By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Making his second start since an X-ray revealed he has a bone spur in his right elbow, Philadelphia Phillies (50-47) right-hander Jake Arrieta will square off opposite right-hander Jordan Lyles and the Pittsburgh Pirates (45-50) Friday evening at PNC Park.
The Phillies are coming off of a 3-4, seven-game stretch to open the second-half of the season against arguably the hottest- and best-overall teams in baseball in the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates, meanwhile, are 1-5 since the All-Star break, after going 12-5 in their previous 17 games.
Friday's game will mark the Phillies' first meeting against the Pirates this season, the first of a three-game series, and the first of a five-game road trip (concluding with two games against the Detroit Tigers, July 23-24).
The Phillies had much success against the Pirates last season, winning six of seven games. Manager Gabe Kapler's squad took two of three from the Pirates at PNC Park, July 6-8, 2018, outscoring them 21 to 11 in the series; Arrieta earned the win on July 7, allowing only two runs through seven innings.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (50-47) | Pittsburgh Pirates (45-50) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Jake Arrieta | RHP | Jordan Lyles | ||
| (8-7, 4.54 ERA) | (5-6, 5.16 ERA) | ||||
RHP Jake Arrieta, Age: 33
- Career vs. PIT: 12-6, 2.99 ERA, 22 G, 22 GS, 135 2/3 IP, 97 H, 49 R, 45 ER, 15 HR, 35 BB, 132 SO, 0.973 WHIP
- Career at PNC Park: 5-4, 3.94 ERA, 11 G, 11 GS, 64 IP, 56 H, 31 R, 28 ER, 10 HR, 16 BB, 59 SO, 1.125 WHIP
Arrieta has made 50 starts with the Phillies, going an even 18-18 with a 4.19 ERA, 225-to-99 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.351 WHIP spanning 285 2/3 innings. Despite his bone spur injury, the 10-year veteran allowed just one run to the Washington Nationals in his most recent start on Sunday.
RHP Jordan Lyles, Age: 28
- Career vs. PHI: 1-1, 3.22 ERA, 10 G, 6 GS, 36 1/3 IP, 36 H, 17 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 13 BB, 25 SO, 1.349 WHIP
- Career at PNC Park: 2-6, 6.29 ERA, 14 G, 12 GS, 63 IP, 78 H, 49 R, 44 ER, 12 HR, 19 BB, 57 SO, 1.540 WHIP
After starting the season 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA through his first nine starts (Pirates 8-1 record), Lyles is 0-5 with a 10.27 ERA in his six starts since (Pirates 0-6 record). The nine-year veteran has allowed seven runs in each of his last two starts, both against the Chicago Cubs.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (50-47) | Pittsburgh Pirates (45-50) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | CF | Scott Kingery | R | 1 | 2B | Adam Frazier | L |
| 2 | SS | Jean Segura | R | 2 | RF | Bryan Reynolds | S |
| 3 | RF | Bryce Harper | L | 3 | CF | Starling Marte | R |
| 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R | 4 | 1B | Josh Bell | S |
| 5 | C | J.T. Realmuto | R | 5 | 3B | Colin Moran | L |
| 6 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 6 | LF | Corey Dickerson | L |
| 7 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 7 | SS | Kevin Newman | R |
| 8 | LF | Adam Haseley | L | 8 | C | Elias Diaz | R |
| 9 | P | Jake Arrieta | R | 9 | P | Jordan Lyles | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: NBC 10
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
The Phillies are in Pittsburgh tonight. They won 2 of 3 last year at PNC Park and have never won consecutive series here since ballpark opened in 2001. Last time Phillies won back-to-back series (of at least two games) in Pittsburgh? 1987.
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) July 19, 2019
- With 65 games remaining, the Phillies trail the second National League Wild Card spot by a 1/2 game, and the National League East by 7 1/2 games.
- Report: Left-Hander Drew Smyly Agrees to Deal with Phillies, to Replace Pivetta in Rotation, Debut This Sunday
- Phillies' Dominguez, Robertson Could Soon Return at 'Full Strength'
The Phillies are 20-36 all-time at PNC Park since the venue opened in 2001. - This month, Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper has slugged a team-best .313 batting average, 15 singles and 10 RBI; in 13 games, he also has four doubles, two home runs, six runs scored, seven walks and just 11 strikeouts.
- Phillies shortstop Jean Segura has six hits spanning 15 career at-bats opposite Lyles, whereas Pirates center fielder Starling Marte is 12-for-39 with two home runs and three RBI in his career against Arrieta (click to expand).
What's Next:
- Saturday, July 20, 2019: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 7:05 p.m.
- PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- RHP Zach Eflin (7-9, 4.16 ERA) vs. RHP Joe Musgrove (6-8, 4.31 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
