Phils Face the Second Place Team

It has been over a month since they last faced off. This week, the Phillies return to Citi Field for another head to head series with the Metropolitans. The Phillies lost both games the last time they visited Queens on May 6th and 7th. Ahead, check out the pitching match up for this series, plus loads more notes.

Tuesday, 7:10pm. "Jay" Happ (4-0, 2.48 ERA) vs. Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00 ERA). Happ has thrown 5 2/3 innings in relief against NY this year and has not been scored upon. Happ's WHIP this season is 0.98. Johan is 3-0 with a 2.49 ERA, as a Met against the Phillies. He gave up just 2 hits over 7 scoreless innings in that May 6th game. Pedro Feliz, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are a combined 9-for-77 (.117 avg) against Santana in their careers. Raul Ibanez is 13-for-37 (.351 avg) in his career against Santana. Ryan Howard is 6-for-17 (.353 avg) against Santana with 2 homers.

Wednesday, 7:10pm. Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.40 ERA) vs. Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85 ERA). Hamels is his career against the Mets is 1-3 with a 3.79 ERA in 6 games. Cole has not lost a game since April 23rd and his ERA since that loss is 2.84. Pelfrey is 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA in his career against the Phils in 6 games. Pelfrey is 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA through 5 home games this season. Pelfrey against the NL East this season is 3-0, 3.03 ERA in 5 games.

Thursday, 7:10pm. Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.27 ERA) vs. Tim Redding (0-2, 6.97 ERA). Moyer has 2 starts against the Mets this year. In those games, he's 0-1, with 12 earned runs allowed in 8 innings. Batters are hitting a combined .307 overall against Moyer this year. Redding is 5-3 with a 3.29 ERA in 11 career starts against the Phillies. In 2008, Redding was 3-1 with a 3.41 ERA in 5 games against the Phils. Chase Utley is 8-for-18 (.444 avg) with 2 homers against Tim Redding.

Francisco Rodriguez has not allowed an earned run since April 24th. He's made 19 appearances since then. His batting average against is .053 in 6 career games against the Phillies.

Pedro Feliciano has not given up an earned run at Citi Field this year. His career ERA against the Phillies is 4.06 in 47 games.

David Wright is batting .529 (9-for-17) over the past week, with 5 runs scored and 4 RBI.

Carlos Ruiz is batting .321 since May 4th with 3 HR, 13 RBI and 3 steals.

Team runs scored Phillies- 302
Team runs scored Metropolitans- 257

Team ERA Phillies- 4.63
Team ERA Metropolitans- 3.93

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Update-

The Phils will be making the trip to New York without an active Brad Lidge. Lidge, the Phillies' closer, has a 7.27 ERA this season and has already been scored on in as many games (13) this year as he was last season, and is one shy of how many he was scored upon in 2007. The Phillies are citing a knee sprain as Lidge's ailment. Ryan Madson is expected to fill the closer role, in Lidge's absence.

Check out Fox Sports 1310am's Shore Sports Report today around 3:30 for a live dose of PhoulBallz!

Q&A with Justin De Fratus

Justin De Fratus is a 21 year old right handed relief pitcher with the Lakewood BlueClaws. An 11th round draft choice in 2007, Justin had been a starter in his first two seasons in the Phillies organization. Informed this spring that he'd be switched from the rotation to the bullpen, Justin has excelled and become one of the most reliable pitchers on the Lakewood staff. In 19 games this season, Justin is 2-0, with a 1.83 ERA and 0.89 WHIP over 39 1/3 innings pitched. PhoulBallz.com spoke with Justin De Fratus just last night. Here's how that went down... Justin, South Atlantic League all star selections were announced this week, and you were named to the team. Can I get your reaction to that? How excited were you? Very excited about it. Well, especially this year because I just got moved to the bullpen, so this is a new role for me. So, if anything, it's reassuring that I'm doing my job. It's the first time in my pro career that I've been selected as an all star...

All in the Family

22-year-old pitching prospect Nick Hernandez's father helps him stay fit during the off-season Phillies pitching prospect Nick Hernandez spent much of the 2010 regular season on the disabled list with an injury to his throwing shoulder. The 6'4", 215 pound lefty, who was named a mid-season South Atlantic League all-star with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, attempted comebacks twice during the season, making rehab outings for the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced setbacks that curtailed his return to the mound and kept him from helping his teammates lock down a second consecutive league championship for Lakewood. In 8 starts with the BlueClaws last season, the 12th round draft pick from 2009 posted a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA and averaged 7 innings per start. Hernandez's strength is throwing a lot of strikes and he owes some of his success to his father, also named Nick (Dad's full first name is spelled Nicolas, while son's name is spell...

Ring-a-ling

This week I heard old news about how when the Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl, they gave former Colt Edgerrin James a championship ring. "Edge" had been a Colt for seven years, and even though he was gone when they won the big one, the team and the coaching staff felt as though James had contributed in building the team that won it all, so they awarded him a ring. This got me wondering which people, in an extended Phillies phamily , would be deserving of a 2008 World Series Champions ring. I heard an interview with Mike Schmidt, in the days that followed the Series, and when asked if he thought he'd get a ring, he said, "They have my (ring) size." Schmidt, the Hall of Fame thirdbaseman , was a long time Phillie, a one time coach of the single-A Clearwater Threshers (where he managed World Series MVP Cole Hamels ) and appears as a guest hitting instructor in Phillies spring training every year. With all those things in mind, of course Mike Schmidt shou...

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