Maybe Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Jake Arrieta will go longer into the Saturday afternoon game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park than he did in his last start.

The former Cy Young Award winner with the Chicago Cubs has double-digit wins in each of the past four seasons Jarvis Jenkins Jersey , and a career 3.57 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. But he learned in his first season with the Phillies that it is all about the wins.

Philadelphia moved well above .500 by making careful decisions, and that included pulling Arrieta after five strong innings and 70 pitches Sunday against Washington simply because the club was trailing 3-0 with one hit.

“You have to find a way to score runs. You’re running out of outs. You’re down,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said of his decision to pinch-hit Carlos Santana for Arrieta after he had given up two earned runs and four hits.

Philadelphia ended up scoring three runs that inning for a tie and winning 4-3 in 13 innings.

“There was quite a bit of debate, and mostly because of how good Jake was,” Kapler said. “I was confident we could have gotten two, maybe three more innings out of him. However, we didn’t know if we were going to have an opportunity to score.

“So there was definitely internal debate, mostly because of how good Jake is and because I knew he could give us length there — and because I knew he wanted to give us length. He’s earned the opportunity to do so. But for the strategy of the Phillies, I didn’t think that was the right move.”

Arrieta (5-6, 3.54 ERA) hasn’t been winning at his customary clip, the no-decision notwithstanding. On Saturday, he’ll face right-hander Jameson Taillon (5-6 Jacquizz Rodgers Jersey , 4.05 ERA) and the struggling Pirates (40-47).

Arrieta is 11-6 with a 3.01 ERA in 21 career starts against Pittsburgh. The only time he faced them this season, he struck out 10 while pitching seven one-hit scoreless innings in a 7-0 victory on April 19.

The Phillies opened this series with a 17-5 smackdown Friday and have won five straight and six of seven to gain a share of the National League East lead.

The Pirates have lost four in a row — by a combined 48-13, with 59 hits and 12 homers allowed — and five of six. They continue to shuffle their lineup.

“There’s no sense in keeping it the same, is usually a point I get to, because we’re not getting the results we want to get,” Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said.

In his most recent start, Taillon lasted just 4 2/3 innings Sunday in San Diego. He left with a lead in a game the Pirates won 7-5 but gave up a homer and two singles with two outs in the fourth to prompt the pitching change.

“I’m hunting a lot of good work, and I just need to keep going,” Taillon, who is is 3-6 with a 4.93 ERA in his past 14 starts, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Against the Phillies, Taillon is 1-1 with a 5.68 ERA in three career starts. This is a rematch of the April 19 game that Arrieta won. In that game Dion Jordan Jersey , Taillon was rocked for five runs in 1 2/3 innings.

One of the first passes thrown by Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay Packers camp was as noteworthy for who was competing for the ball as much as the play's result.

Cornerback Kevin King, locked in coverage deep against receiver Randall Cobb, appeared to wrestle away an interception, though the ever-competitive quarterback disputed that call.

Coach Mike McCarthy took a diplomatic approach.

"Yeah, I'm a head coach so I thought it was an excellent play by both guys," McCarthy said Friday, drawing laughs. "I like the way Randall finished with the ball but I like the position that Kevin was in."

Outcome aside, the most important takeaway might be that two players who could be pivotal to Green Bay's success are healthy again.

Cobb revealed Friday that he had ankle surgery after offseason workouts. He was spotted at an airport with a walking boot on his right foot last month.

Doctors "went in and pretty much just removed a piece of cartilage that was giving me some problems," Cobb said . "Obviously not that big of a deal. But feeling a lot better than I did before."

Enough so that the senior member of the Packers receiving corps is a full go in camp .

"I think the first call, the first play ... where the ball goes deep to Randall, I think that tells you the kind of shape (Cobb is in)," McCarthy said.

Cobb's health is important for a receiving corps that lost Jordy Nelson after the respected veteran was cut in the offseason in a money-saving move. It left Cobb and Davante Adams as the Packers' top wideouts Austin Hooper Jersey , plus a bevy of young players competing for targets that once went to Nelson.

"At this point, it's just getting my conditioning back. I was here the entire offseason working with our strength and conditioning staff trying to get back and get right," Cobb said.

King had left shoulder surgery after his injury-shortened rookie year. The shoulder maligned him for much of last season, and King was limited to individual workouts in the offseason as he recovered.

But King is a full go now, and his interception against Cobb in practice Thursday offered a glimpse of King's full potential when healthy. He is talented enough to be the Packers' top cornerback.

King wasn't done. On the next play, he broke up a throw for receiver Geronimo Allison and ended up hitting the ground.

"I could have done that last year," King said in the locker room.

Maybe, but he might have been in pain.

The shoulder no longer hurts, King said. The injury during his rookie season also sharpened his mental game.

"Mentally, it elevated me. It's been positive for me," King added.

A healthy King could do wonders at a cornerback position beleaguered by injuries the last couple of years. The 6-foot-3 King has the length to play effective press coverage for new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Now King just needs to stay on the field after making 31 tackles in nine games last season, including five starts.

"There's no question about Kevin's ability and his level of talent and the ability to play Michael Crabtree Jersey ," McCarthy said. "Yes, he made two competitive plays on the ball. ... The biggest thing I'm happy about is Kevin's healthy and he's come back from the shoulder surgery and is off to a good start."

NOTES: OLB Nick Perry, who is starting camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list, said he had no concerns about being ready for the opener on Sept. 9 against Chicago. Perry, who had offseason ankle surgery, and Clay Matthews are the veteran leaders at a position otherwise short on experience and production. "We're still going to take it one day at a time just to make sure that everything goes smoothly and I'm here for the long haul," Perry said. ... Rodgers and TE Jimmy Graham showed rapport in connecting for some tough pass plays during team drills. Graham was signed in the offseason as a free agent. ... A pass from Rodgers over the middle during a two-minute drill was picked off at the goal line by ILB Blake Martinez. ... Two backups, QB DeShone Kizer and TE Robert Tonyan, connected on a 15-yard scoring pass in coverage for the offense's only score in two-minute drill work.

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