By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Looking to avoid being swept for the first time this season, the Philadelphia Phillies (33-25) and RHP Nick Pivetta will take on 15-year veteran southpaw Rich Hill and the National League-best Los Angeles Dodgers (40-19) Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. The Phillies have lost eight of their last 11 games at the 50-plus-year-old venue. Pivetta will make his first road start and sixth start overall of the season.
Sunday morning, the Phillies acquired OF Jay Bruce from the Seattle Mariners, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, who reports it is "not out of question" Bruce will be available to play for his new club in Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
Featuring an "opener" for the first time — left-hander Jose Alvarez (2 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB) — the Phillies suffered just their fifth series loss out of 19 overall series, falling to the Dodgers, 4-3, on Saturday. Three-time Cy Young Award winner LHP Clayton Kershaw allowed just one run through seven innings on six hits, no walks and six strikeouts. Trailing 3-1 in the eighth — with the Phillies' only run coming via a fourth-inning RBI single to left by catcher J.T. Realmuto — Bryce Harper came up huge with a game-tying two-run blast in the eighth opposite southpaw Julio Urias. The comeback effort went for naught, however, as the following inning, Hector Neris yielded a walk-off home run to Will Smith — the first of the catcher's career.
The Phillies have lost three games in a row three times this season — April 21-23, May 14-16, and May 30-June 1. The first-place club will look to avoid its first four-game skid of the season in Sunday's three-game series finale.
Starting Pitching Matchup:
| Philadelphia Phillies (33-25) | Los Angeles Dodgers (40-19) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | Nick Pivetta | LHP | Rich Hill | ||
| (3-1, 7.71 ERA) | (1-1, 2.73 ERA) | ||||
RHP Nick Pivetta, Age: 26
- Career vs. LAD: 1-1, 3.27 ERA, 2 G, 2 GS, 11 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 HR, 3 BB, 13 SO, 1.455 WHIP
- Career at Dodger Stadium: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 5 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, HR, BB, 5 SO, 2.000 WHIP
The Phillies have won four of the right-hander's five outings, scoring no fewer than four runs in each of the victories. In each of Pivetta's three starts with winning decisions, he has surrendered a pair of home runs and allowed three earned runs.
LHP Rich Hill, Age: 39
- Career vs. PHI: 1-2, 4.50 ERA, 7 G, 4 GS, 24 IP, 23 H, 16 R, 12 ER, 5 HR, 14 BB, 23 SO, 1.542 WHIP
- Career at Dodger Stadium: 14-11, 2.83 ERA, 33 G, 32 GS, 181 1/3 IP, 140 H, 63 R, 57 ER, 24 HR, 58 BB, 201 SO, 1.092 WHIP
Hill will make his eighth career appearance opposite the Phillies, with his most recent coming in relief on May 14, 2013, while a member of the Cleveland Indians. The Phillies starting lineup that game: SS Jimmy Rollins, 2B Kevin Frandsen, 3B Michael Young, 1B Ryan Howard, RF Delmon Young, LF Domonic Brown, C Carlos Ruiz, CF John Mayberry, P Jonathan Pettibone.
Starting Lineups:
| Philadelphia Phillies (33-25) | Los Angeles Dodgers (40-19) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Bats | Position | Player | Bats | ||
| 1 | LF | Andrew McCutchen | R | 1 | LF | Joc Pederson | L |
| 2 | SS | Jean Segura | R | 2 | 3B | Max Muncy | L |
| 3 | RF | Bryce Harper | L | 3 | SS | Corey Seager | L |
| 4 | 1B | Rhys Hoskins | R | 4 | RF | Cody Bellinger | L |
| 5 | C | J.T. Realmuto | R | 5 | CF | Alex Verdugo | L |
| 6 | CF | Scott Kingery | R | 6 | 1B | Matt Beaty | L |
| 7 | 2B | Cesar Hernandez | S | 7 | 2B | Chris Taylor | R |
| 8 | 3B | Maikel Franco | R | 8 | C | Russell Martin | R |
| 9 | P | Nick Pivetta | R | 9 | P | Rich Hill | L |
Broadcast Information:
- First pitch: 4:10 p.m.
- TV: NBCSP
- Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
Game Notes:
- Despite losing three straight games, the Phillies still maintain a two-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. The Phillies, Braves and third-place New York Mets have each split their last 10 games (5-5).
- Active Phillies Hitting Streaks:
- Rhys Hoskins: 5 G, 18 AB, R, 7 H, 0 HR, RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, .389/.450/.556
- Active Dodgers Hitting Streaks:
- Cody Bellinger: 9 G, 36 AB, 7 R, 11 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 6 BB, 3 SO, .306/.405/.639
- David Freese: 7 G, 18 AB, 7 R, 9 H, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO, .500/.571/.944
- Phillies 2019 season series record: 11-5-3.
- The Dodgers' Chris Taylor has three hits in five career at-bats opposite Pivetta; two of them were solo home runs. In 11 career at-bats opposite Hill, Phillies leadoff batter Andrew McCutchen is 3-for-11 with a double, RBI and strikeout (.273/.273/.364) (click to expand).
What's Next:
- Monday, June 3, 2019: at San Diego Padres, 10:10 p.m.
- Petco Park, San Diego, Calif.
- RHP Aaron Nola (6-0, 4.18 ERA) vs. LHP Eric Lauer (4-4, 4.45 ERA)
- TV: NBCSP; Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP
