By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Trailing their division by just one game, the Philadelphia Phillies (47-37) will begin an 11-game, 10-day road trip — leading up to the All-Star break — opposite RHP Trevor Williams and the Pittsburgh Pirates (40-46) Friday evening at PNC Park. Phillies RHP Nick Pivetta will oppose Williams and the Pirates for the second time in 2018, the first being a 3-2, 11-inning walk-off win to secure the four-game series sweep on April 22.
In an Independence Day matinee on Wednesday, the Phillies picked up their 30th home win of the season with a 4-1 victory over the MLB-worst Baltimore Orioles. Only the New York Yankees (33) have more home wins this season. Aaron Nola earned his 11th win — allowing just one run in seven innings with nine strikeouts — while Victor Arano secured his first career save, tossing two scoreless frames with three strikeouts in relief. Nick Williams hit his 10th home run of the season, giving the Phillies five players with 10 or more home runs before the All-Star break since 2008.
Read: Phillies Reinstate Ramos From 10-Day Disabled List
The Phillies have won four straight games, while the Pirates have dropped three straight. The Phillies bullpen has tossed 15 straight scoreless innings since the seventh inning on June 30 against the Washington Nationals. Collectively, the club is 15-8 against National League Central opponents in the first season under manager Gabe Kapler.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (47-37) | Pittsburgh Pirates (40-46) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nick Pivetta | RHP | Trevor Williams | ||
| (5-7, 4.66 ERA) | (6-6, 4.22 ERA) | ||||
RHP Nick Pivetta, Age: 25
- 2018 vs. PIT: 0-0, 2.84 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1.105 WHIP
- Career vs. PIT: 0-0, 2.84 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO, 1.105 WHIP
- Career at PNC Park: N/A
Pivetta is coming off of his first career relief appearance, tossing a scoreless 13th inning as the Phillies went on to edge the Nationals, 4-3, on July 1. The right-hander earned the win, his first victory since May 21 to swap a five-decision losing streak. Pivetta surrendered seven runs in just 1 2/3 innings in his last start on June 29, also against the Nationals.
RHP Trevor Williams, Age: 26
- 2018 vs. PHI: 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 HR, 5 BB, 7 SO, 1.000 WHIP
- Career vs. PHI: 0-1, 3.86 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 0 HR, 7 BB, 7 SO, 1.029 WHIP
- Career at PNC Park: 8-7, 3.70 ERA, 29 G, 23 GS, 143 2/3 IP, 133 H, 62 R, 59 ER, 13 HR, 38 BB, 111 SO, 1.190 WHIP
This season, Williams is 4-3 with a 3.75 ERA and 1.093 WHIP at home (50 1/3 innings), as opposed to 2-3 with a 4.79 ERA and 1.331 WHIP on the road (41 1/3 innings). The right-hander had a solid start to the season with four wins in his first six starts, but he has just two wins in his last 11 starts since.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (47-37) | Pittsburgh Pirates (40-46) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | 1B | Josh Bell | S |
| 2 | LF | Rhys Hoskins | R | 2 | CF | Starling Marte | R |
| 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | RF | Gregory Polanco | L |
| 4 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S | 4 | 3B | Colin Moran | L |
| 5 | RF | Nick Williams | L | 5 | C | Elias Diaz | R |
| 6 | SS | Scott Kingery | R | 6 | LF | Corey Dickerson | L |
| 7 | C | Andrew Knapp | S | 7 | 2B | Josh Harrison | R |
| 8 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 8 | SS | Jordy Mercer | R |
| 9 | P | Nick Pivetta | R | 9 | P | Trevor Williams | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 7:05 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP, MLBN
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- With a win and Braves loss on Friday, the Phillies would pull into a tie for the division lead with 77 games remaining in the season. The Braves will oppose the Milwaukee Brewers and RHP Freddy Peralta (3-1, 2.28 ERA) at Miller Park, behind RHP Mike Foltynewicz (6-4, 2.02 ERA).
- Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp has a six-game hitting streak, and is 0-1 with a walk and strikeout all-time opposite Williams.
- The Phillies are 4-0 against the Pirates this season, sweeping a four-game home set, April 19-22. In that series, the Phillies outscored and outhit the Pirates, 18-5 and 32-23, respectively. The Phillies have not won a series at PNC Park since July 2-4, 2013.
What's Next:
Saturday, July 7, 2018: at Pittsburgh Pirates, 4:05 p.m.
- PNC Park, Pittsburgh, Pa.
- RHP Jake Arrieta (5-6, 3.54 ERA) vs. RHP Jameson Taillon (5-6, 4.05 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
