 tied a season high with eight strikeouts, walked two and allowed only an unearned run in the sixth to win his third consecutive decision.Batting just .133 this season, Musgrove opened the scoring by doubling with one out in the third off Zach Eflin (7-10), then racing home ahead of a strong throw from Harper after a sharp single to right by Bryan Reynolds.Starling Marte went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI for the Pirates. Corey Dickerson added two doubles and an RBI as Pittsburgh won for just second time in its last eight games on a night the franchise honored the 40th anniversary of the 1979 team that won the World Series.This year's group is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of Hall of Fame first baseman Willie Stargell and All-Star outfielder Dave Parker, but received a needed jolt from Musgrove while trying to emerge from a post All-Star break funk that has dropped them off the pace in the NL Central.The Phillies managed just three singles against Musgrove and three Pittsburgh relievers to fall to 4-5 since the All-Star break.Eflin, who entered with just one victory in his last six starts and a 13.00 ERA in July, ran into trouble in the third and drop to 2-7 on the road. Reynolds came home on Marte's first double of the night and Marte raced across the plate on a soft single to center by Josh Bell to give the Pirates an early 3-0 lead. Eflin lasted just four innings, giving up three runs on five hits with three strikeouts as his ERA ticked up to a season-high 4.25.The Phillies scratched across a run in the fifth when a walk and an error by Bell at first base put runners in scoring position with no outs. Brad Miller scored on a groundout by Adam Haseley but Musgrove returned from a 28-minute rain delay to strike out pinch-hitter Nick Williams and Scott Kingery to end the threat.MORIN ARRIVESPhiladelphia reliever Mike Morin allowed a run in the seventh inning in his first appearance with the Phillies after being acquired from Minnesota on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations. Morin went 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA in 23 games with one save for the Twins this season before being designated for assignment on Tuesday. To make room for Morin on the major league roster Philadelphia sent reliever JD Hammer to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and transferred right-handed reliever Seranthony Dominguez (right elbow) to the 60-day injured list.TRAINER'S ROOMPirates: RHP Keone Kela (right shoulder inflammation) put together an aggressive bullpen session for the second straight day and could come off the 60-day injured list early next week. ... LHP Steven Brault (left shoulder strain) threw on Saturday and is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list.UP NEXTPhillies: LHP Drew Smyly will likely make his first start for the Phillies on Sunday. Smyly went 1-5 with an 8.42 ERA for Texas before being released last month. He signed with Milwaukee on July 1 and sent to Triple-A before being let go by the Brewers on Thursday.Pirates: Have yet to announce a Sunday starter. Trevor Williams is next up in the rotation but could have his start pushed back a few days after struggling recently. Rookie Dario Agrazal (2-0, 2.45 ERA) figures to be the best available option and would be starting on normal rest.---More MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/-Sports)
Phillies look to compound Pirates' miseryFLMThe Philadelphia Phillies are heating up while their opponents this weekend, the Pittsburgh Pirates, are fizzling.The Phillies, who have won three of their past four after a 6-1 victory in the series opener Friday at PNC Park, are getting the kind of production they might expect from right fielder Bryce Harper.Harper had a good series earlier this week with three two-hit games as the Phillies split four games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had three doubles and drove in seven runs.On Friday, he went 2-for-5 with a two-out RBI single in the seventh that was the team's first hit of the game with a runner in scoring position and stood up as the winning run. He also hit a double.Over his past 23 games, Harper is batting .321 (27-for-84) with seven doubles, five homers and 20 RBIs."We've leaned on him, and we've leaned all season long on him, and we're going to continue to lean on him as an emotional leader and the producer that he is on the bases, at the plate and on defense," Philadelphia manager Gabe Kapler said of Harper.Pittsburgh is looking for anyone to lean in in an effort to escape a slump. The Pirates, who opened a seven-game homestand Friday, are 1-6 since the All-Star break.On Saturday, Philadelphia right-hander Zach Eflin (7-9, 4.16 ERA) is scheduled to face Pittsburgh righty Joe Musgrove (6-8, 4.31).Eflin is 2-6 in his past 10 starts since he won three starts in a row. On Monday against the Dodgers, he gave up seven runs and nine hits in six innings, with five strikeouts and a walk.He needed to go that long into a 16-2 loss to help because of an overtaxed bullpen. Afterward, Eflin felt compelled to speak for the team as whole."We're all calm," said Eflin, who threw a three-hit shutout in his only career appearance against the Pirates, back in 2016. "There's no need to panic. We know how good we're going to be, and it's just going to take that one time, that one game that everything clicks, and then it's going to be a fun rest of the year." It's difficult to say the Phillies had that moment, but they have seemed to take a turn for the better.Musgrove, meanwhile, is moving up to make the Saturday start. Trevor Williams was originally slated to go, but late in Friday's game, the Pirates announced that Williams would miss the game because of what was termed "severe flu-like symptoms." Manager Clint Hurdle said Williams' illness developed Thursday night into Friday.Musgrove is 0-1 and has allowed eight runs, seven earned, over 10 2/3 innings in his past two starts.On Monday in a 7-0 loss at St. Louis during which the Pirates seemed discombobulated all around, Musgrove went 4 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and five runs, four earned, with seven strikeouts and three walks."It's just one of those games where I had to grind my way through and try to make things work," he said.Musgrove has never started against Philadelphia, although he has pitched three scoreless innings in relief vs. the Phillies.--Field Level Media
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