Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, July 6-8

The last place Phillies (37-47) have yet to find a cure for their struggles this season. Returning from injury, Ryan Howard (left Achilles tendon) may offer a solution. The former National League Most Valuable Player has averaged more than 36 HR and over 121 RBI per year over the past three seasons for the Phils.

This weekend the Phillies will host the division rival Atlanta Braves (43-39) in a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Atlanta dropped two of three meetings with the Phillies when the two teams met earlier this season.

Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more statistical notes on this series.

Friday, 7:05 PM. Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.87 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-8, 5.35 ERA). In 5 road starts this year, Hudson has a 3-1 record with a 2.34 ERA. Hudson is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 6 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan Howard is 17-for-52 (.327 avg) with 6 HR and 14 RBI in his career against Hudson. In his last 5 starts, Kendrick has a 0-4 record with a 7.67 ERA. Kendrick has a 1-5 record with a 5.54 ERA in 8 home games this season. Martin Prado is 7-for-12 (.583 avg) with a HR in his career against Kendrick.

Saturday, 7:15 PM. Tommy Hanson (9-5, 3.70 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (7-7, 4.85 ERA). In 8 career starts against the Phillies, Hanson has a 1-2 record with a 2.93 ERA. In his past 6 starts, Hanson has posted a 4-1 record with a 3.49 ERA. Ryan Howard is 2-for-15 (.133 avg) with a HR in his career against Hanson. Blanton has a 2-4 record with a 4.65 ERA in 12 games against the Braves. In his last 5 starts, Blanton has a 3-1 record with a 4.03 ERA.

Sunday, 1:35 PM. Jair Jurrjens (2-2, 5.19 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (4-5, 3.46 ERA). In 3 starts since returning from the minors, Jurrjens is 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA. Jurrjens has a 5-3 record with a 2.45 ERA in 11 career starts against the Phillies. Ryan Howard is 8-for-30 (.267 avg) with a triple and a HR in his career against Jurrjens. In 6 home starts this season, Worley has a 2-2 record with a 4.00 ERA. Dan Uggla is 2-for-5 with a homer and 2 walks in his career against Worley.

Uggla is a career .232 hitter with 23 HR and 65 RBI in 109 games against the Phillies. In 29 games since May, Uggla has posted a .144 batting average.

Former Phillie Michael Bourn has a .298 average with 2 HR, 10 RBI and 19 SB in 33 career games against the Phils.

In 31 career games against the Phillies, Jason Heyward is a .193 hitter with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Heyward is batting .296 with 9 HR and 26 RBI in 40 road games this season.

Carlos Ruiz is hitting .331 with 6 HR and 21 RBI in 39 home games this season. Ruiz is a .285 career hitter in 72 games against Atlanta.

In 35 career games against the Braves, Hunter Pence is a .323 hitter with 3 HR and 20 RBI.

Juan Pierre is batting .239 in 36 home games this year. Pierre is batting .442 in 23 day games in 2012.

Braves team ERA- 3.99 (15th in MLB)
Phillies team ERA- 4.22 (22nd in MLB)

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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. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

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