Phillies (74-40) at Dodgers (52-61), 10:10 p.m. on CSN
Starting Pitchers
Phillies: Roy Halladay (14-4, 2.55) has won each of his last three starts, but his last outing was a little bit of a struggle. In seven innings against the Rockies, Halladay allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits, but the Phils offense provided him eight runs of support. Of his last 14 starts, the Phillies have won 13.
Dodgers: Hiroki Kuroda (7-13, 2.96) has the lowest ERA of any pitcher in the majors with 10 or more losses. He earned a rare win in his last start with a great performance against the Padres, allowing just four hits over seven shutout innings. The Dodgers, however, have dropped four of his last five starts.
Previous games
The Phils had a nine-game win streak snapped on Sunday, when they lost to the Giants by a score of 3-1. Roy Oswalt made his first start since June 23, allowing three earned runs on 12 hits in six innings of work. The Phils offense struggled to light up the scoreboard against Tim Lincecum, managing just one run in his 7 23 innings on the mound.
The Dodgers have won four of their last six, but they lost their most recent contest, a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Diamondbacks. Despite keeping Arizona to just five hits, Clayton Kershaw allowed two homers and took the loss, his fifth of the season.
Head-to-head
The Phils are 2-1 against the Dodgers this seasonKuroda is 2-1 with a 0.87 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Phils, allowing just 11 hits in 31 inningsJimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have just thee combined hits off Kuroda in 28 at-bats (.107)Casey Blake is 7-for-17 (.412) off Halladay with two doubles, one homer and five RBIsAndre Ethier has five hits in seven career at-bats against Halladay, including a double and a home runHalladay has yet to surrender a hit to Juan Rivera in 14 plate appearances.
Whos hot?
Over his last nine games, Ethier is hitting .441 (15-for-34) with seven runs scoredHunter Pence has 11 hits in 29 at-bats (.379) since joining the Phils, including two home runs and a pair of doubles.
Storylines
The Phils have won each of their last five series openersOswalt said that he experienced no pain in his back after his first start since returning from the DLThe last time the Phils faced the Dodgers, both teams scored seven runs over the three-game seriesThis game marks Halladays first start against the Dodgers since August 30 of last year, a contest the Phils lost 3-0.
Sound off
Runners on first and second, two outs, trailing by a run: Which Phillies hitter would you want at the plate?