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Pirates aim to rebound against Phillies

Sep 10, 2014 - 2:34 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Pittsburgh Pirates aim to get back on track Wednesday in the third installment of a four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

After winning Monday's series opener, 6-4, the Pirates were dealt a 4-3 loss Tuesday night and had a four-game winning streak come to an end. Maikel Franco drove in Freddy Galvis with the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Pirates reliever Justin Wilson was saddled with the loss.

Edinson Volquez started for Pittsburgh and lasted six innings, charged with three runs and six hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Russell Martin had two hits and two RBI, while third baseman Josh Harrison returned to the lineup after missing time with an ankle injury. Harrison, who hadn't played since the conclusion of a suspended game Saturday against the Chicago Cubs, was 1-for-5 with a strikeout for Pittsburgh, which had won eight of its previous 12 games.

"They threw their pitches and we just missed them," said Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen. "They did their job, did what they were supposed to do. We just didn't do ours."

Starling Marte extended his hitting streak to nine games in defeat.

The Pirates had won four straight and six of the past seven games in Philadelphia, and had homered in 11 straight games there (15 home runs total). They are 1 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta and Milwaukee for the second wild card spot and 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis for the NL Central lead.

Pittsburgh is 4-4 on a 10-game road trip and will send former Phillie Vance Worley to the mound Wednesday. Worley started his career in Philadelphia, pitching there from 2010-2012, and is 6-4 with a 3.05 earned run average with the Pirates. He is 1-0 in his last two starts following a three-game slide and did not record a decision in a 5-3 win over the Cubs.

Worley gave up three runs -- two earned -- in 4 2/3 innings. The bespectacled right-hander has never faced the Phillies and is 2-2 in nine games (8 starts) on the road this season.

The Phillies were able to stop a brief two-game slide and win for the 12th time in the last 18 tries. Franco's RBI single in the seventh scored Galvis, who homered and finished with three RBI and three runs scored. Franco had two hits and both Chase Utley and starting pitcher David Buchanan added RBI.

Buchanan did not record a decision and was touched for three runs (2 earned) in six innings, while Justin De Fratus collected the win with a scoreless seventh inning. Closer Jonathan Papelbon worked around a hit in the ninth for his 36th save.

"You never want to come out of a game, obviously ... but being here, with the bullpen the way it is, you're pretty confident it's shut down from then on," Buchanan said.

Papelbon posted his 103rd save as a Phillie, tying him with Steve Bedrosian for second place on the club's all-time list. Papelbon has converted each of his last 13 save opportunities and sits nine saves shy of matching Jose Mesa for the franchise's all-time record (112).

Philadelphia, which is slated to host Miami for three games next, will hand the ball to Jerome Williams Wednesday and he is 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA in five starts as a Phillie. Williams had won three straight starts until last Friday's 9-8 win at Washington and did not record a decision.

Williams allowed five runs, four of which were earned, and nine hits over five innings of work. The right-hander has made five career starts against the Pirates and is only 1-3 with a 3.90 ERA.

Pittsburgh swept the Phillies in three games at PNC Park and has won 10 of the past 14 meetings in this series. The Phils look for another win Wednesday and have prevailed in five of their last six series overall.