Series Preview Phillies & Pirates, Pitching Duels ~ Philadelphia Baseball Review

The Phillies enter the second half of the season with the best record and largest division lead in Major League Baseball. They lead the league in run differential, rank second in the National League in ERA and are the leader in runs scored per game. On a course to 104 wins, which would be a franchise record, this team has been powered by a dominant rotation and decisive hitting. Their quest for October continues tonight when they open a three-game series at Pittsburgh.

Where: PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Friday through Sunday.

Pitching duels and starting times: RHP Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.38) vs. LHP Martin Perez (1-5, 5.15) on Friday, RHP Cristopher Sanchez (7-4, 2.96) vs. RHP Luis L. Ortiz (4-2, 2.84) on Saturday and Tyler Phillips (1-0, 4.50) vs. LHP Marco Gonzales (1-0, 2.45) on Sunday.

Series: The two teams split a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park in April. Overall, the Pirates hold a 1,228-1,084 lead.

Pirate Update (48-48): Martin Perez, who started Friday, has a 7.56 ERA in his last seven starts. The Pirates won seven of 10 games before the All-Star break and are 1 1/2 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. The club, however, has a 22-24 record at home and is six games under .500 when playing against teams with a .500 record or better. Outfielder Bryan Reynolds leads the club in batting with 18 home runs and an OPS+ of 134.

Phillies Update (61-32): The Phillies were soundly beaten by the Athletics on Sunday and have only played two games over .500 in their last 30 games. Aaron Nola has thrown at least six innings and collected at least eight strikeouts in his last three appearances. Zach Wheeler and Ranger Suarez are both battling mild back issues, so the duo will not pitch in this series. Both are expected to throw bullpen sessions this weekend in Pittsburgh. Taijuan Walker is also expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend before potentially starting rehab next week.

Injuries: Pirates — LHP Bailey Falter (arm), RHP Daulton Jefferies (elbow), RHP Jared Jones (lat), RHP Hunter Stratton (shoulder), LHP Ryan Borucki (triceps), RHP Dauri Moreta (elbow), C Endy Rodriguez (elbow) and RHP Johan Oviedo (elbow) are on the injured list.

Phillies — JT Realmuto (knee), RHP Spencer Turnbull (shoulder), RHP Taijuan Walker (finger), RHP Michael Rucker (hand) and RHP Dylan Covey (shoulder) are on the injured list.

Next: The Phillies travel to Minnesota on Monday to begin a three-game series against the Twins.