Series Preview: Phillies at Dodgers, July 16-18

The Phillies (39-51) continue their road trip when they begin a three-game series against the Dodgers (48-42) on Monday night.

Both teams are have a rough go of it in July, as the Phillies won consecutive games for the first time this month on Sunday, when they clinched a series victory against the Rockies, their first since taking two of three games from Pittsburgh nearly three weeks earlier. Meanwhile, the Dodgers, who are in second place in the National League West division, have lost five of their last six games and have average just 2.35 runs per game in their last 17 contests.

The Phillies won all three games against the Dodgers in Los Angeles last season.

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

Monday, 10:10 PM. Joe Blanton (7-8, 4.98 ERA) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (1-5, 4.21 ERA). In 5 career regular season starts against the Dodgers, Blanton has a 1-0 record with a 3.52 ERA. Over his last 4 starts, Blanton is 1-2 with a 5.12 ERA. Blanton is 3-5 with a5.23 ERA in 9 road games this season. Eovaldi is 0-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 3 home games this year. The 22-year-old Eovaldi was the Dodgers' 11th round draft pick in 2008.

Tuesday, 10:10 PM. Roy Halladay (4-5, 3.98 ERA) vs. To Be Announced. Halladay, sidelined since May 27th with a right lat strain, will be activated from the disabled list. Halladay is 2-5 with a 5.29 ERA in his last 8 starts. In his career against the Dodgers, Halladay is 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA. Juan Rivera is 0-for-14 in his career against Halladay. An injury to starter Chad Billingsley forced Chris Capuano into action on Sunday and moved Nathan Eovaldi forward one day as well. It is unclear who Los Angeles will use in the starting pitching role on Tuesday.

Wednesday, 3:10 PM. Cliff Lee (1-6, 3.92 ERA) vs. Clayton Kershaw (7-5, 2.84 ERA). In 4 career regular season starts against the Dodgers, Lee has a 2-1 record with a 0.90 ERA. Lee has a 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 9 road starts this year. Jerry Hairston Jr. is 3-for-22 (.136 avg) in his career against Lee. In 11 home starts this season, Kershaw has a 5-3 record with a 2.49 ERA. Hunter Pence is 1-for-15 (.067 avg) in his career against Kershaw. Batters are hitting .222 against Kershaw this season.

Carlos Ruiz has posted a .389 batting average in 39 road games this season. In 30 career regular season games against the Dodgers, Ruiz is a .289 hitter with a homer and 13 RBI. Ruiz's .353 batting average is tied for 2nd best in the NL.

In 19 day games this year, Shane Victorino has a .189 batting average. In 9 July games, Victorino is batting .167.

Antonio Bastardo has a 2-1 record with a 3.29 ERA with a .180 batting average against in 16 road games this year.

In 50 career games against the Phillies, Jerry Hairston Jr. is a .201 hitter. Hairston is batting .300 overall in 60 games this season.

In 39 home games this season, Andre Ethier is batting .347 with 6 HR and 29 RBI. Ethier is batting .200 in 20 day games this year.

James Loney, in 39 career regular season games against the Phillies, has a .350 average with 4 HR and 28 RBI.

Phillies team batting average in July- .240 (12th in the National League)

Dodgers team batting average in July- .237 (14th in the National League)
__________________________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE.

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...

Ibanez Makes Hall of Fame History

It's every player's dream to be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. For Raul Ibanez , who hasn't had the sort of career that would ensure his face would one day be cast in bronze and displayed on the Hall walls, it was necessary to find a less common way to earn a spot in the annals of baseball history. Recently, Ibanez became the very first big league player to spend the night in the plaque gallery at the storied Hall of Fame. As detailed on the National Baseball Hall of Fame's website , Ibanez accompanied his son's Little League travel team to the Hall, where they participated in the Museum's "Extra Innings Overnight", a program that allows groups to travel to Cooperstown, NY in order learn more about the great game of baseball. Ibanez's son, Raul Jr., is 11-years-old and plays baseball in Lower Merion, PA. The article on the Hall of Fame's website quoted Ibanez as being excited to see some recent Phillies milestones represent...

PhoulBallz Interview: Off-season check in with 1B Kyle Martin

Kyle Martin, image- Jay Floyd First base prospect Kyle Martin grew up in South Carolina as a Phillies fan, admiring slugger Jim Thome , so it was a dream come true for his entire family when the organization made him their 4th round draft choice this year. A lefty batting power threat, Martin quickly made his professional debut with Class A Lakewood. The transition to the minors seemed easy, as the 23-year-old tallied a .279 average with five home runs and 37 RBI in 65 games for the BlueClaws. I recently spoke with the University of South Carolina product about his remarkable 2015 as a whole and he ranked how playing in the Phillies organization ranks against playing for Team USA in this year's Premiere 12 tournament. Read ahead for that interview and click here for my previous feature on the six-foot-two 240-pounder. -Are you still enjoying downtime right now or have you reached the stage of your off-season where you are back to baseball activities and knocking the ru...

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog