Series Preview: Phillies at Braves, May 1-3

After a brief homestand, the Phillies head back on the road and travel to Atlanta to begin a 3-game series against the Braves.  It will be the first match up between the two teams since the Phillies swept the Braves in the closing series of the 2011 season to force Atlanta to miss the postseason.

The Phillies won 12 of 18 meetings with the Braves last season, including the last 7 contests.

Read ahead for loads of info on the pitching match ups for this series and plenty more.



Tuesday, 7:10 PM. Cole Hamels (3-1, 2.73 ERA) vs. Brandon Beachy (2-1, 1.05 ERA). Hamels has an 11-6 record with a 3.72 ERA in 24 career outings against the Braves. In 12 career appearances at Turner Field, Hamels has a 4.16 ERA. Dan Uggla is 8-for-50 (.160 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 homeruns in his career against Hamels. In 6 career starts against the Phillies, Beachy is 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA and a .286 batting average against. Beachy is 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 career starts at Turner Field. Shane Victorino is 4-for-10 (.400 avg) against Beachy, while Carlos Ruiz is 5-for-8 (.625 avg) with 2 doubles and a HR against Beachy.


Wednesday, 7:10 PM. Roy Halladay (3-2, 1.95 ERA) vs. Tommy Hanson (3-2, 3.00 ERA). Halladay, who has lost his previous two starts, has lost three consecutive starts as a Phillie just once, in June 2010, when he dropped games against Miami, the Yankees and Minnesota. In 3 career starts at Turner Field, Halladay has posted a 1-1 record with a 1.13 ERA. Dan Uggla is 10-for-25 (.400 avg) with a triple and 3 HR in his career against Halladay. At home this season, the right-handed Hanson is 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA in 2 starts. In 7 career starts against Philadelphia, Hanson is 1-2 with a 2.23 ERA and a .226 batting average against. Hunter Pence is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Hanson.


Thursday, 12:10 PM. Joe Blanton (2-3, 3.81 ERA) vs. Randall Delgado (2-2, 6.30 ERA). Blanton is 1-4 with a 5.43 ERA and a .288 batting average against in 11 career games against Atlanta. Blanton is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 6 career games at Turner Field. Dan Uggla is 3-for-22 (.136 avg) with a double against Blanton in his career. The right-handed Delgado will be making his 12th career big league start. In 7 home starts, the 22-year-old Delgado has a 4.41 ERA.



Carlos Ruiz batted .304 in 15 games against Atlanta last season. In 11 road games this year, Ruiz has posted a .364 batting average.

In 81 career games against the Braves, Placido Polanco is a .309 hitter. Polanco batted .206 in 9 games at Turner Field last season.

Hunter Pence is a .302 hitter in 14 career games at Turner Field with a double and a homerun. Heading into action on Monday, Pence had posted a .158 batting average against lefty pitchers this season.

Dan Uggla posted a .176 batting average in 18 games against the Phillies last season.

Former Phillie Michael Bourn is a .307 career hitter against the Phils in 30 games. Heading into action on Monday, Bourn had posted a remarkable .436 batting average at home this season.

Outfielder Jason Heyward missed Monday's game against the Pirates with an oblique issue.

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