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Tied at 1 game apiece in the best-of-five National League Division Series, the Phillies and Cardinals will battle it out in St. Louis for a chance to go to advance. With lefty Cole Hamels on the mound, set to tie Hall of Famer Steve Carlton for most postseason starts by a pitcher in Phillies history, with 13, the Phillies will face another left-hander, Jaime Garcia in game 3 on Tuesday night. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key notes from these two games. Tuesday, 5:07 PM. Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA) vs Jaime Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA). In 17 road games this season, Hamels posted a 7-3, 2.93 ERA with a .219 batting average against. Hamels has a 2-3 record with a 3.27 ERA in 9 career starts against the Cardinals. Albert Pujols is 4-for-23 (.174 avg) with a double and 2 HR in his career against Hamels. The 2008 World Series MVP, Hamels, has a 6-4 record with a 3.33 ERA in 12 career postseason starts. Garcia posted a 3-0 record with a 2.64 ERA in his ...

With the Phillies' 7-1 victory over the Braves on Tuesday night, milestones were reached. Not only did the Phillies tie their single season wins record by matching the 1976 and 1977 teams that had 101 wins, the win also tied Charlie Manuel with Gene Mauch on the all-time managerial wins list in team history with 645. Manuel began managing the Phillies in 2005 and has helped the franchise take command of a division that had previously been dominated by Atlanta and New York. Manuel reached the landmark win total in two fewer seasons than Mauch needed. Mauch's tenure as skipper of the Phillies lasted from 1960-1968. Additional highlights from Tuesday's win were the solid outings from righty starter Roy Oswalt and left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo. The 6 IP/0 run outing by the veteran Oswalt completed a foursome of excellent showings by the projected Phillies playoff rotation in their final starts of the regular season. As pointed out by Phillies.com's Todd Zolecki ,...

For the final series of the regular season, the Phillies (99-60) will travel to Atlanta to face the Braves (89-70), who are battling to clinch the National League wild card for the second straight season. Heading into action on Monday, Atlanta leads St. Louis by 1 games in the wild card race. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key info for this series. Monday, 7:10 PM. Cliff Lee (16-8, 2.38 ERA) vs. Randall Delgado (1-1, 2.70 ERA). Lee has posted a 0-1 record with a 1.57 ERA in his last 3 starts. In 13 road games this year, Lee is 5-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Lee has a 1-1 record with a 5.65 ERA in 3 career starts at Turner Field. Delgado posted a 7-7 record with a 3.88 ERA in 25 minor league starts this season. In 4 home starts with the Braves, the rookie Delgado is 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Tuesday, 7:10 PM. Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86 ERA) vs. Derek Lowe (9-16, 4.92 ERA). In two starts this season against the Braves, Oswalt is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and a .200 batting ...

Behind 7 dominant innings from starting pitcher Roy Oswalt, the Phillies defeated the Cardinals, by a score of 9-2 on Saturday, to clinch their fifth National League East division championship in five years. In front of 45,470 fans at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, the righty veteran Oswalt earned his 8th win of the season and looked dominant, while allowing no runs and striking out 7 batters. Thanks to the strong effort from Oswalt, the Phillies took a 3-0 lead into the 8th inning. Mike Stutes came on in relief and, after getting the first two outs of the inning on 7 pitches, gave up hits to four straight batters, allowing the Cardinals to cut the Phils' lead down to one run, before Brad Lidge came on to squash the visitors' rally. The Phillies, determined to lock down the division crown in the franchise-best 150th game of the season, put an exclamation point on the clincher. Batting around, the Phillies plated 6 runners, including a grand slam by Raul Ibanez to com...

With the Phillies' magic number to clinch a fifth consecutive National League East Division championship, they'll begin a four-game series with the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. Not only are the playoffs ahead, but the Phils, who currently possess the best record in baseball at 97-51, also have home field advantage throughout the playoffs and an all-time franchise single season record for wins in sight. The current Phillies record for wins, 101, was set in 1976, then tied in 1977. The Cardinals, who are 5 1/2 games back in the Central division, will send lefty Jaime Garcia, who has held Philadelphia to a .171 batting average in 5 career appearances, to the mound for the series opener. The Phillies will counter with rookie right-hander Vance Worley, who took a loss for the first time in 15 starts his last time out against the Brewers. St. Louis has won three of five meetings with Philadelphia this season. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups as well as more key sta...

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...

Recently, we reviewed the prospects that the Phillies dealt to acquire Roy Halladay . As a sequel to that piece, this week we'll take a glance at the minor leaguers that Philadelphia sent to Houston in exchange for Roy Oswalt. Much like the deal for Halladay, the second of the team's pair of Roys, Mr. Oswalt, cost the Phillies a three-piece of young talent. At the time of the July, 2010 deal, Houston was reported to be in the market for a Major League ready contributor to fill Oswalt's void on the roster. The Phillies obliged and sent 2009's Sporting News Rookie of the Year, J.A. Happ , over to the National League Central's current cellar dwellers. After joining the Astros last season, the left-handed Happ did a respectable job, going 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 starts. This season, however, was considerably different. After posting a 7.66 ERA in 10 combined June/July starts, Happ was sent down to Triple A Oklahoma City, where he sported a 1.50 ERA through 3 starts a...

