By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates conclude their four-game series tonight at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies have won two of the first three games of the series, taking Monday and Wednesday night's games by 6-2 scores. Throughout the series and overall as of late, Philadelphia has gotten strong efforts from their starting pitching and last night was no different. Jake Thompson tossed six innings of two-run ball, extending his string of quality starts since having some rough times when he first joined the rotation.
In the series finale, Jerad Eickhoff opposes Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Pittsburgh Pirates (70-74) | Philadelphia Phillies (65-81) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Chad Kuhl | LHP | Jerad Eickhoff | ||
| (3-3, 4.09 ERA) | (10-13, 3.73 ERA) | ||||
Eickhoff is coming off of two strong outings, most recently a pitcher's duel with Max Scherzer in Washington. The Phillies lost 3-0, but the 26-year-old right-hander tossed six shutout innings, scattering five hits and striking out five. In the start prior, he allowed two runs on six hits in a Phillies win against the Marlins. Over his last four starts, he's 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA.
Pirates starter Chad Kuhl made his big league debut on June 26 this season and has pitched over 134 innings. Pittsburgh skipped his last turn in the rotation due to some concern of fatigue following a rough outing against St. Louis, allowing three runs in just two innings of work. He had a solid month of August, going 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts
Starting Lineups:
| Pittsburgh Pirates (70-74) |
|
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | |||||
| 1 | 1B | John Jaso | L | 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | |||
| 2 | LF | Matt Joyce | L | 2 | LF | Roman Quinn | S | |||
| 3 | CF | Andrew McCutchen | R | 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | |||
| 4 | RF | Gregory Polanco | L | 4 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | |||
| 5 | 3B | Jung Ho Kang | R | 5 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | |||
| 6 | 2B | Sean Rodriguez | R | 6 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | |||
| 7 | C | Francisco Cervelli | R | 7 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | |||
| 8 | SS | Jordy Mercer | R | 8 | RF | Aaron Altherr | R | |||
| 9 | P | Chad Kuhl | R | 9 | P | Jerad Eickhoff | R | |||
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Since joining the Phillies late last week, Roman Quinn has shown off a number of great tools in the big leagues. The speedy 23-year-old outfielder is hitting .400 (6-for-15) with three doubles, two RBIs, two runs scored and a steal. He also tallied an outfield assist on Wednesday night.
- Phillies starters have posted a league-best 2.01 ERA and allowed two home runs since September 4.
- Over their last 34/2 innings, the Phillies bullpen has a 5.45 ERA, blowing three saves and losing five games.
- Pirates starter Chad Kuhl will have nearly 100 family and friends at tonight's game. He grew up in Delaware, just 45 minutes away from Veterans Stadium.
- Jerad Eickhoff is the only Phillies starter this season to not miss a start.
- Pittsburgh has lost 13 of their last 16 games.
What's Next:
- Friday, September 16th, 2016: vs. Miami Marlins at 7:05 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- LHP Adam Morgan (2-10, 5.73 ERA) vs. RHP Tom Koehler (9-11, 3.97 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: 94 WIP
