Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies

The Pirates acquired Brandon Lowe to be an aircraft carrier, lifting their offense out of baseball’s basement. Though Pittsburgh likely didn’t envision Lowe having *this* impact. On Thursday in Philadelphia, Lowe singled twice, walked and stole his first base of the season. He went on to score the go-ahead run on Esmerlyn Valdez's triple, leading to an offensive breakout and a 6-1 win to split the series at Citizens Bank Park. With Lowe as its top power threat, Pittsburgh’s offense has transformed into one of the best in the National League, as he’s tallied 77 hits and an .817 OPS through 81 games. Despite Lowe leading all second basemen in home runs (20), RBIs (57) and slugging percentage (.498), Lowe wasn’t a finalist at the position to be a starter for the All-Star Game, falling behind Atlanta's Ozzie Albies and Philadelphia's Bryson Stott. This isn’t Lowe’s first rodeo. The nine-year veteran has made the Midsummer Classic twice, squeezing in on the player vote and as a reserve. He didn’t play in either due to injury. After an effective performance in the City of Brotherly Love, he hopes to make a return in less than two weeks with the Phillies set to host this year's All-Star Game. The full All-Star rosters will be announced on FOX at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. “It'd be nice to get one under my belt,” Lowe said of playing in the Midsummer Classic. “I think watching my little girl and my son walk down the red carpet would be a lot of fun.” Lowe brought his young family to the red carpet in Atlanta last year. He remembers carrying his daughter down the runway and his son high-fiving fans. Lowe said this year would carry a little more weight, as his daughter can now walk and her personality has blossomed.