By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Entering the second series of their 10-game, 11-day road trip, the Philadelphia Phillies (31-23) and RHP Nick Pivetta will open the series against RHP Chris Stratton and the San Francisco Giants (26-30) Friday evening at AT&T Park. Pivetta has allowed two runs or less in four straight starts, while tossing no fewer than five innings. Phillies outfielder Dylan Cozens will make his major league debut in right field, batting eighth.
Aaron Nola outdueled Clayton Kershaw in Thursday's 2-1 series finale win at Dodger Stadium. Nola improved to 7-2 after a seven-inning, one-run outing. Catcher Jorge Alfaro's second-inning RBI single and seventh-inning RBI double lifted the Phillies to a series split opposite the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rookie RHP Seranthony Dominguez retired each of the last six batters, improving his season WHIP to 0.15 against 43 batters faced overall.
The Phillies have won six straight games against the Giants dating back to August 19 of last season. Manager Gabe Kapler's club swept San Francisco in a four-game home set May 7-10, while outscoring 32 runs to 8.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (31-23) | San Francisco Giants (26-30) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nick Pivetta | RHP | Chris Stratton | ||
| (4-3, 3.26 ERA) | (6-3, 4.97 ERA) | ||||
RHP Nick Pivetta, Age: 25
- Career vs. SFG: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 0.800 WHIP
- Career at AT&T Park: N/A
Since lasting just one inning against the Washington Nationals on May 4, Pivetta is 3-1 with a 1.13 ERA over his last four starts while posting 32 strikeouts over 24 innings. The right-hander has struggled through four road starts this season, however, going 1-1 with a 5.82 ERA (17 innings), as opposed to 3-2 with a 2.20 ERA in seven starts at Citizens Bank Park (41 innings).
RHP Chris Stratton, Age: 27
- Career vs. PHI: 0-1, 9.64 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 7 SO, 1.929 WHIP
- Career at AT&T Park: 7-2, 4.87 ERA, 15 G, 10 GS, 57 1/3 IP, 69 H, 34 R, 31 ER, 5 HR, 30 BB, 36 SO, 1.727 WHIP
Stratton has won each of his last three outings, despite none of them being quality starts. The right-hander's first and only career appearance against the Phillies came on May 9 at Citizens Bank Park, where he allowed five runs on five hits and four walks through 4 2/3 frames.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (31-23) | San Francisco Giants (26-30) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 1 | 2B | Joe Panik | L |
| 2 | SS | Scott Kingery | R | 2 | C | Buster Posey | R |
| 3 | CF | Odubel Herrera | L | 3 | RF | Andrew McCutchen | R |
| 4 | 1B | Carlos Santana | S | 4 | 1B | Brandon Belt | L |
| 5 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 5 | 3B | Evan Longoria | R |
| 6 | LF | Nick Williams | L | 6 | SS | Brandon Crawford | L |
| 7 | C | Andrew Knapp | S | 7 | LF | Mac Williamson | R |
| 8 | RF | Dylan Cozens | L | 8 | CF | Gorkys Hernandez | R |
| 9 | P | Nick Pivetta | R | 9 | P | Chris Stratton | R |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 10:15 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Over his last four games and 15 plate appearances, Alfaro is slashing .500/.533/.857 with three runs scored, two singles, five doubles, three RBI and five strikeouts.
- With the Phillies playing in AT&T Park, the inaugural Carson Wentz AO1 Foundation Charity Softball Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park on Friday.
- Lifetime against Stratton, Phillies first baseman Carlos Santana is 2-3 with a double and three RBI, while third baseman Maikel Franco is 2-2 with a home run and two RBI. Giants first baseman Brandon Belt and third baseman Pablo Sandoval, meanwhile, are a combined 0-7 against Pivetta with two strikeouts.
What's Next:
Saturday, June 2, 2018: at San Francisco Giants, 10:05 p.m.
- AT&T Park, San Francisco, Calif.
- RHP Vince Velasquez (4-5, 4.08 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Suarez (1-4, 5.65 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP+, MLBN; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
