Phillies @ Giants

Who will WIN this matchup?

Philadelphia Phillies (73-58)

@ San Francisco Giants (61-68)

Starting Pitchers:

Gibson (PHI): 9-5; 4.08 ERA

Cobb (SF) 4-6; 3.81 ERA

Current odds:

Philadelphia Phillies: (-101)

San Francisco Giants: (-118)

• The starting line-up for the Phillies is as follows:

• The starting line-up for the Giants is as follows:

• Bryce Harper hopes to get back in the swing of things at a place that could have become home when the Philadelphia Phillies visit the tail-spinning San Francisco Giants for the opener of a three-game series Friday night.

• The Phillies (73-58) needed an 18-2 shellacking of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday to snap a three-game losing streak. They retained a half-game lead over the San Diego Padres in their duel for the second and third wild-card playoff spots in the National League.

• San Diego’s surge came at the expense of the Giants (61-68), who began the week 7 1/2 games behind in the wild-card race. But after suffering a three-game home sweep at the hands of their NL West rival, the Giants now find themselves 10 1/2 back of the Padres (73-59) and 11 back of the Phillies with just 33 to play.

• Searching for answers following a third straight one-run loss to San Diego, Giants manager Gabe Kapler insisted an untimely seven-game losing streak wasn’t for a lack of effort.

• One of the criticisms of the Giants’ fall from last year’s best-in-baseball regular-season record is a lack of star power in the wake of Buster Posey’s retirement.

• Harper admitted the Giants were a serious consideration before he signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies in March of 2019. He explained at the time that he thought the window had already begun to close on a franchise that won three championships between 2010-14.

• Harper, who turns 29 next month, has played six games since returning from an elbow injury that kept him out two months. After going 3-for-10 without an extra-base hit in his first three games back against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he flashed his old form with five hits, including two doubles, in 11 at-bats over three games at Arizona earlier this week.

• Harper has just six previous plate appearances against the Giants’ scheduled starter in the series opener, right-hander Alex Cobb (4-6, 3.81), going 1-for-4 with two walks. The 34-year-old has faced the Phillies just twice in his career, both starts, going 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA. He did not face the Phillies in an earlier series in Philadelphia.

• The Phillies will go with a 34-year-old righty of their own, Kyle Gibson (9-5, 4.08), who has never beaten the Giants in four career starts, going 0-1 with a 3.91 ERA. Gibson got a no-decision in a 5-4 home loss to the Giants on May 30 after allowing two runs and three hits in six innings.