Phillies vs. Pirates series preview: Three things to watch
The Phillies are headed to Pittsburgh for a three-game series on Friday. Here are some things to watch for.
We are 84 games into the 2018 season and the Phillies are just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the division lead at 47-37. They also currently hold the second Wild Card spot.
The Phillies have finally gotten some breathing room in the pennant race, as Washington has gone 2-10 in their last twelve games with a little help from two series losses to our guys. In fact, they have lost four straight series.
Now we will turn our attention toward the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were swept in their last series against the Dodgers. They sit eight games back from the last Wild Card spot, so if they want to make any kind of run then now is the time. It looks as if the front office is not giving up, as MLB.com reported that they could potentially be buyers at the trade deadline.
This series, just like the rest from here on out, is a big one for the Phillies. They need to improve on their 17-21 record away from home, and unfortunately, PNC Park has not been a friendly place to the Phillies in recent history. They have gone 7-19 in their last 26 games in Pittsburgh.
Let’s take a look at three things to watch over the weekend.
# 1: Starting Pitchers
This is an important series for the starters, plain and simple. Nick Pivetta will get the start on Friday night, followed by Arrieta on Saturday, and Zach Eflin on Sunday. Eflin has been great, so we just want to see him keep up the pace and continue mowing down lineups.
Phillies fans will be keeping their fingers crossed for game one when Pivetta takes the mound. Some insurance runs early would be the best-case scenario, just saying. In his last start, Pivetta went 1.2 IP, seven hits, seven earned runs, and gave up three home runs.
He has seen his ERA jump from 3.26 to 4.66 since June 1.
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Pivetta hasn’t looked like the same player that he was in May, but some struggles are expected from a second year pitcher. Unfortunately for Pivetta, if those struggles continue then the Phillies may look to trade for a starter to replace him before the July 31 deadline. A bounce-back game would go a long way for him, especially with Vince Velasquez on the 10-day DL.
On Saturday, Jake Arrieta will look to get back on track against the Pirates’ lineup. He has not had a winning decision since May 29 against the Dodgers. Over his last six starts he has given up 30 runs, only 21 of them earned, with seven home runs and just 21 strikeouts.
Speaking of all those unearned runs, the Phillies have committed 61 errors this season, trailing only the White Sox and the Cardinals for the most in baseball. It hasn’t been all the fault of one guy in Arrieta’s starts, either. NBC Sports Philadelphia noted that the errors have come from all over the infield. Arrieta is a ground-ball pitcher, so it is easy to see why this is becoming a problem.
It would be great to see Arrieta have a good game and get some solid defense and run support. He has been critical of the team’s defense, so a win would be good for the confidence of the team and for the pitcher himself.
# 2: Scott Kingery
You can say that Scott Kingery’s rookie season has been a slow learning curve. He has appeared in 80 out of a possible 84 games and has primarily spent time at both third base and shortstop. At the plate, there have been some definite struggles.
On the season, Kingery’s slash line is not pretty, at .224/.272/.335. That has to improve. We know it, Gabe Kapler knows it, and Kingery obviously knows it. Scott has 64 hits, 24 RBI, four home runs, has struck out 72 times, and has walked just 17 times.
One major reason for his struggles at the plate is the amount of 0-2 counts he seems to find himself in. Scott has been in forty-six 0-2 counts this year, the most on the team. He has five hits in those forty-six at bats and has struck out twenty-five times. When you watch him play, it is a trend that you notice pretty quickly.
The good news is that Kingery may be finding his swing at the right time. He has hit .327 in his last fifteen games, and he has been making much stronger contact. It would be great to see Kingery really break out at the plate over the second half of the season.
Scott’s offense isn’t the only thing causing concern among some fans. He has also had some trouble in the field this year, as he is tied for second on the club with seven errors. His fielding percentage of .970 needs to improve and he has a Range Factor of 2.75.
The better fielders tend to have a Range Factor between four and six.
Hopefully, these are fixable issues and Scott can turn into the fielder that we need. He is part of a promising young core of homegrown Phillies, and he has a chance to stick around for a long time if he can work through these early troubles.
# 3: Suddenly Improved Bullpen
While nobody is going to come out and say that the bullpen is no longer a worry, it is a welcoming development that they have not just thrown away games over the last four outings. They are currently on an 11 scoreless innings streak since Tommy Hunter allowed a run on two hits on June 30 in a game where Vince Velasquez went down after taking a liner off the elbow in the bottom of the third.
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The help has come from a variety of relievers, which is always an encouraging sign. Seranthony has continued to be awesome, and Victor Arano has really stepped up.
Arano pitched five of those eleven scoreless innings going into this weekend’s series in Pittsburgh. Really, the entire bullpen has chipped in with the addition of Nick Pivetta pitching the 13th inning against Washington on Sunday.
On Saturday and Sunday against Washington, the bullpen covered 15 innings and allowed just one run.
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None of this is saying that the Phillies should not continue to pursue relievers before the trade deadline, because they should absolutely keep those conversations moving. It is just something to pay attention to in this series. It would be a very encouraging sign to see the bullpen put together some more scoreless innings.