Series Preview: Phillies at Braves, August 31-September 2

A pair of division rivals face off this weekend as the Phillies (62-69) travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves (74-57) in a 3-game series beginning Friday night at Turner Field.

In the opener, the Phils will send ace right-hander Roy Halladay, who is 0-1 with an 8.74 ERA in 2 starts against the Braves this year, to the mound. Atlanta will counter with 2009 1st round draft selection Mike Minor, who has won just once in his past 5 home starts.

Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and loads of key statistics from this series.

Friday, 7:35 PM. Roy Halladay (8-7, 3.88 ERA) vs. Mike Minor (7-10, 4.71 ERA). Halladay has posted a 4-1 record with a 2.75 ERA over his last 5 starts. On the road this season, Halladay is 3-4 with a 4.31 ERA in 9 starts. In 5 career starts at Turner Field, Halladay is 1-2 with a 3.57 ERA and a .259 batting average against. Chipper Jones is 10-for-19 (.526 avg) with 3 doubles and 3 HR in his career against Halladay. Minor, a lefty, has a 1-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 4 career appearances against the Phillies. In his last 4 starts, Minor has posted a 1-3 record with a 3.37 ERA. Chase Utley is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) with a HR in his career against Minor.

Saturday, 4:05 PM. Cliff Lee (3-7, 3.67 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (13-4, 3.57 ERA). In 8 career starts against the Braves, Lee has a 3-3 record with a 3.24 ERA. Lee has posted a 2-2 record with a 3.24 ERA in 12 road starts this season. Lee has a 3.22 ERA in 9 games since the All-Star break. The right-handed Hudson is 7-3 with a 3.96 ERA in 12 home starts this season. In 25 career starts against the Phillies, Hudson is 9-8 with a 3.76 ERA. Ryan Howard is 21-for-61 (.344 avg) with 7 HR in his career against Hudson.

Sunday, 5:05 PM. Cole Hamels (14-6, 2.99 ERA) vs. Paul Maholm (11-9, 3.44 ERA). In his last 4 starts, Hamels has a 3-0 record and a 1.71 ERA. In 14 career games at Turner Field, Hamels is 5-4 with a 4.15 ERA. Jason Heyward is 3-for-18 (.167 avg) with a double in his career against Hamels. In 13 home starts this season, Maholm is 7-3 with a 2.64 ERA. Maholm, a lefty, has a 4-2 record with a 4.11 ERA in 8 career starts against the Phillies. Ty Wigginton is 6-for-13 (.462 avg) with 2 doubles and a HR in his career against Maholm.

Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel is 0-1 with 14 saves, 1 blown save and a 1.08 ERA in 25 home games this season. In 18 career appearances against the Phillies, Kimbrel has a 1.10 ERA and a .115 batting average against.

Former Phillie Michael Bourn is a career .302 hitter with 3 HR and 21 steals in 42 career games against the Phils. Bourn’s 9 HR this season are 4 more than his previous career high. Bourn has posted a .147 average over his most recent 10 games played.

In 27 August games, first baseman Freddie Freeman has posted a .227 batting average with 5 HR and 18 RBI.

Dan Uggla is batting .180 in 42 games since the All-Star break. In 63 home games this season, Uggla has a .174 batting average.

In 9 career games against the Braves, Domonic Brown is a .308 hitter.

Ryan Howard is batting .203 with 1 HR and 4 RBI in 18 road games this season. In 63 career games at Turner Field, Howard has a .283 batting average with 17 HR and 59 RBI.

Kevin Frandsen is batting .355 in 29 big league games this season. In 11 career games against the Braves, Frandsen is batting .333.

Jonathan Papelbon is 1-0 with 5 saves, no blown saves and a 1.59 ERA in 11 career games against Atlanta. Papelbon sports a 1.52 ERA and a .159 batting average against in 24 road games this season.

Phillies team OPS for August- .702 (21st in MLB)
Braves team OPS for August- .693 (.22nd in MLB)
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