Series Preview: Phillies at Marlins, May 6-8

Fresh off a series loss on the road in St. Louis that saw the cruising Phillies (16-13) drop three of four, the team heads south to take on the division rival Marlins (15-12) in the three-game set this weekend.

The Phils had been winners of 15 of their last 21 games prior to visiting the Cardinals. Now, they'll look to get back on the winning track in Miami.

This will be the first meeting between the two clubs this season.

Friday, 7:10 PM. RHP Vince Velasquez (4-1, 1.44 ERA) vs. LHP Wei-Yin Chen (2-1, 4.26 ERA). In two road starts this season, Velasquez has a 2-0 record with a 2.25 ERA. Velasquez's .164 batting average against ranks 6th best in MLB so far this season. He has not allowed a run in three of his five outings this season. Chen threw eight shutout innings in his lone career start against the Phillies last June. Chen sports a 4.91 ERA in three home starts this season.

Saturday, 7:10 PM. RHP Jeremy Hellickson (2-2, 4.88 ERA) vs. RHP Tom Koehler (2-3, 7.25 ERA). In four career starts against the Marlin, the 29-year-old Hellickson has a 0-1 record with a 3.97 ERA. Hellickson sports a 3.00 ERA in four road starts this season. Ichiro Suzuki is 2-for-19 (.105 avg) in his career against Hellickson. Koehler, 29, has a 2-3 record with a 4.53 ERA in 11 games against the Phillies. Koehler has a 3.72 ERA in 50 career games at Marlins Park. Odubel Herrera is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) against Koehler.

Sunday, 1:10 PM. RHP Aaron Nola (2-2, 2.93 ERA) vs. LHP Justin Nicolino (2-0, 2.70 ERA). Nola tossed eight shutout innings in his lone career start against the Marlins. Nola, 22, has a 2-0 record and a 0.64 ERA in four road starts this season. Nicolino, 24, was a 2nd round draft pick (by Toronto) in 2010. He is 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two starts against the Phillies.

Maikel Franco is batting .314 with four homers in 14 road games this year. Franco is 1-for-17 (.059 avg) in his last five games.

Odubel Herrera's .447 OBP is tied for second best in the majors. The 24-year-old lefty batter has a .368 batting average in 19 career games against the Marlins.

In 10 games against the Marlins, Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez has a 2-0 record with a 0.95 ERA and a .203 batting average against.

In 70 career games against the Phils, outfielder Giancarlo Stanton has a .266 batting average with 17 home runs and 38 RBI. The righty batting slugger is hitting .400 with six home runs over his last 10 games.

Shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria has a .284 batting average with a homer and 19 RBI in 43 games against the Phils. The righty hitting Cuban has a .184 average in 11 home games this year.

The Phillies' team batting average against left-handers is .166, worst in the majors.

Marlins' bullpen ERA- 3.29 (12th in MLB)
Phillies' bullpen ERA- 4.32 (22nd in MLB)

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...

Michael Taylor Q&A

Michael Taylor is currently leading the Reading Phillies' offense and is near the top of the Eastern League in most stat categories (3rd in batting avg- .342, 3rd in HR- 14, tied for second in RBI- 55, 2nd in OPS.- .994, tied for 1st in runs scored- 49, tied for 1st in hits...). The 23 year old Taylor is 6 feet 6 inches tall and has quickly grabbed the attention of phans and media alike as a top prospect to watch. I spoke with Mike Taylor over the weekend, and here is that interview. With all the big stats and being among the league leaders in so many categories, do you think you're ready for the next step? It's kind of a difficult question. Do you have anything left to prove here? There's always something to prove. There's stuff to prove every game. I mean that's one thing that's very interesting about this game. It's such a numbers oriented game. You're only as good as your last "whatever statistical category that someone's valuing". ...

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...

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