Jared Jones (1-1, 5.76 ERA) takes the mound Thursday for Pittsburgh in the 12:35 PM ET finale despite carrying a day-to-day designation entering the week. He'll face Alan Rangel (0-1, 4.50 ERA), who is making a spot start for Philadelphia. Jones was shaky in his last outing — 4.2 innings, 3 earned, 81 pitches against Cincinnati on June 27 — and comes in without any momentum on his side.
This series took a hard turn after Pittsburgh stole Game 1. The Pirates came back from a 5-run hole on June 29, with Endy Rodriguez putting them ahead for good with a 3-run homer in the ninth, and won 11-7. Then Cristopher Sánchez threw 7 innings of 3-hit ball in a shutout the next night, and Trea Turner made it personal on Wednesday — homering in all 3 games of this series while the Phillies scored 10 and cruised. Paul Skenes absorbed the worst start of his career in Game 3, giving up a career-high 7 earned runs in 4 innings. The Pirates' bats couldn't bail him out, and now Pittsburgh is staring at getting run out of Philly.
The Pirates' depth problems are real and getting harder to paper over. Oneil Cruz (hand, 10-day IL) and Spencer Horwitz (hamstring, 10-day IL) are both out until after the All-Star break per the team's GM, stripping Pittsburgh of one of baseball's most electric switch-hitters and a productive first baseman. That puts more pressure on a lineup that has already been leaning hard on the top of the order. On the Phillies' side, Adolis Garcia (torn lat) and Johan Rojas (UCL surgery) are both deep into 60-day IL stints and nowhere near returning, but Bryce Harper, Turner, and Brandon Marsh have rendered those absences irrelevant over the last 2 days.
- Day-To-DayJared Jones SP — no
- Day-To-DayAnthony Solometo SP — Solometo underwent left shoulder labrum surgery and is expected to be sidelined until at least April 2027, Mark Chiarelli of Baseball America reports.
- Day-To-DayMitch Jebb LF
- Day-To-DaySean Sullivan SP — Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Sullivan is battling right elbow soreness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILSpencer Horwitz 1B — Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Horwitz (hamstring) will remain sidelined for "weeks, not days," and the first baseman isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILOneil Cruz CF — Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Cruz (hand) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point in July, most likely after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 15-Day-ILWilber Dotel RP — Dotel (lat) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona on Saturday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILChris Devenski RP — Devenski (illness) was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- Day-To-DayLiover Peguero SS — The Phillies reassigned Peguero to minor-league camp Sunday.
- Day-To-DayAndrew Walling RP
- Day-To-DayCarson DeMartini SS
- Day-To-DayDaniel Robert RP — Robert suffered a cardiac incident Sunday while preparing to throw a bullpen session and was taken to a local hospital, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- Day-To-DayMark Kolozsvary C — Kolozsvary (undisclosed) agreed to a minor-league contract with the Phillies on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
- 15-Day-ILBrad Keller RP — Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday that Keller (forearm) is expected to return before the All-Star break, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
- 60-Day-ILJohan Rojas CF — Rojas (suspension) underwent surgery Friday to repair the UCL in his right elbow and will face an expected recovery timeline of 6-to-8 months, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
- 60-Day-ILAdolis Garcia RF — The Phillies announced that Garcia underwent successful surgery Wednesday to repair a torn right lat, Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Rangel as a spot starter is an opportunity for Pittsburgh if it can get to the Phillies' bullpen early, but the Pirates' best shot at staying in this game is Jones pitching deep into it and keeping things close. The Phillies are 49-38 and know they have a chance to take 3 of 4 against a Pirates team sitting at 43-44 with its rotation and lineup both shorthanded. Pittsburgh's window here is narrow — a healthy Jones going 5-6 competitive innings, the bullpen holding, and the offense actually stringing something together against a rested Philly pen. That's a lot of dominoes to fall right.