Phillies (83-45) vs. Marlins (58-72), 7:05 p.m. on CSN
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Since returning from the DL, Roy Oswalt (6-7, 3.51) has been solid, winning two of three August starts. His last outing was definitely his best of the month as he threw eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 win over the Nationals, striking out a season-high nine batters and walking just one.
Marlins: Clay Hensley (1-5, 5.47) made his first 20 appearances this season as part of the Florida bullpen. He has since entered the starting rotation, but his last four outings have been ugly. Since August 4, Hensley has totaled 17 13 innings over four starts. Over that span, he has allowed 19 earned runs on 26 hits, walking nine and surrendering five homers.
Previous games
After starting the second half 12-7, the Marlins have dropped 17 of their last 20. Their last game was a 3-2 loss to the Reds in which Bronson Arroyo held them scoreless over the contests first eight innings. Five of Floridas last six losses have been by two runs or fewer.
The Phils took two out of three from the Mets after dropping a series to the Nationals. Their most recent game, however, was the lone loss of the New York series, a 7-4 defeat at the expense of Kyle Kendrick.
Head-to-head
The Phils are 9-3 against the Mets this season, outscoring Florida by 34 runs in 12 total gamesCombined, the Phils position players are 16-for-48 (.348) with five extra-base hitsIn 17 appearances against the Phils (just three starts), Hensley is 1-1 with 2.94 ERAIn 15 starts against the Marlins, Oswalt is 6-4 with a 3.72 ERARyan Howards .310 batting average against Florida is his highest against any division opponent.
Whos hot?
Shane Victorino is working on a 12-game hitting streak, over which he is batting .321 (17-for-53) with eight extra-base hitsCarlos Ruiz has a seven-game hitting streak, including two hits in each of his last five gamesSince being activated on Monday, Placido Polanco has had multiple hits in three straight gamesNo one is hot for the Marlins.
Storylines
Due to the threat of Hurricane Irene, the Phillies have moved Sundays game to Saturday, resulting in a daynight doubleheader tomorrow.
Sound off
If tonight was Game 7 of the World Series, and the Phils were down to their final out with runners on first and second, trailing by a run, who would you want at the plate?