Skip to main content

Series Preview: Phillies at Braves, 4/20-4/22


The Phillies hit the road and will begin a 3-game series in Atlanta on Tuesday night. The 3-time defending National League East Division Champions from Philadelphia will get their first regular season look at the rookie with all the hype, Jason Heyward, who is batting .302 through his first 12 Major League games. Following a 7-1 start, the Phillies have lost three of their last four games, including their first series loss of the season, as they dropped 2 of 3 to the Marlins over the weekend. The Braves have a 7-5 record and are hoping to knock the champs down. Read on for details on the pitching match ups for this series and other key notes.


Tuesday, 7:10pm. Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 17.47 ERA) vs. Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.38 ERA). Kendrick's time in the Phillies' starting rotation could be in jeopardy as the man he is filling in for, Joe Blanton, work his way back from an oblique injury. Kendrick has pitched just 5 2/3 inning in two starts this season. In 7 career games against Atlanta, Kyle is 4-1 with a 3.29 ERA. Hanson has faced the Phillies twice and he is 0-2 with a 6.43 ERA and .321 batting average against in those outings. In 12 starts at Turner Field, Hanson has a 7-3 record with a 3.15 ERA.

Wednesday, 7:10pm. Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.12 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (1-0, 2.84 ERA). Halladay has allowed just 1 run in 10 1/3 innings against the Braves. Hudson is 4-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 15 career starts against the Phils. Ryan Howard is 12-for-34 (.353 avg) with 5 homers, 10 RBI and 7 walks against Hudson. In 64 career starts at Turner Field, Hudson has a 29-18 record with 3.56 ERA.

Thursday, 7:10pm. Jamie Moyer (1-1, 7.50 ERA) vs. Derek Lowe (3-0, 4.67 ERA). In 5 starts at Turner Field, Moyer is 1-2 with a 5.46 ERA. Troy Glaus against Moyer is 19-for-54 (.352 avg) with 5 homers and 15 RBI. In 14 regular season games against the Phillies, Lowe is 6-1 with a 2.56 ERA. Last year in 17 starts at Turner Field, Lowe had a 6-4 record with a 4.28 ERA. Raul Ibanez is 2-for-25 (.080 avg) against Lowe...both hits are homers. Ibanez along with Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz, Juan Castro, Brian Schneider and Jayson Werth are a combined 12-for-96 (.120 avg) against Lowe.


Chipper Jones against Kendrick, Halladay & Moyer is 14-for-33 (.424 avg) with 4 homers and 10 RBI.

Brian McCann hit 5 of his 21 homers last season off Phillies pitchers. McCann is a career .304 hitter in 72 games against the Phils.

Ryan Howard has hit more homers (15) at Turner Field than any other road ballpark. In 42 games there, Howard is a .336 hitter and has a 1.129 OPS.

In 25 career games at Turner Field, Ryan Madson is 4-1 with 2 blown saves and a 1.91 ERA.

"Jay" Happ will miss a turn in the starting rotation, as he has been diagnosed with a strained flexor pronator muscle in his forearm. The team is taking a conservative approach with Happ, hoping he will return to action next week.

----------------------------------------

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign.  En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more.  Read ahead for that interview.  -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good.  You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day.  I would say that's the biggest difference.  But I...

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...