Smyly looks to right ship against Giants

The Philadelphia Phillies (59-56) began their seven-game road trip on a good note, but it has been anything but good since then. Nonetheless, they will try to get back on the right track Friday night against the San Francisco Giants (57-59) as the playoff picture grows bleaker for the guys in red pinstripes.

Outfielder Jay Bruce returned to the Phillies lineup following a stint on the IL due to an oblique injury on Thursday. He went 0-for-3 and is headed back to the IL with an elbow strain and Adam Haseley is back with the Phillies, playing center field.

Following Thursday night’s loss, the Phils have lost three straight, five of their last eight and they are 12-13 since the All-Star Break. Meanwhile, the New York Mets have won nine of their last 10 and are tied with Philadelphia for third place in the NL East. Both are a half game behind Milwaukee for the second Wild Card spot. The Giants sit 2.5 games back of the Phillies and Mets, 3.0 games behind the Brewers.

Philadelphia will look for a strong performance from Drew Smyly. His last start didn’t go according to plan, but despite the loss, Smyly really only made one bad pitch. It was a bad one though, grand slam bad. In five innings, the 30-year-old southpaw gave up five runs on four hits while striking out seven. The homer is not ideal, but aside from the second inning, he looked good. Through three starts in a Phillies uniform, Smyly has a 3.00 ERA.

The Phillies offense continued to struggle in game one of their series with the Giants on Thursday. This time, it wasn’t an issue with runners in scoring position. It was hits in general. Giants hurler Madison Bumgarner took a no-no into the sixth inning and the Phils tallied just one hit for the game. That single came off the bat of Cesar Hernandez, who pinch-hit for Aaron Nola in the sixth.

Here’s what the lineups look like for game two of the series:

Phillies Lineup

1. Bryce Harper (RF)
2. Rhys Hoskins (1B)
3. Corey Dickerson (LF)
4. Jean Segura (SS)
5. J.T. Realmuto (C)
6. Cesar Hernandez (2B)
7. Scott Kingery (3B)
8. Adam Haseley (CF)
9. Drew Smyly (P)

Giants Lineup

1. Donovan Solano (2B)
2. Austin Slater (RF)
3. Evan Longoria (3B)
4. Buster Posey (1B)
5. Steven Vogt (C)
6. Kevin Pillar (CF)
7. Brandon Crawford (SS)
8. Joey Rickard (LF)
9. Tyler Beede (P)

Shibe Vintage Sports Starting Pitching Matchup

• Drew Smyly (2-6, 7.01 ERA) vs. Tyler Beede (1-3, 2.72 ERA)
• Smyly faced the Giants in his second Phillies start on July 30. He allowed four hits and struck out five in seven scoreless innings.
• Beede was Smyly’s opposition on July 30. In five innings, Beede gave up four runs on 10 hits while striking out four.

Pregame Phillies Nuggets

• Bryce Harper returns to the lead-off spot for just the fifth time this season. He’s 5-for-15 with a home run, three RBIs and three walks in that spot. The Phillies went 0-4 in those games, though.
• The Phillies have scored just one run over the past two games. Bryce Harper’s home run in the ninth on Wednesday night in Arizona was the last score.
• Drew Smyly has pitched in 172 games across his career, but this will be his first time taking the field in San Francisco.
• Maikel Franco went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his return to Triple-A on Thursday night.

Programming Information

• 10:15 p.m. on Friday, August 9 at Oracle Park
• NBC Sports Philadelphia
• SportsRadio 94 WIP