Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, 5/9-5/11

The last time Phillies ace Roy Halladay and Marlins ace Josh Johnson faced each other in Florida, was last May. The end result was a legendary outing, as Halladay tossed a perfect game. Those same hurlers will square off again in game 2 of a 3-game series this week at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL.

Before then, the Phillies (22-11) will send Joe Blanton to the mound, fresh off a disable list stint for an elbow impingement, in the series opener. The Marlins (20-13) will counter with right-hander Javier Vazquez.

The Phils and Marlins split two games when the two teams first faced off in April at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more information on this series.

Monday, 7:10PM. Joe Blanton (0-1, 5.92 ERA) vs. Javier Vazquez (2-2, 6.39 ERA). Vazquez allowed 3 earned runs in 5 innings while not earning a decision in his previous start against the Phillies this season. In 2 home starts this season, Vazquez is 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA. In 29 career starts against the Phils, Vazquez has a 12-8 record with a 4.30 ERA. Raul Ibanez is 10-for-28 (.357 avg) with 4 homers and 8 RBI in his career against Vazquez. In 2 starts last season against the Marlins, Blanton posted a 1-0 record with a 2.19 ERA. In 3 career starts at Sun Life Stadium, Blanton is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA.

Tuesday, 7:10PM. Roy Halladay (5-1, 2.19 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson (3-1, 1.68 ERA). In 7 career starts against the Marlins, Halladay is 4-2 with a 2.30 ERA. In 2 road starts this season, Halladay is 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA and opponents are batting .177 against him. Omar Infante is 1-for-12 (.083 avg) in his career against Halladay. In 13 career games against the Phillies, Johnson has a 5-3 record with a 3.34 ERA. Ryan Howard is 9-for-29 (.310 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 homeruns in his career against Johnson. In 4 home starts this season, Johnson is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA.

Wednesday, 7:10PM. Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.69 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolansco (3-0, ). In 2 career starts against Florida, Lee is 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA. In 3 road starts this season, Lee has a 1-2 record with a 4.66 ERA. In 4 home starts this season, Nolasco is 1-0 with a 2.30 ERA. Carlos Ruiz is 1-for-11 (.091 avg) in his career against Nolasco.

In 43 games at Sun Life Stadium, Placido Polanco is a .262 hitter. Polanco's .365 batting average prior to action on Sunday was 4th best in the National League.

Ryan Howard has a .307 average in 97 career games against the Marlins with 29 homeruns and a 1.056 OPS.

Headed into action on Sunday, Shane Victorino has a .227 batting average in 22 night games.

Dominican Republic native Leo Nunez has a 2.95 ERA in 18 career games against the Phillies with 8 saves and 1 blown save. Polanco is 3-for-15 (.200 avg) against Nunez.

In 13 career games against the Phillies, Mike Stanton is a .296 hitter with 3 doubles and 4 homeruns.

Gaby Sanchez is a .293 hitter in 23 games against the Phillies.

Phillies team batting average- .258
Marlins team batting average- .249

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Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

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