Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 22, 2016 ) Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 0

Moving ace left-hander Cole Hamels at last year's trade deadline was a bold move by the Philadelphia Phillies, but the recent performances by their young pitchers is making the decision look better. The Phillies send Aaron Nola to the mound Saturday as they continue a three-game series at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In four of the past five games, Philadelphia's starting pitcher has allowed no more than one run and five hits -- a stretch started by Nola and capped by rookie Zach Elfin with a three-hit shutout of the Pirates in the series opener. Cameron Rupp back Eflin with a homer and three RBIs to power the Phillies to a 4-0 victory Friday. John Jaso, who is 2-for-3 liftime against Nola, collected two of Pittsburgh's three hits against Elfin. The Pirates are 3-4 since the All-Star break and have been limited to three runs or fewer on five occasions.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, ROOT (Pittsburgh)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.41 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 6.75)

Missing a turn and the All-Star break paid dividends for Nola, who bounched back from a rocky stretch by tossing six scoreless innings of two-hit ball against Miami on Monday. Nola had been awful in his previous five outings, getting shelled for 30 runs while failing to get through the fourth inning on four occasions. After notching six straight quality road starts, Nola has allowed 17 runs in his last three away from home.

The highly touted Glasnow will be promoted from Triple-A Indianapolis to make the second start of his career and first at home. A fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft, the 22-year-old Glasnow allowed four runs on only three hits over 5 1/3 innings in a 5-1 loss at St. Louis on July 7. Glasnow has been superb at Indiananapolis, posting a 7-3 record and 1.94 ERA while recording 122 strikeouts in 102 innings.

WALK-OFFS

1. Phillies CF Odebel Herrera snapped out of a 4-for-41 funk with three hits Friday.

2. Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen is 3-for-21 in his last five games.

3. Phillies 3B Maikel Franco exited Friday's game after getting hit on the left wrist with a pitch.

PREDICTION: Phillies 4, Pirates 3