Jonathan Pettibone Makes Major League Debut As Phillies Open Series With Pittsburgh

(Photo: Frank Klose/Philliedelphia)

If you fell asleep before last night's eighth inning, I feel sorry for you because you missed a helluva comeback. To sum things up, the Phillies got runners on base and they scored those runners. Crazy right? Along with compliments of an Erik Kratz three-run bomb, the Phillies pulled out a split with the Cardinals to win 7-3. Tonight Jonathan Pettibone (0-0, -.– ERA) will make his MLB debut as he and the Phillies take on A.J. Burnett (1-2, 2.63 ERA) and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With John Lannan on the DL with a strained left knee, the Phillies have called upon 22-year-old Jonathan Pettibone to fill the fifth spot in the rotation. Pettibone will be making his MLB debut tonight as he takes the mound. So far this season in Triple-A, Pettibone has allowed 12 runs (10 ER) over his two starts. Despite his scary numbers, the Phillies most likely chose Pettibone due to his scheduled day to pitch matches up with Lannan's spot. Our own Greg Vince gave some insight on Pettibone earlier today.

A.J. Burnett is coming off of a fantastic start last Wednesday against St. Louis. The season-leader in strike outs (35) held the Cardinals to just one hit through seven innings while managing eight K's in his first win of the season. Burnett's curveball has been devastating in this early season, which is one of his best go-to-pitches. With Burnett on a hot role, coming to Philly may cool him down. In his career against Philadelphia, Burnett is  6-9 with a 5.06 ERA (60 ER in 106 2/3 IP). 

Game Notes:

• Jonathan Pettibone is making his MLB debut.
• The Pirates are 2-4 on the road this season.
• The Phillies need to score runs early and keep on scoring.
• Michael Young is riding a 12-game hitting streak.

Phillies lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins SS
2. John Mayberry Jr. RF
3. Chase Utley 2B
4. Ryan Howard 1B
5. Michael Young 3B
6. Dom Brown LF
7. Ben Revere CF
8. Erik Kratz C
9. Jonathan Pettibone P.

Pirates lineup:

1. Starling Marte LF
2. Travis Snyder RF
3. Andrew McCutchen CF
4. Garret Jones 1B
5. Neil Walker 2B
6. Pedro Alvarez 3B
7. Russell Martin C
8. Clint Barmes SS
9. A.J. Burnett P.

First Pitch Forecast: Partly Cloudy – 51° – 0% PoP

TV: CSN, MLBNetwork
Radio: 94 WIP, 1210 WPHT

Let's Go Phillies!

Erik Seybold is an O.G. Journalist for Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter.