Pirates at Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies made significant strides forward in terms of confidence and inched a bit closer to the final wild-card spot in the National League following their stirring 6-5 win in extra innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies aim to continue that march on Tuesday when they play the second contest of three-game set versus the visiting Keystone State rival.
Sean Rodriguez snapped a 1-for-21 slump and capped Philadelphia's four-homer barrage by leading off the 11th inning with a line drive over the left-field wall in the series opener. Fellow former Pirate Corey Dickerson also went deep with a two-run shot to boost his RBI total to 11 in his last five contests for the Phillies, who moved within one game of the Chicago Cubs for the final wild-card spot. Pittsburgh's Kevin Newman continued his torrid hitting in the opener with a two-run single among his two hits, improving to 7-for-13 with six runs scored and four RBIs in his last three games. Bryan Reynolds enters Tuesday's tilt on a high, collecting two-hit performances in each of his last three contests and four times during his six-game hitting streak.
TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, NBCS Philadelphia
PITCHING MATCHUP: Pirates LH Steven Brault (3-3, 3.98 ERA) vs. Phillies LH Drew Smyly (2-6, 6.99)
Brault has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his last six starts, but his strong pitching has resulted a 0-2 mark for him and an 0-6 record for Pittsburgh. The 27-year-old lost his second straight decision on Thursday despite permitting two runs over six innings in a 7-1 setback against Washington. The road has produced positive results for Brault, who sports a 3-0 mark away from PNC Park despite posting a higher ERA (4.38 road, 3.63 home) while allowing the opposition to bat .286 against him in their stadiums.
Smyly has been unable to regain the magic touch he exhibited in his first two starts with Philadelphia, turning in four dismal efforts that have resulted in an 0-1 mark with a 7.45 ERA. The 30-year-old has surrendered seven homers and 18 runs total in his last four contests (19 1/3 innings). Smyly hopes for a repeat performance of his last encounter with Pittsburgh, against which he allowed one run with a season high-tying eight strikeouts in six innings of a 2-1 win on July 21.
WALK-OFFS
1. Pittsburgh 1B Josh Bell launched a mammoth pinch-hit blast to forge a tie in the ninth inning, giving him two of his team-leading 33 homers in his last three games.
2. Philadelphia C J.T. Realmuto collected three hits at the plate and threw out three runners at second base in the series opener.
3. Phillies INF/OF Scott Kingery is expected to play Tuesday despite leaving early in the opener with abdominal soreness.