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With an opportunity to lock down a postseason spot, the Braves (86-64) head to Philadelphia to begin a three-game series against the Phillies (76-74).  Despite a recent hot streak, during which the Phils have posted a 13-5 record this month and climbed to within 4 games of the National League's second Wild Card spot, the defending five-time NL East division champions are at risk of missing the playoffs, with three teams ahead of them for the a postseason berth and less than two weeks left in the regular season. Prior to the series opener, the Phillies will honor future Hall of Famer Chipper Jones , as the switch-hitter continues his fair well tour around the league. Read ahead to check out details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes from this series.  Friday, 7:05 PM.  Tommy Hanson (12-8, 4.33 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (9-11, 3.95 ERA).   Hanson has a 2-2 record with a 3.06 ERA in 9 career starts against the Phillies.  In 15 road ...

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...

To open the 2011 season, Ed Wade's Houston club that regularly features many ex-Phillies heads to Philadelphia for a three game series. Wade, of course is the current Astros general manager who used to hold that same position in the Phillies' front office. On opening day, the Phillies will be led by Roy Halladay, who got his very first taste of the postseason last year in his initial season with Philadelphia. The Astros will send former Phillies opening day starter Brett Myers to the hill to challenge the defending National League East division champions. In their history, the Phillies are 57-69-2 on opening day. Read ahead for analysis of the pitching match ups and plenty more details from this series. Friday, 1:05pm...Brett Myers (14-8, 3.14 ERA in 2010) vs. Roy Halladay (21-10, 2.44 ERA in 2010). Myers, the Phillies' first round draft pick in 1999, was one of the most consistent starting pitchers in all of MLB last year when he pitched at least 6 innings in his first 3...

Ed Wade's Houston Astros swept the Phillies in Philadelphia this week. The defending National League champions did not look like contenders as they struggled to score runs and let a team that was 15 games under .500 run all over them. Former Phillies Brett Myers, Michael Bourn, "Jay" Happ and Jason Michaels all performed well to help Houston sweep the Phillies. It was the first time since 2002 that the Phillies were swept at home in a 4-game series. In game 1 of the series, Brett Myers earned the win, holding the Phillies to just 2 runs over 7 innings while striking out 9 batters. Mike Bourn had 8 hits in the series. He gets up against his former team and is a career .337 hitter against the Phillies (and just a .260 overall in his career). Bourn and Jason Michaels combined for 5 runs scored in the series, while the entire Phillies team scored just 7 runs. Last season's Sporting News Rookie of the Year, "Jay" Happ, who was recently sent to Houston in a pac...