Riding a 5-game win streak, the Phillies (53-46) will play host to the Diamondbacks (37-62) for a 3-game series beginning Tuesday night.
The highlight of the series will be a pitching match up set to feature pair of pitchers who threw no-hitters this season. Arizona's Edwin Jackson tossed a no-no against the Rays on June 25th. Phillies ace Roy Halladay threw a perfect game against the Marlins on May 29th. The two history makers will face each other in the second game of the series on Wednesday night.
The defending National League champions have swept back-to-back 4-game series at home against the Reds and Rockies. The 8 wins are the Phils' longest home winning streak since 1991, when they won 16 straight in Philadelphia.
Read ahead for analysis on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series.
Tuesday, 7:05pm. Rodrigo Lopez (5-9, 4.58 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (7-7, 3.40 ERA). In 9 road starts this season, RoLo is 2-4 with a 4.27 ERA. Brian Schneider is 4-for-7 (.571 avg) with 2 doubles against Lopez in his career. In 4 July starts this season, Lopez is 1-3 with a 5.32 ERA. In 10 home starts in 2010, Hamels is 4-3 with a 3.21 ERA. In 4 career starts against Arizona, Hamels has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.38 ERA. In his last 5 starts, Hamels is 1-1 with a 1.47 ERA.
Wednesday, 7:05pm. Edwin Jackson (6-9, 5.01 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (11-8, 2.28 ERA). Jackson has not faced the Phillies in regular season action before. In 9 road starts this year, Jackson is 3-4 with a 4.25 ERA. In 4 July starts, Jackson is 1-3 with a 6.85 ERA. In 2 career starts against Arizona, Halladay is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA. In his last 6 starts overall, Halladay is 2-2 with a 1.91 ERA. Halladay has posted a 2-2 record with a 1.07 ERA in his past 5 home starts.
Thursday, 7:05pm. Joe Saunders (6-10, 4.62 ERA with the Angels) vs. Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 4.60 ERA). In one career start against Philadelphia, Saunders has a win in which he allowed 2 earned runs in 7 innings. Raul Ibanez is 7-for-20 (.350 avg) with a double and a homer against Saunders. In 3 career starts against Arizona, Kendrick has no decisions with a 6.23 ERA and a .355 batting avg. against. In 9 home starts this season, Kendrick is 3-2 with a 5.14 ERA. Right-handed opponents are hitting .225 against Kendrick, while lefties have posted a .320 batting average against him.
Arizona slugger Mark Reynolds is a .271 hitter with 5 doubles and 6 homeruns in 19 career games against the Phillies.
Justin Upton is a .375 hitter in 10 games against the Phillies. During his current 12-game hitting streak, Upton is 21-for-48 (.438 avg) with 8 doubles and 2 homeruns.
In 10 career games at Citizens Bank Park, D-Backs reliever Chad Qualls is 2-1 with a 7.88 ERA and a .400 batting average against.
In 6 outings since Brad Lidge's last blown save, Lidge has strung together 5 saves and a 3.17 ERA while walking 8 batters and striking out 6.
In 13 games batting 3rd in the Phillies' lineup, Raul Ibanez is 19-for-54 (.352 avg) with 2 homers and 10 RBI. Batting elsewhere in the batting order, Ibanez has posted a .238 avg.
D-Backs team ERA- 5.27
Phillies team ERA- 3.99
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