Skip to main content

NLDS Games 2 & 3 Preview, 10/4-10/5

Tied at 1 game apiece in the best-of-five National League Division Series, the Phillies and Cardinals will battle it out in St. Louis for a chance to go to advance.

With lefty Cole Hamels on the mound, set to tie Hall of Famer Steve Carlton for most postseason starts by a pitcher in Phillies history, with 13, the Phillies will face another left-hander, Jaime Garcia in game 3 on Tuesday night.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from these two games.


Tuesday, 5:07 PM. Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA) vs Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA). In 17 road games this season, Hamels posted a 7-3, 2.93 ERA with a .219 batting average against. Hamels has a 2-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 9 career starts against the Cardinals. Albert Pujols is 4-for-23 (.174 avg) with a double and 2 HR in his career against Hamels. The 2008 World Series MVP, Hamels, has a 6-4 record with a 3.33 ERA in 12 career postseason starts. Garcia posted a 3-0 record with a 2.64 ERA in his final 5 starts of the regular season. In 6 career games against the Phillies, Garcia has a 2-1 record with a 1.20 ERA and a .178 batting average againts. In 15 home starts this year, Garcia posted a 9-4 record with a 2.55 ERA. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-11 (.091 avg) in his career against Garcia.

Wednesday, 6:07 PM. Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69 ERA) vs. Edwin Jackson (12-9, 3.79 ERA). In 33 career games against St. Louis, including the postseason, Oswalt has a 10-9 record and a 3.33 ERA. Oswalt posted a 5-4 record and a 3.59 ERA in 10 starts after the All-Star break this season. In 13 games for St. Louis this year, Jackson went 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA and a .300 batting average against. Jackson allowed 1 earned run in 2 innings of work against the Phillies in the 2008 World Series.


Two-time All-Star Shane Victorino is a .268 hitter in 43 career postseason games. Victorino's 30 postseason RBI are second only to Ryan Howard's 33 on the all-time Phillies leader list.

In 52 career games, including the postseason, against the Cardinals, Chase Utley is a .329 hitter with 6 HR and 32 RBI. Utley batted .239 with a .675 OPS in 50 regular season road games this year.

Hunter Pence has a .259 batting average and a .674 OPS in 36 career games at Busch Stadium.

In 43 career postseason games, Rafael Furcal has a .246 batting average with 3 homeruns and 26 runs scored. Furcal's team has lost 8 of 10 postseason series he has participated in, including 2 against the Phillies with the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009.

Matt Holliday after the All-Star break this season batted .263 with 8 homeruns, compared to .324/24 prior to the break. Holliday has been sidelined lately with tendinits in his right hand and is not expected to play on Tuesday. Holliday is a .259 hitter in 15 career postseason games.

Righty reliever Jason Motte earned the save in game 2 against the Phillies on Sunday. In 38 home appearances this season, Motte posted a 4-0 record with 7 saves, 1 blown save, a 3.12 ERA and a .160 batting average against.

_____________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

PhoulBallz Interview: Reading second baseman Jesmuel Valentin

Jesmuel Valentin, image- Jay Floyd Switch-hitting infielder Jesmuel Valentin has been a bit of an underrated contributor with the Double-A Reading Fightins. Heading into action on Friday, Valentin was batting .339 over his last 14 games. Overall this season, the 22-year-old is batting .282 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 64 games. Valentin, who plays mostly second base, but dabbles at shortstop a bit also, is the son of former big leaguer Jose Valentin . The Puerto Rico native was a supplementary round pick (51st overall) of the Dodgers in 2012. He was acquired by the Phils as part of the Roberto Hernandez trade in 2014. Recently, I spoke with Jesmuel about his team's success, growing up around the game and more. Read ahead for that full interview. -The Reading team has been great and you've contributed very nicely to the club's success. What are your thoughts on competition in the Eastern League this year? I just came here with the mindset that...

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

The Second Place New York Mess, Sucking Annually

Well, the Mets are at it again...stinking up New York, the NL East and all of MLB. This time it's not with their miserable September play, it's with their crummy uniform decor. The Metropolitans are accessorizing their home jerseys this year with a comemorative patch to celebrate their new home, CitiField. Allow me to present to the Phillies Phaitful the fresh new uniform addition that the NY Metropolitans will have for 2009. This awful image to the right is really what the Metropolitans intend to have on their jersey sleeve this coming season... Amatuerish? To say the least. How about that world class franchise across town? They are going to have a new ballpark as well. What might their patch look like? Have a glance... It is a shame really. The Mets think their Dominos Pizza logo looking art work is sufficient enough to represent what kind of corporate baseball giant they are presenting the world. They are clueless. It screams out, "We deliver hot and fresh in 30 minut...