Series Preview: Phillies at Pirates, 6/3-6/5

The Phillies (34-22) continue their road trip in Pittsburgh this weekend, where they will play their Keystone State rivals, the Pirates (26-29).

Expected to return to the Phillies' active roster in time for the series opener is outfielder Shane Victorino, who has been sidelined with a right hamstring strain since May 19th. To make room for Victorino, the Phils will reportedly option OF/1B John Mayberry Jr. to the minors. Victorino went 2-for-13 with a HR in 4 minor league rehab games since last Saturday.

In the opener of the 3-game series, the Phillies will send their "fourth ace", Cole Hamels, who has won three straight starts, to the mound. Pittsburgh will counter with Jeff Karstens, who has spent time in the Pirates rotation and their bullpen this season.

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

Friday, 7:05PM. Cole Hamels (7-2, 3.01 ERA) vs. Jeff Karstens (3-4, 3.58 ERA). In 4 career starts against the Pirates, Hamels is 1-1 with a 3.81 ERA. Hamels has a 4-0 record with a 2.31 ERA in 5 starts on the road this season. Andrew McCutchen is 3-for-9 (.333 avg) with a double and a HR in his career against Hamels. Karstens has no decisions with a 4.50 ERA in 3 games against the Phillies. In 6 home appearances this year, the righty Karstens has a 2-2 record with a 2.43 ERA. Raul Ibanez is 4-for-9 (.444 avg) in his career against Karstens.

Saturday, 7:05PM. Kyle Kendrick (3-3, 3.18 ERA) vs. Charlie Morton (5-2, 2.51 ERA). In 4 career starts against the Pirates, Kendrick is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA and a complete game. Kendrick has a 2-0 record with a 1.59 ERA in 7 road games this season. Kendrick has walked 13 batters while striking out just 12 batters in 28 1/3 innings pitched this season. In 4 home starts this season, the right-handed Morton is 1-1 with a 1.95 ERA. Jimmy Rollins is 5-for-7 (.714 avg) in his career against Morton.

Sunday, 1:35PM. Roy Halladay (7-3, 2.56 ERA) vs. James McDonald (3-3, 4.85 ERA). In his last 5 starts, Halladay has a 2-2 record with a 3.07 ERA. In his only career start at PNC Park, Halladay threw 7 scoreless innings. McDonald has a 1-0 record with a 2.55 ERA in 4 home starts this season. In his last 7 starts, the righty hurler McDonald is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA.

Jimmy Rollins has a .290 batting average and a .914 OPS in 27 career games at PNC Park.

In 14 career games against the Pirates, Raul Ibanez has a .196 batting average. Ibanez has an identical .246 average against both righty and lefty pitchers thus far in 2011.

Shane Victorino has a career .338 batting average in 25 games against the Pirates.

In 23 home games this season, Andrew McCutchen has posted a .198 batting average.

Neil Walker is 10-for-30 (.333 avg) during his current 7 game hitting streak. Walker is batting .265 in 22 home games this season.

Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan is 14-for-14 in save chances this season. In 19 career games against the Phillies, Hanrahan is 0-2 with 1 save, 1 blown save and a 3.10 ERA.

Phillies team ERA- 3.21
Pirates team ERA- 3.54

_________________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

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

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rol

LHP Brown speaks on recent release and his future

Aaron Brown, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to my Patreon page . Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post. Thank you. Aaron Brown was released last Friday after nearly six years in the Phillies organization. Brown, the Phils' 3rd round draft selection in 2014 out of Pepperdine, was primarily an outfielder after turning pro. A two-way player in college, Brown switched to pitching in 2017 after struggling on offense (.224/.313/.360) at the Double-A level. A dominant hurler in college, Brown posted a 13-1 record along with a 1.95 ERA in 17 starts in 2014. A solid performer on the minor league mound as well, the California native notched a 5-4 record with a pair of saves, a 3.82 ERA along with an 11.0 K/9 mark in 45 relief appearances for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils last season. With free agency on the horizo

Former Phils prospect Cozens stops looters in AZ

Dylan Cozens, image- Jay Floyd Please consider supporting my work and subscribe to my Patreon page . Your patronage will get you exclusive interviews and other prospect related material as well as early access to all of my other content such as this post. Thank you. Last week, as he rang in his 26th birthday, Dylan Cozens wasn't celebrating. Instead, he took to the streets in the midst of rioting to protect local businesses in his native Scottsdale, AZ. After 1:00 AM, Cozens, a former Phillies outfield prospect and current Rays minor leaguer, caught a glimpse of some rowdy happening on Facebook Live. Posts showed violence and thievery and the former second round draft selection wasn't going to let it continue. "When I saw what they were doing and the reason behind it, I decided to try and stop it because it wasn't right. It had nothing to do with Black Lives Matter. It was a hate crime to go and try to destroy businesses and loot and hurt peopl

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog