By: Tim Kelly/Matt Rappa, managing editors 
PHILADELPHIA — Following a three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Philadelphia Phillies will return home to Citizens Bank Park Friday evening to open up a three game set against the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Kansas City Royals (42-36) | Philadelphia Phillies (35-45) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Ian Kennedy | RHP | Jeremy Hellickson | ||
| (6-6, 3.96 ERA) | (5-6, 4.23 ERA) | ||||
Ian Kennedy — Age: 31;
- Last Start: June 26, 2016, vs. HOU: W, 7.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, BB, 11 SO, HR
- Career vs. PHI: (3-3), 8 GS, 52.2 IP, 37 H, 19 R, 19 ER, 17 BB, 40 SO, 8 HR, 3.25 ERA
Jeremy Hellickson— Age: 29;
- Last Start: June 25, 2016, at SFG: W, 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, ER, BB, 3 SO
- Career vs. KCR: (1-2), 7 G, 6 GS, 33.0 IP, 45 H, 20 R, 20 ER, 9 BB, 25 SO, 2 HR, 5.45 ERA
Starting Lineups:
| Kansas City Royals (42-36) | Philadelphia Phillies (35-45) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | To be announced | 1 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | ||
| 2 | 2 | RF | Peter Bourjos | R | |||
| 3 | 3 | LF | Cody Asche | L | |||
| 4 | 4 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | |||
| 5 | 5 | 1B | Ryan Howard | L | |||
| 6 | 6 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | |||
| 7 | 7 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | |||
| 8 | 8 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | |||
| 9 | 9 | P | Jeremy Hellickson | R | |||
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: CSN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Jeremy Hellickson, who is expected to draw interest from contenders prior to the August 1 non-waiver trade deadline, has allowed just four earned runs over his last two starts. He's pitched 13 innings during that time.
- At home, Maikel Franco is batting just .187 with three home runs and 13 RBIs. On the road, the 23-year-old is batting .296 with 10 home runs and 28 RBIs.
- The Phillies are 16-22 at Citizens Bank Park this season, as opposed to 19-23 on the road.
What's Next:
- Saturday, July 2, 2016: vs. Kansas City Royals, 5:50 p.m.
- Citizens Bank Park
- LHP Danny Duffy (3-1, 3.24 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (5-7, 4.45 ERA)
- TV: CSN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
