Skip to main content

NLDS Games 1 & 2 Preview: Cardinals at Phillies


For the very first time, two of the original 16 MLB teams will meet in the postseason, as the wild card entrant St. Louis Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to meet the five-time defending National League East division champion Phillies.

The Cardinals squeezed into the playoffs thanks, in part, to some help from the Phillies, as Philadelphia swept the wild card leading Braves in their final regular season series. St. Louis then won two of three games against Houston to knock Atlanta from its perch.

In the series opener, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa will send veteran hurler and former Phillie Kyle Lohse to the mound, while the Phillies' Charlie Manuel will go with ace and perennial Cy Young award contender Roy Halladay.

Read ahead for detailed info on the pitching match ups for games 1 and 2 as well as other key stats.

Saturday, 5:07 PM. Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA). In 16 road starts this season, Lohse posted an 8-3 record with a 3.13 ERA. Lohse has posted a 3-1 record with a 3.60 ERA in 11 career games at Citizens Bank Park, including the postseason. In 6 career postseason games (1 start), Lohse is 0-2 with a 3.38 ERA and has struck out 15 batters in in 13 1/3 innings. Ryan Howard is 8-for-16 (.500 avg) with 2 HR in his career against the right-handed Lohse. In 4 career starts against St. Louis, Roy Halladay has a 2-1 record with a with a 2.10 ERA and a .200 batting average against. Halladay posted an 8-3 record with a 2.48 ERA in 15 home starts this season. In his last 5 starts, Halladay is 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA and a .216 batting average against. Albert Pujols is 2-for-11 (.182 avg) in his career against Halladay.

Sunday, 8:07 PM. Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40 ERA). In his last 5 starts, Carpenter is 3-0 with a 1.15 ERA. Carpenter is 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 11 career starts against the Phillies. Carpenter posted a 2.98 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break. Chase Utley is 7-for-15 (.467 avg) in his career against Carpenter. In 18 home starts this season, Lee posted an 11-3 record with a 1.94 ERA. In 4 career regular season games against the Cardinals, Lee has a 3-1 record with a 1.48 ERA. Lee posted an 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA in 13 games since the All-Star break. As a Phillie in the postseason, Lee is 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in 5 starts.


Yadier Molina posted a .337 batting average in 58 games since the All-Star break. Molina's OPS was 143 points higher in 2011 than it was in 2010.

In 26 career games at Citizens Bank Park, Albert Pujols has a .340 batting average with 10 homeruns and 24 RBI. The three-time National League MVP is a .322 hitter in 56 postseason games.

Five-time All-Star Lance Berkman has a .320 average with 7 homeruns and 30 RBI in 34 career postseason games. Berkman is a .313 hitter in 73 games against the Phillies. Berkman posted a .194 average in 43 day games this season.

In 41 career postseason games, Chase Utley is a .243 hitter with 10 homeruns and 24 RBI. Utley posted and .245 batting average in 62 games since the All-Star break.

Ryan Howard has a .360 batting average with 16 homeruns and 50 RBI in 45 career regular season games against St. Louis. Howard is the Phillies' all-time postseason leader in hits with 42.

Ryan Madson has a 2-1 record with 1 save and a 2.35 ERA in 29 career games in the postseason. Madson is tops among the Phils' all-time leaders in postseason games pitched.

Cardinals team batting average- .273
Phillies team batting average- .253

Cardinals team ERA- 3.74
Phillies team ERA- 3.02

_________________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eric B Needs to be Cut (and My Name is Rakim)

While the Phillies are on a hot streak this month, one player on the team is not. Eric Bruntlett is 1-for-12 in July. Since the start of May, Bruntlett's apex in batting average has been .167 on June 14th. Bruntlett's ineptitude can be tolerated no longer. Get rid of this guy NOW! Eric B. is the 2009 Endy Chavez. Remember Endy...the guy who in 2005 managed just 2 hits in his final 42 games played as a Phillie? That is about the sort of output the Phillies are getting from Bruntlett, and it's time to fix this void. Julio Lugo was designated for assignment last week by the Red Sox and is expected to become a free agent. The Metropolitans are rumored to be interested. Why wouldn't the Phillies be interested in a guy who could surely outhit Bruntlett? Lugo was hitting .284 through 37 games played this season with Boston. Suspended Lehigh Valley IronPig Pablo Ozuna is eligible to return next Wednesday. Ozuna is batting .294 through 51 games at triple A. Miguel Cairo is also...

Yankees Fans Misled By Pepsi Promotion

**** Today, New York Yankees fans attended a Pepsi promotion in Times Square hoping for chances to win opening day tickets to the new stadium, but the tickets, which were difficult to track down due to poor organization on Pepsi's part, were actually for a game in June. Furthermore, the 250 pairs that were promised were actually only 100 pairs. The fans, who were made to sprint through traffic over multiple city blocks when locations for the promotion changed, quickly turned against the soda brand by pooring out their beverages and chanting anti-Pepsi phrases. Yankees fans are even threatening a boycott of Pepsi. An appearance by Yankee great Goose Gossage could not even settle the angry mob, as he had to be whisked away, as a precaution, according to the Daily News . Ooo , I'd hate to see what "the worst fans in sports" (Philadelphia fans) would have done to their free Pepsi cans and beloved reliever in that situation. Because this happened in a non-Philly city, th...

5th spot, Wall, Old timers, Links

The race for the Phillies' fifth starter spot is still on. While it's not fully fair to compare Grapefruit League stats, when some of the pitchers have had "B game" and scrimmage outings mixed in, Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco look to be falling behind Chan Ho Park and "Jay" Happ. Happ added to his solid Grapefruit League stats (2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 4 games) today against the Rays. Pitching coach Rich Dubee had been displeased with Kendrick even before he surrendered 8 earned runs in 3 innings of work yesterday against the Braves. Park has been working on improving his change up, with (Coach) Jamie Moyer. Park noticed Moyer's location control on his change, so he sought out Moyer to teach him the grip and positioning of the ball. Moyer, of course, feels good about helping anyone on the Phils' staff. Park has been coached by greats like Nolan Ryan with the Rangers and Sandy Koufax with the Dodgers, so Moyer is in great company. Park is working h...