Series Preview: Braves at Phillies, Sept 21-23

With an opportunity to lock down a postseason spot, the Braves (86-64) head to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series against the Phillies (76-74). Despite a recent hot streak, during which the Phils have posted a 13-5 record this month and climbed to within 4 games of the National League's second Wild Card spot, the defending five-time NL East division champions are at risk of missing the playoffs, with three teams ahead of them for the a postseason berth and less than two weeks left in the regular season.

Prior to the series opener, the Phillies will honor future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, as the switch-hitter continues his fair well tour around the league.

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

Friday, 7:05 PM. Tommy Hanson (12-8, 4.33 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (9-11, 3.95 ERA). Hanson has a 2-2 record with a 3.06 ERA in 9 career starts against the Phillies. In 15 road starts this year, Hanson is 8-4 with a 4.09 ERA. Hanson is 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA over his past 6 starts. In 18 career games against Atlanta, Kendrick has a 6-1 record with a 2.87 ERA. Kendrick has posted a 4.21 ERA in 16 home outings this year. Michael Bourn is 7-for-14 (.500 avg) with 2 HR in his career against Kendrick.

Saturday, 4:05 PM. Mike Minor (9-10, 4.31 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (10-7, 4.03 ERA). The lefty Minor is 3-6 with a 5.31 ERA in 13 road starts this season. Minor, Atlanta's 1st round draft pick in 2009, has a 2.28 ERA in 12 starts since the All-Star break. Ryan Howard is 5-for-12 (.417 avg) with 2 HR in his career against Minor. Halladay is 6-3 with a 3.82 ERA in 11 home starts this season. Halladay has recorded wins in each his past 5 home starts. Chipper Jones is 10-for-20 (.500 avg) with 3 doubles and 3 HR in his career against Halladay.

Sunday, 1:35 PM. Tim Hudson (15-6, 3.77 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (6-7, 3.27 ERA). In 26 career starts against the Phils, the righty Hudson has a 9-9 record with a 3.92 ERA. Hudson is 7-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 12 road starts this season. Hudson has a 4.41 ERA in 8 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan Howard is 22-for-62 (.355 avg) with 7 HR in his career against Hudson. Lee is 4-0 with a 1.63 ERA over his last 7 starts. Lee is 2-5 with a 3.73 ERA in 13 home starts this year. Michael Bourn is 0-for-15 in his career against Lee.

In 15 games against the Phillies this season, Freddie Freeman has posted a .320 batting average with 1 homer and 9 RBI. The righty hitting Freeman is 0-for-8 in his career against Phils left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo.

Dan Uggla is a .221 career hitter in 58 games at Citizens Bank Park. Uggla is batting .283 in 17 September games.

Jason Heyward is a .211 career hitter in 43 games against the Phillies.

In 18 September games, Jimmy Rollins is batting .338 with 7 HR and 15 RBI. Rollins has posted a .281 batting average in 72 home games this season.

Ryan Howard is batting .230 in 33 home games this year. In 131 career games against the Braves, Howard is a .301 hitter with 40 HR and 117 RBI.

Ty Wigginton is batting .188 in 38 games since the All-Star break. Wigginton is batting .154 wth no extra-base hits in 12 games against the Braves this season.

Braves ERA in September- 2.69 ERA (2nd in MLB)
Phillies ERA in September- 2.74 ERA (3rd in MLB)

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Stats to Ponder: Jimmy Rollins Edition

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