Boston @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 31, 2018 ) Philadelphia 3, Boston 1

The Boston Red Sox are 50 games over .500, 29-6 in their last 35 games and continue to cruise toward the best record in franchise history along with an American League East crown. One of the few teams the Red Sox had trouble scoring against since the All-Star break was the Philadelphia Phillies, who host Boston in the opener of a two-game interleague series on Tuesday.

The Red Sox lead the majors in most offensive categories, including runs scored (659), but managed just three runs in splitting a two-game series against the Phillies at home to close out last month. While Boston enjoys a healthy 10-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East, Philadelphia is locked in a battle atop the NL East and sits one game behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, with the Washington Nationals lurking 6 1/2 games back. "(We're) trying not to focus too much on what's going on outside this clubhouse, whether Atlanta loses, Washington wins or loses," Phillies right-hander Jake Arrieta told reporters after a 9-3 loss to San Diego on Sunday. "It's like, 'Let's just try and win the game that day.' If we do that and we stay healthy, we're going to end up in a good spot. The spot we want to be in." Philadelphia will send right-hander Nick Pivetta to the mound on Tuesday opposite former Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello.

TV: 7:05 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), NBCS Philadelphia

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (14-5, 4.17 ERA) vs. Phillies RH Nick Pivetta (7-9, 4.51)

Porcello followed up one of his best starts of the season with one of his worst while getting knocked around for seven runs on six hits and three walks in four innings at the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. The New Jersey native needed only 86 pitches to skip through a complete-game one-hitter in his previous start versus the New York Yankees on Aug. 3. Porcello is 1-1 in three career starts against Philadelphia and owns a 19-8 record with a 4.22 ERA in 38 interleague games - 36 starts.

Pivetta scattered five hits over six scoreless innings to earn a win at Arizona last Tuesday, snapping a three-start winless streak. The 25-year-old Canadian struck out 41 batters in 30 innings over his last five outings. Pivetta faced Boston once during his 2017 rookie campaign and yielded four hits while striking out nine in seven scoreless frames but did not factor in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts (finger) sat out Sunday at Baltimore and is day-to-day.

2. Philadelphia 1B Carlos Santana is 3-for-24 over his last seven games, dropping his batting average to .215.

3. Boston RF Mookie Betts is 15-for-33 with 12 runs scored during an eight-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 4, Phillies 2