Tonight's Lineup: Peter Bourjos Leading Off, Tommy Joseph Hitting Cleanup Vs. Pirates

Having lost five of their seven games after the All-Star Break, the Phillies are looking to break out of their funk on the road against the Pirates Friday (see game notes).

The Phillies scored just 10 runs in four games against the Marlins, losing three of them, including a 9-3 defeat Wednesday (see game story). Pete Mackanin is once again seeking a spark from his offense, but the manager is sticking with almost the same lineup from last night for Game 1 of a three-game set in Pittsburgh tonight.

The big change to the lineup is Tommy Joseph in at first base and batting cleanup for Ryan Howard, who started Wednesday and hit a two-run home run for his 14th of the season.

Defensively, the lineup remains the same everywhere else. The only other tweak is Peter Bourjos leading off with Odubel Herrera batting second, the opposite of the team’s normal order. Bourjos led off Tuesday’s game when Herrera was out of the lineup.

On the mound, Zach Eflin takes the ball for the Phillies, opposed by Pirates’ ace Gerrit Cole. In his last outing, Eflin turned in a quality start but took the loss, allowing three earned runs over six innings against the Mets.

Both team’s lineups for Friday’s game can be found below.

Phillies lineup:
1. Peter Bourjos, RF
2. Odubel Herrera, CF
3. Maikel Franco, 3B
4. Tommy Joseph, 1B
5. Cameron Rupp, C
6. Cody Asche, LF
7. Freddy Galvis, SS
8. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
9. Zach Eflin, RHP

Philadelphia Phillies

Complete coverage of the Fightin' Phils and their MLB rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Phillies release Opening Day roster, place 5 players on IL

Phillies 2024 Opening Day postponed to Friday

Pirates lineup:
1. Jordy Mercer, SS
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Starling Marte, LF
5. John Jaso, 1B
6. Francisco Cervelli, C
7. Jung Ho Kang, 3B
8. Josh Harrison, 2B
9. Gerrit Cole, RHP

Copyright CSNPhily
Contact Us