Phillies vs. Nationals Friday probable pitchers, odds: Michael Lorenzen faces same team he no-hit in last start, set at 6.5 hits allowed

Most MLB fans know that the only pitcher to throw back-to-back no-hitters was Cincinnati's Johnny Vander Meer in June 1938. Those were against different teams. On Friday, Philadelphia's Michael Lorenzen can one-up Vander Meer in a way by no-hitting the same team twice, as Lorenzen is on the mound in Washington and set at over/under 6.5 hits allowed at DraftKings.

Lorenzen (7-7, 3.23 ERA) was Philly's big addition at the deadline. The Phillies got him from Detroit for a prospect, and he's performed admirably so far. In his first start with the club on Aug. 3 in Miami, he worked eight innings and allowed only two runs and six hits over 101 pitches. Lorenzen's Philadelphia home debut was on Aug. 9 vs. the Nationals, and put his name in the history books by no-hitting Washington.

It was the 14th no-hitter in Phillies history, and the 31-year-old right-hander became the fifth pitcher in major league history, and only the second since 1900, to throw a no-hitter in his home debut with a new team. Lorenzen's mother, Cheryl, and wife, Cassi, wept in the stands during the final out. Lorenzen later held his 9-month daughter aloft on the field and kissed her on the cheek. It was very cool.

It was the first time a team known as the Washington Nationals had been no-hit since 1884. The last time it happened in franchise history was in 1999, when the team was still the Montreal Expos.

Why hasn't Lorenzen pitched since then? Because he threw a career-high 124 pitches, which is almost unheard of these days. No pitcher has thrown more in 2023, and it was the most thrown in a no-hitter since Mike Fiers' no-no in 2019. Additionally, the Phillies have been going with a six-man rotation to reduce starters' workload and had a couple of days off in that span.

So when is the last time a pitcher threw a no-hitter against a team and then faced said team in his next start as well? Kudos to the CBS Sports researchers: Then-White Sox lefty Carlos Rodon in 2021 against Cleveland. On April 14 in Chicago, Rodon only missed a perfect game due to hitting a batter with one out in the ninth inning and threw 114 total pitches. Six nights later in Cleveland, he won again but lasted only five innings due to major control issues (five walks) and allowed two runs in a victory.

From April-June with Detroit, Lorenzen had a 4.28 ERA, .249 opponents' average and .701 opponents' OPS. Since July 1, he leads the majors with a 1.11 ERA, his OBA is .143 and his opponents' OPS is .430. In 32 career innings against Washington, he's now 1-1 with a 4.22 ERA spanning 14 appearances (Lorenzen used to be a reliever). 

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