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The Phillies (14-18) head west to begin a three-game series on Monday night at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The hosting Giants (19-12) have won six straight contests. The Phils' offense, which ranks second from worst in the majors with a .669 OPS, struggled over the weekend, as they tallied only five total hits in a pair of losses to the team with the worst record in the National League, the Marlins. The first place Giants were victorious in four of six meetings between these two teams last year. Read ahead for full details on the pitching match ups and other key stats for this series. Monday. 10:15 PM.  Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.46 ERA) vs. Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55 ERA). In five career regular season starts against San Francisco, Lee is 4-0 with a 0.63 ERA and two complete games.   Lee has a 0-2 record with a 5.04 ERA in his last four starts.  Pablo Sandoval is 2-for-12 (.167 avg) in his career against Lee.  Opponents are hitting just .181 against Bumgarn...

The National League West division leading Giants (51-41) head to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the Phillies (41-52) in a 3-game series. Read ahead for details on the pitching match ups and other statistical info on this series. Friday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (3-10, 5.93 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (5-5, 3.47 ERA). In 10 road starts this season, Lincecum has a 1-6 record with a 9.00 ERA. Hunter Pence is 5-for-29 (.172 avg) in his career against Lincecum. In 2 career regular season starts against the Giants, Worley has a 2-0 record and a 2.25 ERA. Worley has a 2-2 record with 4.07 ERA in 7 home starts this season. Saturday, 4:05 PM. Matt Cain (10-3, 2.56 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.07 ERA). In 8 career regular season starts, Cain has posted a 1-4 record with a 3.42 ERA. Cain has a 1-1 record with a 3.37 ERA in his last 4 starts. Hamels has a 5-3 record with a 2.76 ERA and a .228 BAA in 9 home starts this season. In his last 4 starts, Hamels is 1-1 with a 2.48 ERA. ...

The National League West Division leading Giants (59-43) visit Philadelphia for the first time since they knocked the Phillies (64-37) out of the post-season last October, as the two clubs begin a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday evening. The Giants and Phillies split six meetings during the regular season last year, however it was San Francisco that defeated the Phillies, 4 games to 2, in the National League Championship Series. The Giants, of course, went on to defeat the Rangers in the World Series. Former Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will take the hill for the reigning champs. Philadelphia will counter with rookie Vance Worley, who the team has ridden to a 10-2 record in his starts. Read ahead for some notes on the pitching match ups and some other key stats for this series. Tuesday, 7:05 PM. Tim Lincecum (8-8, 2.90 ERA) vs. Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA). In his last 6 starts, Lincecum has a 3-2 record with a 1.66 ERA. Lincecum is 5-4 with a 2.44 ERA in...

Doc Classic SAN FRANCISCO— Television cameras caught him trying to stay up and loose between innings. Roy Halladay rarely rested, as he spent time riding a stationary bike after pulling his groin in the 2nd inning of Thursday night's National League Championship Series Game 5. Halladay was tough, throwing 6 innings, to help the Philadelphia Phillies extend the NLCS and return home to wrap up the series this weekend. Halladay's teammates didn’t quite realize their starting hurler was pitching through pain in his game 1 rematch against San Francisco's reigning Cy Young Award winner, Tim Lincecum. Learning that Doc pitched while ailing impressed his teammates more than they typically are with a Halladay outing. Some found it difficult to describe Halladay's efforts. "I don't know what word you can put on him. Do you want to use 'Superhero?' That works," Shane Victorino told the media following the game. In his 6 innings of work, Halladay allowed just...

The much anticipated pitching match up in game 1 of the National League Championship Series ended with the younger of the two aces earning a victory, and the veteran came out of the contest already focused on redemption, but it was a late season addition from the waiver wire who became the star of the game for the Giants. Cody Ross shined, slugging 2 solo homeruns off of Roy Halladay, who was fresh off throwing the second no-hitter in MLB postseason history last week against the Reds. Ross was cut loose by the Florida Marlins and scooped up off waivers by the Giants, reportedly as a preventive measure, so that he would not end up with the rival Padres. As a Marlin earlier in the season, Ross was on the down side of Halladay's other big outing this season, his perfect game on May 29th. With one out in the 3rd inning, Ross ended Halladay's postseason hitless streak, delivering San Francisco's first hit and first run of the game, by smashing a solo homer to left field. The Phi...

For the third straight season, the Phillies will be battling it out for a chance to move on to the World Series with a team from California. This year the Dodgers sit at home, while a new contender, the San Francisco Giants, has stepped up. As the Phillies look to become the first National League team to win 3 straight National League Championship Series, the Giants will seek to surprise many around baseball, as they are widely considered the underdog. The focus in this series will be on the pitchers and each team will send its ace to the mound for game 1. For the Giants, it will be Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, who tossed a complete game shut out against Atlanta in his postseason debut last week. For the Phillies, it will be Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay, who hurled a no-hitter against Cincinnati in his postseason debut last week. Neither pitcher expects a repeat of their gems from his last time out, but that doesn't mean both men won't be trying. Offense is expecte...

For $1,000 in the category of MLB Man-love, the answer is: The two Giants teammates who live up to their city's best known stereotype. Question: Who are Pablo Sandoval and Tim Lincecum? Correct! During Wednesday night's 13-1 loss in Arizona, Giants infielder Pablo Sandoval found time to flirt with his Cy Young Award winning teammate Tim Lincecum, by playing with his hair. Sandoval had 2 hits in 4 at bats, and Lincecum did not pitch in the contest. San Francisco residents must be pleased that their hometown baseball players can reinforce the city's reputation for being gay friendly. Starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez (center), however, looks a bit concerned over Sandoval's approach to the Giants' ace pitcher. _______________________________ Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE ! Share on Facebook