Just one week after a two-thirds of a three game series got washed out by Hurricane Irene, the Phillies (87-46) and Marlins (60-76) are scheduled to go head to head once again. Since the poor weather that drenched the northeastern United States, the Phillies have flexed their muscles, recording their first four-game sweep at Cincinnati since 1916 and going 41 games above .500 for the second time in franchise history. In the opener of this three-game set, the Phillies will send right-hander Roy Oswalt to the hill. Oswalt was charged with the loss in last Friday's match up with Florida, having given up 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Marlins will counter with newly recalled lefty Brad Hand, who will be making his first career appearance against Philadelphia. Read ahead for more details on the pitching matchups and key stats from this series. Friday, 7:10 PM. Roy Oswalt (6-8, 3.77 ERA) vs. Brad Hand (1-4, 4.08 ERA). In 16 career starts against the Marlins, Oswal...

As the Philadelphia region braces for its most threatening hurricane, possibly, ever, the Phillies (83-45) are attempting to reschedule games for their weekend series against the Marlins (58-72), in order to avoid the damaging weather. Sunday's game was moved up to Saturday at 1:05PM, while Saturday night's game has now been postponed until September 15th. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Clay Hensley (1-5, 5.47 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (6-7, 3.51 ERA). In 13 road games this season, Hensley has posted a 1-4 record with a 5.60 ERA. Hensley, in 17 career games (3 starts) against the Phillies, has a 1-1 record with a 2.94 ERA. Jimmy Rollins is 1-for-13 (.077 avg) in his career against Hensley. In 15 career starts against the Marlins, Oswalt has a 6-4 record with a 3.72 ERA. Oswalt is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA in his last 3 starts. Mike Cameron is 9-f0r-30 (.300 avg) with a HR in his career against O...

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...

Many baseball fans will recall all the hype surrounding the Phillies' pitching rotation leading into the season. After Philadelphia snatched free agent Cliff Lee up, before the Rangers or the Yankees could lock him into a contract, the baseball world seemed to buzz for months about the potential of the Phillies' starting pitchers for the 2011 season. As the team has reached the 75 games plateau in the 2011 season, the Phillies' 47-28 record is the best record in Major League Baseball and, as should have been expected, they have their pitching staff to thank for it. Overall, the Phillies' pitching staff leads the Majors in ERA, with a 2.98 mark, but the staff has been led by three members of their starting rotation...especially over the past month. Adding together statistics from each of Cole Hamels', Roy Halladay's and Cliff Lee's past 7 starts, the sums are remarkable. The trio has combined for a 15-2 record and a 2.17 ERA while allowing just 24 walks and...

The Phillies (44-26), in the midst of a hot streak that has seen them win 7 straight games, will head west for a 3-game interleague series with the Seattle Mariners (35-34) that begins Friday night. Philadelphia has been riding stellar pitching during the recent streak of success. Phillies starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.80 ERA over the past 7 games. The M's, who are 1/2 game behind Texas for 1st place in the American League West division standings, hope to benefit from the promotion of highly regarded prospect, infielder Dustin Ackley. The 2nd overall draft selection in the 2009 draft, Ackley had posted a .303 average with 9 homers and 35 RBI through 66 games with Triple A Tacoma. These two teams have not met since the Mariners took 2 of 3 games from the Phillies at Seattle's Safeco Field in 2005. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups as well as other key statistics from this series. Friday, 10:10PM. Roy Oswalt (4-4, 3.14 ERA) vs. Michael Pineda (6-4, 2....

No intro...just stats. Dodgers (28-32, 3rd place NL West) at Phillies (35-24, 1st place NL East). Philadelphia won 4 of 6 meetings with Los Angeles last year. Monday, 7:05PM. Ted Lilly (4-4, 4.22 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (4-5, 3.94 ERA). In 6 career starts against the Phillies, Lilly has a 1-4 record with a 5.91 ERA. The left-handed Lilly is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in his last 3 road starts this season. Lilly has a 7.16 ERA in 3 career starts at Citizens Bank Park. In 6 home starts this season, Lee has posted a 3-1 record and a 2.72 ERA. In his lone career start against the Dodgers, Lee allowed 1 earned run in 7 1/3 innings. Catcher Rod Barajas is 0-for-12 in his career against Lee. Tuesday, 7:05PM. Rubby De La Rosa (1-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. Roy Oswalt (3-3, 2.70 ERA). Righty rookie De La Rosa will be making his first MLB start. Opponents are batting .176 against the 21-year-old De La Rosa in 5 innings for the Dodgers. In 8 starts with Class AA Chattanooga, De La Rosa had a 2-2 record with a 2.93 ER...

The Phillies (33-20) hope to continue a 5-game winning streak in games against the Nationals (22-30), as they head to Washington to begin a 3-game series on Memorial Day, Monday. In the series opener, Philadelphia will send right-handed ace Roy Halladay, who is nearly unstoppable against Washington, to the mound. The Nationals will counter with righty veteran Livan Hernandez, who has split two decisions against the Phillies this year. Read ahead for loads of details on the pitching match ups and other key information on this series. Monday, 1:05PM. Roy Halladay (6-3, 2.35 ERA) vs. Livan Hernandez (3-6, 3.71 ERA). In 14 career games against the Nationals, Halladay is 10-1 with a 2.01 ERA. In his last 7 starts, Halladay is 4-2 with a 2.10 ERA. In 3 starts at Nationals Park, Halladay is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA and a .167 batting average against. In 5 home starts this season, Hernandez has a 3-2 record with a 1.80 ERA. In 29 career starts against Philadelphia, Hernandez is 12-11 with a 3.59 E...

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...

The two teams that Cliff Lee has pitched for in the last two World Series will meet this weekend, as the Texas Rangers (23-21) travel to Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (26-17). The 3-game set will mark the second straight series in which the National League East Division leading Phillies will host a first place team. Lee, who was traded from Seattle to Texas last July, will start on Saturday and be faced by his former teammate Colby Lewis in a game set to be televised by the FOX network. Read on for more details on the pitching match ups and plenty more statistics for this series. Friday, 7:05PM. CJ Wilson (4-2, 3.37 ERA) vs Roy Halladay (5-3, 2.21 ERA). In 3 road starts this season, Wilson has a 1-1 record with a 2.78 ERA. In his last 5 starts, Wilson is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA. Raul Ibanez is 2-for-19 (.105 avg) in his career against Wilson. Halladay is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA in 5 home starts this season. In his last 5 starts, Halladay is 3-2 with a 1.77 ERA. In 20 career games again...

The various costs the Phillies have paid to acquire their dream rotation of top-of-the-line starting pitchers are high and well-documented. The long-term contracts - including the Phillies’ first-ever $20 million arms – put the monetary cost front and center, but the secondary cost of acquiring these players can sometimes be forgotten. Really, it’s not hard to see why. When players like Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt do what they’ve done for the Phils at the Major League level, caring about what could have been with prospects is pushed aside in favor of appreciation, awe and admiration for what actually is. Still, for nostalgia’s sake, it’s nice to keep tabs on former Philly farmhands. In the case of the Phillies, a slew of young players were exchanged for this lineup of fierce hurlers. Few teams have had the depth and quality – or, at least, perceived quality – of minor leaguers to pull off deals like these, especially not in a two-plus-season span. It’s a big family to monitor. Sadly,...

Fresh off a series loss in Atlanta, the Phillies (25-14) still sport the best record in the league and continue their road trip with 2 games in St. Louis against the Cardinals (22-19). This brief series will pit one exceptional offense against one outstanding pitching staff. The Cardinals' offense has been the strength of the club for much of the season, leading the Majors in runs scored (210) and batting average (.284), while the Phillies' highly-regarded pitching staff has the second best ERA in the National League (3.12). Philadelphia and St. Louis each won four of the eight games the teams played against one another last season. Details on the pitching match ups for this series and plenty more statistics lie ahead. Monday, 7:05PM. Cliff Lee (2-3, 3.78 ERA) vs. Jake Westbrook (2-3, 6.92 ERA). In his last 5 starts, Lee is 0-2 with a 3.54 ERA. In 2 career starts against St. Louis, Lee is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA. In 4 road starts this season, Lee has a 1-2 record with a 4.62 ...

The Phillies (21-9) look to continue a strong home stand, as the division rival Atlanta Braves (18-15) come to town for a 3-game series. Roy Oswalt has returned to the Phillies after leaving the team for a week to be with his family, following the devastating tornadoes that ravage his home region in Mississippi. He is slated to start the second game of the series. He'll face 25-year-old righty Jair Jurrjens, who hasn't lost this season. In the series opener on Friday, the Phillies will look to stay on a hot streak, as they've won 6 of their past 7 games, including a 3-game sweep of the Nationals this week. The Braves are on a roll of their own, fresh off a 4-game sweep of the Brewers in Atlanta. Read ahead for a look at the pitching match ups and loads more details for this series. Friday, 7:05PM. Derek Lowe (2-3, 3.72 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.66 ERA). Lowe was arrested recently and charged with DUI. In 7 career starts at Citizens Bank Park, Lowe is 4-2 with a 2.96...

The Phillies announced on Wednesday that starting pitcher Roy Oswalt has left the team to deal with family concerns in his native Mississippi. Oswalt's hometown of Weir, MS has suffered through devastating storms in recent days, so the righty hurler decided that it was best to travel home and be with his family. A statement released by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. detailed the organization's opinion on Oswalt's decision to leave the club. "There has been a tremendous amount of tornado activity near Roy's home in Mississippi resulting in several tragic deaths and significant devastation to the area," it said. "Because of this, Roy is concerned about his family's wellbeing. He has chosen to take time to make sure there wasn't significant damage to his home, but more importantly, to make certain that his wife and children are okay. Initially, Oswalt's quick departure from Chase Field without speaking to the media, following an early...