Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2018 ) Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 2

The Philadelphia Phillies are kings of the Keystone State, and they hope to add to their dominance over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday. The Phillies aim to complete a season sweep of their intrastate rivalry and earn a seventh straight victory overall when they face the host Pirates in the finale of a three-game series.

The Phillies improved to a major league-best 19-7 in one-run games with a 3-2 victory Saturday, collecting their third such win over Pittsburgh this season to go along with three triumphs of four or more runs. Philadelphia has outscored the Pirates 38-12 in the previous five meetings in 2018. The Phillies have won eight of their last nine and remain tied with Atlanta atop the National League East. The Pirates have dropped five straight, allowing 51 runs during the skid.

TV: 1:35 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, AT&T SportsNet - Pittsburgh

PITCHING MATCHUP: Phillies RH Drew Anderson (2017: 0-0, 23.14 ERA) vs. Pirates RH Nick Kingham (2-4, 4.70)

Anderson will make his first big-league start and his first appearance of the season with the Phillies. The 24-year-old was tagged for seven runs (six earned) in 2 1/3 innings across two relief appearances last August. Anderson is 5-3 with a 4.15 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.

After winning his first two starts of the season, Kingham has lost four consecutive decisions, including three straight starts in which the offense has scored a total of one run. The 26-year-old was lit up for seven runs (five earned) in three-plus innings Monday at the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he allowed three home runs. Kingham is 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA in three home starts.

WALK-OFFS

1. Pirates C Francisco Cervelli, sidelined since June 21 due to a concussion, worked out Saturday and is expected to be activated before the series finale.

2. Phillies 2B Cesar Hernandez was held out of the lineup Saturday after fouling a ball off his foot Friday, but he was used as a pinch hitter and is day-to-day.

3. Pittsburgh on Saturday activated RHP Michael Feliz from the 10-day disabled list and called up RHP Alex McRae from Triple-A Indianapolis. RHP Dovydas Neverauskas and LHP Josh Smoker were optioned to Indianapolis.

PREDICTION: Pirates 5, Phillies 4