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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...

Fresh off an embarrassing weekend in which the playoff hopeful Phillies lost 3 of 4 contests against the team with the worst record in Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros, the Phillies (73-74) will head to New York to take on the division rival Metropolitans (66-80). The troubling weekend knocked the Phillies, winners of five consecutive National League East division titles, four games back of St. Louis for the inaugural second Wild Card spot in the NL. Phillies pitching allowed an average of 6 runs per game to an Astros club that had plated just 2.91 runs each time out in the second half, prior to the series. New York has lost 8 of its past 9 contests, averaging 2.44 runs per game during that stretch. The Mets, however, have downed the Phillies in 10 of 15 meetings this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM. Cliff Lee (5-7, 3.36 ERA) vs. R.A. Dickey (18-5, 2.68 ERA). In 7 career starts agains...

Winners of four straight games the Phillies (61-67) will host the Metropolitans (59-69) for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils have been performing well lately, sweeping three games from the first place Nationals over the weekend, while the Mets have lost seven of their past 10 contests. In the series opener, the Phillies will start righty hurler Vance Worley , who has lost both of his starts against New York this season, to the tune of a 9.00 ERA. The visitors will counter with Chris Young , who has a 1.86 ERA against the Phillies, as a member of the Mets. The Phils have dropped eight of 12 contests against the Mets this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and loads more statistical info on this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Chris Young (3-7, 4.33 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-9, 4.06 ERA). In 8 career outings against the Phillies, Young is 3-3 with a 3.42 ERA. Young has a 1-5 record with a 5.11 ERA in 8 starts since ...

The Phillies (36-45) travel to New York to take on the Metropolitans (43-37) in a three-game series beginning Tuesday night. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other statistical notes. Tuesday, 7:10 PM. Vance Worley (4-4, 2.92 ERA) vs. Jonathan Niese (6-3, 3.55 ERA). In 7 career outings against the Mets, Worley has a 3-2 record with a 3.60 ERA. Worley has a 1.89 ERA in 6 road starts this season. Lucas Duda is 3-for-7 (.429 avg) with a double and a home run against Worley in his career. The left-handed Niese is 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 7 home starts this season. In 11 career starts against the Phils, Niese has a 4-4 record with a 3.86 ERA. John Mayberry Jr. is 7-for-22 (.318 avg) with a double and 3 HR in his career against Niese. Wednesday, 1:10 PM. Kyle Kendrick (2-8, 5.35 ERA) vs. Chris Young (2-1, 3.30 ERA). Kendrick is 4-7 with a 3.68 ERA in 17 career games against the Mets. In 6 June starts, Kendrick posted a 1-4 record with a 6.96 ERA. Young...

Having avoided a sweep at the hands of the Nationals with an offensive outburst and a 9-3 victory on Sunday night, the Phillies return home to begin a stretch in which they will play 14 of their next 16 games at home. The Phillies (14-15) will kick off the homestand by hosting the Mets (15-13). Phils ace Roy Halladay , who allowed 8 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings in a loss to the Braves in his previous start, will take the mound for the series opener.  The Metropolitans will counter with left-hander Jonathan Niese, who struggled against the Astros, allowing 5 earned runs in 3 innings, in his last outing.  Philadelphia won 6 of 9 meetings with New York at Citizens Bank Park last season.  Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM.  Jonathan Niese (2-1, 4.08 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (3-2, 3.40 ERA).   In 9 career starts against the Phillies, Niese is 4-4 with a 3.58 ERA.  Niese has ma...

Entering the weekend with a Major League best 1.99 ERA, the Phillies will continue to rely on that strength as they begin a 3-game series with the division rival New York Mets. Among the most reliable hurlers for the Phils is lefty ace Cliff Lee , who will take the mound in game 1. Lee had a pair of strong outings against New York last season, allowing just 1 run over 14 total innings. The Mets will counter with right-hander R.A. Dickey . The veteran hasn't had much luck at the home park of the Phillies, posting a 0-2 record with a 6.00 ERA in 2 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. New York third baseman David Wright could miss time in the series, as he is dealing with a fracture in his right pinky finger. Wright suffered the injury sliding into a base this week. Read ahead for loads more details on the pitching match ups and plenty more stats for this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. R.A. Dickey (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (0-0, 1.50 ERA). In 6 career starts against the Phil...

The Phillies, losers of 6 straight games, travel to Citi Field this weekend to take on the division rival New York Metropolitans in a three-game series. During the Phillies' recent skid, the five-time National League East division champions have been without two big time contributors to their offense, as Ryan Howard and Hunter Pence have missed time with injuries. Howard has been resting his ailing left ankle this week, while Pence has been out since straining the patellar tendon in his left knee on Tuesday. Both stars are expected to play this weekend. In the series opener, the Phils will send lefty Cole Hamels, who hasn't been very successful against the Metropolitans throughout his career, to the mound, while New York counters with right-hander R.A. Dickey, who is typically strong against the Phillies. Philadelphia has won 10 of 15 meetings with the Metropolitans this season. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series. Frida...

