Stults moved up to give Cashner extra rest

PHILADELPHIA -- Originally scheduled to start Friday, left-hander Eric Stults got the start on Thursday. After a short outing on Sunday, Stults got a chance to get back on the mound quickly while granting Andrew Cashner an extra day of rest.

The Phillies, whose middle of the order features a number of lefty bats, is a better matchup for Stults than for Cashner.

In his last four starts, Stults has given up 18 earned runs in 19 innings pitched. He went just 2 1/3 innings Sunday against Washington, allowing six earned runs on eight hits.

"For Eric, it's simple. It's location," Black said. "It's just a matter of he's making some mistakes out over the plate and the opposition are really taking advantage of those. As opposed to taking a pitch, popping it up, mishitting it. He's in that little bit of a rut where every mistake he makes, the opposition is making him pay."

Although it's only a small sample size, Cashner has fared well at Citi Field, where he's slated to start Friday. In three career appearances at the Mets' home ballpark, Cashner owns a 0.00 ERA in 4.2 innings pitched.