Phillies Pirates Preview

This weekend the Phils will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 26-29 Pirates. After a disappointing series against the Nationals, the Phils will look to get back on track and try to maintain their status as the best team in baseball.

Phils Previous

The Phils are 9-6 in their last 15 games and for the most part are playing solid baseball. This past week the Phils took the first game of the series against the Nationals but their offense fell asleep in the last 2 games and the Phils dropped 2 out of 3. Although the Phils lost 2 out of 3 to the Nationals it was their first series loss since May 17th. The Phils currently have a 2 game lead in the NL East and will look to add to that lead this weekend.

Pirates Previous

The Pirates are coming into this series with an 8-6 record in their last 14 games. Most recently the Pirates were in New York facing off against the Mets in a 4 game series. The Mets took the first game on Monday, but the Pirates battled back on Tuesday and Wednesday and won mainly because of their offense. The Pirates lost today by a final of 9-8 and the series ended in a 2-2 split. Hopefully the Phils pitching staff will be able to tame this Pirates offense.

What To Look For

-Shane Victorino is set to return to the Phillies lineup on Friday night. Hopefully he will be able to spark this Phillies offense which has put up just 3 runs in their past 2 games.

-The Pirates are an awful home team and have a 9-14 record this year at PNC Park. Look for the Phils to take at least 2 out of 3

-The Phils will send Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay to the mound in this series, nuff said

Pitching Matchups

Friday 7:05 PM Cole Hamels (7-2, 3.01 ERA) vs Jeff Karstens (3-4, 3.58 ERA)

Saturday 7:05 PM Kyle Kendrick (3-3, 3.18 ERA) vs Charlie Morton (5-2, 2.51 ERA)

Sunday 1:35 PM Roy Halladay (7-3, 2.56 ERA) vs James McDonald (3-3, 4.85 ERA)