Philadelphia Phillies to visit the Pittsburgh Pirates
Philadelphia Phillies (51-47, third in the NL East) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (45-51, fourth in the NL Central)
Pittsburgh; Saturday, 7 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Phillies: Zach Eflin (7-9, 4.16 ERA) Pirates: Joe Musgrove (6-8, 4.31 ERA)
LINE: Pirates favored by 1 1/2 runs; over/under is 10 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will play at PNC Park on Saturday.
The Pirates are 22-22 on their home turf. Pittsburgh ranks fourth in the league in hitting with a .269 batting average, Bryan Reynolds leads the club with an average of .343.
The Phillies have gone 21-26 away from home. Philadelphia hitters have posted a team on-base percentage of .318 this season, led by Rhys Hoskins with a mark of .394. The Phillies won the last meeting 6-1. Juan Nicasio earned his second victory and Adam Haseley went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and two RBIs for Philadelphia. Richard Rodriguez took his fourth loss for Pittsburgh.
TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Bell leads the Pirates with 105 hits and is batting .291. Kevin Newman has 15 hits and is batting .349 over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.
Hoskins leads the Phillies with 20 home runs and has 61 RBIs. Bryce Harper is 13-for-38 with four doubles, a home run and eight RBIs over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pirates: 3-7, .277 batting average, 5.76 ERA, outscored by 13 runs
Phillies: 5-5, .257 batting average, 5.46 ERA, outscored by 12 runs
Pirates Injuries: Jameson Taillon: 60-day IL (elbow), Edgar Santana: 60-day IL (elbow), Chad Kuhl: 60-day IL (elbow), Keone Kela: 60-day IL (shoulder), Rookie Davis: 10-day IL (finger/forearm), Nick Burdi: 60-day IL (biceps), Steven Brault: 10-day IL (shoulder), Gregory Polanco: 10-day IL (shoulder), Lonnie Chisenhall: 60-day IL (finger), Erik Gonzalez: 60-day IL (collarbone), Francisco Cervelli: 10-day IL (concussion).
Phillies Injuries: David Robertson: 60-day IL (elbow), Edubray Ramos: 10-day IL (shoulder), Pat Neshek: 60-day IL (hamstring), Tommy Hunter: 10-day IL (forearm), Jerad Eickhoff: 10-day IL (biceps), Seranthony Dominguez: 10-day IL (elbow), Victor Arano: 60-day IL (elbow), Andrew McCutchen: 60-day IL (knee), Jay Bruce: 10-day IL (oblique), Sean Rodriguez: 10-day IL (abdominal).
