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Hoping to keep things light on the first day of spring training, Phillies starting pitcher Cliff Lee showed up to speak with members of the media toting a plastic answer providing assistant.  With his Magic 8 Ball by his side, the 36-year-old proclaimed with a smile that he'd use the device to help with any hard questions. Relying on the toy for answers related to teammate Cole Hamels ' proclamation this week that the Phillies won't be winners and if he'd wish to be traded to a contender, Lee offered more genuine thoughts on his outlook overall.  The four-time All-Star pledged his focus to win a championship for the team he's currently with. "Until we get out there and play the games, get ourself in a certain position, I can't expect to do anything other than to win and get to the World Series, and win a World Series," Lee asserted.  "That's the only way I know how to look at it." Team general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. w...

The 2014 season kicks off on Monday, as the Phillies open on a road trip, visiting the American League's Texas Rangers.  The newly renamed Globe Life Park will play host to both clubs' initial series of the season. While the core of the Phillies lineup has looked the same for several years, the Rangers have new additions leading the charge into the 2014 season, namely Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo .  Their first real test in their new uniforms will come against a familiar figure. Phils ace Cliff Lee will be making his first return to the Texas mound since he pitched for the Rangers in the 2010 World Series.  Rangers hurler Tanner Scheppers will be making his debut as a starter after shining out of the bullpen last season. Weather forecasts call for 80 degrees and partly cloudy on Monday in Arlington.  The teams will play two more games against one another there on Wednesday and Thursday. Read ahead for details on the pitching match up plus plen...

The Phillies (71-81) will close out their home schedule this weekend as the division rival Mets (68-84) visit for a three-game series.  Far removed from the playoff picture, the two teams will battle for third place in the National League East division. In nine of the 16 meetings between the these clubs this year, the Phils have been victorious. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more information from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (8-13, 3.48 ERA).   Matsuzaka allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his last start against the Phils on August 28th.  Matsuzaka is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA in two road starts this year.  In his last nine starts, Hamels is 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA.  Hamels is 7-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 25 career starts against the Mets.  In 16 home starts this year, Hamels has a 3-6 record with a 3.55 ERA. Saturday, 7:05 PM.  Dillon Gee (11-10, 3.47 ERA...

With the worst offense in the major leagues, the Marlins (55-94) seem to be an ideal opponent for a Phillies (69-80) team looking to avoid their first losing season since 2002.  Miami, which ranks last in the big leagues in batting average (.231), runs scored (479), home runs (90), OPS (.627), will face Phils ace Cliff Lee in the opener of a three-game series on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils have been victorious in five straight games against Miami. Read ahead for full details in the pitching match ups and plenty more details from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM.  Sam Dyson (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (13-6, 2.97 ERA).   The 25-year-old Dyson will be making his first big league start.  In five big league relief appearances, Dyson sports a 7.27 ERA and a .371 batting average against.  In his last five starts, Lee has a 3-0 record with a 2.00 ERA.  After throwing six complete game shutouts in 2011, Lee has completed one game, a...

On the latest episode of the PhoulBallz Podcast, Jay and Tug discuss what you love...baseball!  Topics on the show include the Phillies' All-Star performances including Cody Asche in the Triple-A game, Cesar Hernandez 's move to the outfield, Alex Rodriguez 's rehab in Reading as well as Kyrell Hudson and the 2009 Phils draft class.  Don't miss this joint. Use the media player below to stream the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

The Phillies (36-40) hit the road to begin a ten-game road trip as they visit San Diego's Petco Park for three contests against the Padres (38-38). Losers of 10 of their last 15 games, since they saw their record go above .500 early this month, the Phillies will send left-handed ace Cliff Lee to the mound in the series opener.  Lee hasn't suffered a loss since May 1st.  The Padres have lost four of their past six contests and will counter with starting pitcher Eric Stults , who has allowed two runs or less in each of his past five starts. The Phils won four of seven meetings with the Padres last season, including a split of four games in San Diego. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series.   Monday, 10:10 PM.  Cliff Lee (9-2, 2.53 ERA) vs. Eric Stults (6-5, 3.28 ERA).   In five career starts against San Diego, Cliff Lee is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA.  In nine road starts this season, Lee has a 6-1 recor...

