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Philadelphia Phillies will try to pad their lead in the National League East and get back on track tonight in the first of three straight games versus the
Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies have split their last six games and just dropped two of three versus the Florida Marlins in a crucial series between division foes. In Thursday's 3-0 loss in the finale, the Phillies were stymied by Florida starter Chris Volstad and four Marlins relievers en route to a lowly four-hit performance.
Chase Utley finished 1-for-3 and extended his hitting streak to 12 games, but the Phillies saw their lead in the division shrink to 1 1/2 games over Florida and two games ahead of the New York Mets.
Phillies starter Cole Hamels allowed three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings to absorb the loss -- his third in six starts.
In team news for Philadelphia, veteran reliever Scott Eyre was acquired from the Chicago Cubs on Thursday in exchange for minor league pitcher Brian Schlitter. Eyre may get a call from the bullpen this evening.
Starting for the Phils in Friday's series opener will be Joe Blanton, who is 1-0 with a 4.80 earned run average in three outings with his new ballclub. After posting consecutive no-decisions as a Phillie, Blanton found the win column Saturday at St. Louis.
Blanton limited the Cardinals to just a run and four hits through seven innings of his team's 2-1 triumph. The right-hander has never faced Pittsburgh in his career.
Pittsburgh will try to play spoiler in this series and is coming off Wednesday's 2-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the finale of a three-game set at Chase Field. Buccos starting pitcher Jeff Karstens took a perfect game into the eighth inning before surrendering a double to Chris Young with two outs, but recovered to throw a two-hit shutout.
Karstens retired the first 23 batters before Young lined a 1-1 pitch into the left-field corner in the eighth inning. He recovered to get out of the inning on the next pitch, however, and survived a single and a walk in the ninth to pick up his second win in as many starts since joining the Pirates.
Karstens was one of the four players acquired by Pittsburgh in the deal that sent Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees on July 26.
Doug Mientkiewicz went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Freddy Sanchez knocked in a run for the Pirates, who put the brakes on a four-game losing streak.
Paul Maholm will try to keep his success against the Phillies alive on Friday, as he sports a 3-1 mark and a 4.67 ERA in four career starts in this series. Maholm recorded his third career complete game versus Philadelphia on April 27, when he allowed just one run and two hits in a 5-1 win.
Maholm, who is only 2-6 in 11 away starts this season, previously took the hill on Saturday at the Cubs and was handed the loss after permitting five runs and eight hits over six frames of a 5-1 setback. The left-handed Mississippi State product is 7-7 with a 3.95 ERA in 22 starts this season.
The Phillies won two of three games against the Pirates at PNC Park from April 25-27. Philly has won six of the last nine meetings in this Keystone State series.
