PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Phillies starter Hans Crouse gave up a home run to Cole Tucker on his first major league pitch and Philadelphia's playoff hopes took a hit Sunday with a 6-0 loss to Max Kranick and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Phillies, who had won five in a row, began the day trailing NL East-leading Atlanta by 1 1/2 games. Philadelphia visits the Braves for a three-game series starting Tuesday night.
Bryce Harper and Philadelphia finished the home portion of their schedule with a record of 47-34.
Crouse (0-1) began his big league career with a fastball that Tucker hit into the right field seats for his first home run of the season.