Here's an abbreviated version of the usual series preview, reviewing the match ups for this week's three-game series between the National League East division rival Nationals (34-34) and the Phillies (33-37) at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park.  Monday, 7:05 PM. Dan Haren (4-8, 5.70 ERA) vs. John Lannan (0-1, 6.14 ERA). In five career starts against the Phillies, Haren has a 0-3 record along with a 5.79 ERA. Haren is 0-3 with a 6.05 ERA in his last four starts. Ryan Howard is 1-for-9 (.111 avg) in his career against Haren. The left-handed Lannan will make his fourth big league start of the year after missing nearly two months with left knee issues. Adam LaRoche is 0-for-12 in his career against Lannan. The former Nats hurler has a 6.05 ERA in nine career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Ross Detwiler (2-4, 3.02 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (8-2, 2.55 ERA). In five road starts this season, Detwiler is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a .290 batting...

The road trip continues for the Phillies (31-33) as they head to Minnesota to take on the Twins (27-33).  Losers of three straight games after a streak of five wins that gave them a winning record for the first time all year, the Phils will look to return to their winning ways against the American League Central's last place Twins. Minnesota will send right-hander P.J. Walters to the mound in the series opener.  The 28-year-old replaced former Phillie hurler Vance Worley , when he was demoted to Triple-A Rochester last month.  The Phils will counter with lefty Cole Hamels , who broke a six-game losing streak with his last start, allowing one run over seven innings against the Marlins. The Twins dropped two of three contests against the Phillies at Target Field last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats from this series. Tuesday, 8:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (2-9, 4.56 ERA) vs. P.J. Walters (2-1, 3.00 ERA).  ...

Here's a quick rundown on the pitching match ups and some stats from the upcoming three-game series that begins on Friday between the Milwaukee Brewers (19-33) and the Phillies (26-28) at Citizens Bank Park..  In seven meetings between these two teams last year, the Phils were victorious five times. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Yovani Gallardo (3-5, 4.79 ERA) vs. Cole Hamel (1-8, 4.43 ERA).   In three career starts against the Phillies, Gallardo is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA and a .153 batting average against.  In four road starts this season, Gallardo has a 1-3 record with a 5.32 ERA.  Ryan Howard is 3-for-8 (.375 avg) with a double and a homer in his career against the righty Gallardo.  In five home starts this year, Hamels has a 0-4 record along with a 5.35 ERA.  Hamels is 6-2 with a 3.42 ERA in 10 career regular season games against the Brewers in his career.  Ryan Braun is 7-for-25 (.280 avg) with a double and three homers in his career against Ha...

Could Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. trade Cliff Lee again? Occasionally, here on the site, we feature guests tackling a topic related to the Phillies.  This time around, I surveyed some of my favorite sports commentators and fans on the subject of which Phils player is most likely to find himself traded by the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline. The participants in this roundtable are my PhoulBallz Podcast cohost and TheFightins.com front man Tug Haines , WFAN radio host and sports writer Joe Giglio , the biggest female baseball fan I know Casey Landman , PhilliesNation.com writer Kieran Carobine , Wall St. Journal Radio's Tyrone A. Johnson as well as yours truly.  Here's what the group had to say on this subject. Tug Haines- With Ruben Amaro Jr. at the helm, Chase Utley , Freddy Galvis , and Jesse Biddle will be traded for seven Dominican outfielders, (all 5'10" and 180 lbs.), and three 6'5" first basemen. Joe Giglio- Cliff Lee: With t...

The Phillies (19-22) continue their home stand as the Reds (25-16) come to town to begin a three-game set at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.  Winners of six straight games, the Reds are in second place in the National League central division, 1 1/2 games back of first place St. Louis.  The Phillies, fresh off a two-game split with Cleveland, are in third place in the NL East, 3 1/2 games behind first place Atlanta and three games back of second place Washington. In the series opener, the Reds will send rookie Tony Cingrani to the mound.  Cingrani, who is a Rice University product, lasted just four innings in his last outing against Milwaukee, but did not factor in the decision.  The Phils will counter with ace Cliff Lee , is undefeated with a 1.83 ERA in his previous five starts against Cincinnati. The Reds swept the Phillies in three games in Cincinnati last month.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key details fro...

