Phillies manager Pete Mackanin will turn to two of his bench players for this afternoon's series finale in Pittsburgh.
Brock Stassi will start at first base and bat seventh and Andrew Knapp gets the nod behind the plate and bats eighth against the Pirates in the series rubber match (see game notes).
The start for Knapp is interesting considering Aaron Nola is making his return to the hill today. Nola obviously has much more experience with Cameron Rupp as his catcher. Knapp did catch one of Nola's three starts this season, though, a 6-4 win over the Mets on April 20 in New York. Nola tossed five innings that night and earned the win, but he wasn't necessarily sharp in what was his last start before his DL stint.
Knapp has seen action in 15 games this season and is hitting .275 with one homer and three RBI.
Stassi, a lefty, will spell Tommy Joseph against Pirates righty Chad Kuhl. Stassi is only hitting .212 on the year, but a matchup against Kuhl, who's sporting an ERA near 7.00, could be a favorable one for Stassi.
As for other notes from the Phils' lineup Sunday, Michael Saunders lands in the cleanup role while Odubel Herrera stays in the five-hole and Maikel Franco bats sixth.
Philadelphia Phillies
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Sunday's full lineups:
Phillies
1. Cesar Hernandez 2B
2. Freddy Galvis SS
3. Aaron Altherr LF
4. Michael Saunders RF
5. Odubel Herrera CF
6. Maikel Franco 3B
7. Brock Stassi 1B
8. Andrew Knapp C
9. Aaron Nola SP
Pirates
1. Adam Frazier LF
2. Josh Harrison 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen CF
4. Josh Bell 1B
5. David Freese 3B
6. John Jaso RF
7. Chris Stewart C
8. Gift Ngoepe SS
9. Chad Kuhl SP
