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After a loss to the Braves at Atlanta's Turner Field on Monday, the Phillies will turn to right-hander Roy Halladay to help the team notch its first win of the new season.  For Halladay, though, more focus may be on proving he can bounce back from a difficult spring (6.06 ERA, .323 batting average against, in six outings) and an even worse 2012 campaign that saw him not only dealing with performance issues, but an ailing body as well. Beginning in May last year, Halladay missed roughly seven weeks due to a strained right lat muscle.  The physical concerns led to a ballooned ERA that nearly double itself from the previous season (from 2.35 to 4.49). Additionally, Halladay has struggled against Atlanta, having not recorded a victory over the Braves since September, 2010. Trying to continue their winning ways, the Braves will counter with lefty Paul Maholm , who was acquired by Atlanta in a trade with the Cubs last July. Read ahead for details on the pitching match u...

The Braves (62-46) travel to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series with the Phillies (49-59) on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. In the past month, the two clubs have faced each other in two separate series, with the Braves winning all six of the contests. Atlanta’s recent dominance over the Phils is the opposite of how things went last season, when the Phillies handed the Braves six losses toward the end of the 2011 season. Those defeats shut the door on Atlanta’s postseason hopes. Read ahead for notes on the pitching the match ups and additional statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63 ERA). In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Sheets has a 3-4 record with a 4.50 ERA. Ty Wigginton is 12-for-36 (.333 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Sheets. The righty Sheets was the Brewers' 1st round draft pick in 1999. In his last 5 starts, Worley has a 2-1 record with a 4.06 ERA. In 9 home s...

The last place Phillies (37-47) have yet to find a cure for their struggles this season. Returning from injury, Ryan Howard (left Achilles tendon) may offer a solution. The former National League Most Valuable Player has averaged more than 36 HR and over 121 RBI per year over the past three seasons for the Phils. This weekend the Phillies will host the division rival Atlanta Braves (43-39) in a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park. Atlanta dropped two of three meetings with the Phillies when the two teams met earlier this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more statistical notes on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.87 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-8, 5.35 ERA). In 5 road starts this year, Hudson has a 3-1 record with a 2.34 ERA. Hudson is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA in 6 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. Ryan Howard is 17-for-52 (.327 avg) with 6 HR and 14 RBI in his career against Hudson. In his last 5 starts, Kendrick has a 0-4 record...

After a brief homestand, the Phillies head back on the road and travel to Atlanta to begin a 3-game series against the Braves.  It will be the first match up between the two teams since the Phillies swept the Braves in the closing series of the 2011 season to force Atlanta to miss the postseason. The Phillies won 12 of 18 meetings with the Braves last season, including the last 7 contests. Read ahead for loads of info on the pitching match ups for this series and plenty more. Tuesday, 7:10 PM. Cole Hamels (3-1, 2.73 ERA) vs. Brandon Beachy (2-1, 1.05 ERA). Hamels has an 11-6 record with a 3.72 ERA in 24 career outings against the Braves. In 12 career appearances at Turner Field, Hamels has a 4.16 ERA. Dan Uggla is 8-for-50 (.160 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 homeruns in his career against Hamels. In 6 career starts against the Phillies, Beachy is 0-3 with a 3.94 ERA and a .286 batting average against. Beachy is 4-2 with a 3.63 ERA in 15 career starts at Turner Field. Shane Vict...

Happy Labor Day! The Braves (82-57), who hold the lead in the National League Wild Card standings by 8 1/2 games, and Phillies (88-48) who are currently 7 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East division, are set to begin a three-game series at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park on Monday night. With both clubs seemingly set for a post-season run, this could potentially be a preview of this year's National League Championship Series. Read ahead for key info on the pitching match ups and other statistics from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Derek Lowe (9-12, 4.52 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (15-7, 2.59 ERA). In 21 career games against the Phillies, Lowe has an 8-6 record with 2 saves, 1 blown save and a 3.15 ERA. In 2 starts at Citizens Bank Park this year, Lowe is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Chase Utley is 13-for-33 (.394 avg) with 3 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Lowe. In 6 career starts against Atlanta, Lee has a 1-3 record with a 4.98 ERA. Lee is 10-2 with a 2.13 ERA in 15 h...

