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Attendance returns to full capacity in Philadelphia this weekend as the Phillies host the Nationals in a three-game set beginning on Friday, June 4th.   Announced last week, the city is easing nearly all of its COVID-19 related restrictions and the Phils will be able to host a full house for the first time since 2019.   The Phillies are 2-1 against the Nats this season, having won their previous series in Washington during the month of May.   With a home record of 15-10, the Phils have had success this year at Citizens Bank Park.  The Phillies are averaging 4.2 runs per games at home, compared to 3.7 runs per game on the road, heading into Monday.  The team also sports a 3.66 home ERA compared to their 4.71 mark on the road, prior to this week. And we know that the Phillies are in the top three clubs to win the National League East. Their odds are definitely better now (+600) than they were a few months ago in February (+900). Maybe that's why th...

The Phillies (10-14) will visit the Nationals (11-15) for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday evening. Read ahead for a quick rundown of the pitching match ups and some key statistics from this series. Tuesday, 6:05pm.  Jake Arrieta (1-3, 4.95  ERA ) vs. Erick Fedde  (1-1, 2.55  ERA ).  Arrieta has gone more than five innings in just one of his four starts this season.  In 16 career starts against the Nats, Arrieta has notched a 1-3 record, a 4.61 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP.  Asdrubal Cabrera is 6-for-16 (.375 avg) with two homers and four RBI in his career against Arrieta.  Fedde, a right-hander, was Washington's first round draft pick in 2014.  In five appearances (four starts) against the Phillies, Fedde sports a 2-1 record with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP.  Scott Kingery is 3-for-7 with a double and a home run in his career when facing Fedde.  Wednesday, 6:05pm.  Aaron Nola (2-2, 3.10  ERA ) vs. Patrick...

Thompson w/ Reading in 2015, image- Jay Floyd Phillies top pitching prospect Jake Thompson made his Triple-A debut in front of absolutely zero fans on Friday thanks to poor weather in New York state and a swift scheduling adjustment. With freezing temperatures and snowy weather besieging the Syracuse area in recent days, the affiliate of the Washington Nationals, the Chiefs, postponed the four-game set against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs that was slated to open the 2016 International League season. However, in order to get in some game action and keep their players active, the Chiefs agreed to play two of those games on the away from their home park. With such a short time frame to make the adjustment to both teams' plans, operationally, the IronPigs were not able to open the gates for any fans to attend. Playing a double header made up of two seven-inning games with the host club, the IronPigs, playing as the away team on Friday, the Chiefs handed top Phillies pitc...

The Phillies got into the action approaching the non-waiver trading deadline on Tuesday, dealing closer Jonathan Papelbon and cash considerations to the Washington Nationals for righty pitching prospect Nick Pivetta. Pivetta was the Nats' 4th round draft selection in 2013 out of New Mexico Junior College. The British Columbia native stands 6'5" and is listed at 220 pounds.  He is described as an innings eater and has clean arm action. This season, the 22-year-old tallied a 7-6 record with a 3.02 ERA and a 6.9 K/9 mark in 18 games (17 starts) at Class A Advanced and Double-A. The youngster's repertoire features a sinking fastball that ranges from 92 to 95 MPH, a decent curve ball and a developing change up that he's building consistency with.  The Phillies often make adjustments to their pitchers' grips and deliveries, so expect the organization's coaches to take on Pivetta's offerings and mechanics as a new challenge.  Papelbon, who posted a ...

Without much success away from home recently, having dropped 17 of their last 21 road contests, the Phillies (68-78) will hope to turn things around when they travel and kick off a three-game series against the division rival Washington Nationals (77-69) on Friday. The Nats, who are 5 1/2 games back in the National League Wild Card standings, are still clinging to some postseason hopes and will look to lock down their fifth straight victory against the Phillies at Nationals Park. For full details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from this series read ahead. Friday, 7:05 PM. Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.51 ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (7-9, 2.96 ERA). In his last six starts, Kendrick has a 0-4 record and a 5.13 ERA. Kendrick sports a 2-3 record and a 5.31 ERA in nine career games at Nationals Park. Bryce Harper is 8-for-20 (.400 avg) with a home run and two RBI in his career against Kendrick. Strasburg has a 5-4 record with a 1.55 ERA in 14 home games this se...

