After taking a series off from interleague play, due to MLB scheduling, the Phillies (47-29) return home to play host to the team that was once Philadelphia's other big league club, the Athletics (34-42). The A's will be making their first visit ever to Citizens Bank Park.The Phillies will see a few familiar faces in the series, as Hideki Matsui (2009 World Series MVP, when the Yankees defeated the Phillies in 6 games) and Josh Outman (10th draft pick by the Phillies in 2005) come to town. Former Phils prospect Gio Gonzalez, a starting pitcher, is also on the Athletics' roster, but he is not due to see action in the series.
Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco, who leads fan voting at his position for the 2011 All-star Game, excels against Oakland, as his .376 average in 42 games against the A's is his best mark against any team he has faced.
The Athletics have won 5 of 9 all-time interleague meetings between these two clubs.
Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series.
Friday, 7:05PM. Guillermo Moscoso (2-3, 3.30 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (2-1, 3.41 ERA). Moscoso has a 1-3 record and a 3.10 ERA in 5 road games this season. Righty batters have posted a .196 average against the right-handed Moscoso this season. In 3 home starts this season, Worley is 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA and a .194 batting average against. Worley has a 2.16 ERA in 7 career games at Citizens Bank Park.
Saturday, 7:05PM. Trevor Cahill (7-5, 3.24 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (9-3, 2.51 ERA). In 8 road starts, Cahill is 3-2 with a 4.18 ERA. In his last 8 starts, Cahill has a 1-5 record and a 5.12 ERA. Hamels has a 5-2 record and a 2.80 ERA in 8 starts at home this season. In his last 7 starts, Hamels is 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA. Right-handed opponents are batting .195 against the lefty Hamels this year.
Sunday, 1:35PM. Josh Outman (3-1, 2.86 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (9-3, 2.51 ERA). In his last 3 starts, Outman, who was sent to Oakland in the Joe Blanton trade in 2008, is 2-1 with a 1.89 ERA. In 4 road starts, the lefty Outman is 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA. Left-handed batters have posted a .164 average against Outman in his career. In his last 7 starts, Halladay is 4-0 with a 2.94 ERA. Halladay has a 6-4 record with a 4.54 ERA in 13 career starts against Oakland.
Hideki Matsui is 1-for-10 (.100 avg) in 3 career regular season games against the Phillies. In 6 career postseason games against them, Matsui is 8-for-14 (.615 avg) with a double and 3 HR.
Catcher Kurt Suzuki is batting .151 in 16 June games. In 35 road games this year, Suzuki is batting .195.
In 13 career games against the Phillies, reliever Brian Fuentes has never allowed an earned run and has held opponents to a .094 batting average.
Placido Polanco is 3-for-30 (.100 avg) in his last 9 games. Polanco is has a .207 combined average in 36 games while batting 3rd and 5th in the order this year...however, in 35 games while batting 2nd in the order, Polanco has a .359 average.
Jimmy Rollins leads the Phillies with 15 stolen bases. In 9 career games against Oakland, Rollins has a .289 batting average.
Ryan Howard is 1-for-13 (.077 avg) in 3 career games against the Athletics. Howard has reached base via hit or walk in 15 straight games. In that stretch, he is 17-for-50 (.340 avg).
In 24 games this season, Mike Stutes has held opponents to a .169 batting average. He has also struck out 22 batters in 22 2/3 innings.
Athletics team batting average- .237
Phillies team batting average- .247
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