and has shown an extreme tendency to produce flyballs.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. ET from Philadelphia. The game will be broadcast on the radio by 1210 WPHT and 94 WIP, and can be seen televised on PHL 17.