Jake Arrieta and Gio Gonzalez should be happy to see the calendar flip to July.

They’ll hope to put a rough June behind them when they face off Sunday in the finale of a four-game set between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals. The Phillies will try to win the series in the 1:35 p.m. matinee.

Arrieta (5-6 Larry Csonka Jersey , 3.54 ERA) had a 6.66 ERA in five June starts. Opponents hit .305 with a .907 OPS against him in the month, and the veteran right-hander allowed at least three earned runs in each outing.

In his last start, Arrieta gave up six runs (three earned) in five innings against the New York Yankees on nine hits, two of which were homers.

“The ball is getting hit, that’s it. Making mistakes, too many mistakes,” Arrieta told MLB.com after the start. “I was throwing quality breaking balls early in the count and then when I needed to go back to a similar spot or a little bit lower in the strike zone or out of the strike zone, I just put it too much in the zone and they hit it. It’s a pretty simple explanation.”

Arrieta had a 0.90 ERA in five starts during May, and he gave up just one run and two hits in six innings against the Nationals on May 6. Arrieta is 1-2 with a 5.02 ERA in 10 career starts against the Nationals.

Gonzalez (6-5 Will Lutz Jersey , 3.68) had an even worse June. The 32-year-old lefty had an 8.44 ERA in five starts during the month. In three of those outings, Gonzalez gave up at least four earned runs and failed to pitch more than four innings.

Gonzalez had his worst start of 2018 the last time he took the mound. He gave up six runs and walked five batters in one inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

“It wasn’t my night. I couldn’t get a strike,” Gonzalez, who missed the strike zone with 33 of his 62 pitches, told reporters after the outing. “Sometimes it happens. It’s part of the game.”

Gonzalez will be facing the Phillies for the 25th time in his 11-year big league career. He is 11-7 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.13 WHIP against the Nationals’ divisional rival. Gonzalez threw five scoreless innings against Philadelphia on May 4.

The Phillies, who are 5-4 against the Nationals this season, have won two of the first three games against their divisional foe in the series. At 44-37, they are two games ahead of Washington for second place in the National League East. The Phillies were 28-53 through 81 games a season ago.

The Phillies hope Odubel Herrera’s bat heats up. The center fielder homered in Saturday’s 3-2 victory after going 2-for-28 in his previous seven games. Herrera is hitting .286 on the season with 14 homers and 46 RBIs.

The Nationals, meanwhile Josh Hill Jersey , went 9-16 in June and are 42-39 at the halfway mark of the season.

NAPA, Calif. (AP) More than three months after the NFL draft, Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst is still a little bitter about how things played out.

Projected to be a sure first-rounder after his final season at Michigan, Hurst wasn’t selected until the fifth round amid questions about his health stemming from a heart condition that also got him sent home from the scouting combine.

Although Hurst said he first learned of the issue during his freshman year in college, he was stunned not hearing his name called until the third day of the draft.

He’s still not fully over it.

”I don’t know if it ever goes away,” Hurst said Friday. ”It’s just something that’s always on your shoulder and something that you always have to carry with you. Just keep it there to push you harder.”

The Raiders are counting on Hurst and second-round pick P.J. Hall to improve an interior pass rush that was almost non-existent last season. Both rookies have gotten work in with the starting defense during practices and will get an extensive look when preseason games begin next week.

”They don’t want us to be rookies,” Hurst said. ”They want us to come out and play right away and play effectively, and come out and just dominate and do what they expected us to do. Just be a vital part of this defense.”

Hurst had 12 sacks in college, five coming as a senior when he was an All-American.

With the Raiders Elandon Roberts Jersey , he’ll be part of a rotation up front that includes Hall and veterans Justin Ellis and Mario Edwards. Eddie Vanderdoes, a second-round pick in 2017 who started 13 games as a rookie, is recovering from ACL surgery.

To help accelerate his growth, the Raiders have had Hurst play against starting center Rodney Hudson and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. Hudson and Osemele were Pro Bowl picks last season while Jackson was an alternate in 2016.

”They throw a few crumbs every now and then,” Hurst said. ”They don’t want you to beat them every time. But they’ve been extremely helpful. Every day I get to go to work I get to play the best guys in the country. That’s only going to make you better every day.”

Hudson said Hurst’s natural instincts have made for a smooth transition.

”He’s got a lot of ability,” Hudson said. ”Smart rusher. He’s always attentive and asks questions. He’s got a lot of God-given ability. He’s quick and he uses his hands well to be so young.”

Hurst showed all of that during a pass-rush drill Friday. Paired against two offensive linemen, Hurst burst through the middle of the double-team effort and used his right hand to knock away one defender’s block attempt.

If only finding a place to live was that easy for the Raiders rookie.

Hurst admitted getting sticker shock while checking out the housing market in Northern California and joked that he might have to go back to driving for Uber, something he did in college to earn extra money.

”It’s ridiculous,” Hurst said. ”Look here Andre Reed Jersey , look home, look Michigan. I’m like, `I can get a nice place over there.’ But over here you get a little box. There was one on Craigslist I saw that someone was renting out a closet for $400.”

Notes: Jackson was held out of practice for unknown reasons, one day after leaving the workout early. . Left tackle Donald Penn, who has not practiced in camp yet after having offseason foot surgery, appears close to returning. Penn has been working out with a team trainer and got work in on a blocking sled.

—

Buffalo Bills Elite Jerseys