The Phillies (16-19) continue their roadtrip as they head to Phoenix's Chase Field to take on the Diamondbacks (19-15) in a four-game series.  Winners of three straight, the Diamondbacks will send 23-year-old left-hander Patrick Corbin to the mound for the series opener.  Arizona has won all six of Corbin's starts this season.  The Phillies will counter with three-time All-Star Cole Hamels, who has a 3.38 ERA in five career starts at Chase Field.  Last season, the Phils won four of six meetings with Arizona, including two of three in Phoenix.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and plenty more stats from this series. Thursday, 9:40 PM.  Cole Hamels (1-4, 4.34 ERA) vs. Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1.80 ERA).  Hamels is sporting a 2.31 ERA over his last five starts.  In seven career starts against Arizona, Hamels is 4-1 with a 3.47 ERA.  The lefty Hamels is 1-1 with a 3.71 ERA three road starts this season.  In h...

The Phillies (14-18) head west to begin a three-game series on Monday night at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The hosting Giants (19-12) have won six straight contests. The Phils' offense, which ranks second from worst in the majors with a .669 OPS, struggled over the weekend, as they tallied only five total hits in a pair of losses to the team with the worst record in the National League, the Marlins. The first place Giants were victorious in four of six meetings between these two teams last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Monday. 10:15 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55 ERA). In five career regular season starts against San Francisco, Lee is 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and two complete games.   Lee has a 0-2 record with a 5.04 ERA in his last four starts.  Pablo Sandoval is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Lee.  Opponents are hitting just .181 against Bumgarn...

Interleague play is back, as the Phillies (12-14) head to Cleveland to take on the Indians (10-13) in a two-game series at Progressive Field. In the series opener, the Phils will send veteran righty Roy Halladay to the mound. The two-time Cy Young Award winner has a 2-0 record with a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts after beginning the season 0-2 with a 14.73 ERA in his first two starts of 2013. The Indians will counter with 25-year-old Zach McAllister, who has never faced the Phils in his career. The last time these two teams faced one another was in June of 2010, when the Phillies swept the three-game set. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series. Tuesday, 7:10 PM.  Roy Halladay (2-2, 5.08 ERA) vs. Zach McAllister (1-3, 3.52 ERA).   In 13 career outings against the Indians, Halladay has a 6-2 record with a 3.52 ERA and two complete games.  Halladay is 2-1 with a 3.45 ERA in five career starts at Progressiv...

On this week's edition, Jay and Tug talk about Tug's purchase of TheFightins.com and its relaunch.  Additionally, the guys discuss the Phils' struggles and how the returns of Carlos Ruiz and Delmon Young could impact the offense. Also, an injury update on lefty pitching prospect Austin Wright is featured and the guys stall, waiting for Jesse Biddle to phone in plus much more great content. Check out the media player below to hear the full episode, or simply download it by clicking HERE . You can also check out previous episodes and subscribe on iTunes .

Here's a review of the pitching match ups and other key stats from the upcoming four-game series between the Cardinals and Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Thursday, 7:05 PM.  Adam Wainwright (2-1, 2.05 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (0-2, 7.56 ERA).   The righty Wainwright is 3-1 with a 2.20 ERA in nine career regular season outings against the Phils.  Wainwright has a 0.56 ERA in three career regular season games at Citizens Bank Park.  Jimmy Rollins is 7-for-20 (.350 avg) in his career against Wainwright.  In nine career regular season games against the Cardinals, Hamels has a 2-3 record with a 3.27 ERA.  Former Phillie Ty Wigginton is 5-for-9 (.556 avg) in his career against Hamels. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Jaime Garcia (1-0, 1.86 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (1-2, 7.63 ERA).   In seven career outings against the Phillies, Garcia has a 2-2 record and a 2.00 ERA.  Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-14 (.071 avg) in his career against Garcia.  In six ...

Losers of five straight contests, the Reds (5-7) will host the Phillies (6-6) for a three-game set at Great American Ballpark beginning on Monday night.  In the series opener, the Reds will go with right-hander Bronson Arroyo , who has posted an 8.50 ERA over his last seven regular season starts against the Phils, who will counter with lefty Cliff Lee , who has not walked a batter in his first two starts this season. The Phillies were victorious in four of seven meetings with Cincinnati last year, including two of three at Great American Ballpark.  Dating back to the 2010 National League playoffs, the Phils have won seven of the last eight games in Cincinnati. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and loads more for this upcoming series. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-0, 1.08 ERA) vs. Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 5.25 ERA).   In 11 career starts against the Reds, Lee has a 6-2 record along with a 3.91 ERA.  Joey Votto is 5-for-13 (.385 a...