As the first place Phillies (81-44) approach the final month of the season, it seems as though each week brings another injury. On Monday, it was announced that shortstop Jimmy Rollins will land on the disabled list with a grade 2 groin strain. Luckily, Placido Polanco, who missed time with a sports hernia, will be activated to fill Rollins' void on the roster. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel was quoted as saying he hopes that Rollins' DL stint lasts just 15 days, however it is unclear at this time whether or not Rollins will require a longer period to recover. As Corey Seidman of PhilliesNation points out , Orlando Hudson spent 24 days on the disable list earlier this season with the same injury. The Phillies return home after a series loss to Washington over the weekend that saw the division leaders drop two contests in dramatic fashion in the Nationals' final plate appearance of each game. Philadelphia will play host to the Metropolitans (60-66), who have los...

The National League pennant chase just got a little more interesting. By now you've heard that the reigning World Series champion San Francisco Giants executed a trade to land one of the biggest names on the trade market, six-time All-star Carlos Beltran . In recent days, the Phillies had been among the few teams rumored to be in the mix to make a trade for Beltran, but in the end, the team that was the National League runner up last year lost out to the team that knocked them from the post-season. Reports say the deal will be made official on Thursday, as Beltran has a full no-trade clause that he must waive. The deal is expected to send righty pitching prospect Zack Wheeler to New York. Giants manager Bruce Bochy was clear, on Wednesday, stating that the trade was done to improve the club's own offense and was not in an effort to prevent chief NL rival Philadelphia from acquiring Beltran. Beltran, who was batting .289 with 15 HR and 66 RBI this season with the Mets, will ...

In recent years, the Phillies have acquired elite talent, adding Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt in separate blockbuster trades. The packages of players sent away to make those deals all included highly ranked prospects. Fans and experts alike presume the Phillies have depleted their system of prospects with the amount top minor league players traded in those deals. That's far from true, as many individuals currently in Philadelphia's developmental system have proven worthy of high recognition. If the Phillies are going to put together similar groups of players to add a key contributor at the big league level again this season, they'll surely need to send away more ascending young talent. In order to understand what type of package the Phillies would be required to deal, it's important to look at what they gave up in those previous trades. Cleveland/Lee trade...July, 2009- RHP Jason Knapp, IF Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, RHP Carlos Carrasco. Knapp was the young...

As the second half of the season begins, the National League East division leading Phillies (57-34) travel north on the turnpike to take on the Metropolitans (46-45) at Citi Field. New York made headlines earlier this week, on the night of the All-star Game, when they dealt closer Francisco Rodriguez to the Brewers for two players to be named later. The Metropolitans are expected to continue to be sellers as the non-waiver trading deadline approaches. Philadelphia is making news of its own, as this series begins, placing All-star third baseman Placido Polanco on the disabled list with a bulging disc in his back. The move is retroactive to July 5th, so Polanco would be eligible to return from the DL on July 20th. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Friday, 7:05PM. Vance Worley (4-1, 2.20 ERA) vs. RA Dickey (4-7, 3.61 ERA). In 3 career outings against the Metropolitans, Worley has a 1-1 record with a 4.50 ERA. Worley has a 2-0 recor...

The financially strapped New York Metropolitans (23-26) will play host this weekend as the first place Phillies (31-19) come to town for a 3-game series. In the opener, the Phillies will send veteran right-hander Roy Oswalt, who has a 1.50 ERA in 2 starts since returning from the disabled list, to the mound. The Metropolitans will counter with lefty Chris Capuano, who served up 4 homeruns in 5 1/3 innings against the Yankees last weekend. Philadelphia has won 4 of the 6 meetings with New York this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Friday, 7:10PM. Roy Oswalt (3-2, 2.77 ERA) vs. Chris Capuano (3-5, 5.36 ERA). In 14 career starts against the Metropolitans, Oswalt has a 6-5 record with a 3.33 ERA. In 4 road games this season, Oswalt is 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA. Carlos Beltran is 9-for-24 (.375 avg) with 2 doubles and a HR in his career against Oswalt. In 5 career games against the Phillies, Capuano is 0-2 with a 3.20 ERA. In 4 home st...

With the uncertainty of Chase Utley's ailing knee, the Phillies have added another potential substitute to the mix. Already stocked with new faces ready to fill a void if Utley is unable to open the season on the active roster, Philadelphia has added veteran second baseman Luis Castillo. The 35-year-old Castillo was released by the New York Metropolitans on Friday. Castillo has been an All-star three times, has won the Gold Glove Award three times and has twice led the National League in stolen bases. Castillo, a switch-hitter, is a career .290 hitter in 15 Major League seasons. Utley has been sidelined throughout the entirety of spring training with chondromalacia and bone inflammation in his right knee. While Utley has seen some improvement recently and has continued to participate in batting practice, he has still been unable to take on full baseball activities. Other players in camp witht he Phillies this spring that are competing for a roster spot include Rule 5 pick Michael M...

Comedy Central's new program Onion Sportsdome is a program that features fictional news stories with humorous twists. This week's episode included the tale of a young female cancer patient that loves the Phillies and hates rival third baseman David Wright. Highlights of the clip include the young girl heckling Wright with an inquiry about his close relationship with a teammate and her wish that Wright would suffer with the same illness that she has. The following mediocre quality video is part of a comedy program and includes some mature and objectionable content, so please consider that before viewing it or offering feedback about it. _____________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter by clicking HERE . Connect with PhoulBallz.com on Facebook by clicking HERE .

With their magic number to clinch a team record 4th straight division title sitting at 4, the Phillies (92-61) enter the weekend needing some help from the Nationals, who are playing the Braves, to clinch at home. The Phils will be facing the Metropolitans (74-78), who visit Citizens Bank Park for a 3-games series starting Friday night. New York will send right-hander R.A. Dickey to the mound in game 1 of the series. Dickey threw a one-hitter against the Phillies last month at Citi Field. The Phillies will counter with Joe Blanton, who has notched 8 strike outs in each of his last 2 outings. Injured short stop Jimmy Rollins, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury in recent weeks, faced live pitching in a simulated game on Thursday and could return to action this weekend. The Phillies have won 8 of 15 meetings with the Metropolitans this season. Read ahead for detail on the pitching match ups for this series and loads more information. Friday, 7:05pm. RA Dickey (11-7, 2.92 ERA) ...

The Phillies (81-60) have been on fire lately and have surged to take over the top spot in the National League East. However, CitiField has proven to be an obstacle the Phils can't handle this season, as they've managed to score just 7 runs in 6 games there in 2010. They travel north to take on the Metropolitans (69-71) there in a 3-game series that begins Friday night. The reigning NL champion Phillies have won three straight division crowns. New York, while out of the pennant race, still hopes to play some role in the final standings, and beating the teams near the top is surely a way to do just that. Hoping to prevent the host team from playing spoiler, Philadelphia will send ace hurler Roy Halladay to the mound in game 1. New York will counter with rookie right-hander Jenrry Mejia, who could have a hard time matching the All-star Halladay's efforts. New York will activate Jose Reyes from the disabled list this weekend. Reyes has been sidelined since August 26th with an ...

Back at home, where they've won 11 in a row, the Phillies (60-48) hope to gain ground in the standings as they face the rival Metropolitans (54-54) in a 3-game series. Without injured All-stars Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Shane Victorino, Philadelphia hasn't shown signs of slowing down as they've closed the gap on the NL East leading Braves to 2 games, with a series sweep at Florida this week. Philadelphia will send Joe Blanton to the mound in the series opener. New York will counter with left-hander Jonathan Niese. The last time these two teams met, from May 25th-27th, Metropolitans pitchers shut out the Phillies over 3 games, sweeping the series. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and plenty more information on this series. Friday, 7:35pm. Jonathan Niese (7-5, 3.78 ERA) vs. Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.86 ERA). In his last 5 starts, Niese is 1-3 with a 4.20 ERA. In 8 road starts this season, Niese has posted a 3-2 record with a 3.91 ERA. In 5 career starts against ...

The Phillies announced today that both Placido Polanco and Chase Utley are headed to the disabled list with injuries. Polanco has been dealing with a left elbow issue since April, when he was hit in the elbow by a pitch from Braves pitcher Tim Hudson. Polanco may also have a loose bone fragment in the joint that would require off-season surgery. Utley, who injured himself sliding into second base in the 4th inning of Monday night's game against the Reds attempting to stretch a single into a double, was examined today and MRI results are pending, but the team has described Utley's issue as a sprain of the thumb on his right hand. Both Polanco and Utley are the leaders in National League All-star voting at their respective positions. The Phillies, who have been revaged by injuries this season, have had their proposed lineup 1-8 of Rollins, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez, Victorino and Ruiz together just five times through 74 games this season. They've also dealt with...

These days, many phans would advise the Phillies to avoid doing silly things like trading away ace pitchers for garbage prospects and signing guys with silent S's at the end of their first name. Those tips would, of course, use hindsight and look into the Phils' own recent mistakes. PhoulBallz.com has been reviewing some other MLB franchises, and has developed some tips for the home team. Today, we offer a list of 5 things the Phillies should avoid doing. #5- Letting their manager hang out with the city's head football coach, like they do in Seattle. Charlie Manuel's family is drug free and his team can win championships. Nothing good would come from rubbing elbows with the likes of the Eagles' coach. #4- Fruity flying hip touches. Leave that to the Metros in NYC...and that other team too. #3- Engaging in any sort of contact like these Padres. Shoulder impalement and stinky fingers do not help players win baseball games. #2- Doing their hair as though they are t...