The teams with the two best records in Major League Baseball will face off this weekend, as the Braves (53-36) travel to Philadelphia to take on the National League East division leading Phillies (55-33). Philadelphia will head into the three-game series down an all-star. Center fielder Shane Victorino, who was voted into the final NL All-star roster spot by fans this week, was officially placed on the disabled list on Friday. Victorino injured his thumb after stumbling while making a play last Sunday. The right thumb sprain forces Victorino to the disabled list for the second time this season. Former Brave Pete Orr was recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley to fill Victorino's void. Atlanta has been victorious in 5 of 9 meetings between the two clubs this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key info for this series. Friday, 7:05pm. Brandon Beachy (3-1, 3.23 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (11-3, 2.44 ERA). In 4 career starts against the Phillies, Beachy h...

The four-time defending National League East division champion Phillies head to Atlanta this weekend to take on the team that many experts say has the greatest chance to dethrone the kings of the east. In Atlanta's home opener, the Braves will send Tim Hudson to the mound, as the Phillies counter with top off-season free agent acquisition Cliff Lee. The return of Lee to Philadelphia drew many comparisons, for the Phillies' starting rotation, to the Braves well known pitching staff of the 1990's that included Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. Read ahead for analysis on the pitching match ups for this series as well as plenty more key stats. Friday, 7:05pm. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) vs. Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA). Lee has made 2 career starts at Turner Field and has a 1-0 record with a 2.45 ERA in those games. April is Lee's best career month for ERA at 2.88. In 18 career games against the Phillies, Hudson has a 6-7 record with a 3.79 ERA. In 82 career start...

With Jimmy Rollins still out of the lineup, the Phillies will need to continue battling division rivals, with a playoff berth on the line, minus their former league MVP and multi-time All-star. Rollins traveled back to Philadelphia to visit team doctors for his injured right hamstring, while the Phillies (83-61) travel south to begin a 3-game series against the Marlins (73-69). Initially, Rollins was expected to return to the lineup after resting a few games, but when the injury did not subside, Rollins was scheduled to have his leg examined. Philadelphia has posted a 13-4 record since being swept by Houston at home last month. The Phillies will try to continue their hot streak by sending Joe Blanton to the mound for game 1 of the series. Blanton, who missed the opening month of 2010, has improved lately (3-1 record, 3.67 ERA in 11 second half starts), after a poor start to his season (3-5 record, 6.41 ERA in 13 first half starts). Florida will counter with lefty Andrew Miller, who wil...

Double header Labor Day action begins a 4-game series in Philadelphia as the Marlins (69-66) take on the Phillies (78-59). Details on the pitching match ups and more below! Monday, game 1- 1:05pm. Adalberto Mendez (No record) vs. Vance Worley (0-0, 0.00 ERA). The 28-year-old Mendez will be making his Major Debut. Mendez went 5-4 with a 4.14 ERA in 28 games at Triple-A this season. Worley has been an All-star the past two seasons for the Phillies' Double A affiliate Reading. In 8 starts with Triple A Lehigh Valley this year, Worley had a 1-3 record with a 3.77 ERA. The right-handed Worley was a 3rd round pick in the 2008 amateur draft. Monday, game 2- 7:05pm. Anibal Sanchez (11-8, 3.14 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (10-13, 3.01 ERA). Sanchez is 3-6 with a 5.20 in 10 career starts against the Phillies. In his last 5 starts, Sanchez is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA. Chase Utley is 9-for-23 (.391 avg) against Sanchez in his career. In his last 5 starts, Oswalt has posted a 4-0 record with a 1.02 ERA. In...

The Phillies have been hot at home, but much cooler on the road. The defending National League champions haven't won a series away from Citizens Bank Park since June 15-17 at Yankee Stadium. Philadelphia (57-48) hopes to win their first road series opener since a series in Florida that began on May 28th. The Phillies will send the ace, Roy Halladay, to the mound. Halladay threw a perfect game the last time he pitched in Miami. The Marlins (53-52) will counter with lefty Sean West, who will be making his first start of the season. Ryan Howard, who injured his ankle in the first inning of Sunday's contest against the Nationals, has returned to Philadelphia to be further examined by team physicians. He is expected to miss some time, but whether he spends time on the disabled list remains to be seen. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series. Tuesday, 7:10pm. Roy Halladay (12-8, 2.21 ERA) vs. Sean West (N/A). Halladay is 2-2 with a 2...