Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, 9/2-9/4

Just one week after a two-thirds of a three game series got washed out by Hurricane Irene, the Phillies (87-46) and Marlins (60-76) are scheduled to go head to head once again.

Since the poor weather that drenched the northeastern United States, the Phillies have flexed their muscles, recording their first four-game sweep at Cincinnati since 1916 and going 41 games above .500 for the second time in franchise history.

In the opener of this three-game set, the Phillies will send right-hander Roy Oswalt to the hill. Oswalt was charged with the loss in last Friday's match up with Florida, having given up 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Marlins will counter with newly recalled lefty Brad Hand, who will be making his first career appearance against Philadelphia.

Read ahead for more details on the pitching matchups and key stats from this series.

Friday, 7:10 PM. Roy Oswalt (6-8, 3.77 ERA) vs. Brad Hand (1-4, 4.08 ERA). In 16 career starts against the Marlins, Oswalt has posted a 6-5 record with a 3.96 ERA. Oswalt is 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA over his last 4 starts. In 6 starts for the Phillies last September, Oswalt went 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Hand will be making his return to the big leagues after posting a 1.90 ERA in 4 August starts with Double A Jacksonville. In 4 home starts this season, Hand is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA.

Saturday, 7:10 PM. Cole Hamels (13-7, 2.58 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (9-10, 4.34 ERA). Hamels has a 6-2 record with a 2.72 ERA in 12 road starts this season. Hamels has a 2-2 record with a 3.25 ERA in 8 career starts at Sun Life Stadium. In his last 6 starts, Hamels is 2-2 with a 2.16 ERA. Nolasco has a 0-2 record and a 10.47 ERA over his last 3 starts. In 15 home starts this season, Nolasco has a 3-4 record with a 3.88 ERA. Hunter Pence is 4-for-18 (.222 avg) with 3 HR in his career against Nolasco.

Sunday, 1:10 PM. Roy Halladay (16-5, 2.47 ERA) vs. Anibal Sanchez (7-7, 3.97 ERA). In 8 starts since the All-star break Halladay has a 5-2 record with a 2.53 ERA. Halladay is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 2 starts against the Marlins this season. Mike Stanton is 1-for-12 (.083 avg) in his career against Halladay. In 14 career starts against the Phillies Sanchez is 3-7 with a 5.67 ERA. Sanchez has won just 1 time in his last 14 starts.

Logan Morrison is a .280 hitter with a .929 OPS in 20 career games against the Phillies. Morrison is 4-for-10 with 2 doubles and a HR in his career against Roy Oswalt.

Mike Stanton's 31 homeruns are tied for second best in the National League. In 62 home games this season, Stanton has a .283 average with 13 HR and 35 RBI.

In 42 games since the All-star break, Gaby Sanchez has posted a .204 batting average.

Carlos Ruiz has posted a .324 batting average in 43 games since the end of June. In 9 games against the Marlins this season, Ruiz is batting .161.

In 55 relief appearances this season, batters are hitting just .112 against Antonio Bastardo. The lefty Bastardo has not allowed a run in 6 career appearances against the Marlins.

Chase Utley is a .303 career hitter with 24 HR and 89 RBI in 119 career games against the Marlins. Utley is batting .247 in 42 road games this season.

Phillies team ERA- 3.05
Marlins team ERA- 4.11

_______________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

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

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Q&A with Tim Gradoville

Tim Gradoville is a career minor league catcher, who once, as a September call up, was up with the big club for the proverbial cup of coffee. Slated to be the Phillies bullpen catcher, at a later date, Gradoville is currently assigned as a special instructor with the Lakewood BlueClaws. I had the opportunity to speak with Tim and here's how that went down... What's the atmosphere with the BlueClaws like so far this season? Well, I think we have a good mix of players. We have some veteran guys, and some young guys too, so it makes for an interesting mix. I think the guys like to have a good time, and they're pretty loose and that translates into winning games. They have a good time. With a young team, you never know what you're gonna get, sometimes, but they seem to gel pretty well together, so that helps to build team unity, helps guys get along. They're having fun, they're enjoying baseball. This game can be a grind sometimes, if you're not having fun. What...

Mike McGuire Living a Dream With Favorite Team

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Every young ballplayer grows up wishing he could play for his favorite team. Mike McGuire has an opportunity to do just that after signing with the Phillies organization in July. McGuire was a 43rd round draft pick taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. Early scouting reports liked McGuire's abilities, despite some arm trouble. He advanced as far as High A Level Kinston last season. While there, he posted an 0-3 record with a 5.46 ERA in 9 games, 8 of which were starts. The Indians weren't happy with McGuire's efforts this spring and released him. McGuire caught on with the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, where he stayed in shape and pitched against other formerly affiliated minor leaguers. As a starter with the Skyhawks, McGuire went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 8 outings. From there, just as all players in those independent leagues hope for, the 24-year-old McGuire got noticed. The Phillies wer...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog