Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, June 29-July 1

Following a 5-5 homestand, the Phillies (36-42) hit the road to begin a 3-game series against the division rival Marlins (35-40) in Miami beginning Friday night.

In the series opener, Cliff Lee will take the mound, still seeking his first win of the season. At the same point last year, Lee had already notched 9 victories. The Marlins will counter with right-hander Josh Johnson, who gave up 1 run and just 2 hits over 7 innings in his latest start last Saturday against Toronto.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes from this series.


Friday, 7:10 PM. Cliff Lee (0-4, 3.72 ERA) vs. Josh Johnson (4-5, 3.96 ERA). Cliff Lee has posted a 5.19 ERA in his last 4 road starts. In 5 career starts against the Marlins, Lee has a 2-0 record with a 2.31 ERA. Lee has a 3.18 ERA in 8 night starts this season. In 15 career games against the Phillies, Johnson has a 5-4 record with a 3.68 ERA. Johnson is 3-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 9 home starts this season. In his last 4 starts, Johnson is 1-2 with a 1.95 ERA. Placido Polanco is 1-for-10 (.100 avg) in his career against Johnson.

Saturday, 4:10 PM. Cole Hamels (10-3, 3.03 ERA) vs. Mark Buehrle (6-8, 3.55 ERA). In 6 road games this season, Hamels has a 5-0 record and a 3.43 ERA. Hamels is 2-2 with a 4.28 ERA in 5 June starts. Buehrle has a 3-2 record with a 5.23 ERA in 5 career starts against the Phillies. In his last 5 starts, Buehrle has a 1-4 record with a 4.20 ERA. Hector Luna is 6-for-8 (.750 avg) in his career against Buehrle.

Sunday, 1:10 PM. Joe Blanton (7-6, 4.87 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (6-6, 4.78 ERA). In his last 4 starts, Blanton is 3-0 with a 3.94 ERA. Blanton has a 7-3 record with a 3.49 ERA in 11 career starts against the Marlins. Nolasco is 7-4 with a 3.67 ERA in 16 career games against the Phils. In his last 4 starts Nolasco has a 0-3 record with a 6.14 ERA.


Carlos Ruiz has a .398 batting average with 5 HR and 22 RBI in 30 road games this season. In 78 career games against the Marlins, Ruiz is a .260 hitter with 6 homers and 30 RBI.

In 26 June games, Hunter Pence has a .305 batting average with 3 HR and 15 RBI. The righty hitting Pence is batting .217 with 2 homers and 5 RBI against left-handed pitchers this season.

Chase Utley has a .296 average with 24 HR and 89 RBI in 124 games against the Marlins in his career.

In 33 games against the Phillies, Giancarlo Stanton has a .234 average with 6 HR and 12 RBI.

Omar Infante is a .234 hitter with 5 HR and 19 RBI in 70 career games against the Phillies. Infante is 8-for-24 (.333 avg) with 2 HR and 2 RBI in 6 games against the Phils this season.

Hanley Ramirez has a .295 average with 15 HR and 40 RBI in 101 career games against the Phils. Ramirez is hitting .225 in 23 June games.

Phillies team ERA- 3.92 (11th in MLB)
Marlins team ERA- 3.95 (14th in MLB)

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