PhoulBallz.com

It's not the usual full preview, but here is the pitching match up review for this weekend's Cardinals vs. Phillies series... Friday, 7:05 PM. Kyle Lohse (12-2, 2.79 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (5-6, 4.02 ERA). The right-handed Lohse, a former Phillie, has posted a 6-0 record with a 2.52 ERA in his past 9 starts. In 10 regular season appearances at Citizens Bank Park, Lohse has a 3-1 record with a 3.52 ERA. Ryan Howard is 8-for-16 (.500 avg) with 2 HR in his regular season career against Lohse. Halladay is 1-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 4 starts since the All-Star break. In his lone start against the Cardinals this season, Halladay allowed 4 earned runs in just 2 innings of work. In 41 career regular season appearances at Citizens Bank Park, Halladay sports a 2.51 ERA. Saturday, 7:05 PM. Jake Westbrook (11-8, 3.76 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (2-6, 3.78 ERA). Westbrook is 4-0 with a 3.46 ERA in his last 4 starts. In 10 road starts this season, Westbrook has a 4-5 record with a 3.5...

Last season the St. Louis Cardinals ousted the Philadelphia Phillies from the postseason, en route to a surprising World Series victory.  In the first rematch between the two teams, since that National League Division Series which the Cards won 3-2, the Phillies will visit St. Louis' Busch Stadium to begin a four-game series on Thursday night. Currently, the Cardinals (25-19) have maintained the level of success that took them deep into the October playing schedule last year, as they hold the top spot in the National League Central division, despite losing top slugger Albert Pujols to free agency, following their 2012 title run.  Meanwhile, the Phillies (22-23) have been missing a pair of injured stars, namely Ryan Howard and Chase Utley , and haven't been able to stay atop the NL East division that they have won each of the past five season. Philadelphia currently occupies the bottom spot in the five-team division. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups a...

For the very first time, two of the original 16 MLB teams will meet in the postseason, as the wild card entrant St. Louis Cardinals travel to Philadelphia to meet the five-time defending National League East division champion Phillies. The Cardinals squeezed into the playoffs thanks, in part, to some help from the Phillies, as Philadelphia swept the wild card leading Braves in their final regular season series. St. Louis then won two of three games against Houston to knock Atlanta from its perch. In the series opener, Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa will send veteran hurler and former Phillie Kyle Lohse to the mound, while the Phillies' Charlie Manuel will go with ace and perennial Cy Young award contender Roy Halladay. Read ahead for detailed info on the pitching match ups for games 1 and 2 as well as other key stats. Saturday, 5:07 PM. Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA). In 16 road starts this season, Lohse posted an 8-3 record with a 3.13 ERA. Lohs...

When the Cardinals and Phillies meet in a 3-game series beginning on Tuesday night in St. Louis, it will be a match up of two teams that have held onto the top spot in their respective divisions, despite repeated injuries all season long. The Cardinals (40-33) are in first place in the National League Central, but they are just 1/2 game ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers. They'll have a difficult time holding onto that lead as baseball's top hitter suffered a fractured wrist on Sunday in a collision with the Royals' Wilson Betemit. Pujols, the 3-time NL Most Valuable Player, is expected to miss up to 6 weeks with the injury. St. Louis has also lost top pitcher Adam Wainwright for the season to an elbow injury. In addition, outfielder Matt Holliday has spent 2 stints on the disabled list. Nick Punto, David Freese, Gerald Laird, Eduardo Sanchez and others are also currently on the DL. The defending NL East champion Phillies (45-28), with Brian Schneider, Joe Blanton and Brad ...

In a match up of first place teams, the Phillies (14-10) will host the Cardinals (17-8) in a four game series starting Monday night. The Cardinals are led by MVP first baseman Albert Pujols, while the Phillies are led by their own former MVP first baseman Ryan Howard. Howard's recent contract extension, that guaranteed him $125 million, has most of the baseball world anticipating Pujols to get a considerably larger payday. The Phillies have activated Joe Blanton from the disabled list after weeks of rehab work to recover from his strained oblique muscle. Click here and here for PhoulBallz.com's exclusive coverage of Blanton's rehab stop in Lakewood, including loads of quotes from Joe. Pitching match ups and other key details & stats from this series lie ahead. Monday, 7:05pm. Jaime Garcia (2-1, 1.04 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05 ERA in 2009). Garcia, the 23-year-old rookie, has held opponents to a .176 batting avg. in 4 starts this year. Garcia is 1-1 with a 2.25 ...

St. Louis visits Philadelphia for the first and only time of the season this weekend. The Central division leading Cardinals (52-46) will face the East division leading Phillies (54-39) for three games. Pitching match ups and other notes below. Friday, 7:05pm. Joel Pineiro (8-9, 3.09 ERA) vs. "Jay" Happ (7-0, 2.68 ERA). Pineiro has made 3 career starts against the Phillies and is 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 19 1/3 innings pitched. In 10 road starts this season, Pineiro is 4-5 with a 3.86 ERA. Over his last 3 starts, Pineiro has a 1.56 ERA. In 12 appearances at home this season, Happ is 3-0 with a 4.04 ERA. Over his last 6 starts, Happ's ERA is 1.67. Happ as a starter is 5-0 with a 2.74 ERA. Saturday, 4:05pm. Kyle Lohse (4-6, 4.21 ERA) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (2-0, 2.60 ERA). Lohse returns to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since surrendering the infamous grand slam to Kaz Matsui in the 2007 playoffs. In 7 regular season games at CBP, Lohse is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA. RoLo has ma...