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 Phillies (23-24) continue their road trip and visit division rival Washington (24-23) to begin a three-game series on Friday evening.  Righty starter Jordan Zimmermann , who celebrated his 27th birthday on Thursday, will try to become the National League's first eight-game winner as he takes the mound in the series opener for the Nats.  The Phils will counter with right-hander Kyle Kendrick , who will try to get the Phillies back to .500 for the first time since they were 6-6 this season. The two teams split 18 games against one another last season. Read ahead for full reviews of the pitching match ups and other key statistics from this series. Friday, 7:05 PM.  Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 2.82 ERA) vs. Jordan Zimmermann (7-2, 1.62 ERA).  Kendrick has a 2-0 record along with a 1.20 ERA in four road games this season.  In 19 career outings against the Nats, Kendrick has a 4-5 record with a 4.68 ERA.  Bryce Harper is 6-for-12 (.500 avg) with thr...

To begin their final series of the 2012 season, the Phillies (80-79) will travel to Washington, where they'll face the playoff-bound Nationals (96-63), who have a magic number of one, to clinch their first National League East division title. Just one win by the Nationals or a loss by the Braves will lock down Washington's division crown and Atlanta's wild card placement.  This will mark an end to the Phillies' run of five consecutive division titles, a franchise record.  Not only is the division title on the line, but the Nats are also tied with Cincinnati for the best record in the league, which would determine home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Read ahead for more about the pitching match ups as well as plenty more statistical information from this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Kyle Kendrick (10-12, 4.08 ERA) vs. John Lannan (4-0, 4.23 ERA). The lefty Lannan earned a win against the Phils last week, when he allowed 2 earned runs...

In the National League East division standings, a massive gap separates the Phillies (58-67) and the team they host for a three-game set beginning on Friday night, the first place Nationals (77-47). With the Nats ahead of the 3rd place Phillies by 19 1/2 games, heading into the weekend, it was just a year ago that things were nearly the exact opposite and the Phillies led the Nationals by 21 games. Thus far in 2012, the Nationals have won 5 of 9 meetings with the Phillies. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and more key info on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Edwin Jackson (7-8, 3.69 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (6-9, 4.20 ERA). In 3 career starts against the Phillies, the righty Jackson has a 0-3 record with a 5.60 ERA. Jackson has a 4-3 record with a 3.94 ERA in 13 road starts this season. Placido Polanco is 0-for-10 in his career against Jackson. In his past 2 starts, Kendrick is 2-0 while throwing 15 shutout innings. In 13 home outings this season, Kendrick is 2-6 with a 5.0...

The Williamsport Crosscutters' two representatives in the short-season New York-Penn All-Star festivities made a serious impact on Tuesday evening. Chris Serritella (pictured), who was selected in the 4th round of this year's amateur draft, started the night by winning the HR Derby, downing Mahoning Valley's Joe Sever in the finals. Serritella, a 22-year-old first baseman, has posted a .293 batting average with 20 doubles, five home runs and 33 RBI in 52 games thus far this season. Additionally, the Southern Illinois University product went 1-for-2 with a single in the actual All-Star Game. Serritella started the game as the National League affiliate team's designated hitter. Crosscutters teammate, shortstop Roman Quinn , entered the game in the bottom of the 6th and proceeded to go 2-for-2 with an inside-the-park homer and an RBI single. The round tripper was the first of Quinn's young pro career. The 19-year-old Quinn was the Phillies' second round pic...

