Phillies' Hoskins hopes to continue power surge vs. Cubs

PHILADELPHIA -- The last time Chicago Cubs right-hander John Lackey faced the Philadelphia Phillies back in May, he gave up three runs and nine hits, leaving without a decision in a game his team eventually won 5-4.

A similar effort Sunday likely won't be good enough against a Phillies lineup that's generally been playing with a lot more punch than it was in the opening stretch of the season, if only for the presence of one impressive rookie.

Rhys Hoskins has taken Philadelphia by storm since his call-up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley a little more than two weeks ago, and has already set a major league record with his power.

The first-baseman-turned-left-fielder belted his 10th home run Saturday night, his seventh in the last eight games. He's the first player in MLB history to hit 10 home runs in his first 20 games -- and it only took him 17 to get there.

"I'm going to start getting mad at him if he doesn't hit a home run every game he plays," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin quipped after Saturday night's game.

Chicago had its own power surge Saturday night, hitting six home runs in a 17-2 victory to even the series heading into Sunday's rubber match.

The Phillies will call up Nick Pivetta from Lehigh Valley to make the start in the series finale, and he too will need to pitch better than he has of late to give his team a chance.

Pivetta, who was just sent down to the minors Wednesday to give the Phillies some bullpen flexibility following a doubleheader, is 4-9 with a 6.73 ERA in 19 major league starts this season, his first in the majors. He's 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five starts with Lehigh Valley, but didn't throw a pitch for the Iron Pigs in his latest brief stint there.

Pivetta's last time out was his worst outing of the season, as he gave up six runs and seven hits in 1 1/3 innings in a loss to the Miami Marlins. It's the fourth start in a row in which he's failed to go more than five innings, with a 14.49 ERA in that span.

"We've got that need to improve on fastball command, as well as secondary stuff, but primarily fastball command and that's what it's all about," Mackanin told CSNPhilly. "It could be mechanical. It could be partially upstairs and overthrowing and guiding the ball. There are a number of different things."

Sunday will be Pivetta's first career start against the Cubs.

Lackey is also coming off a rough outing as the 38-year-old right-hander gave up six runs (all earned) and nine hits in five innings in Cincinnati on Tuesday, though he avoided a decision in a game his team ultimately won 13-9.

That broke a string of seven consecutive starts where he'd held his opponents to three earned runs or fewer, going 5-0 with a 3.29 ERA during that time -- including holding the Reds to one run on four hits.

"It just shows you a fine line between good and bad, especially facing the same team five days later," Lackey told the Chicago Tribune after his last start. "It's never an advantage to a pitcher."

Lackey has had success against the Phillies in his career, going 5-4 with a 2.77 ERA over 10 starts.