Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( May 18, 2010 ) Pittsburgh 2, Philadelphia 1

The Philadelphia Phillies' fill-ins have been faring well. Now, it's up to the mainstays to make their mark.

With four-time All-Star second baseman Chase Utley (thumb) and veteran infielder Placido Polanco (elbow) among seven Phillies on the disabled list, the focus naturally turned to their replacements.

So far, so good.

Infielder Wilson Valdez and catcher Brian Schneider belted three-run homers on Tuesday, and reserve backstop Dane Sardinha added a three-run blast on Wednesday.

That's impressive production from the lesser-known Phillies. As for the true workhorses, they've stumbled a bit out of the blocks of late.

Raul Ibanez recorded four RBIs in the three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds, but traditional stars Jayson Werth, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard did next to nothing, squandering several opportunities.

Even prized offseason acquisition Roy Halladay labored in his last outing. The former Cy Young Award winner allowed a two-run homer in the eighth and 13 hits as the Reds rallied an early deficit and posted a 4-3 victory on Wednesday.

Cole Hamels will look to pen a better finish for the Phillies (41-35) when he takes the hill for Thursday's series opener against the National League cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates (27-51).

Hamels (6-6, 4.08 ERA) is coming off his worst start of the season in his last outing. The 26-year-old left-hander surrendered three home runs and five runs total in four innings en route to a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. That left him with just one victory in his last six appearances.

Hamels has posted a 1-0 mark with a 3.79 ERA in three career starts against Pittsburgh.

The light-hitting Pirates have mustered just seven runs in their last five contests and four wins in their last 23 games.

Limited by options as it waits for Zach Duke to return from the disabled list, Pittsburgh will send Daniel McCutchen (0-3, 11.00 ERA) to the hill on Thursday.

With just one win in 11 major-league games, McCutchen doesn't have an imposing resume. The 27-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and seven hits in six innings in a loss to the Oakland Athletics last Saturday.

McCutchen's start on Wednesday could be his last, as Duke is expected to return to the fold by the time the rotation circles around again.