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Fully-loaded Phillies visit Pirates

Jun 3, 2011 - 2:34 PM (Sports Network) - For the first time this season Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel will set his projected everyday lineup when the ballclub invades PNC Park tonight to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in the opener of a three-game series.

All-Star second baseman Chase Utley was on the disabled list for almost the first two months of the season and is back at full strength. That's what Manuel's lineup will be when center fielder Shane Victorino is activated from the DL just in time to make tonight's start. Manuel has witnessed several players land on the disabled list this season, but starting pitcher Cole Hamels is not one of them.

Hamels has been just as advertised with a 7-2 mark and a 3.01 earned run average in 11 starts, and can become the majors' second eight-game winner (Kevin Correia) when he toes the rubber in the Steel City tonight. Hamels has won three straight starts and threw seven solid innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts in a 5-2 win against the New York Mets on Saturday. He ran his road record to 4-0 in five starts and is tied with Roy Halladay for the team lead in wins.

The 2008 World Series MVP has lasted at least six innings in each of his last 10 starts and will make his fifth career start against Pittsburgh. Hamels is 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA through the first four appearances in this series.

Philadelphia is 3-3 so far on a nine-game road trip and recently lost two of three meetings in Washington. The Phillies dropped a 2-1 decision on Wednesday after getting blasted, 10-2, the day before. In the latest defeat at Nationals Park, Roy Oswalt fell to 0-3 in his last five starts by allowing both runs and six hits in five innings of work.

Ryan Howard had two hits and Domonic Brown was robbed of a possible game- changing hit with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth. Brown hit a ball to the gap in left-center field, but Nationals outfielder Laynce Nix made a great diving catch to halt any kind of Phillies rally.

"I thought it was going to fall in because I knew (Roger) Bernadina was shaded over to the pull side," Brown said. "I was watching Laynce (Nix) the whole way, and he had a good read on it."

Phillies left fielder Raul Ibanez is still one RBI away for 1,000 in his career. He has knocked in 13 runs over his last 14 games. Ibanez and the rest of his teammates had the day off Thursday after playing 20 games in 20 straight days, going 10-10 in that span. Yesterday's off day was Philly's first since May 12.

Pittsburgh is back home after going 4-3 on a seven-game road swing, and will begin a 10-game residency Friday versus the Phillies, D'Backs and Mets. The Pirates are 9-14 at home as opposed to their 17-15 road ledger and dropped a 9-8 decision against New York on Thursday afternoon.

The Pirates blew a 7-0 lead and starting pitcher Paul Maholm was shaky on the mound, allowing seven runs -- six earned -- on eight hits in 5 2/3 innings for the no-decision. Jose Veras was tagged with the loss for surrendering two runs in just two-thirds of an inning.

Neil Walker homered and finished with four RBI, while Xavier Paul went 4-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored and Andrew McCutchen knocked in a pair of runs for the Pirates, who have lost six of their last 10 games and split the four-game series with the Mets.

"You have to play nine full innings," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "We put ourselves in a very good position early, but people at this level ... nobody's going to give up. There's too much pride involved."

Bucs starter Jeff Karstens hopes to lift Hurdle's spirits when he takes the mound tonight, but has dropped two straight starts and four of his last five decisions. Karstens has lasted a total of seven innings in each of his last two outings and took the loss in Sunday's 3-2 setback against the Chicago Cubs in which he gave up three runs -- two earned -- in five innings.

Karstens, who pitched just two innings versus Atlanta on May 25, is 3-4 with a 3.58 earned run average in 12 games (8 starts) this season. In three career games (1 start) against the Phillies, the righty is 0-0 with a 4.50 ERA.

The Phillies and Pirates are meeting for the first time since Pittsburgh won four of six meetings a year ago, including a 3-1 mark at PNC Park.