On the last day of the non-waiver trading deadline, the Phillies (45-57) are all set to take whatever players might remain on the roster and begin a three-game series against the Nationals (61-40). With rumors of last minute deals running rampant, the only thing players like Hunter Pence , Shane Victorino and Juan Pierre can do is wait to learn which uniform they'll be wearing in the coming days. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistical notes from this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Cliff Lee (1-6, 3.95 ERA) vs. Stephen Strasburg (11-4, 2.76 ERA). In his career against the Nationals, Lee has posted a 3-2 record with a 2.89 ERA and a .257 batting average against. Lee has a 1-2 record with a 3.54 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Danny Espinosa is 7-for-10 (.700 avg) with a double and 3 HR in his career against Lee. Strasburg has no decisions and a 3.48 ERA in 2 career starts against the Philles. In 9 home starts this year, Strasburg ha...

It's a rarity that I include opinions here on the site, but the much-talked-about Joel Peralta ejection on Tuesday night has me itching to put my thoughts out there. If you missed it, Tampa Bay Rays reliever Joel Peralta was ejected from Tuesday's contest against his former club, the first-place Washington Nationals, prior to ever throwing a pitch in the game. Nationals manager Davey Johnson asked the umpiring crew to check Peralta's glove for a foreign substance and pine tar was found. Clearly, Johnson knew of the pitcher's tendency to utilize the sticky material, which is acceptable for batters but banned for pitchers. Rays manager Joe Maddon was beyond angry over the situation, using vulgar language to describe what he thought was an uncool maneuver. "It was kind of a p***y move to go out there and do that under those circumstances. I like the word p***y move," Maddon was quoted as saying, following the Rays' 5-4 victory over the Nats. He added that Jo...

Because we know you can't get enough...here's a another fresh edition of the PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast, a show that focuses on the developmental side of baseball with a focus on the Phillies organization. In episode 5, Tug Haines and I discuss Phillies prospect Kelly Dugan , Nats prospect Cutter Dykstra , local player Bill Rice , who was recently signed by the White Sox, the MiLB.com Mascot Mania tournament and more. We also took listener questions and played the always fun Twitter Game. In addition to streaming the show in the media player below, you can download this episode by clicking HERE . Also, you can check out previous editions of this show by clicking HERE . Thanks for listening. ________________________________________________________________ You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE . Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE .

Cutter Dykstra , son of former Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra, is a prospect in the Washington system.  Drafted in the 2nd round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2008, Cutter was traded to the Nationals last year, along with cash, for Nyjer Morgan.  The 22-year-old infielder is putting together a solid season this year with the Class A Hagerstown Suns. Through 34 games with the Suns this season, Dykstra has posted a .298 batting average with 8 doubles, a triple, a HR, 18 RBI and 13 stolen bases. Those that grew up watching his father play baseball would certainly be familiar with the type of ballplayer Cutter is.  The 5-foot-11-inch 180-pounder is aggressive, quick and athletic on the field.  The versatile youngster plays second base, shortstop and third base for Hagerstown.  Additionally, he has played the outfield quite a bit in his pro career as well. Recently, I caught up with Cutter, who spoke about his ties to the Phillies system, his father, his girl...

A budding rivalry is set to continue as the Washington Nationals (24-17) visit the Phillies (21-21) for a three-game series beginning Monday night at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Initially sparked up this year when the Nationals organization attempted to prevent Philadelphia fans from attending their team's games at Nationals Park, the rivalry's intensity reached considerably greater levels this month when lefty pitcher Cole Hamels admitted to intentionally hitting highly hyped rookie outfielder Bryce Harper with a pitch to welcome him to the big leagues. Fresh off a series loss to Boston, the Phillies remain in last place in the National League East division which they have won for five consecutive season.  The Nationals are in second place in the same division, 1 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the top spot.  The challenge to catch the Nats and the Braves will only get tougher for the Phils, as they start a stretch of 6 straight series against teams with winnin...

