Philadelphia Phillies (39-44) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (51-30)
Jonathan Pettibone (3-3, 4.17 ERA) vs Brandon Cumpton (0-0, 3.60 ERA)
TIME: 7:10 ET
TV: Comcast SportsNet
WEATHER: 82,cloudy
The Phillies’ road trip gets no easier as they open a three game set with the first place Pirates tonight at PNC Park. Not only do the Pirates have the best record in the majors, the Phillies have not fared well at PNC park recently, even against the worst of Pirates teams.
Since 2001, when PNC Park opened, the Phillies are 12-23 against the Pirates on their home turf. The year 2000 was the last time they won a series against Pittsburgh on the road. The Pirates finished above .500 in none of those years since.
Jonathan Pettibone will be on the hill for the Phillies. He gave up three early runs against the Dodgers his last time out but settled in, retiring the last 15 batters he faced. He finished the outing allowing just three runs on four hits in six innings.
The Phillies catch a break with Pittsburgh’s starter, as Jeff Locke was scratched because he warmed up extensively last night in the Pirates long extra inning affair. Locke is 7-1 with a 2.06 ERA. Instead the Phillies will face Brandon Cumpton, who was recalled from Triple-A to make the start in the series opener. Cumpton has no record in two starts with Pittsburgh this year, and no Phillies player has ever faced him.
Lineup: M. Young 3B, Utley 2B, Rollins SS, Howard 1B, Brown LF, D. Young RF, Revere CF, Ruiz C, Pettibone P
Gameday Beer: Victory Summer Love
There is nothing better than a Philadelphia-brewed beer to keep you at home while the team is on a long road trip. This summer ale has a nice floral, citrus taste with medium hops to bring a very lightly bitter and refreshing taste. It’s tough to go wrong with any local brew, and one that has a baseball surrounding the name (and I think a silhouette of Ryan Howard) is the perfect summer beer for the game.
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