Series Preview: Cubs at Phillies, 6/9-6/12

Sporting the best record in the Major Leagues, the Phillies (37-25) will play host for a 4-game series against the Cubs (24-36), who are 11 1/2 games out of first place in the National League Central division.

Jimmy Rollins, who has been sidelined in recent days with a deep bone bruise in his right knee, will be back in the Phillies' lineup Thursday night.

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

Thursday, 7:05PM. Randy Wells (1-1, 5.74 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (3-4, 3.78 ERA). In 1 career outing against the Phillies, Wells threw 7 scoreless innings. In 3 starts this season, batters are hitting .246 against Wells. Kendrick has pitched 1 scoreless inning against the Cubs in his career. In 8 games at home this season, Kendrick is 1-3 with a 4.24 ERA. Kendrick has a 19-16 record with a 4.65 ERA in 56 career regular season games at Citizens Bank Park.

Friday, 7:05PM. Carlos Zambrano (5-2, 3.98 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (8-3, 2.56 ERA). In 7 road starts this season, Zambrano is 4-1 with a 4.53 ERA. Zambrano has a 1-0 record and a 2.02 ERA over his last 4 starts. In 5 career games at CBP, the righty Zambrano is 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA. In 7 home starts this year, Halladay has a 4-1 record with a 2.66 ERA. Aramis Ramirez is 2-for-13 (.154 avg) in his career against Halladay. 97 strike outs for Halladay rank second in the National League behind teammate Cliff Lee who has 100.

Saturday, 4:10PM. Matt Garza (2-5, 4.07 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (5-5, 3.62 ERA). In 1 career start against Philadelphia, Garza got a win, allowing 1 run over 8 innings. Garza has a 1-3 record with a 5.16 ERA in 5 road starts this season. Raul Ibanez is 4-for-9 (.444 avg) with a double and 2 HR in his career against Garza. In 7 home starts this season, Lee is 4-1 with a 2.34 ERA. Lee is 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in his last 3 home starts.

Sunday, 1:35PM. Doug Davis (0-5,6.37 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (3-4, 3.05 ERA). Davis has a 12.38 ERA in 2 road starts this season. Davis has a 2-2 record with a 3.71 ERA in 8 games against the Phils. Jimmy Rollins is 3-for-24 (.125 avg) in his career against Davis. In his last 6 starts, Oswalt is 0-4 with a 3.93 ERA. Oswalt has a 14-13 record and a 3.82 ERA in 32 career games against the Cubs. Kosuke Fukudome is 2-for-19 (.105 avg) in his career vs. Oswalt.

In 17 career games against the Phillies, Kosuke Fukudome is a .227 hitter. Fukudome is batting .213 in 20 road games this season.

Geovany Soto is a .235 hitter in 17 career games against the Phillies. Soto is batting .170 against right-handed pitchers this season.

In 10 games against the Phillies, reliever Carlos Marmol is 0-1 with 3 saves, 1 blown save, a 3.86 ERA and .081 batting average against. Marmol has a 0.55 ERA in 15 road games this season.

Rollins has a .224 batting average in 64 career games against the Cubs.

In 35 career games against the Cubs, Chase Utley has a .305 batting average and a .934 OPS. Utley is hitting .150 in 6 home games this season.

Rookie Domonic Brown has a .138 batting average in 8 home games this year.

Cubs team batting average- .269
Phillies team batting average- .247
________________________________________________

Image- ESPN

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

You can also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Jersey Shore clinches playoff berth on final day of regular season

Ottto Kemp, image- Jay Floyd With an extra-inning victory over first-half division champions Hudson Valley on Sunday, the Class A Advanced Jersey Shore BlueClaws clinched the team's first playoff appearance since 2018, winning the second-half division title. Key performers in the BlueClaws' clincher were righty hurler Jason Ruffcorn, who threw three innings of relief to earn the victory and third baseman Otto Kemp, notched three hits, a walk, two stolen bases and plated the game winning run in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly. On top of that, Kemp, who turned 24-years-old on Saturday, made an absolute game-saving defensive play to help the club hold their lead in the bottom of the 11th frame. One of Jersey Shore's most consistent performers all season long has been right-handed reliever Cam Wynne. The Phillies' 20th round draft pick in 2021 out of Nebraska. In 34 appearances, one start, the 24-year-old tallied a 1-1 record with one save, a 2.44 ERA and a .190 batti

PhoulBallz Interview: BlueClaws OF Justin Crawford

Justin Crawford w/ junior reporter Evan At the age of 19, outfielder Justin Crawford has played his way into the conversation of being considered as one of baseball's top prospects. The son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin has looked every bit as impressive as his position as the 17th overall draft selection last year would have most fans thinking he should be. He opened the season with Class A Clearwater where, in 69 games, he notched a .344/.399/.478 slash line. And since mid-August when he was promoted to Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the younger Crawford has posted a .300/.364/.440 line. He's also stolen 44 bases in 52 attempts overall. And while the BlueClaws enter the final week of the regular season 1/2 game out of first place in their division, I spoke with Justin Crawford about the team's hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2018. I also asked Justin about the similarities and differences between his skillset and his father'

RHP Pipkin headed to AFL after hot August

After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage. Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August. Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH. Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider while his curve

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog