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The Phillies (21-23) hit the road this week, beginning a three-game series against the Marlins (12-23) in Miami on Monday night . Looking to get back on the positive side of .500, the Phillies will kick off the series with two of their main stars ailing, as Ryan Howard is sidelined with right knee soreness and Carlos Ruiz left Sunday's contest against the Reds with a right hamstring issue. The Phils have won four of seven meetings with Miami thus far this season.  Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups from this series and plenty more key stats from this series. Monday, 7:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (1-6, 4.61 ERA) vs. Alex Sanabia (2-6, 5.00 ERA).  In four road starts this year, Hamels is 1-2 with a 3.52 ERA.  In 26 career starts against the Marlins, Hamels is 8-11 with a 3.24 ERA.  In two career starts against the Phils, Sanabia is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA.  Sanabia is 1-3 with a 5.70 ERA in four home starts this season.  Jimmy ...

The Phillies (12-16) are set to kick off a four-game series as host to the Marlins (8-20).  The series marks the returns of Phils Gold Glove Award winner Placido Polanco and speedster Juan Pierre to Philadelphia for the first time since each man parted ways via free agency. The Phillies have won nine of their last 12 meetings with the Marlins.  Additionally, the Phils were victorious in six of nine games against Miami at Philly's Citizens Bank Park last season. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key details from this series. Thursday, 7:05 PM. Alex Sanabia (2-3, 4.85 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 2.41 ERA). Sanabia, a 24-year-old righty, allowed one earned run in six innings pitched in his lone career start against the Phillies in 2011. In 13 career road outings, Sanabia has a 4-1 record along with a 3.32 ERA. In three home starts this year, Kendrick is 1-1 with a 4.58 ERA. In 19 career games against Miami, Kendrick has a 10-2 rec...

The Phillies (56-65) return home to host the National League Central division leading Reds (74-48) in a four-game series beginning on Monday evening at Citizens Bank Park. Cincinnati is hot of late, winning 8 of their past 10 contests and 12 of their past 16 games on the road. The Phils are also getting it done lately, especially at home, where the team has been victorious in 9 of their last 13 games. The Reds lost three of four games in Philadelphia last season and were swept by the Phils in a four game series in Cincinnati late in 2011. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and plenty more statistical information on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Mike Leake (5-7, 4.29 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (6-7, 3.80 ERA). The right-handed Leake has a 3-3 record with a 3.13 ERA in 10 road starts this season. Leake, the Reds' 1st round draft choice from 2009, has a 1-1 record with a 5.16 ERA over his past 4 starts. Brian Schneider is 4-for-9 (.444 avg) with a HR in his career against...

While the Phillies (34-40) struggle, trying to get on any sort of roll, they'll host the Pirates (38-33) in a 4-game series beginning Monday night at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Fresh off being swept in a double header by Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Philllies, who are the reigning five-time National League East division champions, are currently sitting in last place. Meanwhile, the Pirates, who haven't had a winning record since 1992, sit just 1 game back of the Reds for the top spot in the NL Central division. The Phillies swept the Pirates in three games last season at Citizens Bank Park. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other statistical info on this series. Monday, 7:05 PM. Jeff Karstens (0-1, 4.50) vs. Joe Blanton (6-6, 5.04 ERA). The right-handed Karstens will be returning from the disabled list, as he has been sidelined since April with a shoulder strain. In 6 career games against the Phillies, Karstens has no decisions and a 3.09 ERA. Kars...

After failing to capitalize on a chance to complete a sweep of the lowly Rockies on Thursday night, the Phillies (33-38) will return to interleague competition as the Rays (38-31) visit Philadelphia in a rematch of the 2008 World Series. In the three-game series opener, Phillies Ace Cliff Lee will continue his quest for that elusive first win of the season. Tampa Bay will counter with righty James Shields , who notched the only win for the Rays in in that '08 Fall Classic. The Phillies and Rays have not faced each other since 2009, when the Phils dropped two of three contests at Tampa Bay. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other stats on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. James Shields (7-4, 3.72 ERA) vs Cliff Lee (0-3, 3.48 ERA). In 7 road starts this season, Sheilds has a 5-2 record with a 3.72 ERA. Shields has a 1-3 record with a 3.99 ERA in his last 6 starts. Placido Polanco is 8-for-17 (.471 avg) with 2 doubles and 2 HR in his career against Shields. ...

Inter-league play continues as the Phillies (29-33) travel to Minnesota to take on the Twins (24-35) in a three-game series beginning on Tuesday night. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups as well as plenty more statistics from this series. Tuesday, 8:05 PM. Kyle Kendrick (2-5, 4.44 ERA) vs. Nick Blackburn (2-4, 7.75 ERA). In 7 road outings this season, Kendrick has posted a 1-1 record with a 3.42 ERA. Over his last 5 starts, Kendrick has tallied a 2.73 ERA. Blackburn allowed 8 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings in his lone career outing against the Phillies. In 4 home starts this season, Blackburn is 1-2 with a 7.92 ERA. Wednesday, 8:10 PM.  Cole Hamels (8-3, 2.93 ERA) vs. P.J. Walters (2-1, 4.42 ERA).   Hamels has a 4-0 record with a 2.50 ERA in 5 road starts this season. In his last 3 starts, Hamels has posted a 5.22 ERA.  Ryan Doumit is 3-for-9 with 2 doubles in his career against Hamels.  The righty Walters is 0-1 with a 4.76 ERA ...

Interleague play returns as two teams with similar recent success and completely opposite spots in the standings meet for a three-game series this weekend.  The Orioles (32-25), who have lost 8 of their last 11 games, sit atop the American League East division (tied with Tampa Bay).  Beginning Friday, they will host the Phillies (28-31), who have dropped 6 straight games and are in last place in the National League East division. While the Phillies have struggled considerably all season, the club has a winning record of 16-12 on the road. In the opener of the series, the clubs will send two struggling hurlers to the mound as Joe Blanton , who has surrendered 10 home runs in 19 2/3 innings over his last 4 starts, takes on right-hander Jake Arrieta , who has lost three consecutive starts. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups and plenty more details for this series.  Friday, 7:05 PM.  Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.27 ERA) vs. Jake Arrieta (2-7, 5.5...

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...

The Phillies will kick off their home schedule on Monday when they host a familiar division rival, the newly named Miami Marlins, in the opener of a three-game set. Led by lefty Cole Hamels , who will start on Monday afternoon, the Phillies will try to get back to the winning ways that brought their organization five straight division championships, after losing their last two contests in disappointing, walk-off fashion to Pittsburgh over the weekend. Hamels, who posted a 2.93 ERA in 7 spring training outings, begins a crucial season, with not only the Phillies' run of division dominance on the line, but perhaps his entire future on it too, as the 2008 World Series Most Valuable Player will have the opportunity to sign a hefty contract sometime in the next 10 months, or so. With a sluggish offense thus far in 2012, averaging 2 runs per contest, the Phillies have depended on their starting pitching to keep them in games. In the first three games the season, Philadelphia starters ...

On Wednesday, Ryan Howard underwent surgery in Baltimore to repair his torn left Achilles tendon that he suffered on the final play in game 5 of the National League Division Series against St. Louis. According to Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the timetable for Howard to recover fully is just about what many people expected. "It’s going to be 5 to 6 months from the surgery until he can play at his accustomed level," Amaro said in a statement released by the Phillies. "A lot depends on how he recovers. The start of the season could be impacted, but I still hope he makes his first at bat of the season." Placido Polanco and Hunter Pence each had surgeries this week as well. Pence's surgery went well and he is recovering in Philadelphia, according to a Twitter update posted by the All-Star outfielder. For Polanco it is no wonder why his offensive production suffered down the stretch this season, as his procedure was for a double sports hernia. Another Phi...

In the deciding game 5 of the National League Division Series, the Cardinals and the Phillies will send their ace to the mound in hopes of advancing in the playoffs. Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay were 1st round draft picks by the Toronto Blue Jays that went on to become Cy Young Award winners and the hurler that their teams count at crunch time. Pressure will be on each man to help carry his team to the National League Championship Series, where their squad will face the winner of the Diamondbacks/Brewers series. The Phillies, who entered 2011 as the favorite to represent the National League in the World Series, set a franchise record with 102 wins in the regular season. They could see their dreams crushed much earlier than was anticipated. St. Louis has been the hot club down the stretch, having won 11 of their final 15 regular season games to clinch a playoff berth. Friday, 8:37 PM. Chris Carpenter (0-0, 12.00 ERA in 2011 postseason) vs. Roy Halladay (1-0, 3.37 ERA in 2011 ...

With Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence making returning back to where they became households names in the baseball world, the Houston Astros (49-97) will play host to both fan favorites for the first time ever, as they face the Phillies (94-49) for a three-game series. Prior to a trade that sent Oswalt to Philadelphia in July, 2010, he became a two-time 20 game winner and a three-time All-Star. Pence, who joined the Phillies after another trade with Houston in July this season, was a two-time All-Star as a member of the Astros. Houston, having dealt away multiple noteworthy players, for prospects, have the worst record in the Majors by 10 games over the closest cellar dweller. Read ahead for more details on the pitching match ups as well as other key info on this series. Monday, 8:05 PM. Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.72 ERA) vs. Brett Myers (4-13, 4.66 ERA). In his last 4 starts, Oswalt has a 2-1 record with a 3.33 ERA. Oswalt has served up a .314 batting average against in 11 road starts this seas...

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...

As news dropped that Placido Polanco and Cole Hamels will miss time, the Phillies (78-41) are set to begin a three-game series against the playoff contending Arizona Diamondbacks (68-53). After Polanco worked out on the field at Citizens Bank Park, the team decided to place him on the disabled list. The All-star third baseman, who has been out of action lately with a sports hernia, tested his body with running and fielding drills on Tuesday, but the call was made to officially place him on the DL retroactive to August 7th. Polanco would then be available to return after just five more days. The move allows the Phillies to add a player to the active roster in the meantime. Surgery is likely in Polanco's future, but he prefers to put it off until the off-season and play through it, as the Phillies head toward a fifth straight post-season. In addition, an MRI on Cole Hamels' ailing left shoulder revealed inflammation and the team has announced that he will skip his nex...

The Phillies, owners of Major League Baseball's best record at 68-39, travel out west to begin a three-game series on Monday night when they take on the under-performing Rockies (51-57) who sit in third place, 10 games behind San Francisco, in the National League West division. In a brief two-game series at Citizens Bank Park in May, the two teams each prevailed with one win. Cole Hamels will take the mound for Philadelphia in the series opener. The lefty Hamels last faced the Rockies when he took a loss in game 2 of the 2009 NL Division Series, allowing 4 earned runs in 5 innings pitched. The Rockies will counter with right-hander Jhoulys Chacin, who is winless in his last 7 starts. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key statistics for this series. Monday, 8:40PM. Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.61 ERA) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (8-8, 3.50 ERA). In his last 3 road starts, Hamels is 1-2 with a 5.93 ERA. Hamels has a 1-2 record with a 4.50 ERA since the All-star Break. I...

This weekend the Pittsburgh Pirates (54-49) travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (65-39) in a three-game series that pits the Keystone State rivals against one another and begins on Friday evening at Citizens Bank Park. The Pirates won 2 of 3 games when these team met in Pittsburgh in June. Last season, the Phillies dropped 4 of 6 meetings with the Buccos. With both teams battling for a playoff spot in the National League, this series is primed to be an interesting one. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups as well as loads more statistics from this series. Friday, 7:05PM. Charlie Morton (8-5, 3.69 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (12-5, 2.44 ERA). In 8 starts on the road this season Morton has posted a 5-1 record with a 3.00 ERA. Morton has a 1-2 record with a 7.11 ERA in 4 career starts against the Phillies. In his previous 5 starts, Morton has a 1-2 record with a 5.40 ERA. Halladay is 3-0 with a 2.13 ERA in his last 5 home starts. In 4 career starts against the Pir...

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...

Division rivals begin a 3-game series on the birthday of the country, as the Phillies (53-32) travel to Florida to take on the Marlins (38-46) on Independence Day. Florida went 3-22 to begin the month of June, but have gone 4-1 since then. The tough stretch set the Marlins back quite a bit. The club now sits 14 1/2 games behind the division leading Phillies, in last place in the National League East division. Details on the pitching match ups and loads more key stats from this series lie ahead. Monday, 6:10PM. Vance Worley (3-1, 2.57 ERA) vs. Ricky Nolasco (5-4, 4.08 ERA). In 2 career games against Florida, Worley is 0-1 with 3.38 ERA. Worley has a 0-1 record with a 5.25 ERA in 4 road appearances this season. Worley is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in his last 3 starts. In his last 4 starts, Nolasco is 1-3 with a 4.88 ERA. Nolasco is 6-3 with a 3.57 ERA in 13 career games against the Phillies. Shane Victorino is 4-for-26 (.154 avg) in his career against Nolasco. Tuesday, 7:10PM. Cole ...