Series Preview: Phillies at Blue Jays, 7/1-7/3

Before Roy Halladay makes his return to the Rogers Centre mound, the Phillies (51-31) will send right-hander Kyle Kendrick out to take on the Toronto Blue Jays (40-42) on Canada Day. The Phillies' strength all season long has been their pitching, but the club with the best record in baseball is relying on substitute hurler Kendrick to fill the gap left by injured starter Roy Oswalt.

Toronto will counter with their most consistent starting pitcher, Ricky Romero, who is fresh off a complete game shutout of the Cardinals, in the opener of the 3-game series.

Other key Phillies injuries that could play a role in this inter-league series are to the back end of their bullpen, as the team has been forced to try a fourth closer this season, with Antonio Bastardo filling the vacancy left by Brad Lidge, Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson, who are all on the shelf with injuries.

Read ahead for in-depth info on the pitching match ups and other details on this series.

Friday, 1:05PM. Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.23 ERA) vs. Ricky Romero (7-7, 2.74 ERA). In 9 road games this season, Kendrick is 2-1 with a 3.54 ERA. In his last 6 games, Kendrick has posted a 1-1 record with a 3.18 ERA. Yunel Escobar is 1-for-16 (.062 avg) in his career against Kendrick. In his last 3 home starts, Romero is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA. The left-handed Romero has a 1-0 record, a 1.93 ERA and a .163 batting average against in 2 career starts against the Phillies. Chase Utley is 3-for-5 in his career against Romero.

Saturday, 1:07PM. Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.40 ERA) vs. Carlos Villanueva (5-1, 3.15 ERA). In his only previous start against his former team, Halladay threw 7 scoreless innings in Philadelphia. In his last 5 starts, Halladay has posted a 3-0 record and a 2.00 ERA. In 153 career stars at Rogers Centre, Halladay is 83-34 with a 3.23 ERA. Villanueva has a 1.26 ERA in 11 career appearances against the Phillies. In 9 home outings this year, Villanueva has a 1-0 record and a 4.13 ERA.

Sunday, 1:07PM. Cliff Lee (9-5, 2.66 ERA) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7, 4.77 ERA). In 7 road starts this season, Lee has a 2-4 record with a 4.30 ERA. Lee has a 5-0 record and a 0.21 ERA over his last 5 starts. In 5 career starts at Rogers Centre, Lee is 2-3 with a 3.81 ERA. Rajai Davis is 4-for-8 (.500 avg) in his career against Lee. Reyes has a 0-3 record and a 6.99 ERA in 6 career outings against the Phillies. Reyes is 1-3, with a 5.19 ERA in 7 home starts this season. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-16 (.063 avg) in his career against Reyes.

In 33 road games this season, Raul Ibanez is batting .167 with a .486 OPS. Also, in 22 day games this season, Ibanez has posted a .182 batting average.

Carlos Ruiz is 4-for-27 (.148 batting average) in 8 career games against the Blue Jays. Ruiz is batting .176 with runners in scoring position this season.

Lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo is 3-0 with a 0.93 ERA in 32 games this season. Bastardo in June- 11 games, 9 2/3 innings, 1 hit allowed, 0 runs, 7 strike outs, 4 walks.

In his last 5 games, Yunel Escobar is 10-for-20 (.500 avg) with 3 doubles and a HR. In 49 career games against the Phillies Escobar is a .211 hitter. Escobar is batting .333 in 46 home games this season.

Rookie catcher JP Arencibia is batting .219 in 30 home games this season. In 20 June games, Arencibia posted a .159 average.

In 33 home games this year, Jose Bautista is batting .354 with 13 HR and 28 RBI.

Phillies team ERA- 3.01
Blue Jays team ERA- 4.11

________________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

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

Prospect Nation 2012: #1 RHP Trevor May

With a massively impressive campaign in 2011 for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers, right-handed starting pitcher Trevor May locked down his spot as Philadelphia's top prospect and is on the fast track toward the big leagues. He is the reigning Paul Owens Award winner, given to the top pitcher and player in the Phillies' developmental system each year. In 27 starts with the Threshers in 2011, May posted a 10-8 record with a 3.63 ERA, while striking out a Florida State League leading 208 batters in 151 1/3 innings. He also held opposing hitters to a .221 average. The Phillies' 4th round draft pick from 2008, May earned the win in the 50th annual Florida State League All-Star Game at Bright House Field last year. He also was twice named FSL Pitcher of the Week and earned Phillies Minor League Pitcher of the Month honors for June. After signing with Philadelphia, May helped lead the rookie level Gulf Coast League Phillies to a championship in 2008. In 5 regular ...

PhoulBallz Interview: First round pick Bryson Stott

Bryson Stott, image- Jay Floyd Shortstop Bryson Stott , the Phillies' first round draft selection this year, has enjoyed a successful initial pro campaign. En route to being recognized as an All-Star for the Class A short-season Williamsport Crosscutters the 21-year-old UNLV product has tallied a .295 average with six home runs and 25 RBI in 45 minor league contests. Last week I spoke with the lefty hitting Stott to discuss his transition to professional baseball, joining the Phillies organization and plenty more. Read ahead for that interview. -Obviously, your performance and the production on the field is going well, but how do you feel you have adapted to the pro life? It feels good. You hear about the everyday grind, but you don't really believe it till you feel it. I would say that's the difference between college and the pros, is you're not practicing, you're playing games every day. I would say that's the biggest difference. But I...

PhoulBallz Interview: RHP Prospect Brody Colvin

Recently, right-handed pitcher Brody Colvin was promoted from Class A Advanced Clearwater to Double-A Reading. Prior to the 2012 season, Colvin, who turns 22-years-old on Tuesday, was ranked as PhilliesNation's 6th best prospect . This season, following some ups and downs, it's unclear where Colvin will rank next preseason. Earlier this year, Colvin, a Louisiana native, was removed from Clearwater's starting rotation and moved to the bullpen to relax and improve his mental approach. He did so and returned to starting after a brief time. Through his first two outings with the R-Phils, the 7th round draft choice from 2009 posted a 1-0 record while allowing five earned runs in 11 innings (4.09 ERA). In his last start on Saturday, however, Colvin allowed eight earned runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched in a loss to New Britain. In a recent interview with Brody, he spoke about the transition moving to the Eastern League, his brief bullpen stint, physical concerns from last season...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog