At a time when the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ rotation is in flux Anders Lee Jersey , left-hander Patrick Corbin could do well to give them a good start Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Arizona expects several injured starters to return soon, and roster decisions are coming. Corbin’s spot would not seem to be in jeopardy, but he is coming off some inconsistent performances.

In early May, he was 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA. He goes into Friday’s start with a 6-3 record and a 3.48 ERA and is expected to be matched against Pittsburgh’s Ivan Nova (4-5, 4.42).

Corbin has given up at least five runs in three of his past four starts, including five against the Pirates at home on June 11.

In his most recent outing, a 5-1 loss to the New York Mets on Saturday, he gave up all five runs on eight hits in six innings.

“Just a couple mistakes there,” Corbin said of the game against the Mets. “If I locate better, different outcome.”

Corbin, who is 1-2 with a 5.90 ERA in five career starts against Pittsburgh, hasn’t been completely off lately. He has 19 strikeouts in his past 16 2/3 innings.

But against the Mets he could not pinpoint his curveball or his fastball.

“I just thought the pitch sequencing was a little bit off, and I thought there were a lot of fastball mistakes out over the plate that were hit, and they were handled by the Mets,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “Didn’t really get to the secondary stuff the way he typically does, and I think it’s more a product of the game plan and sequencing.”

Lovullo hasn’t lost confidence in Corbin.

“Worrisome? No. Not an issue for me whatsoever. We know that the season is going to have good and bad moments,” he said.

The Diamondbacks (41-33) cruised to a 9-3 win in the series opener Thursday as the Pirates (36-38) lost for the third time in four games.

Pittsburgh dropped two of three last week at Arizona.

Nova was initially scheduled to start Thursday, but the Pirates opted to move everyone back a day when Wednesday’s game against Milwaukee was rained out Andrew Ladd Jersey , rather than do any shuffling with his rotation.

“This group right here has shown the ability to be flexible, to be resilient and also shown some benefits from an extra day (of rest) every now and then,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.

It didn’t pan out that way. Chad Kuhl, who started the opener against Arizona after warming up several times Wednesday when there was false hope that the game against Milwaukee would be played, got rocked by the Diamondbacks for eight runs in two-plus innings.

Nova is coming off two good starts, going 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA since he was removed from the disabled list (sprained finger).

On Saturday, he struggled with his curveball, but it didn’t stop him from allowing just one run and five hits in six innings of a 6-2 win over Cincinnati.

“Even though I walked a couple guys, the fastball command is better than what it was before I hit the DL,” Nova said. “I think I’ve been able to control it a bit better. I think that’s been the key.”

Nova is 1-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts against the Diamondbacks.

Andrew Knapp had too much fun to be tired after playing in what matched the longest nine-inning game in NL history.

Knapp and Odubel Herrera hit three-run homers, rookie Scott Kingery had a career-high four hits, and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 17-5 on Friday night for their fifth straight victory.

Herrera’s shot into the right-field stands in the third inning off Trevor Williams (6-7) pushed the Phillies’ lead to 5-1. Knapp’s blast to left capped a seven-run seventh, making it 14-4 and helping Philadelphia improve to 5-0 against the Pirates this season.

The game lasted 4 hours, 30 minutes, tying the NL record for a nine-inning game set on June 24, 2016, by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

”Was it that long?” Knapp said. ”It didn’t seem like it.”

It felt like an eternity for Pittsburgh, which has given up 48 runs Anthony Beauvillier Jersey , 59 hits and 12 home runs during its four-game losing streak.

”It’s peaks and valleys. Right now, collectively, we’re in a valley,” Williams said.

Herrera finished with four RBIs and Carlos Santana drove in three runs. Cesar Hernandez and Rhys Hoskins had three of the Phillies’ 18 hits and Maikel Franco hit a two-run double in the second.

Kingery reached base five times.

Philadelphia (48-37) moved into a first-place tie with Atlanta in the NL East and is 11 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season. The Phillies lost 96 games last year.

”We played Phillies-type of offense,” first-year manager Gabe Kapler said. ”We continue to see a lot of pitches, work a lot of counts, grind down the opposing pitchers. I really believe it’s a great way to win baseball games and our guys are starting to understand it and going along with it more and more.”

Edubray Ramos (3-0) retired both batters he faced in the fifth inning after being activated from the disabled list before the game.

Both starting pitchers were chased in the third inning. Nick Pivetta was charged with three runs – one earned – and Williams was tagged for five runs.

”I kind of set the tone for the record,” Pivetta said with a smile, ”but our guys did a good job of battling and overcoming it.”

Pivetta has made eight starts in a row without a victory, though he got the win in relief Sunday against Washington. Williams has lost his last three starts, allowing 12 runs in 13 innings.

”I’m tired of getting my (behind) kicked,” Williams said.

The Phillies sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh to take a 10-run lead. Hoskins and Herrera hit consecutive RBI singles and Santana doubled home two runs before Knapp connected against Josh Smoker.

Jesmuel Valentin belted a two-run double and scored on a double by Hoskins in the ninth.

Pittsburgh’s Colin Moran opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first.

ROSTER MOVES

Phillies: Ramos had been out since June 25 with a right shoulder impingement. Fellow RHP Jake Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Pirates: OF Jordan Luplow was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and RHP Clay Holmes was optioned to Class A Bradenton. Holmes was sent to the Florida State League to stay on a normal schedule because the Triple-A All-Star break is next week.

MARTE MILESTONE

Marte stole his 200th career base in the fourth inning and added two more steals in the sixth. He is the eighth Pirates player since 1900 to reach that milestone.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Phillies: RHP Vince Velasquez (bruised right forearm) will throw a bullpen Saturday and likely start Wednesday night against the Mets at New York. . RHP Jerad Eichkoff (right lat strain) felt tingling in his fingers during a live batting practice session Friday at the spring training complex in Clearwater, Florida. … INFs J.P. Crawford (broken left hand) and Pedro Florimon (broken right foot) will be examined by specialists next week.

Pirates: RHP Joe Musgrove (infected right index finger) is scheduled to throw a bullpen Saturday. . C Francisco Cervelli (concussion) is 1 for 5 with three walks through the first two games of his rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona. … INF/OF Sean Rodriguez (strained right quadriceps) is 5 for 20 with a double in five games with Indianapolis.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Jake Arrieta (5-6, 3.54 ERA) is 0-4 with a 6.16 ERA in his last six starts.

Pirates: RHP Jameson Taillon (5-6, 4.05) is 3-6 with a 4.93 ERA in his last 14 starts after going 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA in his first three.