The Philadelphia Phillies (62-35) had a less-than-ideal start to the second half against the Pittsburgh Pirates (49-48) on Friday night — at least on the mound. After losing a tough 8-7 walk-off to the Bucs, the Phillies will look to right the ship on Saturday night in Game 2 of the weekend set at PNC Park.
Even though the offense put up seven runs, the Phillies' pitching was shaky, with Aaron Nola, Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado looking like they had some rust to get off. Unfortunately, that led to the Pirates mounting a pair of comebacks against the Phillies' two three-run leads.
The lone bright spot on the mound was Jeff Hoffman striking out the side in the eighth before Alvarado blew his third save of the season in the ninth. The rough appearance has called into question the Phillies' trade deadline needs, making adding a bullpen arm seem more urgent.
The Phillies announced some good news before the game, activating catcher J.T. Realmuto off the IL. He slots into the No. 5 spot in the lineup tonight.
Phillies vs. Pirates probable pitchers, July 20
- Cristopher Sánchez (7-4) starts for the Phillies today. Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, the lefty comes in with a 2.96 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in his 18 starts. After a rough outing against the Cubs to begin July, he bounced back in his last start, picking up the win against the Dodgers. He allowed just two runs on five hits while striking out five over six innings as part of the series sweep.
- Luis L. Ortiz (4-1) will counter for the Pirates. The 25-year-old right-hander has a 2.84 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 25 games (three starts) this season. He has made two starts in a row, holding the Mets and White Sox to a combined one run on eight hits over 11 2/3 innings. He has 10 strikeouts to just one walk in those outings.
Philadelphia Phillies starting lineup, July 20
- 1. DH Kyle Schwarber
- 2. SS Trea Turner
- 3. 1B Bryce Harper
- 4. 3B Alec Bohm
- 5. C J.T. Realmuto
- 6. 2B Bryson Stott
- 7. RF Nick Castellanos
- 8. LF Brandon Marsh
- 9. CF Johan Rojas
Pittsburgh Pirates starting lineup, July 20
- 1. DH Andrew McCutchen
- 2. LF Bryan Reynolds
- 3. 1B Connor Joe
- 4. 2B Nick Gonzales
- 5. SS Oneil Cruz
- 6. 3B Ke'Bryan Hayes
- 7. CF Michael A. Taylor
- 8. RF Joshua Palacios
- 9. C Yasmani Grandal
What channel is the Philadelphia Phillies game on today?
- Game time: 6:40 p.m. ET.
- NBCSP will have the Phillies broadcast.
- The Pirates broadcast will be on SportsNet-PIT.
How do I stream the Philadelphia Phillies game today?
How can I listen to the Philadelphia Phillies game today?
- The Phillies broadcast will be on 94 WIP and WTTM 1680.
- Pirates fans can tune into the game on KDKA-FM 93.7.