The Nationals' efforts to take back their park have earned big time attention from the media and fans alike, but for the teams on the field it will simply be the first of several series this season against a formidable division rival. In that division, the National League East, Washington and Philadelphia have reversed roles, somewhat, as the Nationals (16-9) have steadily been considerably far back in the standings in recent years, behind the Phillies (13-13).  However, now, it is the five-time defending division champions that find themselves in 4th place 3 1/2 games behind the division leading Nats. As the clubs begin a 3-game series, the Phillies will send right-hander Kyle Kendrick , who will be making his third start in place of injured ace Cliff Lee , to the mound for the series opener.  He'll be faced by the Nationals' top hurler Stephen Strasburg , who was drafted first overall by Washington back in 2009. Last season, the Nationals won the season series a...

The above images feature Brad Lidge sporting the uniform of division rival Washington, while outfielder Raul Ibanez is seen rocking a different color pin stripes than folks might be used to, the New York Yankees' blue. Both pictures seem a bit odd and force me to wonder which one would bother Phillies fans more. The 35-year-old Lidge is best known for his "perfect" 2008 season, when he led the Phillies to their second ever World Series title by successfully converting all 48 saves chances in the regular and postseason. Ibanez, who will turn 40 years old in June, left the Phillies as a free agent after becoming an All-Star and patrolling leftfield for Philadelphia over the past 3 years. What is fairly stunning is that this pair that earned an estimated combined total of $24 million in 2011, will now earn a measly total of $2.1 million in base salary with their new organizations in the coming season. Such is the professional life of a pair of aging stars as they move ...

According to multiple reports the Phillies have signed free agent outfielder Laynce Nix to a two-year contract. The deal is pending a physical examination. Originally a 4th round draft choice of the Rangers in 2000, the 31-year-old left-handed hitting outfielder is a career .244 hitter in 9 big league seasons. Last season with the Washington Nationals, Nix posted a .250 batting average with 16 homeruns and 44 RBI in 124 games. All of Nix's homers and all but one of his RBI came against righty hurlers in 2011. Nix has posted a .187 average with 2 homeruns and 11 RBI in his career as a pinch hitter. With those numbers in mind, the best suitable plan for Nix may be a platoon in the outfield. Paired with righty hitting John Mayberry Jr.'s .306 average, 8 HR and 21 RBI against left-handed pitchers, Nix's output could fit in perfectly in left field. In his major league career, Nix has played 229 games in center field, 203 games in left field and 66 games in right field. In 15...

The Phillies (98-54), who have clinched the National League East division title and having locked down home field advantage throughout the playoffs, sit just 2 wins away from the century mark and 4 wins away from an all-time franchise record for wins in a season. With the division rival Nationals (72-79) coming in for a 4-game series, both marks are within reach before the Phils complete their regular season home schedule on Thursday. Right-hander Kyle Kendrick will get things started in the series opener, as the teams will play a twin bill on Tuesday. The Nationals will counter with left-hander Ross Detwiler, who has struggled in his career against the Phillies. In the night cap, Cy Young Award contender Cliff Lee will take the mound for Philadelphia, while Washington is slated to go with rookie Tommy Milone. The Phillies have won 8 of 14 meetings against the Nationals to date this season. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups as well as other key details from this s...

The Phillies (80-42), winners of 15 of their last 18 contests, hit the road to open a three-game series in Washington DC against the National (59-63). The Nationals have dropped 7 of the 11 meetings between these two clubs this season. Roy Oswalt , who has not won in Washington as a member of the Phillies, will take the mound for the series opener. Washington will counter with veteran hurler Livan Hernandez , who allowed 1 unearned run over 6 2/3 innings in a win against the Phillies last week. Read ahead for more info on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series. Friday, 7:05PM. Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) vs. L ivan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21 ERA). In 19 career games against Washington, Oswalt has posted a 6-4 record with a 3.17 ERA. On the road this year, Oswalt is 2-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 9 games. Laynce Nix is 11-for-23 (.478 avg) with 4 doubles, 1 triple and 3 HR in his career against Oswalt. In 12 home starts this year, Hernandez is 5-3 wit...