Series Preview: Giants at Phillies, 7/26-7/28

The National League West Division leading Giants (59-43) visit Philadelphia for the first time since they knocked the Phillies (64-37) out of the post-season last October, as the two clubs begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday evening.

The Giants and Phillies split six meetings during the regular season last year, however it was San Francisco that defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, in the National League Championship Series. The Giants, of course, went on to defeat the Rangers in the World Series.

Former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will take the hill for the reigning champs. Philadelphia will counter with rookie Vance Worley, who the team has ridden to a 10-2 record in his starts.

Read ahead for some notes on the pitching match ups and some other key stats for this series.

Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA). In his last 6 starts, Lincecum has a 3-2 record with a 1.66 ERA. Lincecum is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 11 road starts this season. Ryan Howard is 6-for-19 (.316 avg) with 2 doubles and 3 HR in the regular season against Lincecum. Worley is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 5 home starts this season. In his last 6 starts, Worley has posted a 4-0 record with a 0.94 ERA.

Wednesday, 7:05 PM. Barry Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA). In 5 career regular season starts against the Phillies, Zito is 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA. Lucky for Zito...injured Phillie Placido Polanco is 12-for-16 (.750 avg) in his career against the lefty Zito. In 12 home starts this year, Hamels has produced a 7-3 record with a 2.29 ERA. Hamels has a 4-1 record with a 1.05 ERA in his last 6 home starts. Right-handed hitting opponents are batting .199 against Hamels this season.

Thursday, 7:05 PM. Matt Cain (8-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (5-4, 3.45 ERA). In his last 4 road starts, Cain is 1-0 with a 2.36 ERA. In 5 career regular season starts against the Phils, Cain has a 0-3 record with a 6.23 ERA. In regular season action, Chase Utley is 7-for-15 (.467 avg) with 3 homeruns against Cain. In 12 home outings this season, Kendrick has a 2-3 record with a 3.21 ERA. Kendrick's .266 batting average against is the best mark of his 5 year career.

Aaron Rowand is a career .355 hitter in 21 career games, including the post-season, against the Phillies.

In 20 games on the road this season, Brian Wilson has a 2-0 record with 16 saves, 3 blown saves and a 3.50 ERA. Wilson is 5-for-5 in save chances since the All-star Break.

Mike Fontenot is a .171 hitter in 18 career regular season games against the Phillies.

Former Phillie Pat Burrell is on the disabled list, as he is suffering with a bone spur in his right foot.

In 32 career regular season games against the Giants, Ryan Howard is a .225 hitter. In 19 July games, Howard has posted a .227 average.

Jimmy Rollins is a .256 career hitter in 57 regular season games against San Francisco with 9 doubles, 10 triples and 8 HR. Last year in 9 games against the Giants, including the post-season, Rollins went 11-for-37 (.297 avg.) with 10 RBI.

In 51 home games this year, Raul Ibanez is batting .292, compared to his .194 average in 44 road games.

Giants team ERA- 3.08
Phillies team ERA- 3.13
________________________________________

Image- AP

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

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

Sunday School: Phillies History Lesson 73

Danny Ozark was the Phillies' manager from 1973-1979. During his tenure as the team's general, Ozark led Philadelphia to three straight division titles. In his playing days, Ozark was a first baseman, who was a career minor leaguer in the Dodgers system. When Ozark took over the team in 1973, the Phillies were fresh off 5 consecutive losing seasons and 3 straight last place finishes. During his first season in charge, the Phillies would again finish in last place, 20 games under .500, but as his core of young talent, like Mike Schmidt and Larry Bowa, developed, the Phillies' win totals rose. Within 2 years, the Phillies were above .500 and in the playoff hunt until late in the season and the most successful era of Phillies history was about to begin. By 1976, the Phillies were headed to the post-season for the first time since 1950. The Phils would enjoy a 10-game lead over their nearest division rival at the midway point of the season. Despite a lul, which saw their lead d...

Mathieson Still Focused Despite Being Sent Down

CLEARWATER, FL- Somehow, despite the recent news that Brad Lidge is set to begin the season on the disabled list with a right shoulder injury, the Phillies didn't see fit to keep fire-balling righty hurler Scott Mathieson around. Mathieson, who has had a long road back to the big leagues following three elbow procedures (two of which were Tommy John surgeries), appeared in 7 games with the Phillies in spring training this year, posting a 2.00 ERA with 9 strike outs and 6 walks over 9 innings. The Vancouver, British Columbia native made his Major League debut with the Phils in 2006 as a starter, going 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA, but had his career sidetracked due to arm trouble. This spring, Mathieson was back where he wanted to be and felt that he was primed to return to a regular gig in the big leagues. However, on Saturday, the Phillies sent Mathieson back down to minor league camp. Mathieson's goal throughout his recovery has been to get back into the Phillies' red pinstripes...

Velasquez shut down, Eflin on deck?

Eflin with Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Following Vincent Velasquez leaving his start after just two pitches for the Phillies on Wednesday, righty prospect Zach Eflin was pulled from his start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Gwinnett. The 22-year-old sports a 5-1 record with a 3.14 ERA and a .210 batting average against in 10 starts for the IronPigs this season. He could take the place of Velasquez if he is required to miss any additional time. Initial word on Velasquez after he threw two fastballs that clocked in the 86-87 MPH range (considerably slower than the 94 MPH he averages) and was swiftly pulled from his outing, is that he has a biceps strain. He'll be further evaluated in the coming days. Prior to the regular season, Eflin got a taste of competing against big leaguers when he was charged with 12 runs (nine earned) on 11 hits while striking out two and walking one with a wild pitch in three innings of work in an intrasquad exhibition that pitted the Phils...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog