Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (44-53) | Pitsburgh Pirates (49-46) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Zach Eflin | RHP | Gerrit Cole | ||
| (2-3, 4.14 ERA) | (5-5, 3.11 ERA) | ||||
The Pirates haven't had the worst season but are being left in the dust at third place of the NL Central right now, well behind the Cubs. That being said, they are just three games back of an NL Wild Card spot with the Rockies well behind them so they have a fighting chance. Gerrit Cole is coming off a forgettable five run outing against the Nationals where he lasted just four innings. While not quite ace material this season, Cole has been fairly durable and anchored the Pittsburgh rotation well this season. He has a lifetime 3-1 record against the Phils with a 2.31 ERA.
Zach Eflin is coming off his fifth consecutive quality start in Sunday's loss against the Mets where he allowed three runs in six innings, striking out two. There's a bit of a shakeup at the top of the lineup tonight with Peter Bourjos batting lead off and the struggling Odubel Herrera bats second. The Phillies could use a win, not just for the second half so far but at PNC Park alone. The last two trips the Phillies made to Pittsburgh, they've been swept out.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies(44-53) | Pitsburgh Pirates(49-46) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | RF | Peter Bourjos | R | 1 | SS | Jordy Mercer | R |
| 2 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 2 | RF | Gregory Polanco | L |
| 3 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 3 | CF | Andrew McCutchen | R |
| 4 | 1B | Tommy Joseph | R | 4 | LF | Starling Marte | R |
| 5 | C | Cameron Rupp | R | 5 | 1B | John Jaso | L |
| 6 | LF | Cody Asche | L | 6 | C | Francisco Cervelli | R |
| 7 | SS | Freddy Galvis | S | 7 | 3B | Jung Ho Kang | R |
| 8 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 8 | 2B | Josh Harrison | R |
| 9 | SP | Zach Eflin | R | 9 | SP | Gerrit Cole | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First-pitch: 7:05 pm EST
- TV: NBC 10
- Radio: 94.1 WIP
What's Next:
Monday, July 23, 2016: at Pittsburgh Pirates 4:05 PM ET
- RHP Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.41 ERA) vs. TBD
- TV: CSN
- Radio: 94.1 WIP
Greg Vince (@GregVince) of Philliedelphia.com.
